On a Mission!

Our Tuesday trip to Tubac included a stop at San Xavier Mission just south of Tucson. All I can say is wow! It was well worth the trip. The art and architecture were absolutely beautiful. Here's some information about the mission from their website:

The present church was built from 1783 - 1797 by the Franciscan Fathers Juan Bautista Velderrain and Juan Bautista Llorenz. Little is know about the actual labor of the construction of the church, who was the architect, who were the artisans, but many believe it was the Tohono O'odham who fufilled these roles. Why the one tower was never completed is still a mystery, but hopefully one day this question will be answered.

San Xavier Mission is acclaimed by many to be the finest example of mission architecture in the United States. It is a graceful blend of Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexican Renaissance architecture, yet the blending is so complete it is hard to tell where one type begins and another ends.

The church is a series of domes and arches that create enclaves for themes of painting on the various walls, domes and rooms. The area behind the high altar is a dazzling gilt of colors. The wall paintings are all original, but over time have needed to be touched up. Time and the harsh desert weather have taken a toll on the the beauty that is within the church and the entire mission complex. Currently the church is going through an ongoing restoration that tries to clean, repair and preserve as much of the church as it can. Outside the church, the restoration is even more extensive, and for this we have the gracious donations of visitors, patrons and the Patronato.

I took a slew of photos, so instead of trying to post them individually, I put them into a slideshow.

Old Town Doors

I've always had an obsession with photographing doors. In Old Town Albuquerque, the possibilities were endless with so many doors dressed up for Christmas. Here are some of my favorites!

Consider This, Senora

I just finished reading Consider This, Senora by Harriet Doerr. Actually, after the first few pages, I realized I'd read this book several years ago, but I didn't mind reading it again. It's about four American ex-pat's who build their casas on a mesa overlooking a tiny village in Mexico. This reading, I noticed an extremely poignant quote towards the end of the book:

Our lives are brief beyond our comprehension or our desire, she told herself. We drop like cottonwood leaves from trees after a single frost. The interval between birth and death is scarcely more than a breathing space. Tonight, in her house on a Mexican hill, Ursula Bowles listened to the five assembled in her sala and thought she heard the faint rustle of their days slipping by. She could see now that an individual life is, in the end, nothing more than a stirring of air, a shifting of light. No one of us, finally, can be more than that. Even Einstein. Even Brahms.

The quote is fairly depressing, but definitely a reminder that one life is but a short moment in time in the overall continuum of the universe. By the way, if you enjoy books concerning the life of ex-pat's in Mexico, it's definitely a good read. My all time fave on this subject is God and Mr. Gomez, a biography of the building of the author's (Jack Smith) Mexican casa in the Baja. I've also put a hold on Stones from Ibarra. I imagine I'll pick the book up, read a few lines, and remember I've already read it. But I'm sure I'll enjoy it just as much the second time around!

Anyway, that quote was a definite note to self! So do consider this senora (and senor). Seize the day! And live your dreams now!

Lucky!

I just want to say that I had one of the best birthdays ever! I heard from more friends this year than any year I can remember in the past. Thanks everyone! And I literally haven't cooked since Saturday night. I was treated to dinner on Sunday night, lunch on Monday, dinner on Tuesday, and dinner again on Wednesday night. Michael stopped in for two nights on his way from Texas to Nevada and treated us to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It's a great moment when your child picks up the tab! :) Craig picked out the card above because the dog looks like Saby would have as a puppy. (We adopted her at age seven.) And I enjoyed all my birthday cards and gifts!



You know I love cake! The cake above was a gift from a friend. There's a little story about the bee on that cake. Only God knows what gets into kids' heads! When we were in early grade school (first grade?), we made a game out of sitting on bees on the way home from school. When done properly, the skirt is tucked underneath the bottom and legs to guard against stings, but Jenny forgot to tuck and ended up stung! Ha! I think our bee-sitting ended that day?

Anyway, I'm a lucky girl to have such great friends and family! Besos to everyone!

Here's one of my favorite songs.