City Hall

City Hall.

You can’t fight it. But you certainly admire it’s majestic beauty.

Can’t you?

The Talker

This guy. He just talks to the pedestal all day.

It makes one wonder… and give thanks for life’s blessings.

The Red Tree

the red tree

The 365 Project continues.

I snapped some photos through the day, and the big things happening today were a fiesta for Fr. Bob, who is the alumni of the year at Holy Cross School, and the Saints game.

This red tree is down the street from a friend’s house where I watched the Saints game. Dunno why it’s red. Didn’t want to ask when they came out to marvel at my taking a picture of it. Didn’t have any other pics to post, even though I tried to make this a bit interesting and artsy. I tried!

I was tempted to use this. It’s a light bulb that reminds me of an old TV show from the 60’s called the Prisoner. There’s a huge white bulb type thing which comes up from the sea, and… that’s about all I remember because I never did like the show. For some reason it also reminds me of Dr. Who.

But, the Red Tree it is for today’s exercise.

Shalom.

Splash, out.

On the Third Day

Sweet Petunia

Photo for the day, for my Project 365, wherein I post a photo a day for a year.

It’s a petunia out in the garden, taken as I was moving plants around for the cold weather blowing in.

Similar to the photo posted yesterday, it was taken the day before I actually posted it on my photo-a-day-photo-shoot-extravanganza.

But I’m guessing that’s OK, and that the project 365 police aren’t going to come after me for being a day behind on this. Because … I’m not really a day behind. I’m early, and have been planning ahead.

Tomorrow on the other hand, will find that I’ve taken zero pictures today, and will have it’s own photo of the day at which point we’ll be all caught up, and everybody can breath a sigh of relief and stop stressing out over this entire issue. (Not that anyone was of course.)

“Around here we’re always on the go. We don’t need caffeine bringing us down!” Name that commercial?

Splash, out.

Thursday's Picture

Well we can see what happened here.

I took a picture Wednesday night, posted it Thursday on my 365project site, and am just getting around to posting it here tomorrow. That is, today, because yesterday today was tomorrow, but now it’s history. Of course.

grill pic
Color Me Bronze

To caption or not to caption. (Shakespeare didn’t realize how easy he had it.)

Splash, out.

Masculine Saints

Saint Sebastian This morning I took to looking around the internet for images of masculine saints.

It kind of goes with the territory in Priesthood (I’d imagine,) as many images of male saints can kind of stylized, or even efete.

That led to some interesting blogs.

Prophetic Vision of Saint John of Kronstadt

Di Meliora, which has some beautiful pictures up.

And it led to a slew of women’s rights blogs, condemning the role of religion in putting women down, denying women their rights, and generally being ignorant. A prominent theme there is the speech given by Jimmy Carter on Religion as an Agent of Women’s Oppression. ::rolling eyes::

But I did find a few, before prayer beckoned me away.

For instance this picture of St. John of Kronstadt. A masculine image from another time, perhaps a more simple time, if the turn of the 18th-19th century could be called that.

john of kronstadt

For the record, I don’t consider that the Catholic Faith oppresses women. I often hear from women that they want to be Priests, but I have the feeling that if they were Priests, they’d quickly realize the Grass is Greener syndrome is, as usual, not all it’s cracked up to be.

Anyway, all of this also showed up the below photo of Mads Mikkelson, from the film Valhalla Rising. As far as I know he’s not a saint, and he’s not portraying one on film. But he is a current image of masculinity.

Mads Mikkelson
And all of this was spurred in the first place because I’m hitting the gym and the diet again, and wanted fit and holy role models for inspiration. (It’s not spurred in the least by the fact that I’m a complete internet nerd. Not in the least!)

Masculine imagery, like feminine imagery, changes through time in societies. Perhaps you need to hit the gym or do some diet correction today too?

Splash, out.

The Rev. Kenneth Allen