A Prayer...

for Allegra... 

Take my hand and I will lift you;

Wrapping you gently in a blanket of soft stars,

Shining light within you and around you.

Feel it radiate within you and let it go through you,

Coming out the top of your head.

The  light will banish all the dark that lurks where we cannot see.

Take my hand and I will lift you.

They Call Me Mellow Yellow

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. This fabulous meme was created and hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt who hails from Great Britain. Over time, others have joined in to help host this wonderful and informative meme. We are now in our seventh round-some of the participants have been with this from the very first round; others have joined in along the way. Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture. We start with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter. is, "X".

XANTHIC

Xanthic: yellow or yellowish in color.

 XANTHOMELANOUS 

Xanthomelanous: pertaining to races of men (and women) with an olive, brown, or yellow complexion. That  would be me. Anyway, much handier to use myself as an example than a random person from a Google search that might not appreciate being posted on my blog! And, truth be told, I exaggerated the color shift on this to accentuate the yellow (not very flattering).

XANTHOPHYLL

Xanthophyll: a yellow crystalline pigment found in plants; it is related to carotene and is the basis of the yellow seen in autumn leaves. As evident with these aspens.

XANTHOPHANE

Xanophane: a yellow pigment of the retina. Rocky, our cat, has yellow eyes. Must be from the xanophane-although I'm not entirely sure if I have this right. This is about all the definition says! And, the images from a Google search are mostly of butterflies (which I don't understand if it's about the retina...).

Well, that was fun! I thought I wasn't going to have much to post by way of "X"!

Setting My Heart Right

The Altar Screen at our church on Christmas Eve (The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) 

(The altar screen was built by hand a few years ago by some 

of our parish men. It is a replica of the original altar 

screen and had to be brought in in three pieces. 

The center piece clears the ceiling by only a few inches!)

"Help us to embrace you will, 

Give us the strength to follow your call,

So that your truth may live in our hearts."

(a Psalm, but I don't know which one)

And, I offer you a quote from Confucious today:

"To put the world right in order we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.

That will be my lifetime resolution: setting my heart right.

For more on "Stumbling Towards Ecstasy", go on over to our hostess, Rebecca's blog.

WISHING YOU...

SEASON'S GREETINGS 

(on our front porch...)

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS

 (holiday silhouette in the dining room window)

WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THIS WORLD

 

(holiday reflection)

MAY PEACE AND JOY BE ABUNDANT IN YOUR LIVES

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2009 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here and then select the "Shadow Shot" set.

Weeping White Wiliwilis

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. This fabulous meme was created and hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt who hails from Great Britain. Over time, others have joined in to help host this wonderful and informative meme. We are now in our seventh round-some of the participants have been with this from the very first round; others have joined in along the way. Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture. We start with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter. is, "W".

WHITE WILIWILI

 Wiliwili (pronounced "willie willie") are also known as Coral Trees, Lobster Claw Tree, Flame Trees, etc. In Hawaii, they are known as wiliwili. It is a tree in the Erythrina family.  In Hawaii, there are several color forms:  red ones, yellow ones, white ones. My brother has some old photos on his website. I consulted him for a lot of the general background information on this plant as he is the one who planted this tree that is in the yard of the home we grew up in, in Kalae, Molokai. The tree drops all of its leaves before it sets forth into bloom. Blooming starts with a solitary flower such as this one, and over time, the entire tree is filled in bloom (hence Flame Tree). Robert says that there is this one area on the way up to the forest reserve that has white wiliwili trees and when they are in full bloom, it looks like it's been snowing.The wood of this tree is very light and buoyant. The outrigger part of  canoes were made from wiliwili wood. In the Hawaiian language, 'wiliwili' means,  'repeatedly twisted' as the seed pods are twisted. The seeds in the seed pods are sought out by those who make leis from the seeds of plants in Hawaii. They are difficult to 'sew' through with a needle and thread, but they yield remarkably beautiful leis. Problem is, though, in Hawaii, these seed leis need to be stored in zip lock bags and kept in the deep freeze so that the bugs don't eat away at it (they are taken out about an hour before wearing to allow it to thaw out). There are several beautiful legends of the wiliwili tree. I like this one the best.

A WILIWILI SEED LEI

My Aunty Florence made this one for me. A very labor intensive project-but I cherish this lei not only because my Aunty made it, but because the seeds are from wiliwili trees on Molokai. These leis are sewn by hand with needle and really strong thread of some sort.

