Shadow Shot Sunday – Palace of the Governors

One of my favorite places in Santa Fe is the covered walkway at the Palace of the Governors. For my whole life I have seen Native American vendors setting up to display and sell their jewelry. This time I saw a guy, looking like an inspector of some sort, checking out all the vendors and filling out a checklist. I also noticed that each vendor area is numbered so I got to wondering how are these vendors regulated. Was the jewelry made by Native Americans? I had so many questions.

So I checked the interwebs and it turns out the vendors displaying their wares are very tightly regulated via the Native American Portal Program administered by the New Mexico History Museum. The vendors must be a member of recognized tribe and they have to show technical mastery of their skills and crafts. All sold items must be handmade by the vendor or a member of their household, using traditional methods and materials (e.g., turquoise, coral, silver, beadwork). I’m thinking that the jewelry on sale is legit. Up to you to get a good price for it though.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday

Domestic and Wild Animals in the House and Garden

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Here’s our sweet Lizzie. She is the queen of chill.

And our not so sweet Pomeranian, Kodi. Showing off a fantail while begging food from my wife.

And a Blue Jay at the Feeder.

And a pair of mourning doves perched on our fence.

I am linking to Saturday’s Critters

Skywatch Friday – The Sky is the Only Thing that Kept Me Sane Edition

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We have had a lot of stress recently in our family, not caused by anyone within our immediate family. We had been looking forward to our family vacation and we ended up going on it and we had a good time. In amidst the weeks before I dealt with the stress by taking photos. That always settles me down. They are not works of art but they are mine (that is why I call myself a “picture taker” and not a “photographer.” Being a picture taker is so liberating!!

This was the Full Strawberry Moon at the end of the month. I’ll admit I missed by a day or so but close enough.

And this was a few days before. The moon isn’t quite full.

A drone shot at 40 meters over the backyard looking to the northwest.

A local shopping center has a concert series in the summertime on a weekday night. This was at the end of the concert. The music was great but the sky said “my turn” and did not disappoint. This is looking west.

And another shot to the east. We don’t normally get reverse sunsets as nice as this.

Here is a neighborhood sunrise from our house looking east. I used a hipstamatic filter on this. I love the Hipstamatic App on my iphone.

And a jigsaw puzzle photo.

And this is the Goosenecks of the Colorado River in Utah. This has been on my bucket list to get in real life for some time. I’m told that during peak times there is all sorts of pushing and shoving amongst people to get the best spot for a photo. So until I get there myself and use my picturetaker skills to get my own photo, I’ll just use this. I’m not into pushing and shoving.

So that’s it for this week. I’m linking with Skywatch Friday

The Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico

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The first thing we looked at in Santa Fe during our recent vacation was the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi right adjacent to our hotel.

Franciscan Friars and settlers came to the area in 1598 and in 1610 the city of Santa Fe was established and the first church was built. The church was destroyed in 1680 during the Pueblo Revolt. The Spanish returned in1693 and by 1714-1717 a new church in honor of Saint Francis was established. In 1853 the Diocese of Santa Fe was established and construction started on the Cathedral in 1869. It was dedicated in 1887. Complete except the spires were not funded and never built.

Almost all the buildings in downtown Santa Fe are adobe or faux adobe. The Cathedral is of Neo-Romanesque design with round arches and Corinthian columns. It’s quite beautiful inside and out.

Kateri Tekakwitha - First Female Native American Saint

On the grounds of the Cathedral is statue of Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680). The first Indigenous American Saint. Canonized in 2012, she is known as the Patron Saint of Ecology. She had a Mohawk father and a Christianized Algonquin mother You can read more about her here.

The grounds have a Station of the Cross installation that is very powerful.

On Cathedral Square is this sculpture honoring the priests and settlers who came and claimed the area for Spain.

Saint Francis of Assisi himself.

And a ceramic installation of the Virgin of Guadaloupe.

The inside of the church is gorgeous. It is a very active church with many different activities for members and non-members and is welcoming to all. Check out their website for more information.

The sanctuary is very peaceful and there were a lot of people praying during out visit.

I love all the stained glass windows. They are beautiful.

I am linking with Through My Lens

The Story Behind Saint Francis Dancing on Water

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We had our family vacation earlier this month. Our first stop was Santa Fe, New Mexico. The morning after we got there we were eager to get outside and walk around because driving from Tulsa to Santa Fe takes a long time. Our first stop was the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi which is in the middle of downtown and adjoined out hotel. We were a little early for the Cathedral to open so we walked around the grounds of the Cathedral. I’m always looking for shadows and I came upon this sculpture.

