llama wool

Llama wool is used to make many colorful fabrics in Peru.  First, the dies are extracted from a cactus plant and stored in large containers.  Next the wool is placed inside of the containers and then hung out to dry when enough of the dye has been absorbed.  The wool is now ready to be used in making the colorful fabrics such as hats, socks, sweaters, bags and toys.

broken people

Broken people in these seats
Broken people at your feet
Tears flowing down
where words are not yet found
In this moment, in this place
we sense love in your embrace

cusco

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, Cusco is picturesque.

savage wolves

Savage wolves are running with white teeth showing.
Saliva mixes in their mouths and drips from their tongues.
Paws beat rhythmically against the ground with increasing weight.
Breaking through brush they appear dimly under a moonlit sky.
Increasing in speed with new found freedom,
they run hard through the field approaching the prey.
Letting grunts and snorts be heard, they desire only one thing.

A bleating cry rises up from an ewe like a flare in the sky.
More bleating is heard and now scampering signals incoming danger.
Those who run away from the heard will surely be devoured.

But alas, there is another stirring in the brush!
A new shadow is spreading, covering the heads of the sheep.
Sharp facial features traced by the moonlight emerge from a hood.
A strong, sturdy staff is gripped in a hand as if to be used as a club.
The shepherd strikes out to defend his sheep
and no one will snatch them out of his hand!

miraflores

Founded in 1857, Miraflores is Lima's prosperous commercial hub, boasting shopping zones, theaters, art galleries, flowery parks, craft markets, cinemas and the city's highest concentration of cafés.

The roof terrace at Larcamor shopping center has a reflecting pool and spectacular views of the coast.

A view from the clifftops overlooking a pier containging shops and a seafood restaurant.

A modern sculpture stands near the coastline.

This bridge is a gateway to the coast for those driving down Avenido O. Benavides.

Inaugurated on February 14, 1993, Parque del Amor is devoted to the old Peruvian custom of courting in public gardens.

picture of you

Complexity, diversity, unity and harmony

it all seems to come to me when I think of you

it all stands out to me when I'm with your people

like ceramic tiles of many hues

we make up the picture of you

haiti faces

A boy from the village plays with an old bicycle rim.

A girl poses in the shade at the pavilion where others have come for medical assistance.

A cute little boy carries goods on his head.

A girl watches from the nearby bleachers.

A boy hangs from the rafters.

arm

After the accident on my bicycle my arm was hurting. Movement was restricted and my hand was swollen. The x-rays showed that no bones were broken, but the x-rays could not reveal the pain that I was feeling. The medication that I was given caused me to be dizzy and I vomited once. The following days revealed to me just how difficult it would be to live with only one arm. I was unable to do the most menial tasks such as remove a lid from a tube of toothpaste or tie my shoe laces tight enough to stay together. Turning a door knob would send sharp pangs throughout my entire arm. It was miserable and I was humbled by my limitations.

The sling on my arm was a constant reminder of those limitations, but it also reminded me of that the Lord takes pity on the weak and needy (Psalm 72:13). After all He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). That is why Paul said “I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Also, David was not the first born heir to the throne and he had the least worldly experience being the youngest of his clan, but God looked at his heart rather than his accomplishments. David’s heart would stand up to a giant and show forth God’s greatness through utter dependence. David’s heart would also be humiliated when confronted by the prophet Nathan and rely upon the strength that God provides to bring restoration (Psalm 51:10-12). This is the kind of heart that God desires for “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart [He] will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

My arm is doing much better this week and I’m sure that I will soon forget about the pain that once plagued me, but I hope that I continue to be dependent upon God as though I can’t do anything without him.

bringing life

Come and blow the dust from my pages
turning to places where sun has not yellowed
revealing stages of past ages
now merging into the present

Come and smear the oil on the leather
restoring that which was once hard
brining life to that which binds
the mystery deep within

haiti landscapes

The sky and ocean are bathed in sunlight.

Two trees at sunrise.

A view through the trees.

At the beach.

Early morning hills.

unkempt hair

Hey there man with your unkempt hair
What brought you here where people stare
and unkind words linger in the air
Did you swallow hard when you entered that door
Did you think you’d find what you’re looking for

Well I've got two hands and I've got two feet
and I'll walk to you so that we can meet
and I've got this heart beating in my chest
so I'll extend to you my best
cause life is hard and could get worse
if you leave tonight with any more remorse

partly cloudy

Sun setting through the window
shimmers golden hues through the sky and streets
Wet pavement reflects the beauty
while beads of water swell and then streak
Silhouetted trees and street lights contrast the brilliance complete
Wonder still exists in the everyday ordinary things

dogs and pigs

A dog is a dog
it will return to its vomit
A pig is a pig
it will return to the mud
An unregenerate man is unregenerate
he will return to his sin

Morality and good works
are not enough to amend
the soul that is condemned
Feast no more at the vomit on the floor
rise up out of your mud
come to the one who will atone with his blood

continental gin building

This past weekend I visited the Continental Gin Building for an Open Studios event where twenty three artists had the doors to the studios open for guests to view or purchase their works. Walking through the building at dusk with golden light pouring through the windows, I felt like I had been transported to another time.

joy and strength

Wind rips across the water suspending a seagull in mid flight
climbs up the hill to where I sit and scatters the pages of my notes
Warm sun reflected in the water now blinding in my eye
beaming down upon my skin making me warm inside
I have joy in the sun and feel strength with the wind
a dichotomy of things living deep within

shadows

Photographs are limited in their perspective. They focus on a single subject and present views that extend to the edges of the frame only. Like a photograph my view in life is limited. I can only see so much. The shadows in these photographs point to something beyond the edge of the frame. They serve as a reminder that there is something more.

ending and beginning

Sun setting
golden window pane
remorse growing
unable to explain
the day is ending
unable to refrain

Stars glowing
in the night time air
hollow feeling
rises without care
empty longing
that I can’t repair

Morning calling
to my night time eyes
rain is coming
falling from the sky
a new beginning
that I can’t deny

galleria

The Galleria Mall in Dallas was opened in 1982 and has remained a successful enterprise for almost thirty years.

A canvas mobile along the main corridor screens and reflects the sun.

Circular lights above a common gathering space.

Escalators move people from one level to the next near the ice skating rink.

A wall display at one of the many department stores.

Strong vertical elements combined with skylights focus the attention upwards at appropriate intervals for access to the retail outlets.

solace

There is a solace I have found
I wear it like an evening gown
it glows and glitters
and shows your worth
the fabric comes from virgin birth

It covers completely
from head to ground
and protects from dangers
all around

It always goes with me
so that I might remain
it never forgets me
like a chorus refrain

gourdough's

Last weekend's trip to Austin yielded some excellent eateries. One of which was Gourdough's, famously known for their exotic donuts.

The tag line says it all.

The menu provides both savory and sweet donuts.

I tried the Flying Pig (bacon with maple syrup icing) and the Porkey (Canadian bacon, cream cheese and jalepeño jelly).

One last picture of the afternoon indulgence.

flip happy crepes

Yesterday I took a road trip to Austin and went to Flip Happy Crepes where I found delicious hand-made savory and sweet crepes being served out of an Airstream trailer.

A blue tarp stretched between trees provided shade for scores of people at picnic tables playing board games and enjoying the goodness of Flip Happy Crepes.

A line was forming by the chalkboard menu.

After placing your order you could grab a beverage out of the ice box.

I tried the Moroccan Chicken Crepe and the Three Cheese Crepe and wished they had a Flip Happy closer to where I lived.