Moon: September 26, 2017

Photos of the Moon
Canon powershot 

Trees by Joyce Kilmer

Trees by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

I think that I shall never see 

A poem lovely as a tree. 

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed 

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast; 

A tree that looks at God all day, 

And lifts her leafy arms to pray; 

A tree that may in Summer wear 

A nest of robins in her hair; 

Upon whose bosom snow has lain; 

Who intimately lives with rain. 

Poems are made by fools like me, 

But only God can make a tree.

Sara P. Duke Gardens in Durham, North Carolina

This morning, we visited the Sara. P. Duke Botanical Gardens in Durham, North Carolina. 

Even though I've been to Duke University a few times, I have never been to the gardens. They are LOVELY and combined with the morning birdsong, dew, sunbeams, and quiet, it was a real treat. Here are a few photos :-)

"The Big Easy" - sculpture by Patrick Dougherty

A Hymn to the Morning Sun

The glorious sun has driven far

The mystic shades of night;

So in our souls the morning star

Hath shed His wondrous light.

#Episcopal #prayer #morning #praise #hymns
~D. Warner (http://www.hymnary.org/text/o_god_inspire_our_morning_hymn )

Sagrada familia light (by C. Carson, 2013)

#AdventWord November 27, 2016

Love is light, let it #shine forth brightly! #AdventWord #Anglican #Episcopal #SSJE
(photo from Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta, Georgia, 2015.)

Advent I, 2016 sermon by Dr Julia Gatta

Advent I, 2016 sermon by Dr  Julia Gatta
Recorded and distributed with permission!

Link to recording: HERE (audio only)

Advent I (Year A): November 27, 2016                                  

All Saints’ Chapel, Sewanee

In the northern hemisphere, Advent falls during the darkest weeks of the year.  And for us this year, the darkness of Advent is intensified by our post-election situation, a season of deep spiritual and moral darkness.  Last week Chaplain Macfie noted the hundreds of reported incidents of racial, ethnic, and gender-based harassment that have exploded around the country in the aftermath of the election.  Graduates of the School of Theology have sent us photos of their churches, whose walls or property have been desecrated by spray-painted swastikas and slogans such as “Heil Trump,”  “Trump Nation,” “Whites Only,” and “Fag Church.”   At least 200 churches have been similarly vandalized.  Revolting and horrible as these things are, that is not the worst of it.  The worst part of our post-election situation is that we are now on course to make this planet unlivable. 

Addressing us in this grave situation are the lessons we hear on this First Sunday of Advent where Jesus speaks to us of his return—or advent—at the end of time.  I find their ominous tone and apocalyptic imagery bracing and strangely comforting: the gospel finds us where we are.  Faith doesn’t fool around; it’s about reality, including God’s surprising reality, and how we respond to it. 

Today’s gospel begins with Jesus situated on the Mount of Olives, the very place where devout Jews expected the Messiah to come.  There Jesus tells his disciples that even he does not know when he would return; the timing of his “second Advent” is a secret known only to the Father.  In speaking of that momentous coming, Jesus drew upon the apocalyptic imagery of the Old Testament, as did St. Paul in his letters.  In this scenario, our Lord’s triumphant return would be accompanied by cosmic catastrophe: the sun darkened, the moon failing to give light, stars falling from heaven.  On earth, the birth pangs of the new age would be felt in the terror of earthquakes or the horrendous suffering of war.  Most Episcopalians, along with many other mainline Christians, tend to find these passages in Scripture troubling, if not downright embarrassing.  We are so repelled by hearing them interpreted with flat-footed literalism that we have rendered ourselves incapable of responding to their riveting poetry.  We are so disturbed at seeing these Scriptures twisted into weapons to use against others or by ingenious attempts to put the end of the world on a timetable that we no longer hear their urgent message for ourselves.  These passages are disturbing, it is true, but they are nonetheless crucial for a mature faith.  And we especially need to hear them now.

