Church of Our Lady, Bruges, Belgium

 Here is a description of the Church of our Lady in Bruges, Belgium from Wikipedia: Church of Our Lady, Bruges. 

The Church of Our Lady (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) in Bruges, Belgium, dates mainly from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. This church is essentially "...a monument to the wealth, sophistication, taste, and devotion of this most Catholic city, whose history and faith stand today celebrated in this wonderful building."

Its tower, at 115.6 metres (379 ft) in height, remains the tallest structure in the city and the second tallest brickwork tower in the world (after St. Martin's Church in Landshut, Germany).

The church demonstrates the Gothic style in the prominent Flying buttresses on the exterior which were constructed in the 1270s and 80s. The nave contains cross-vaults and black and white tiled flooring. The interior demonstrates the heavily ornamented Baroque style in the side aisles and chancel. One of the chapels in the church was created in 1482 for a wealthy man named Lodewijk van Gruuthuse, as his personal worship area.

A View from the Alhambra, Granada, Spain

 

I have always been fascinated by the view from windows. This photo is a classic window image. You can see the city framed in the walls of an ancient palace. It would almost seem like a fake image if I didn't click the camera and capture the image myself. I seldom get such a dramatic view from a window. Granada, Spain has about twice the population of Provo, Utah where I now live but beyond that statistic, it is as different from Provo as any city could possibly be. 

Tile Roofs in Spain #givethanks

 

Because I lived most of my life in the Salt River Valley of Arizona, I am very familiar with tile roofs. Our last house in Mesa, Arizona had a tile roof. These roofs, if well maintained, can last for decades. Of course, they are quite heavy and require a sturdy construction, not the flimsy wood-framed houses I see going up all over Utah Valley but once in place unless there is some exterior damage they are secure. 

I am thankful for all those things around me that add to my security and peace of mind. #givethanks

Wall Decoration from the Palace of King Carlos V, the Alhambra, Granada, Spain

 

Here is a short explanation of the Palace of Carlos V, King of Spain at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

The Palace of Charles V is a Renaissance building in Granada, southern Spain, located on the top of the hill of the Assabica, inside the Nasrid fortification of the Alhambra. The building has never been a home to a monarch and stood roofless until 1957.

The structure was commanded by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who wished to establish his residence close to the Alhambra palaces. Although the Catholic Monarchs had already altered some rooms of the Alhambra after the conquest of the city in 1492, Charles V intended to construct a permanent residence befitting an emperor. The project was given to Pedro Machuca, an architect whose biography and influences are poorly understood. At the time, Spanish architecture was immersed in the Plateresque style, still with traces of Gothic origin. Machuca built a palace corresponding stylistically to Mannerism, a mode still in its infancy in Italy. The exterior of the building uses a typically Renaissance combination of rustication on the lower level and ashlar on the upper. Even if accounts that place Machuca in the atelier of Michelangelo are accepted, at the time of the construction of the palace in 1527, the latter had yet to design the majority of his architectural works.

Flowers Gladen the Heart #GiveThanks

 

It is true, flowers gladden the heart. #GiveThanks. Here is a poem that might also gladden a few hearts. 

FLOWERS

They are autographs of angels, penned
In Nature’s green-leaved book, in blended tints,
Borrowed from rainbows and the sunset skies,
And written everywhere–on plain and hill,
In lonely dells, ‘mid crowded haunts of men;
On the broad prairies, where no eye save God’s
May read their silent, sacred mysteries. Thank God for flowers!
They gladden human hearts; Seraphic breathings part their fragrant lips
With whisperings of Heaven.

