Monthly Archives: October 2024
a staggering amount of effort
Hello and welcome to Catholic Stuff as Presented by a Lapsed Methodist, with a strong assist from Steubenville Press, of Steubenville, Ohio.
The angel supporting (Our) Lady (of Guadalupe) testifies to her royalty. To the Aztecs, only kings, queens, and other dignitaries would be carried on the shoulders of someone. The angel is transporting the Lady to the people as a sign that a new age has come. The angel resembles a native Indian, with its dark complexion. Its representation is not of a cherub, but of that of a young male Warrior belonging to the Aztec army, known as “Soldiers of the Sun.” The angel is also said to represent Juan Diego, whose native name was “Cuauhtlatoatzin,” meaning “eagle who speaks.”
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Villanueva, New Mexico
photographed 8.31.2024
the crossing of things
This place is unbelievable – I walked across the bridge and looked down (way the hell down!) to the river below. I tried to imagine what it would be like to see a kayak going by and what the kayaker’s view up would be. I tried not to notice how much the bridge vibrated when trucks drove by. I tried not to think about how freaking many trucks there were. And I tried to make it all the way across before I had a heat stroke.
Oh, and I took some photos, too.
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, New Mexico
photographed 9.3.2024
rest in the place of light
I’ve made hundreds of photos of this cemetery and (what’s left of) the church but I’ve never stopped there at night.
That night in Santa Rosa was just perfect: the temperature was exactly on the edge between warm and cool, there just the tiniest breeze, and the skies were clear. It was far too nice outside to go sit inside a hotel room so I did that thing photographers do. I stopped to take a few pictures of this place and was there for the better part of an hour. Passing traffic helpfully provided a bit of light painting.
Also: I did step inside the graveyard. At night. By myself. And wasn’t even creeped out one bit. For whatever that’s even worth.
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
photographed 10.5.2024
ever rest
I might have stayed a little longer to work some things out on this composition, but the (very) nearby dog sort of indicated that perhaps I had already overstayed my welcome.
(I have what I hope is a completely irrational fear that loose, barking/snarling dogs fully intend to eat one or more of my legs.)
Puerto de Luna, New Mexico
photographed 10.6.2024
sometimes there’s nothing to say
Fort Sumner, New Mexico
photographed 10.6.2024
One Day | One Image 