Jesus frames his words about the end time in their largest imaginable social and environmental context: the story of the narrow survival of the human race and all other animal species.  By alluding to the story of Noah and the Great Flood, Jesus drew from his religious tradition a tale of ecological catastrophe and of an entire people caught unawares. Noah’s contemporaries simply got on with their everyday lives as if things would just continue as they always had: “For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.”  The days before the flood were just business as usual; but then, like a thief in the night, the flood came and the world they knew was destroyed.

Our situation is different, for unlike the populace in this primordial myth, we have been warned.  Since the 1970s scientists have been telling us that the earth can no longer sustain the demands we have placed on her.  Like Old Testament prophets they repeatedly urged us to change our ways before it was too late.  We didn’t heed their warnings because we didn’t want to believe them, not because the data they brought forward was insufficient to substantiate their case. We wanted business as usual.  In the Bible, such an attitude of willed blindness is called “hardness of heart.” “For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage . . . and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away.”    

One of the glories of the Anglican tradition, in my view, is its openness to truth from any and every quarter.  St. Augustine once said that no matter where the Christian finds truth, the Christian knows that it is his Lord’s.  This has been the characteristic Anglican approach as well, appreciative of both science and the liberal arts as ways of discovering the depth and breadth of God’s truth and wisdom.  It makes a university like this, Episcopal in its foundation and character, a congenial place for seeking to integrate science, history, economics, literature, and the arts within a unified theological vision.  It is also the mission of education to stretch our imaginations in all sorts of ways; to see that things may be true even if they seem remote and don’t immediately affect us. 

Now we are facing some very disturbing truths.  According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2016 is very likely to become the hottest year on record, surpassing 2015, the previous record-holder.  In fact, of the hottest 17 years on record, 16 of them have occurred in this century.  In September, you may have read that atmospheric concentration of CO2 permanently passed the 400 parts per million threshold—a number way ahead of where we thought we’d be some years back, when scientists were telling us that we could only avoid catastrophic climate change beneath the 350 ppm threshold.  And that’s only what’s happening now.  Because of a feed-back loop, climate change will continue to accelerate, even if we drastically curtail our emissions today.  So the need for conversion of heart, for accepting limitation, for scaling back our greed and worship of convenience, and yes, for using our imaginations, has never been more urgent.  God gave us this beautiful planet to tend and cherish.  When we love and respect Mother Earth she, in turn, feeds and cares for us and all other creatures.  Can you imagine a greater act of ingratitude towards our Creator or a greater crime against our children and grandchildren and the six billion people who share this earth with us than to wreak havoc with the natural cycles that have been in place for the last 12,000 years?

“You know what time it is,” writes St. Paul, “how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.” Rest is good when needed, but there is a spiritual sloth that is sheer escapism or despair.  It is time to wake up, our lessons are telling us, in order to live fully alert to our situation—our personal situation and the world’s. Part of our awakening, Paul advises, consists in setting aside those habits that drug or dull our minds or dissipate our energies.  In these dark days of Advent, many of us feel truly in the dark. We can acknowledge being bewildered, scarcely knowing what to do, without shame, for the journey of faith often navigates periods of intense darkness.  Advent, like all the other liturgical seasons, simply underscores a dimension of the mystery of faith that is true year round. The watchword of Advent has always been vigilance: “Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

We are waiting for the Lord to come, for his Advent.  Is there any doubt that we need a savior?  And as we wait, what might be some signs of his coming?  Today’s gospel speaks the apocalyptic language of cosmic catastrophe, but we do well to remember that the word “apocalypse,” contrary to popular notions, simply means “unveiling.”  It refers to something becoming manifest that was previously hidden.  That is why the final book of the Bible is sometimes called the “Apocalypse of St. John” and at other times the “Revelation of St. John.”  In other words, apocalypse is about truth at last revealed.  Having been polluted for so long by an avalanche of lies, even an “inconvenient truth” is welcome and cleansing.  So when Christ comes, even now, he comes as truth.  “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” he said. 