Albert Laighton 1829-1887

#givethanks

Color and Form #givethanks

 

I never seem to exhaust my love of flowers. This is likely a Magnolia tree. I found this lovely flower at the Alahambra in Spain. I like both the color and the form of this flower. I am thankful for all the flowers in the world. #givethanks

Rock Canyon, Utah in the Fall

 

A clear day in the late Fall greeted us on this walk into the canyon. I am so grateful for our beautiful world. I am also grateful to be living so close to the mountains. Although I am mostly too old to climb the rocks like I used to do, I enjoy seeing others with their ropes and protection devices climbing on the cliffs. #GiveThanks

Split Mountain Drawing

 

I have been experimenting with some of the Adobe apps. This is an image using the Shapes tool of Adobe Capture. Here is the original photo. 

You could also change this photograph into a solid shape using the texture and the colors. Here is what a shape might look like. 

I will continue exploring some of the options available to use photos in new ways. 

A Clear Windy Day at Utah Lake

 

Utah Valley has fewer extremes of weather than the Salt Lake Valley just to the north. When storms come through, they seem to move either south or north and the rain, snow, or wind passes us by. You can see that the mountains are covered with snow but the lake is not frozen and there is no snow on the ground. We continue to walk. We just bundle up and enjoy the cold fresh air. #givethanks

Mountain View along the Utah Lake Shore Trail

 Late Fall is sometimes cold and windy but every once in a while, we have a beautiful day of sunshine. The trees have lost their leaves and the grass in the Provo River Delta has turned golden but the clear sky and the lovely clouds make the view of Timpanogos magnificent. 

Rockfall in Rock Canyon, Utah

 

Rock Canyon Trail blocked by Rockfall

Rocks do fall. Most changes in the physical geography happen over long periods of time but landslides and rockfalls happen suddenly. This past week, this large boulder and all the rocks around it fell right in the middle of the Rock Canyon trail. It is unlikely that anyone witnessed this particular rockfall. It may have happened during a brief snowstorm. I have seen a few rockfalls over the years some caused intentionally and others, such as one on Lake Powell, that are spectacular. For those of you familiar with the Canyon, this rockfall occurred just up from the green Forest Service gate. 

Designs from the Alahambra, Granada, Andalusia, Spain

Designs from the Alahambra, Granada, Andalusia, Spain

The windows in this photo are a mashrabiya lattice found in Alahambra in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. Here is a definition of this architectural element from Wikipedia: Mashrabiya. 

A mashrabiya (Arabic: مشربية‎), also either shanshūl (شنشول) or rūshān (روشان), is an architectural element which is characteristic of traditional architecture in the Islamic world. It is a type of projecting oriel window enclosed with carved wood latticework located on the upper floors of a building, sometimes enhanced with stained glass. It was traditionally used to catch and passively cool the wind; jars and basins of water were placed in it to cause evaporative cooling.

Here is a list of some of the other architectural elements in the Alahambra including the mashrabiya from Thoughtco.com's "The Amazing Architecture of Spain's Alhambra."

• alfiz — the horseshoe arch, sometimes called a Moorish arch
• alicatado — geometric tile mosaics
• Arabesque — an English-language word used to describe the intricate and delicate designs found in Moorish architecture — what Professor Hamlin calls a "love of surface richness." So breathtaking is the exquisite craftsmanship that the word is also used to explain a delicate ballet position and a fanciful form of musical composition.
• mashrabiya — an Islamic window screen
• mihrab — prayer niche, usually in a Mosque, in a wall facing the direction of Mecca
• muqarnas — honeycomb stalactite-like arching similar to pendentives for vaulted ceilings and domes

 

The Alahambra, Granada, Andalusia, Spain

 

The Alahambra, Granada, Andalusia, Spain is a palace and fortress built beginning with a Roman fort in 889 CE. Construction of the present castle began in the mid-13th Century. You need tickets to enter and a tour takes a few hours including the waiting time to enter the castle. Once in the castles the tour is marvelous but only about an hour. 

