[mom] and mary

thought i’d share a story about my mom

 

in 1991 a tornado hit the church we attended.  the next day mom went up with her friends to help clean up. they found the blessed virgin mary had fallen into the “v” of a chair that protected her from debris and damage. after removing the wall that was on top of her they found she barely had any damage, just a chip on her dress. mom took mary home and kept her at our house until the new church was built and its there to this day.

 

 

thats [amore]

after attending the st. peters italian bazaar festival last year, my wife and i fell in love and couldn't wait to attend again this year.  with the sense of community, the food, the games, the greased pole competition...and of course the cannoli's, what's not to love.  much like the year before we started at tomaso's canteen for a few drinks before going to the festival.  after a bit we ventured to the front of st. peters church where everything was going in full force, italian music was playing, kids were attempting to climb the greased pole and the cannoli booth was set up.  we walked around and took in the sights and even ran into a few people we knew.  this year however i was better prepared for my cannoli purchases.  after stuffing my face with two as soon as the were purchased, i was smart enough to bring extra cash to purchase several more to take home and enjoy later. 

they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and the annual st. peters italian bazaar festival has secured a direct route with those cannoli's.

 

 

[train] travel sketch

continuing to work on my sketching, i did in fact do a little drawing on my most recent trip back east.  although it wasn't exactly a [live] sketch of the greenfield hill church in fairfield connecticut, since it was drawn on the train heading back to boston, i was happy with it.  the swaying and vibrations of the train can be seen in a few of the lines and actually seem to help me achieve that [sketchy architect] look i always try for.  maybe i should sketch more on trains....

a partridge in a [live oak] tree

in december of 1864 general sherman presented president lincoln the "gift" of savannah georgia. 150 years later savannah ended up being a little christmas gift to my family.  a work conference attended by my dad created a some what spontaneous family vacation when it turned out everyone wanted to visit this fabled southern city.

the city did not disappoint. it was by far one of the most beautiful and friendliest cities i've ever visited. the pictures taken only offer up a fraction of it's charm, but i hope you enjoy them.

a little [big easy] a little [lent]

last tuesdsay was "fat tuesday", the day before lent begins. now it's relatively known that new orleans is the place to be for a real mardi gras celebration, but being that it's a tuesday night, and live no where close to the city, i decided to see what wichita had to offer. as it would turn out a local bar in town, was going to have a zydeco band play, as well as serve specials on gumbo and hurricanes. feeling like that would be a "happenin" scene, i decided to partake, and thankfully a few friends decided to go as well.

the night started with some delicious cajun gumbo, and hurricanes. we had barely finished our meal, before the zydeco band started wailing! after a few minutes, the place was full of people dancing and swinging to the sound of "the mudbugs!" hanging out, chatting, dancing, and discussing camera's, turned a regular weeknight into a very enjoyable evening!

for many out there, it would have been a night out listening to a band with a washboard, but the other side of this celebration, makes it even more richer.

the next day, i attended ash wednesday mass. with it's location to downtown, i attended mass in the cathedral, which has a space, designed perfectly for reflection and thought. after receiving the ashes on my forehead, and visited one of my favorite local dives for lunch. the wichita fish company. as it was an amazingly beautiful day i sat outside on the patio. it was obvious from the line of people, that today's business was a little higher then normal, as i'm sure most local catholics swarmed to it. as i sat there, enjoying the weather, reflecting, eating my fish, i could feel i was in the presence of a lot of catholics, the ash on all the foreheads also was a clue, i realized that i was experiencing one of the meanings of lent. it's not so much about "sacrifices" as it is to know you were apart of a community. something larger then yourself. although i didn't know anyone else on the patio, i felt i was apart of them.

both experienced were so different, and yet very similar. it's about being a part of that community, whether it while enjoying flailing fiddle's or fish fillets, with people i knew or had never met. the company during both was enjoyable and refreshing.