Notice, too, how Christ comes to us in this Eucharist.  He comes among us from the far side of death.  He brings with him his own resurrected life.  He irradiates our present with the future we share with him, filling us even now in these dark days with his life, and joy, and hope.  He speaks to us through words of Scripture, and his holy presence fills humble things of earth: bread and wine, the products of soil combined with human labor and skill.  And he transfigures them, transforms them.  Bread and wine are brought to the table; we receive them back as Jesus our Lord.  Even in the darkness, we have this light.

The day after the election, Dean Alexander charged all of us at the seminary to burrow into St. Paul’s 12^th chapter of Romans.  I pass on that sound advice to you.  Some of Paul’s words have been lifelines for me.  For instance, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Or my personal favorite: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne...

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. 

(from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

When I am among the trees ~ Mary Oliver

In our New Testament Class, Dr. Bill Brosend opens by praying through poetry. I love this! Here is one of the poems he used recently.

When I Am Among The Trees

When I am among the trees,

especially the willows and the honey locust,

equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,

they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,

in which I have goodness, and discernment,

and never hurry through the world

but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves

and call out, “Stay awhile.”

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,

“and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled

with light, and to shine.”

- Mary Oliver (b. 1935)

A Prayer for the Human Family

                                                                 For the Human Family

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us

through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole

human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which

infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; 

unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and 

confusion to accomplish your purposes on Earth; that, in 

your good time, all nations and races may serve you in 

harmony around your heavenly throne; 

through Jesus Christ 

our Lord. 

Amen.

Afternoon light at the Sagrada familia, 2013. Photo by Caroline Carson

A Good Friday Thought, 2016

Today we break all barriers that come as obstacles in the beauty of our creation. We cannot be "an Easter people" without reliving the depths of divine despair. 

Cross of St. Paul's Episcopal, NOLA by Caroline Carson

Tenebrae Moon, March 23, 2016

Gorgeous moon last night and tons of clouds. I managed to get a few photos, but couldn't see the conjunction with Jupiter. Still, pretty decent for a super bright moon and for a Canon powershot and no telescope! :-)

A Collect for Evening

Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is

past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and

awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in

Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake

of your love. Amen.
~ from the Book of Common Prayer

Evening light at the Sagrada familia, Barcelona. Photo by Caroline Carson

Lord it is night. The night is for stillness.

Lord it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done. Let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name we pray. Amen.

#AdventWord #SHINE - Ponderings for December 11, 2015

Today's #AdventWord is #SHINE

"In order for the light to shine so brightly, darkness must also be present"
~Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

It seems that we, as humans and as battling civilizations, we have spent much of our existence in the dark. I feel that even though we continue this, we live in an age of light, awareness, and knowledge. Now, though we struggle with darkness, absence of love, apathy, and the fear of the unknown, we live in the light. Christ gave us that. We are about to celebrate his light entering the world. In a way, it seems to make Advent a season of darkness, again - awaiting the light, especially because we have placed it at the time of year when night falls so rapidly and we are literally living in more darkness (at least until the winter solstice!) 

These words are all over Advent in the liturgy and in my musical selections so can't help but think of these words from Matthew 4:16 
"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

...and these from Isaiah 9:2-7 
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

Venus and Crescent Moon: 12/7/15, Carson

‪#‎Episcopal‬ ‪#‎Anglican‬ ‪#‎SSJE‬ ‪#‎EDOLA‬ AdventWord was created by SSJE (The Society of St. John the Evangelist) and is the Anglican Communion's Global Advent Calendar. I'm using it as a daily meditation, prayer, photo post, and a way to connect in spirit to millions during this season of light and hope. You can join me in creating your own. Just take a picture and post it with the day's AdventWord tags! Click HERE for their website and for their daily AdventWords.

#AdventWord #BE - Ponderings for Monday, December 7, 2015

Today's #AdventWord is #BE

Have you ever rejoiced in the simple fact that you exist? 

What does it mean to take time to just "be".....not to "be with" or "be for" or "let it be". Think about it, we exist in a habitable zone at JUST the right distance from the Sun, and have had JUST the right amount of time to evolve into intelligent beings (though levels of intelligence are sometimes in question with all the messes we get ourselves into as a planet....global warming, violence, world strife and poverty.) Just HOW lucky are we? Our Sun and our Earth are actually an unlikely pair for supporting life. As a habit, we take many things for granted, including our existence.We would like to think that they will always be there...or perhaps even worse, we go about our daily lives, more than slightly oblivious to the precious and fragile nature of our lives. It would be reassuring to know that our galaxy is full of clever creatures and others with technology and that we might hope for communication. In fact, we do hope. 
However, for the present time, we are all we know. 
Made in the likeness of a divine being, God, we exist. 
Let us give thanks!

What makes Earth such a perfect home? Well, here are some reasons. 
Take a moment and tell those you love that you love them. Take a moment to say thanks to God, to family, friends, teachers, mentors, pets, and yourself. Consider all that God has blessed us with and meditate upon the fact that you exist. Be kind to one another, even if you disagree. Be a good citizen. Be a good neighbor. Grant yourself permission to rejoice in the wonder of life itself, the joy in all of creation, and the joy in one another. 

We are temporary.
We are fragile.
We are here together on this Pale Blue Dot. 

If that isn't something to be happy about, I don't know what is! 

AdventWord was created by SSJE (The Society of St. John the Evangelist) and is the Anglican Communion's Global Advent Calendar. I'm using it as a daily meditation, prayer, photo post, and a way to connect in spirit to millions during this season of light and hope. You can join me in creating your own. Just take a picture and post it with the day's AdventWord tags! Click HERE for their website and for their daily AdventWords.
#SSJE

Earth and aurora from the ISS

Great Poetry Site and a Cool Poem "Oranges" by Lauren S. Cook

I love, love, LOVE this poem by Lauren S. Cook!!!! I also completely love and live for moments of the light she describes. I found it on a friend's Facebook page and it led me to Rattle, a GREAT site, to which I subscribed! Check out their goal: "To promote the practice of poetry" and " a community of poets" ! Awesome!

Oranges

by Lauren S. Cook

Today I sliced navels

for my son’s soccer game.

I took care to cut them evenly,

to trim the pith. I know

this is unremarkable––

a soccer mom, a fruit poem.

I promise I’m a person

of average tragedy who

scours each happiness

for its flaw. I can’t

help that they looked

picturesque piled

in a bowl. I nearly called in

my partner to look––

but I know the smallness of this

joy: gauze-thin, vanishing.

I’m ashamed that I told you,

but I feel something

should be said for the oranges––

not an ode, but a note

that they were adequate,

in no way failing, nor I, nor

the chef’s knife, nor the sun,

which lit the room in the way

it does sometimes, illuminating

the dust in the air, the specks

gliding on the smallest of currents.

Fascinating Wonders

God, grant as we discover the fascinating wonders and mysteries of the universe, we may come to know you more truly! 

Amen.

The Tadpoles of IC 410 
Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Coates
APOD

Canticle: Christ as a Light, Illumine and Guide Me

Holy light at Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia

"Canticle"

Christ, as a light
illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield
overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.

~ Adapted from St. Patrick's Breastplate, found at The Northumbria Community

Jvari Monastery and the City of Uplistsikhe, Georgia

In the summer of 2015, I had the good fortune to travel to formerly Soviet Georgia for a few days. Having long-desired to visit this beautiful Orthodox country, I was only able to stay for three and a half days, but it was a highlight of my year and I hope to return!

                 Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015                    

When I return, I'd especially like to see the Caucasus mountain region and some of the high country! I flew into the capital city of Tbilisi, found my hotel, and immediately ventured out to walk down the street to one of the town squares. Tbilisi proved to be very friendly, clean, beautiful, and full of sites and activities. As I also wanted to see some of the surrounding areas and get into the real countryside of Georgia, I talked to several people while at dinner and strolling around with gelato later that evening. After several recommendations, I entered a tourist shop featuring t-shirts, knick-knacks, and tours. 

