Archive for the ‘San Xavier del Bac’ Tag
Mining Scars In The Valley Below Madera Canyon — image by kenne
We Scar The Things We Love
There is always something worth trekking
in the Sonoran Desert.
Sometimes, the treks start early in the morning,
driving across the Tucson basin over
occasional low water crossings and cattle guards
on narrow roads, stopping for big yellow buses.
A canyon road leads out of Green Valley,
a quiet, peaceful community
along the banks of the Santa Cruz River
covered with oaks and walnut trees
and a rich history with the Tumacacori Mission
to the south and San Xavier del Bac to the north.
Crossing one-lane bridges through a grassland bajada,
the road climbs toward Madera Canyon
nestled between Mt. Wrightson and Mt. Hopkins
on the eastern slope of the Santa Rita Mountains,
forming one of the Sonoran desert’s Sky Islands,
an oasis above this bowl-shaped canyon.
Although some are called “Friends of Madera Canyon”
all visitors, be they hikers, birders, walkers,
or just those relaxing at one of the beautiful vistas
share a love of nature and being outdoors,
forming a friendship that helps bond
memoirs of a shared love.
“All the while, jumbled memories flirt out on their own,”
intruding on nature’s beautiful vistas
where a river once ran through, now shadowed
by a high wall of tailings surrounding a pond,
altering nature’s beautiful vistas above the canyon,
producing lasting scars on the sky above and the earth below.
— kenne
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One of the San Xavier del Bac Mission Gates (No Longer In Use) Image by kenne
Village of del Bac
A place where water appears
Kino built a church
A lot of stories
Are told about the White Dove
Both true and made-up
Continue to live
Like those of Tom and Jerry.
Statuary shaped.
— kenne
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San Xavier del Bac Mission Window — Image by kenne
Silhouette In The Window
He sits in the dark
A silhouette in the light
Shinning through God’s window
My subject of admiration
A glowing image in the darkness
Only to become the stuff of dreams
— kenne
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“Boy in Window” — Image by kenne
The medicine man
said, “I will give you a dream” —
gave me green rock: dreams.
#
Teresita came
walking from the other side,
brought me white flowers.
#
San Xavier del Bac
lit Teresita candles
hillside holy hours.
— from Sonoran Desert Sutras by Luis Alberto Urrea
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Mission San Xavier del Bac — Images kenne
The White Dove Of The Desert
Imagine this:
Stranger
On horseback
Dark flowing rode
Moving in the breeze
Crossing
The desert southwest
Entering
The village of the
Desert people –
Tohono O’odham
Friendly people
Bonding
With the stranger –
Father Kino
Jesuit priest
Establishing
Third mission —
(Twenty-four total)
Upon which
The current church
Was built
Century later
Reflecting
Baroque architecture
Blossoming
In the desert blue sky
The White Dove
Of the Desert.
kenne
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Justin and Joy at The Mission San Xavier del Bac — Images by kenne
As is often the case, daybreak brought a beautiful sunrise with a Tucson blue sky. We were scheduled to pick up Justin at the airport (9:00 a.m.). Before leaving for the airport, we got word that he had missed his flight from Phoenix to Tucson, now his arrival time would be 11:00 a.m. — not a problem.
After arriving we learned that it had been cloudy and rainy in Phoenix, which somewhat explained why our skies were getting cloudy.
We left the airport for a short drive to the Mission San Xavier del Bac, after which we had planned to drive to Tubac for lunch. While at the mission, the weather changed for the worse, with rain clouds moving in and the temperature dropping. The wind was really beginning to pickup, which is why Justin is wearing the hood and Joy his cap.
So, we went to the Barrio Brewery for a beer and “Sonora Hotdog” followed by a visit to the De Grazia Gallery in the Sun, during which time it had been raining, with a 40 degree temperature at 4:00 p.m.
Tomorrow will be better.
kenne
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Grandson, Nicholas Bailey at The San Xavier Mission — Image by kenne
Silhouette In The Window
He sits in the dark
A silhouette in the light
Shinning through God’s window
My subject of admiration
A glowing image in the darkness
Only to become the stuff of dreams
— kenne
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Katie, Matt & Nick at the San Xavier Mission — Image by kenne
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San Xavier mission — Image by kenne
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Jeri, Jody, Joy and Virginia walking up to the mission San Xavier del Bac — image by kenne
Located nine miles south of downtown Tucson, the Mission San Xavier del Bac (White Dove of the Desert)
is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona, and is one of the area’s most popular sites.
The mission was founded by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, in 1692. Construction on the current church
began in 1783, completed in 1797, and is considered one of the finished examples of mission architecture in the United States.
Current restoration on the mission began in 1992 and continues today when funds are available.
The mission is a “must see” for anyone visiting Tucson. During the cooler months of the year,
much activity is taking place in the plaza south of the mission.
kenne
(Photo Set)
Mission Courtyard — Image by kenne
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