Challenge #3

Let’s try this one more time. I’m on my last week of work and they are keeping me busy but I still have a couple more landmarks. This time I’d like to hear from you more. Do you recognize the picture? Do you know where it is? Have you ever been there? If so what did you think of it?

Now I think this one may be a little bit harder. I have written about it in the past so you may recognize it from my posts but I’ll be honest, until I stumbled on it, I’d never heard of it. So I am curious if you know where/what it is.

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Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona

And the answer is…The Chapel of the Holy Cross located in Sedona, Arizona.

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The Chapel was a gift from Marguerite Brunswig Staude who felt that a church should be dedicated to finding God through art.

Sedona is known for its spiritual energies and seems an appropriate place for a church that still seems ageless even in 2013. The groundbreaking was in April 1955 and completed in 18 months at a cost of only $300,000 a modest sum even for those days. The dedication was in the spring of 1957.

The most prominent feature is the cross which seems to be wedged into the distinctive red rocks as though it was just planted there by some giant pilgrim.

When you go to Sedona one of the first things to do is take the trolley ride. It’s a great way to get a feel for the area. The trolley will take you right to the Chapel and allow you time to climb the ramp to the top and explore the interior.

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Inside the chapel is intimate and unadorned. Benches hug the angular walls. Down the center are 14 pews in two rows of 7 each. Your eyes are drawn to the cross in the center with the floor-to-ceiling windows behind it.

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It creates an atmosphere to let the spirit soar.

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When I visited there was little decoration. Apart from two tapestries on the wall the only other striking color is the flickering ruby-red devotion candles.

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The Chapel is surrounded by the iconic rock formations of Sedona, Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Cathedral Rock, even a spire known as Madonna and Child.

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This is truly one of the “Must-see” sights of Sedona.

Challenge #1 ~ Plymouth Rock

Did you get it? It’s Plymouth Rock.

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The first time I went to see Plymouth Rock I was surprised to see the monument. For some reason I expected a rock possibly protected by a fence around it. I wasn’t expecting this elaborate memorial.

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Plymouth Rock located in Pilgrim Memorial State Park is  in one of the most heavily visited State Parks in the system. The big draw being the  “Rock”, the world-famous  symbol of the courage and faith of the men and women who founded the first New England Colony.

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Every year nearly one million people from all over the world come to visit the town where in 1620 Europeans first made a home in New England.

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The park is located on Water St, Plymouth , Ma.

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In 1774, Plymouth Rock split in two when a team of oxen attempted to raise it. Only the lower portion was left at the waterfront. The upper portion was moved to be displayed  in the Town Square. Souvenir seekers caused further damage so the rock was moved again to the safety of  an iron fence at Pilgrim Hall in 1834.

It had a rough trip to the museum obtaining a distinctive crack when it fell off its conveyance.

In 1859 the Pilgrim Society  acquired the other half of Plymouth Rock and in 1867  a canopy structure was completed on the waterfront to house it. In 1880 the upper chunk was united with the lower piece with cement and 1620 was carved into the rock.

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Plymouth rock made its last move to its current location in 1921 during the celebration of Plymouth’s tercentenary and a new canopy.

If you plan to visit you will find a replica of the Mayflower, the Mayflower II, anchored in the park.

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So that’s challenge #1. Tomorrow I’ll have a new one for you. 🙂 At least you know it won’t be the Mayflower!