Spring 2022 Family Trip

 Sedona is a spiritual space, I think due to its serenity in its beauty. People speak of vortex (7 of them) that produce positive spiritual energy.  For me though the spirituality came from two locations. The Chapel of the Holy Cross   was one of the two places that we visited. I was immediately drawn to the garden angels as we walked up the path;  also to the surrounding beauty of the serene mountain landscapes that encircled the chapel.  Upon entering, I wanted to light a candle for my family. I spent some time reflecting on which candle I wanted to light - the one day or the five day. I chose the five day. I then went up to the crucifix and stood on the two imprinted feet and looked up. It was as if the image of Jesus was looking right at me; the vision was one of infinite sadness and empathy (at least to me).  I could feel the Holy Spirit in that space The second spiritual location was Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park Here is a description:  The ...

 I am seriously behind on my blogging! May 2nd through the 16th was FAMILY time.  We stayed at Hanna Park (where we stayed before) in Jacksonville, Florida. It was only about 15 to 20 minutes away from Julia, hubby and kiddos.  It was so great catching up with her and they are all thriving. I think William is 13 and Emily is 11. They are both happy children who were delightful. Julia and Dave are wonderful parents. We mainly just hung out at their beautiful Sawgrass Community. Julia and I had fun having a girl's date one day though, going shopping at Marshall's a first for me. I love that store!  Here are some highlights:  Kayaking at Hanna State park: Kayak Launch Egrets nesting At the beach in Sawgrass Community Hightower pool at sunset. 

 The Georgia State Tree is the Live Oak. They say that you can tell the Elders because it takes 100 years to grow up, the next 100 years to grow out and the last 100 years for limbs to grow to the ground.  Here is a picture of that:  We went on a beautiful bike ride on Riverview drive. Read some more of the history then rewarded ourselves with a beverage at the Wharf. A wonderful experience 7.5 miles. 

 We started our tour on Sunday with "the cottages" tour. These were the elaborate dwelling of the rich and famous who settled the island as a hunting preserve 1878 until WWII. They lived in luxurious conditions throughout that time, spending winters on the island for their exclusive use. What also caught my eye was the entourage of servants they brought with them to support their lifestyle. They had electricity and indoor plumbing early on. The pictures below depict one of the cottages. The cabinet is an ice box (ice on top to keep food cold). This was one of the few houses who had a kitchen. Most cottages did not as everyone ate at the club house.  You can read more about the history here Another interesting story was the segregation on the island once the State took over the Island after WWII. Many of those hired to work on the Island were African Americans. (at 20% less pay than their White counterparts). They lived on the island in a Jim Crow South. What to do? They had t...