Saint Francis Dancing on Water Sculpture - edited

It made a great shadow and the adjoining plaque said it depicts Saint Francis dancing on water. And it was like, what!?!? I am not Catholic but every depiction I have seen of Saint Francis of Assisi is that he was a very serious guy. I have never seen a painting or a sculpture of him being joyful. So that kind of jarred my thought process and I thought I have to go check this out.

It turns out that it is a different Saint Francis, Saint Francis of Paola, a Franciscan hermit, who modeled his life after his namesake from Assisi. He is most known for his crossing the Straits of Messina. He didn’t have enough money to take a ferry so he prayed and blessed the sea and then laid his coat down and walked across the Straits. Because of this miracle, he is regarded as the patron saint of boatmen, mariners, and sailors. I call him the Joyful Saint Francis.

I love finding out stuff like this. The interwebs can be fun!!

I am linking to Shadow Shot Sunday

Saturday’s Critters – on the Trail

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From a bike ride last month. I found this Great Blue Heron at Zink Lake on the Arkansas River in Tulsa.

On another day last month I was hiking on Turkey Mountain and came across this Red Shouldered Hawk. They are so intense!!

And then just a short distance down the trail.

This deer looking at me.

And a couple miles later

Found this deer in the shadows.

I am linking with Saturday’s Critters

The Skies of Tulsa – Summer Edition

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The family just got back from a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We had a good time but it was one of those active trips where we were on the go every day as opposed to sitting on the beach a bunch. We had a great time, saw a lot of stuff, and ate lots of good New Mexican style Mexican Food. I’ll have photos from the trip in the coming weeks. Right now, I am still working my way through photos from June.

Drone shot looking north from south Tulsa

Here’s a drone photos from 50 meters over my back yard in Tulsa, Oklahoma looking north.

And a shot from my across the street neighbor’s driveway looking east.

I love infrastructure of all kinds. This is Public Service Company of Oklahoma’s Tulsa Power Station. It’s an ancient facility on the Arkansas River right in the middle of town. I used to work for the sister natural gas pipeline company, Transok Inc., that supplied the natural gas to the plant.

This is the Arkansas RiverParks trails right across the river from the power plant looking north. You can see that bicycles are to the right and pedestrians to the left.

And at the north end of the Trails, and across the river is where Route 66 crosses the Arkansas River. The city has installed a collection of replicas of vintage motel signs in a little park. Pretty interesting to me. This year is the 100 year anniversary of Route 66. I’ve lived a bunch of my life on Route 66. I love all the attractions on Route 66 but don’t care much for the road itself. Luckily in Oklahoma to the west coast most of the route is paralled (by the powers vested in me, I am declaring “paralled” to be word) by Interstate 40. I’m good with traveling on I40 and getting off to see the attractions as I feel led. Route 66 is too slow!!

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday.

Shadow Shot Sunday – Shadowy Trails to You

Hiking in Tulsa’s Turkey Mountain this time of year. Lots of shadows on the trail with all the trees.

A bicycle crossover over the trail. Hikers are not allowed on the crossovers. After one crosses over the slope is very steep. I like to ride my bicycle but I am strictly a pavement kind of guy. You have to be a very good rider to this structure. If you are by yourself and get injured I don’t know what you will do. This is in one of the most remote areas of the park. Weekends are not so bad but during the week I rarely see anyone here.

And a short ways later we have this bicycle jumpover across the trail. You better know what you are doing here. The crossover at least you can “roll over” the structure. Here there is no roll over.

I am linking with ShadowShot Sunday

Beavers Bend Safari Park – Part II

Last week I posted photos of various animals at the Beavers Bend Safari Park that were on the walk through part of the facility. This week I am showing you some of the animals that we saw in the drive through part.

Whitetail Deer

Sable Antelope Calf - Beavers Bend Animal Safari

Sable Antelope – Native of Southern Africa

Fallow Deer – From Europe

Banteng – Southeast Asia

Red Stag – – originated in Europe

Beavers Bend Safari Park - Female Blackbuck

Female Blackbuck – Indian and Nepal

Beavers Bend Safari Park - Wildebeest (aka Gnu) and female Blackbuk

Female Blackbuck and a Wildebeest (aka Gnu) – The Wildebeest is originally from Eastern and Southern Africa

More Blackbucks

And yet another Blackbuck

Beavers Bend Safari Park - Pere Davids Deer

Pere David’s Deer – Originally from China. Now extinct in the wild.

Another Pere David’s Deer

A Llama chewing its cud on a hill.

An Elk resting in a grove of trees.

It took us quite a while to do the drive through part of the Safari Park. A good time was had by all. I am linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters