Lens-Artists Challenge #254 Spiritual Places

This week Tina from Travels and Trifles creates a Lens-Artists challenge focused on Spiritual Places. While many associate spirituality with religion, the Oxford Dictionary defines it as “relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things”, a much wider interpretation.

While photographing buildings, I inevitably find myself in front of a religious site. It may be a church, temple, or synagogue. There is a quietness to these places. Some may call this respectfulness.

One place that gives me a sense of peacefulness is located in Grass Valley. Ananda Village and Crystal Hermitage Garden exude calm.

Many visitors enjoy the tulips in the spring.

Churches

Churches that started as a different building, and churches that have been repurposed.

On the main street in Zionsville, Indiana this Methodist Church transformed into an art gallery. It sits vacant and is looking for a new purpose.

Congregation Beth Shalom in Marysville, California. This building was once a boarding house. It is now making another change.

Abandoned Religious Building

Stain Glass and Beauty

St. Peteter’s Chapel in Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo California.

Sikh Temple

Buddhist Temple

Memorial Sites

Cemetery

I end at the gravesite of my parents. They both are Holocaust Survivors.

My brother pays respect to my parents. There are no markers for my family from Poland for at least 3 generations due to World War II.

Many ask why stones and not flowers are left at Jewish graves. Upon researching this I found that there are many plausible explanations for this tradition. I would like to think of the remembrance of those who come before me.

Gift Giving: A Mystery Gift

The holidays are winding down. Presents have been opened. Returns are in full force. Expectations have been met. And some are left wanting. There are very special gifts purchased to honor that special person, and then there are gifts given to show that services are recognized. Gifts are exchanged with friends, and gifts are exchanged with acquaintances.

The following photographs were taken on other occasions I attended as a guest.

But this time I received a Christmas gift from a neighbor two houses down from me. They moved into the small court of 6 houses about 8 months ago. I had only spoken to the neighbor two or three times when I was out with my dog, and I never met his wife. Various cars come and go for a time, and this was explained to me that they provide housing for traveling nurses. Back to my gift. The day after Christmas on my doorstep I found an unwrapped gift with a piece of paper taped on it with our names. It was a plain brown set of blackout drapes.

Blackout drapes. My windows all have very visible wooden shutters. I am seriously stumped by this gesture. All I know of this neighbor is that he has two little white dogs that he says are barkers. I never see or hear the dogs. I didn’t even know his wife’s name. I’m surprised they knew my husband’s name

What am I to do? Send a thank you card for the blackout drapes. Wait till I see someone from the house out and about and thank him for the gift. I walk past the house to get my mail. Usually, my dog Moxie joins me but it is rare to see them.

The mystery still remains in my mind. Maybe the husband was told to deliver presents, and now the wife is searching for the drapes to hang in the bedroom. Maybe the husband didn’t want or like the plain brown design and rather than hang them up he got rid of them. Maybe he thought the gift was something else entirely. Or maybe they intended for me to have this pair of blackout drapes. Did they just finish watching “The Watchers” on Netflix, and they wanted me to be safe? But why a set of blackout drapes? Or maybe they wanted me to have something to write about in my blog about gifts?

Happy Holidays and a very Happy, Healthy, Peaceful New Year 2023!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #214 Favorite Finds

Anne-Christine is the host this week. She challenges me to find something surprising in my archive of photographs. She is sure I have something hidden in my archives that once surprised me or filled me with awe… I hope you enjoy my finds this week! And, perhaps the story that goes with it.

This is not an easy challenge, and with all that is going on around me, I need to make some quick decisions. Shall I go with the natural world? Shall I look to look to my collection that tells a story (ie: street photography and candids)? Shall I look at my many photos of household items? Public art? Hmmm?

Decision made. I will combine my collection that tells a story with public art. The 32nd Annual Chalk It Up! Chalk Art & Music Festival this Labor Day Weekend! I have attended this event and these images of the people and their art were taken then. I’m hoping to get down to Fremont Park this very hot weekend.