the super blue blood moon

Wow!  Two full moons in one month.  One on the 1st and one on the 31st of the month.  Now let's throw in an eclipse and have some real fun.  I am in Atlanta for this one.  My sister and I awoke early this morning and drove about a half a mile up the road and parked in a parking lot that offered us a clear, unobstructed view of the full moon.  It is a super moon because it is in its' closest orbital path to the earth.  It is a blue moon because it is the second full moon in the same calendar month and it is a blood moon because of the reddish color of the moon during the eclipse.  This lunar trifecta has not happened since March 31, 1866.

We didn't see the reddish color on the moon's surface but we did see a reddish ring surrounding the moon when the sky became somewhat hazy.  The reddish color comes during the total eclipse phase and we were not able to see the total eclipse from the East coast because the moon set before then.  We were able to watch the eclipse on the NASA channel as it was broadcast live from the West coast.  It was a great night/early morning for skywatching.  January!  What a month!!

chandeliers

I attended a church today that I have been to several times before whenever I am in Atlanta.  The sanctuary is absolutely beautiful.  The walls, the woodwork and the columns are all painted with a very light pastel and white palate.  I think the most outstanding feature, though, is the array of chandeliers filling the sanctuary with soft light.  It is a very peaceful setting.  Perfect for worship.

California Route 66 Museum

Route 66 has the distinction of being called The Mother Road.  It stretches from Illinois to California and goes through Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona along the way.  Each of these states have a museum or two dedicated to keeping the memory of this road alive.  Today I stopped in the California museum in Victorville.

Wonderful artifacts are there to behold.  Lots of old pictures and newspaper clippings adorn the walls and there are some great motoring vehicles to see.  My favorite is the beautifully restored teardrop trailer on display.  There's just enough room to sleep in the main section and there's a fantastic pop out kitchen on the outside to the rear complete with a fold out table.

If you are ever passing through Victorville, California, stop by the museum.  You"ll be glad you did.

Tulare UMC

This beautiful church has been standing on this corner since 1913.  The interior sanctuary of this century old church is stunning.  The roof appears to be octagonal and the ceiling of the sanctuary is wood panel and the beams rise to the apex of the octagon.  There are stained glass windows in sets of three on six of the walls and two of the walls have a large stained glass window.  The church has a beautiful old pipe organ and the pipes are hanging above the alter on the front wall of the sanctuary.

The service was wonderful.  I came away inspired.  The music was a nice combination of traditional hymns and contemporary songs.  There was order to the worship and the pews were filled.  All ages were represented and I could feel the warmth of the people as they came together to worship.  I hope to come back here another Sunday for worship.

sunset over Issaquah

Another beautiful sunset to enjoy.  The colors are exquisite.  Such beauty in nature to behold.

Japanese Gardens

While I was visiting Seattle during October I had the opportunity to visit the Japanese gardens.  The trees were dressed up in vibrant colors of yellow, orange and red.  This tree was of particular interest to me mainly because of the twisting and turning of the limbs and branches.  The tree looked very skeletal with tufts of brilliant color at the top.  Perfection.  Nature's perfection.

K-CL UMC

It is Sunday and here is another "church pic".  This stained glass cross takes up the entire front wall of the sanctuary.  It was pleasing to look at during the service, especially during the sporadic mind wandering moments.  Did I just say that??  My mind wanders?  During church?  ahhh

snow tree

O.K., one more snow picture and then I will move on.  I just think snow lightly falling on a bare tree is very pretty.  In a way I am surprised that the snow has a chance to collect on the branches because of the gentile breezes that often accompany the snowfall.   The trees look like oversized snowflakes.

snow car

This is what my car looked like after it snowed Christmas eve and into the next day.  It needed a good bath, anyway.  Now it needs a really good washing, too  Looks so peaceful sitting there.

angel in the snow

I remember making snow angels in the back yard, the front yard, at the park and pretty much anywhere I could find a fresh patch of snow in winter while growing up in Minnesota.  Now it's my granddaughters' turn.  Total jubilation.

sunrise over Issaquah

Here's a lovely shot of a recent sunrise.  The rising sun was shining on the top of the mountains and made the hillside look as if it was bathed in gold.  The picture below is taken with the artistic feature of the camera and the blue colors are more prominent.  What a lovely early morning gift!

the super moon

What a way to start out the new year!!  I had a perfect front row seat for viewing this spectacular event.  The sky was clear and the air was refreshing.  The January full moon is called the Wolf moon. Great for howling.  What a sight.

here's how you know

...little hands have helped decorate the Christmas tree.  Look at all of the red satin balls hung on the lower branches of the tree.  I watched as this tree was decorated by a two year old that had a real liking for the soft and shiny red ornaments.  This is where they were lovingly hung by a child who was just learning about the traditions involved with the season.  Very sweet, I think.