Having Some Fun

I was checking my Ebay community board the other day and one of our members had discovered this really cool site that takes a photo and draws it with different styles. It's called befunky.com and I got really jazzed over it and decided to go check it out. Here are some of the pics I came up with: Treasure, of course.

This particular style is the "charcoaler".

There is an amazing amount of detail, especially in the rug.

This one is called the "cartoonizer." I really like this one.

Still lots of detail, but in a more stylized way.

Here she is in the "stencilizer" mode.

Her expression is really caught in this one.

Here's one of Adrian and Graham. This one is the "outliner."

It has a totally different feel to it from the others. Again, lots of detail.

Here we are "stencilized!" Actually, I like the presentation a lot.
This was loads of fun and totally free. Go to www.befunky.com and upload your own photos for an afternoon of cool (pun intended) fun. It's too hot to be outside anyway!

Ireland's Churches - Galway

Galway

Galway, being our first city in Ireland, was also our introduction to Ireland's churches. The majority of people in the Republic of Ireland (as differentiated from Northern Ireland) are Catholic. Thus most of the churches or cathedrals are Catholic. The second most popular denomination is Anglican. We found that, as governments changed hands over the centuries, so did the "ownership" of churches. So many of them share a rich history in an ecumenical sense.

This is St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church, which is Anglican.

The Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas is the largest medieval parish church in Ireland in continuous use as a place of worship. Founded in 1320, this Church of Ireland (Anglican) church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of seafarers.

A view of the clock tower from the street.

An example of the Medieval influence in the architecture.

There are gargoyles below the turrets.

This is to help me remember all the different churches we are soon to see.

Some of the gargoyles' heads remain, others have been removed.

Beautiful stained-glass windows here and in other parts of the building.

A hand-carved celtic cross is a monument to a local hero.

More information can be found by following this link: http://www.stnicholas.ie/history

In contrast to the medieval period of St. Nicholas Collegiate Church, Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas Catholic Church was completed in 1965. It was actually built to look old so that it would complement the older architecture in Galway.

This cathedral was dedicated to Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and to St. Nicholas. It was designed by John J. Robinson in 1957 and made from black marble from Galway, a local stone that can be polished beautifully. In the east transept above the altar in St. Nicholas' chapel there are outstanding early 17C carved stone plaques depicting the Trinity around the Virgin Mary. These had been saved from St. Nicholas' Church dating back to the times of Cromwell.

Sure looks old, doesn't it?

Looking up into the dome from inside the church.

A beautiful rose window above the organ pipes.

All the floors are laid with Irish marble, the green comes from Connemara Region.

There is much beauty in its simplicity.

A little more information can be found at this site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway_Cathedral

We visited or attended many churches over a span of fourteen days. I have divided them into three separate blogposts to make it easier to look through them. I do hope you enjoy this virtual touring of some of the churches of Ireland.

Ireland's Churches - Killarney and Cobh

Killarney

We realized with this trip that we could stay back from some of the excursions and "do our own thing" if we wished. So when we found ourselves in Killarney on a Sunday, we decided to go to church. Doing a little internet research, I found this beautiful Anglican Church, just five minutes' walk from our hotel. St. Mary's Church of Ireland has a rich history, as we found true of so many churches we visited.

This very pretty church was built in 1870 in English Gothic style. Long ago, the site was part an ancient religious complex and once included St Mary's Well, reputed to cure a variety of ailments. The interior of the church is quite attractive with impressive stained glass windows and gothic details. In contrast to churches on a grander scale, it may be easier to appreciate the intricate interior architecture and decoration here. The Victorian tiled floor is particularly impressive.

It sits on very lovely grounds and has a steeple that rises high above the city.

The Rose Window from outside the church.

Identification.

Looking toward the Altar. (This was taken on Saturday.)

Lovely pipe organ - it made beautiful music on Sunday!

The detail in the architecture was stunning.

The minister did not stand in this pulpit on Sunday! But isn't it beautiful?

A sampling of the stained glass art all around the building.

This church reminded me of the church I grew up in long ago.

My traveling companions preparing for worship.

I was very happy that Bill was able to worship in an Anglican Church in Ireland.

Here is a link to further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary

Cobh

Our Tour Director, Dee Dee, seemed to have quite an interest in the churches in Ireland, for she gave us not only plenty of time in each church, but lots of history and even minute details about the churches. She seemed to know quite a bit about this one, as she lives across the river from Cobh. St. Colman's Cathedral is a massive Roman Catholic church overlooking Cork Harbor in the city of Cobh.

