Sunday, April 19, 2020

A Little More from my Travel Journal

Happy Sunday everyone. It is sunny but cold here right now. Yet the weather people say it is going to be the pick of the week for weather, and it will warm up this afternoon. 
On the bad news side my mother was take by ambulance yesterday to the hospital with very low oxygen levels. We're waiting for the Covid-19 test to come back today. Hopefully it isn't that, but she's 90 and lives in an assisted living where there has been 2 known resident cases and 1 worker case. The residents have been isolated in their rooms, so maybe she wasn't exposed. I am thinking optimistically that it is something else, and trying not to think worse case scenario. (Especially since I can't get in to see her.)
So to keep my mind occupied I will take you to Taos, New Mexico today. On the left page is a spread I made that I particularly like. I cut a photo of the building adobe shape and then added it to a blue painted page. I created the cross and also added the cut out religious icon. On the right I added the photo of this famous church in Rancho de Taos, a section of the southern part of town. 
This building is  quite historical, having been built in the early 1800's and the oldest church in the area. It is also famous because it was painted by Georgia O'Keeffe and photographed by Ansel Adams as well as many others.
Georgia O'Keeffe made 4 paintings of this church. I was curious about them so I looked them up and let me share these with you.



Her paintings are all of the back view. Here's the photo I took this time I visited back in February.

And here are some other views.
It is a true adobe church and has to be restuccoed on a regular basis.


 And even though this church is very beautiful, the group of buildings, statues and views that sit around it are pretty fascinating to photograph also.







I love the blue. (Supposedly to ward off evil spirits)

OK, enough for me today.  Hope everyone has a wonderful end of the weekend and start of the new week.

10 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

Sorry to hear about your Mom, I hope and pray she will get good treatment in the hospital. It must be hard for you not to be able to visit. Sending extra hugs! Love the pics you have shown today. Your travel journey is fantastic. LOve the paintings by Georgia O'Keefe, too. Well done on making so many fantastic pages in your journal. Look after yourself, hugs, Valerie

Divers and Sundry said...

I'm sorry to hear about your mom's health issue and hope it's not coronavirus-related. So scary :(

Taos would be a fascinating place to explore. Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings are interesting, especially since she did several that can be directly compared. That's a beautiful blue!

CJ Kennedy said...

I hope your mom is doing better. Your church pages are very beautiful. Interesting shape of the church and I love the St. Francis statues and blue doors. Take care.

Words and Pictures said...

So sorry to hear about your mother - I'm sure they will take the best possible care of her in the hospital. So hard not to be able to visit her.

A good idea to try to distract yourself with these magnificent pictures. The adobe church is just beautiful - such sculptural lines, and magical how it captures and reflects the sunlight. I'm not surprised O'Keefe was inspired by it. Thank you for sharing them with us, and look after yourself.
Alison x

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I'm SO worried about your mother. I've been watching reports of nursing and assisted living homes. It seems they are incredibly under reported as for loss of life and COVID cases. The staff and personnel don't have PPEs and the residents don't get tested unless they get sick like your mother. They also don't tell family members when they call because of some stupid privacy issue by the home. Now, several states are DEMANDING both testing AND daily reports from these homes, especially after 17 residents were found in a room that had not been reported. They took care of us when we were young and it's now time for us to take care of them. Sad, but true. Off my soapbox, at least for a few minutes!!!

Your latest pages are great. I like how you took so many photos of the church and surrounding buildings. It was good you got the back, too. I love what you created in your journal. It reminds me of when I saw that church one of the several times I stopped in Taos. These pages turned out great, dear.

Iris Flavia said...

Oh, I´m sorry about you Mum. Toes and fingers crossed all goes well.

Beautiful series of pictures. I wish you all the best!

craftytrog said...

Beautiful photos Erika! Praying for your mum 🙏 xx

Jeanie said...

Oh Erika, I am deeply concerned about your mom. I hope she can get those oxi levels up and breathe better. It must be excruciating, knowing you can't visit her. I'm sending all the good juju I can your way for a recovery.

The Taos post is beautiful. I love the colors in your journal and to see your own photos and Georgia's paintings is just the best. I hope it has taken your mind off some -- although I know it's a temporary diversion.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

So sorry to hear about your mom being hospitalized, Erika, and while you may be fearing the worst news, your blogger friends will be keeping you and her in our thoughts for a good outcome. It is so difficult to comprehend that people cannot visit their loved ones now. Please keep us updated. Thanks for the travelogue today, which hopefully kept your mind off your worries for awhile.

Stevenson Q said...

Oh Erika! At first I thought why did I just saw this post of yours, then I realize, it's perfect timing because today is Saint Francis of Assisi's birthday and he is our City's Patron Saint. I love this church structure, okay more than love because I have always been fascinated by these kinds of architecture where it looks basic in finish but the shapes are fluid and strong at the same time! I love that you also keep a travel journal. I also do though I start making them once I get back at home with photos and scraps I gathered on the trip so not sure if I should call mine a travel journal or something else haha.

Praying for your Mom Erika.

Stevenson