WHITE

As in the white flowers of the chive plants that grow in in my garden. They drop lots of seeds, so I have more chives that keep coming back each summer than I can deal with!

WINDMILL

Full view of a windmill  up in the Abiqui area of Northern New Mexico.

 A detailed view of the windmill.

WOODGRAIN

Yes, I find that even woodgrain such as this, which is one of those plywood bulletin board kiosks on the University of New Mexico campus. Normally, this kiosk is littered with notices so that you cannot see the wood beneath it.

A CHRISTMAS WISH

May God bless your Holidays

With Hope, Peace and Love!

Hail Mary!

Hail Mary! 

She will be gracing our blogs every Sunday for those who choose to participate. You need not be a Catholic to participate! The lovely and gracious Rebecca is hosting this meme-what started as a 12 day journey will continue on as a weekly journey.

Hail Mary, hello, how are you?
I greet you with love,
And I thank you for being available.
Deeply, I breathe your roses,
The twelve fresh roses you place in my spirit
Every morning when I say hello to you.

(from Prayers to Mary)

Come Ride With Us!

A 'sticker' on a car window can make for a pretty cool shadow (at least I think so in this case). This on the side windows on the back of my car. It says, "TTN Film Crew".

TTN is an acronym for a twin tip ski company called, Twin Tip Nation. A company that my husband and a couple of friends started up a few years ago. It's not our livelihood by any means. It is more like a hobby. It is constantly evolving with each year. It's gone from being an internet only store to internet and store front  back to internet. But over the years along with this 'evolution', it is becoming more so a 'life style' kind of company. I think this is most evident via the videos that they have made. This trailer is one my husband edited (I think Dan shot it). It has cool shadows in it. And, if you hit it on pause when you see a skier through the round lens who is on the tips of his skis, that is my 'baby' boy, John (he's 19).




As we post our shadow shots, they will be up at Taos ski valley creating another movie. Everyone is excited as there is fresh powder to be skied on! I will remain at home getting things ready for the holidays (such as getting the Christmas cards and letter out in the mail).  Shopping. Wrapping presents. Cleaning the house. At least I'll be warm!

Feeling chilly from the winter's cold edge? I hope this will warm you up:

This is from the trip out to Petrified Forest in October (hey, I took at least 2,000 images on that trip, so there are still more to come!). This is from somewhere along the old Rt. 66.

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2009 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here and then select the "Shadow Shot" set.

Creepers Jeepers! It's a Virginia Creeper!

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. This fabulous meme was created and hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt who hails from Great Britain. Over time, others have joined in to help host this wonderful and informative meme. We are now in our seventh round-some of the participants have been with this from the very first round; others have joined in along the way. Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture. We start with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter. is, "V".

Vigee-Lebrun (a self portrait)

Louise Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun happened to be a very well recognized woman painter in her time (18th century). Pretty gutsy woman and very good at what she did. You can click on her name here to find out more about her.

VLA

VLA=very LARGE array. A radio astronomy observatory near Magdelena, NM (on the San Augustine plains). They are large and they are listening! A must see if you ever drop through New Mexico.

Virginia Creeper

Virginia creeper. The first time I saw this plant was on an old red brick building in San Diego. I was astonished at how beautiful it looks in the fall when all the leaves turn into glorious  shades of  red. Of course, I have 'one' planted here at our house (it takes over the world). It is doing its best to cover the 2 story building it was planted against. It's beginning to win!

Virgin Mary

I just got done with a 12 day meme called a "Virgin a Day".  It was an amazing journey, I believe, for all that participated. It was hosted by Rebecca Brooks. I think were all surprised at what unfolded. The images yielded from this meme, let alone the astonishing writings by all who partook  is a sight to behold. I hope you are curious enough to check it out. You can see all of my posts in one fell swoop by typing in, "A Virgin a Day" in the search box at the top left of this blog.

Our Daily Mary: Day 12

The Virgin Mary every day from  December 1-12th.  Rebecca is hosting this meme.Thanks, Rebecca! If you want to join in, go to her blog and post your link.