Collage of photos by Caroline Carson

I hired a driver, through a travel agent/clerk, to travel to Uplistsikhe, a city I knew nothing about, but which seemed intriguing and was itself a UNESCO World Heritage site. Of the several dusty brochures in the store, this city had the prettiest pictures and was not very expensive. It ended up being about $25 for about 9 hours of tour! What an AMAZING journey! After an early morning stroll downtown, I met up with my driver and a van full of Latvians who would soon be my new friends. Before long, my fellow adventurers and our Russian driver, Georgi, were singing (me humming), Russian Orthodox melodies to the radio in a beat-up, smoke-infused van on the way to see one of the earliest important crossroads cities between the Orient and Oxident in the world. 

                 Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015                    

On the way to Uplistsikhe, we stopped at the Jvari Monastery which is on the top of a hill and absolutely amazing. I had no idea that we would be stopping here at all! This could be due to the fact that I do not speak Georgian, Russian, or Latvian. Jvari is a UNESCO site.

Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015

The Jvari Monastery is the "Monastery of the Cross" and was built in the 6th century. It is near the beautiful city of Mtskheta, one of the oldest cities in the country and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on Earth. Mtskheta is about thirteen miles outside of Tbilisi so a very easy trip to make. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kartli (Iberia) and has become known as the "Holy City" because it is the birthplace of Christianity in Georgia. In the fourth century, Saint Nino, a female saint, placed a large cross on the hillside at the site of Jvari monastery. After time, there began to be rumors of miracles and strange, yet wonderful happenings at the mountain. A church was built on the site and later, a monastery founded. Around the back of the monastery, we were treated to stunning views of Mtskheta and the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers below. 

Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015

Inside, the smell of incense wafted through thickened sunbeams, bringing a hush to everyone who entered. Donning a scarf to cover my head, I stood in silence for several moments, just taking it all in. I did wish we had more time, even if I hadn't previously known we were stopping here. There is something quite special and holy about the sacred spaces of Orthodox churches with the thin candles leaning in quiet effort to the Divine and the fragrances of incense and flowers in the air. The light in these places always has a different quality to me...one threaded with purpose and meaning. 

Photo by Caroline Carson, 2015

After being still and saying a few prayers, I went out of the monastery chapel and walked the grounds a bit. I found these three hanging bells, calling to the hills and claiming together a congregation of anyone who could hear them.

Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015

Next, we were back in the van, already drenched with sweat and gulping water. I think it was about 100 that day (I know it was 103 the following day when I visited Azerbaijan.) After an hour or more, Georgi took us off the main highway and toward an embankment of low, rolling mountains. Here, somewhere, was Uplistsikhe, the famous cave city, known as "The Ruler's Fortress" and often called "The Lord's Fortress" of long ago. An ancient city hewn out of the mountainside, Uplistsikhe was one of the oldest urban centers in Georgia and became an important religious, trade, and political center. It is in the midst of what is known as the Kartli region.The road began to be rocky and VERY bumpy, enough to where I was wondering how many spare tires might be in the back. A few cows were sighted, what looked like several abandoned townlets, and a river. 

Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015

When we finally got there, our driver parked and we got out. There were a few old men sitting at small, rusting tables, selling wares and a ticket desk leading to a snack cafe and a very small museum. Our driver gave us a few hours and so I took off to climb the old city and see what I could. After a few large rock outcroppings that I climbed, there were sets of stairs, about 50 steps each and boy were they RICKETY. Each step consisted of metal bars lined on the top with a rotting wooden plank. I will add here that I am ok with two or three flights of stairs and then I'm not ok. I have to stop a lot and hold on to things and take it slowly. It was also extremely windy and I couldn't use my umbrella to escape the relentless sun so I just gave up and prepared myself for massive sunburn. I was a bit surprised that handrails were not in certain places and that getting from one set of steps to a higher area involved large...no....gigantic leaps from one rock to the other. If no one had been around, I would have been on "all fours" at times (and I'm ok with that if I want to climb on steep rocks), but I did ask a hand from a stranger to get up onto one rock where this picture was taken.

