Wisconsin Barns and Good Fences

Barn Near Sand Creek, WI

April 16, 2015

 Another Barn Near Sand Creek, WI

April 16, 2015

Hi everyone. I hope you had a great weekend.  We're starting out this week a bit cooler than last, and are expecting rainy, cool weather all week. BUT, last week we had perfect weather while two of the grandsons were with us, for which I am so grateful.

The photos in this post are from our little jaunt to Sand Creek, WI where we took the boys to lunch at their favorite cafe and then to the park so they could play in Sand Creek.

 Waiting for a cheeseburger and a grilled cheese

(This IS Wisconsin, ya know)

As you might remember from last week, this little guy always chose a huge walking stick, and I had to capture his attempt at trying to make the bend in the bridge while carrying such a long stick. He succeeded. I shouldn't have been surprised.

Railroad Bridge at Harper's Ferry, WV

Why am I including the two photos of the railroad bridge at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia?  Because one of the grandsons asked me why I had named my dog (no longer with us) 'Bridger,' (see sidebar) so I had to explain that I had named my dog after the bridge at Harper's Ferry.  He thought that was really stupid unusual. 'Gramma, people don't name their dog after a bridge!'  LOL

But that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!  Love that bridge.

 Barns and Sand Mine Near Sand Creek

This post is linked to:

The Barn Collective
Mosaic Monday

Good Fences with TexWisGirl

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

...if I remember to do it, that is.

***

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Durham Cathedral, Part B - Anglophile Friday

 

Sadly, in my haste to share with you my exciting revelation about The Dun Cow in last Friday's post, I neglected some pretty important information, without which one might be tempted to jump to the conclusion that the whole bit about the monks carrying St. Cuthbert's coffin from place to place was just one more installment of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  It wasn't.

First of all, the year was A.D. 875 when the monks left Lindisfarne with the remains of St. Cuthbert, sacred vessels, and books. The monks were not wandering aimlessly, but fleeing from murderous invading hoards who would desecrate and destroy. The fact that St. Cuthbert was a spiritual father to the monks in NE England, and that any manuscript would have been precious, it stands to reason that they would flee to protect themselves and their holy charge. The went from one monastery to the next, staying for a while, sometimes many years, before moving to another. 

When St. Cuthbert's coffin was opened in 1104, the small 7th century Latin translation of the Gospel of John was found, believed to be the oldest intact book produced in Europe. It was sold to the British Library in 2011.

View St. Cuthbert Gospel
British Library Digitized Manuscript

I should have waited for Mike from A Bit About Britain or James from J_on_Tour to write a post on Durham Cathedral.* Either would do a much better job with the history. So be looking forward to that. You might even coax them. Tell them that I sent you over to twist their arms. :-)

 Looking east toward rood screen, quire, and chancel

A privilege to stay for Evensong Service, where we sat in the quire

 Choir, chancel, east rose window

 You can tell I was quite taken with the varied patterns of the columns
(Photos by Mr. C.)

 Modern tester over St. Cuthbert's shrine

 Shrine of St. Cuthbert

Until the mid-16th century, the tomb was ornate, high off the ground, and bejeweled. Today's is a much simpler arrangement, thanks to Henry VIII.  Note, in the background, the headless statue of St. Cuthbert. In their zeal to get rid of 'idols,' some forgot that idols are anything in our lives that we place ahead of God.

Much more to come, I'm afraid. We still haven't gotten to The Venerable Bede.
Tune in next week.

*It was a special treat for Mr. C. and me to meet bloggers Mike, his lovely wife, and James at Durham Cathedral, spending the afternoon touring the cathedral and attending Evensong. The natives were, indeed, friendly, and we so enjoyed our time with them.


Have a great weekend, everyone!

***

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