 (store front window in Santa Fe, NM)

Astounding as it is, this was not in a church. Not in a graveyard, but in a store window in Santa Fe. Complete with the votive candles for offerings (you know, the small, red glass ones that are in a grouping found at the front of the church). The light was beautiful on her. As was the luscious red drapes in back. She shone with such a golden light. I love this image. I love what it represents. She is perfection.

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Dear Mother, we love you. We thank you for your promise to help us in our need. We trust in your love that dries our tears and comforts us. Teach us to find our peace in your Son, Jesus, and bless us every day of our lives.
Help us to build a shrine in our hearts. Make it as beautiful as the one built for you on the Mount of Tepeyac. A shrine full of trust, hope, and love of Jesus growing stronger each day.
Mary, you have chosen to remain with us by giving us your most wonderful and holy self-image on Juan Diego's cloak. May we feel your loving presence as we look upon your face. Like Juan, give us the courage to bring your message of hope to everyone.
You are our Mother and our inspiration. Hear our prayers and answer us.
Amen. 

A most heartfelt thank you to Rebecca for helping each of us build a shrine in our hearts. This has been a wonderful journey! I am going to go into 'withdrawal' after today as I so enjoyed doing this meme. It has been a very fulfilling and uplifting journey and I am inspired by all who partook in it. This journey came at a much needed time in my life right now, so for that , I am even more grateful as it gave me the strength to keep moving forward and to face each day with joy. I hope we do it again next year!

Arachnophobics-Don't Look!!

I admit it. I am a wee bit arachnophobic! Which my husband finds that to be very humorous, considering I grew up in Hawaii. He calls that the land of spiders.

However, I was cleaning up his office area the other week and saw this creature on the picture of me. Is that not ironic? I mean, there were other photos in the same area that this one was in. Why me?. I got the nerve up to take this shot as my love of shadow chasing is enough to want a shadow of a spider (and I am shuddering here as I type this just thinking about that eight legged creature).

Chili Ristra in Truth or Consequences, NM

Oh, this was just too easy and fun! Bright morning sun on a turquoise wall with a red chili ristra. You gotta have fun with something like this! Many have been there, done that (this kind of shot). Now I can say I've done it too! This one's for you, Joe!  ; )

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2009 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here and then select the "Shadow Shot" set.

Our Daily Mary: Day 11

The Virgin Mary every day from  December 1-12th.  Rebecca is hosting this meme.Thanks, Rebecca! If you want to join in, go to her blog and post your link.

(another image, once again, taken at the cemetery at Magdalena, NM)

Yes, the cemetery in Madelena, New Mexico is incredible. Well kept (with love, I might add) and has been there for quite some time. I'm guessing, but, at least 200 years? If you ever take a trip out that way (the Very Large Array could be the main destination with this stop as a stop along the way). Anyway, an incredible amount of Virgins can be found in that cemetery. All beautiful.

The Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petitions, but, in your mercy, hear and answer me.
Amen.

Our Daily Mary: Day 10

The Virgin Mary every day from  December 1-12th.  Rebecca is hosting this meme.Thanks, Rebecca! If you want to join in, go to her blog and post your link.

 (silk screen and mixed media: "Mother and Son")

Prayer to Our Lady in Time of Trouble

Holy Virgin Mary, you are reigning in glory, with Jesus, your Son.
Remember us in our sadness. Look kindly on all who are suffering
or fighting against any difficulty.
Have pity on those who are separated from someone they love.
Have pity on the loneliness of our hearts.
Have pity on the weakness of our faith and love.
Have pity on those who are weeping, on those who are praying, on those who are fearful.
Holy Mother, please obtain for all of us hope and peace with justice.
Amen.

Our Daily Mary: Day 9

The Virgin Mary every day from  December 1-12th.  Rebecca is hosting this meme.Thanks, Rebecca! If you want to join in, go to her blog and post your link.

 (no cell phones were used in creating this image! Mixed media on canvas: 8" x 10")
(click on image for a larger view)

Pray to Our Lady of Good Counsel

Most Glorious Virgin, you were chosen by the eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh. You are the treasurer of divine graces and the advocate of sinners. I who am your most unworthy servant have recourse to thee. Graciously be my guide and counselor in this valley of tears.
Obtain for me, through the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it. In like manner, obtain for the Holy Church victory over Her enemies and the spread of Jesus' kingdom over the whole earth.

Our Daily Mary: Day 8

The Virgin Mary every day from  December 1-12th.  Rebecca is hosting this meme.Thanks, Rebecca! If you want to join in, go to her blog and post your link.