St. Colman's Cathedral, overlooking Cobh, carries within its walls the traditions of thirteen centuries of the Diocese of Cloyne. It is dedicated to St. Colman who founded the diocese in 560 A.D. Colman was a poet bard to the Court of Aodh Caomh, King of Munster, at Cashel in Tipperary. Influenced by St. Brendan and St. Ita, he left Palace life to become a priest.

A view of the Cathedral from the promenade by the dock.

Impressive marble figures adorn the front of the church.

The High Altar

All these fellows are Bishops of the Diocese of Cloyne.

Rose window sits above the massive organ, which has 2468 pipes. Interestingly, the pipes which are visible are dummy pipes; the actual works of the organ are located behind these.

Stained glass windows depict the parables of Christ.

The floors are mosaic, made from marble quarried in several regions of Ireland.

Another fine example of Irish marble in the many columns throughout the cathedral.

Follow this link, http://www.foscc.com/home.html, to learn more about St. Colman's.

Ireland's Churches - Waterford and Dublin

Waterford

We walked through two churches in Waterford.

St. Savior's Catholic Church was just across the street from our hotel.

St Saviour’s priory, Bridge Street, is home to a small community of Dominicans who are engaged in the liturgical and sacramental life of their priory church. The church and priory are located in Waterford’s city centre, in the heart of a rejuvenated residential area.

It's very plain on the outside. There's no clue to the beauty that lies within these walls.

It appears that these are hand painted frescoes around the altar.

The atmosphere was very serene.

I quietly photographed this nun deeply invovled in prayer.

The altar area is bright and inviting.

Very impressive pulpit.

Click here (http://www.dominicans.ie/friars/communities/waterford/history.html) for a history of St. Savior's, Waterford.

The other church we visited was Christ Church Cathedral. We walked through several blocks, peppered with crumbling, medieval buildings to make our way to this church.

The Cathedral of The Holy Trinity, Christ Church has been a constant presence in Waterford, in one form or another, since the 11th century. Built on a site of Christian worship which dates back to 1050 and probably before, the building is steeped in history. The only neo - classical Georgian Cathedral in Ireland, it is an important part of the Church of Ireland, and is considered to be of enormous architectural importance. The Cathedral, in addition to continuing as a place of Christian worship, is now used as a venue for concerts, recitals and exhibitions adding to the cultural life of Waterford.

Christ Church Cathedral from the street.

All but one of the stained glass windows from the original cathedral were left out of the reconstruction of the present structure.

The Baptists and the Episcopalians are separated by an aisle!

The Apostle Paul would feel right at home in this pulpit.

Leave it to me to find the beautiful wooden choir loft.

Look at the Wedgwood trimmings. Aren't they lovely?

Multi-piped organ - magnificent.

Click here (http://www.christchurchwaterford.com/heritage_history.html) to learn more about this Cathedral.

Dublin

This is the Abbey Presbyterian Church where Bill's granddaughter Kate interned last winter. Abbey, also known as "Findlater's Church," has a rich history dating back to 1864.
Bill has a picture of the outside of the church (I'll post it when he sends it to me.)

These are some that Graham took on Sunday morning.

We received a warm welcome upon arrival. Do we look like tourists?

Waiting in the pew box for church to begin.

The organist was practicing, much to our great pleasure.

Really lovely sounds came from this organ.

Click on this site http://www.abbeychurch.ie/ for more information about Abbey.

Treasure's Latest Appointment

Treasure had her two month checkup today with Dr. Earl. He was all smiles after her ultrasound as he reported only the tiniest, slightest bit of growth of her tumor over the past two months. We are so pleased with her state of health at this point. It has been ten months since we first started on this path and we seem to have found an acceptable and successful treatment for her.

Treasure is pretty nonchalant about the whole thing! I think she has become accustomed to the meds she has to take and the periodic vet appointments. She's much more interested in getting her nap without interruption.

After talking with Dr. Earl about Treasure generally, we are in agreement over several Westie issues. He was particularly interested in how healthy her skin is, since Westies are notorious for skin issues. I told him that I eliminated all corn and wheat from her diet and feed her only Solid Gold dog food or hamburger and rice. He agreed that most Westie skin problems are really food issues and he tries to convince his clients of that fact. Treasure is living proof of it!

He was also impressed with the beneficial results she is having with the drug Previcox. The usual drug of choice for bladder cancer is Piroxicam, but Treasure didn't tolerate that at all. She is paving the way with the Previcox and doing quite well on it. That will help Dr. Earl in his decisions to treat other dogs with this cancer.

We look at Treasure and marvel at God's mercy and His goodness. And we say, without hesitation, "Thank You for instilling that terrier determination in this little Westie!" When she first came into our home, I claimed 2 Corinthians 4:7 for her: "But we have this Treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

How true that verse continues to be!