Segovia, Spain: A castle on a hill

 

Taking photos of castles is difficult for the same reasons that they were constructed in the first place. A real castle, built for defense from a ground attack, is usually located on a high, steep hill, if one is available, to enhance the defenses of high walls and a moat. All of these factors are present with the castle in Segovia, Spain. This is the Alcázar of Segovia built. It started as a Roman fort and is first referenced in history in 1120 A.D and it has been reconstructed and maintained since that time. 

Altar in the Segovia Cathedral, Spain

 

While the pandemic rages around the world, I dream of returning to Europe and traveling around the United States again. I decided to jump from my photos in Utah Valley to Spain and a wonderful time exploring Segovia and other locations in that country. Because of my years spent living in South and Central America and my fluency in Spanish, Spain was, to me, the least foreign country I have visited in Europe. 

Pure Spring Water

 

When you live in the desert for most of your life, water that spontaneously gushes from the ground is very rare and extremely fascinating. I have visited a few huge springs in Arizona such as Fossil Springs and Thunder River, both of which are spectacular. Here in Utah spings are about as rare as in Arizona. This is one of the larger springs I have visited here in Utah. It is Cascade Springs in the Wasatch Mountains. 

Fall's Colors at Cascade Springs

 

We often associate Fall colors with bright colored leaves even though the muted colors of the other plants are just as impressive and beautiful. Cascade Springs is high up in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah and even though the roads are closed in Winter, Spring, Sumer, and Fall each have their attractions. Most of the trees had lost their leaves but the browns and golds were everywhere to be enjoyed. 

Walking on the Utah Lake Shoreline Trail

The mile-long Utah Lake Shoreline Trail is a peaceful and relatively short walk with views of Utah Lake. The old-growth trees on both sides of the trail give ample opportunity for bird-watching. Presently, the Provo River Delta along the eastside of the trail is being developed and eventually, this part of the trail will disappear and become part of the Delta and possibly the lake itself. We enjoy watching the development of the Delta but are sad to lose this lovely short walk. 

Along the shore

 

As I walk along the shore of Utah Lake, I see the world in patterns and color. The lake level varies with the seasons and the amount of snow and rain filtered through fast-growing urban areas. The demand for water in Utah far outreaches the supply. We are presently struggling with the balance between a sustainable environment and unrestricted growth. Just a short distance from the location of this photo, there is a major construction project making a new road across the Provo River Delta. This photo's location is also relatively near a major urban airport and a scattering of industrial developments. The future of this view will certainly be interesting. 

Late Fall at Cascade Springs, Utah

 October is a really good month for visiting different locations around the country. We were greeted by an exceptionally beautiful day at Cascade Springs in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The Spring was covered by a huge algae bloom. The white on the pond is not ice or snow, it is part of the algae bloom above the surface of the water. The colors of the plants and the blue sky were lovely additions. 

Algae on Cascade Springs, Utah

 My best guess is that this is some kind of algae. The white portion of the plant is sticking out of the water. This photo was taken in late October at Cascade Springs, Utah when there had been several days of severe frost. If you look closely you can see that the algae in the water turns white when above the surface. 

Late Fall Leaves in the Wasatch Mountains

 Most of the leaves are gone in the high country of the Wasatch Mountains but this hillside had a particularly spectacular second bloom of color. We love to get high up in the mountains You would never know that on the other side of these mountains is the largest concentration of population in Utah. 

Bending in the Winter's Snows

 

Here at about 8000 feet above sea level, the winter snow is deep enough to bend the trees as they grow. You can see that all the trees are bent towards the downhill slope. The amount of bend depends on the slope because they all get the same amount of snowfall. This image was taken on the Alpine Loop in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah but you can see the same bent tree effect all over the world in the high mountains. 

Waiting for the snow

 

This grove of aspen trees has lost its leaves and all the flowers and bushes on the ground have turned brown from the cold but there is still no snow. It is impressive to see these white trees against the dark blue sky. It is a beautiful day here at about 8000 feet up in the Wasatch Mountains along the Alpine Loop from Provo Canyon to American Fork Canyon.