(why yes, yet another cell phone photo! this one was taken in the Dollar Store)

A whole bunch of Virgins sited in the Dollar Store. Funky? I think so...and I'm sure made in China. But, oh, well! She is still adored, regardless.

A Partial Prayer of Peace:

Mary, Mother of God my mother, Queen of Peace, ask your Son Jesus to
give me the gift of peace. Pray for me for peace; peace in my heart, peace
of mind and of soul, peace in my family, peace with all whom I meet, the
peace of Jesus.

Uppity U's!

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. This fabulous meme was created and hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt who hails from Great Britain. Over time, others have joined in to help host this wonderful and informative meme. We are now in our seventh round-some of the participants have been with this from the very first round; others have joined in along the way. Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture. We start with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. Not to be underestimated, this week's letter is, "U".

UNGULATE

Ungulate. Such a strange, strange sounding word. I mean, it doesn't even mean anything at all what it sounds like. I guess it sounds too close to 'undulate' to me, so I have trouble wiping that out of my memory bank! Ungulate refers to a group of animals with hooves (roughly). Horses have hooves. And, I do love horses and these were casually eating off the side of the road on the way to Chaco Canyon.

UMBRELLA

Actually, I take that back. It's the underside of an umbrella!

UTENSILS

Utensils in my utensil drawer (yes, a whisk for every task possible-small medium and large tasks!). I utilize my utensils on a daily basis! A very useful kitchen utility.

UFO's

(from the petrogylph series, mixed media on cradle board 6" x 6")

UFO's= Unfinished objects! From the work that I created during my recent artist in residence at PFNP.  I used a lot of umber product in this one.

Are we unanimous in our understanding that u's could be a lot of fun?

Our Daily Mary: Day 7

The Virgin Mary every day from  December 1-12th.  Rebecca is hosting this meme.Thanks, Rebecca! If you want to join in, go to her blog and post your link.

 (another cell phone photo of that Nativity exhibit at our church)

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Teach me to value motherhood,
Help me pray for mothers and fathers
To love and support each other.
Show me how God loves you.

 

Do you ever wonder if Jesus gave his mother grief when he was a teenager? And if he did, I wonder how she dealt with it. If only I could have half of her patience...

Pearl Habor Under Seige

Although I do not know where this came from because it was one of those emails that a friend forwarded to me and it was forwarded by several others, etc., etc. It would be nice to know who the sailor was that took these photos to give them credit.
  
The images are spectacular and horrific at the same time. Much like the ones from 9-11. 

I think what is really amazing (and this is a source of hope) is how different our relationship is with Japan today. 68 years later.

 
PHOTOS STORED IN AN OLD BROWNIE CAMERA
Thought you might find these photos very interesting; what quality from 1941.
Pearl Harbor photos found in an old Brownie stored in a foot locker. And just recently
taken to be developed.
THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM A SAILOR WHO WAS ON THE USS QUAPAW ATF-11O.

PEARL HARBOR
December 7th, 1941 

























Pearl Harbor
On Sunday, December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii By planning this attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port. As luck would have it, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships were not in port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from Wake Island , where it had just delivered some aircraft. The USS Lexington was ferrying aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were undergoing repairs in the   United States )

In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft.. At a range of 230 miles north of   Oahu , he launched the first wave of a two-wave attack. Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the airfields in Hickam,  Kaneohe and Ewa. The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets.

At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 'Val' dive bombers, 50 high altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the attack.
When it was over, the   U.S. Losses were:

Casualties
US Army: 218 KIA, 364 WIA.
US Navy: 2,008 KIA, 710 WIA.
US MarineCorp: 109 KIA, 69 WIA.
Civilians: 68 KIA, 35 WIA.
TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA.
-------------------------------------------------
Battleships
USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her magazine.
USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sunk in the harbor.
USS California (BB-4 4) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired.
USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage.
USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage.
USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage.
USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cruisers
USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage..
USS San Francisco (CA-38) - Light Damage.
USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage.
USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired.
USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage.
USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Destroyers
USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Cassin - (DD -3 7 2) Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage.
USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minelayer
USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seaplane Tender
USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repair Ship
USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harbor Tug
USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aircraft
188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92   U.S. Army Air Corps.)