Finally, I made it to the top and could explore some of the cave rooms. There were cave ceilings with decorations on the top and it seemed that the inhabitants had thought of everything from cooking pits to individual cells, to a theatre and to wine presses in the ground! A couple of the ceilings were so ornate that it reminded me of a Western European Baroque style. Here is one example of the decorated ceilings.

There were several "temples" carved and I was told they were to a Sun goddess who was worshipped by the pagans in this area before Christianity arrived in Georgia. The sloping sandstone cave city was founded in the late Bronze Age (before 1000 BC) and inhabited steadily until the 13th century with, at times, both Christians and pagans. The Christianization of surrounding areas such as Tbilisi and Mtskheta pushed the city to lose favor in deference to the larger cities. Over time, Uplistsike and parts of Georgia were conquered by the Mongols, Annatolians, Arabs, Persians, and more. At its highest population, Uplistsikhe was about 20,000. It didn't look that large to me, but then again, I only had a couple of hours to explore it and it was about a million degrees so I wasn't in top form. The short film in the small museum mentioned that Uplistsikhe's rock-cutting styles were influenced mostly by Northern Iran and Cappadocia's (Turkey) rock city formations.

Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015

Another hike took me up to the top of the city where there was a monastery and beautiful small chapel. This has been rebuilt a few times, but is still very old. 

Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015

I always feel good when I look down at where I have come from on one of these hikes. I can accomplish a great distance, even in my slow, labored style. I'm always so glad I ended up doing it.

Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015

Making my way down the mountain, I nearly collapsed from the heat once I was low enough to where the wind wasn't so strong. 
IT WAS SO HOT. If you decide to go, PICK A NON-SUMMER TIME.
I wandered into the snack cafe and bought a chilled (not exactly "cold") Georgian lemonade. It was slightly carbonated and sweet, but was the best thing 

                                                              IN. THE. WORLD. 

                        
Pretty soon, my Latvian buddies came in and we sat, drinking lemonade and beer and cokes, trying to will the temperature down with sheer contempt for the tragic sun's crusade to melt.....EVERYTHING.
Next, we went to the museum and watched a small film about Uplistsikhe and its history and then saw some amazing archaeological finds. 

The way out of the city took the whole van's determination. I'm not quite sure what kind of lemonade Georgi was having while we were exploring, but we missed the main road and ended up stopping at a giant hay pile. Next, we crossed a small riverlet, but not the one we had first come across. We ran into three men on scooters and asked them which way to go. This led us to a road made of small boulders and big sticks, nearly toppling the van twice. FINALLY, we saw a highway and took it. Next, we were headed to the Batumi fortress and the town of Gori (where Joself Stalin was born), and the wondrous Svetitskhoveli Church. 
I'll also share a bit of travel to David Gareja (also Davit Kareji) monastery and crossing into Azerbaijan.

Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2915

Here is a link to my Facebook album of my photos from Georgia. 
I HIGHLY recommend seeing the city of Uplistsikhe if you have time while in visiting Georgia. Bring sunscreen, wear good shoes, and know ahead of time that parts of the city slope steeply and there is always the possibility in brushland of both snakes and larger-than-I-want-to-describe spiders. Also, wear your sunglasses as it is very windy and bright.
I love, love, LOVE ancient archaeological sites like this one. It is well worth it to step in the same paths of our ancestors and to touch our own planet's ancient history as our cities were being formed.

Photo by Caroline Carson, July 2015

Now That Daylight Fills the Sky

Now that the daylight fills the sky, we lift our hearts to God on high, 

That he in all we do or say, Would keep us safe from harm today.

#Episcopal #morning #hymns #Anglican #EDOLA

Not sure what kind of flower this is, but I photographed it in Innsbruck, Austria back in 2010.