Goodbye, old friend

There is an over one hundred year old Coral tree that stands between the Rectory and The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach. It is a stunning old anchor that separates the two places and marks the entrance to the lovely Cluett Memorial Gardens just north of the Rectory. We are saying good-bye to it over the next three days.

as viewed from my craft room, through the screen

 It's hard to express my feelings about this loss. It is a necessity at this point as the tree is diseased and damaged and could come down in any kind of storm. But it seems such a sheltering presence that even though we've only been under its branches since June, it is affecting my profoundly. So I wanted to share a few images of it with you and share some of its delight and astounding stature. Enjoy!

 

 

Good night, dear friend!

To read more about this remarkable tree, click here!

Boar's Head Visited

The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea

presents the 35th Annual

Boar's Head and 
Yule Log Festival

Sunday, January 8 at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m

Come celebrate the triumph of good vs. evil, light over dark, the victory of the Christ Child over sin.
This spectacular drama features over 150 members of the church working together to bring the legend of the boar's head to life through music and drama.

So what IS the legend of the boar's head? It seems a scholar was studying a book of Aristotle in the forest one day when suddenly, he was confronted by an angry wild boar. Having no other weapon, the resourceful Oxonian rammed his book down the throat of the animal causing his death. "That night the boar's head, finely dressed and garnished, was borne in procession to the dining room, accompanied by carolers singing in honor of the King of bliss." [source]

Since before we arrived at Bethesda, members of the church and community extolled the spectacle of the festival and regaled us with stories and history of the pageant.

Today was my first peak into the "behind-the-scenes" preparations, and finally, after months of anticipation, participating as a guest to witness the ceremony and tradition. I thought I'd share a few images of what it takes to put it all together, hoping that you might be swayed to come witness it for yourself.

The Walk Through!

 

Chef prepares to feed the cast and crew. YUMMY!

Costumes, hair and make up. Come see it all!

Furry Home Invasion

The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi is celebrated by many Christian churches the world over on October 4th which commemorates St. Francis' death.

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi

A service of Blessing of the Animals often takes place the first Sunday in October as Francis is known for his love of animals. The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea shares in this splendid tradition.

A blessing in action

I'm not sure when BBTS's event began but nationally it crawled into being in the 30's. Sunday's celebration was a marvelous event, and I met a number of people who attended every year. {It sure looks like they all came this year.}

The church is full and many are blessed

The most popular blessing in the US is found at St. John the Divine in New York City and began in 1985. According to Squidoo, "Each year thousands of animals with their humans congregate [there] for the annual Holy Eucharist and Procession of Animals."

      But

I wondered what it might be like from Ranger's perspective. {Ranger is our 3 year old Shih Tzu seen above.}

Let's put it this way. Nearly every day, Ranger and I take a stroll or two through the church grounds. He loves to chase frogs, smell the flowers and greet the staff. I think he feels like this is part of his home.

Now imagine coming to church on Sunday and having hundreds {"maybe even thousands," says Ranger} of creatures invading!!!

Dogs of all shapes and sizes, cats in baskets, snakes, an ocelot, a chinchilla...would it ever end?

Poor Ranger endured it very well I would say. He did not bark at any of the visitors (furry or otherwise).

And his comment on the whole thing?

He left a small note for his new friends about every 15 feet on our walk Monday morning. 'Nuff said!

Until next time, Eli

The Lady keeps Waiting

Well, I have to say, I'm feeling quite relieved. Tropical Storm Emily, which I posted about here, tried to jump over the mountains in Haiti and got completely confused and disorganized. At this point, it seems she will not be visiting Bethesda-by-the-Sea this time around. Shew...

She'll have to wait a little longer. {I don't think she minds}...

I leave you with a couple of images from the East side of the Sanctuary, as you can see, she is still an elegant dame on the sea. Come visit some time.

Until next time, Eli

Lady in Waiting

The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea is a beautiful gothic lady standing elegantly on the Island of Palm Beach to welcome worshipers, visitors and guests nearly every day of the week. Today, she is a lady in waiting. Waiting for Mother Nature's child, Emily, to pay a visit. (That would be Tropical Storm Emily.)

All ladies in waiting must don attire appropriate for different events. So with a little assistance from the Staff, she gets her accoutrement of dark hurricane tarps. {not sure that is the technical term, but check this out.}

Five tarps are already installed and one more is on its way.

Just throw it over your shoulder and climb.

Find those hooks and be done soon.

This is the east side and back of the church, the most vulnerable if Tropical Storm Emily pays an intimate visit.

What are folks saying? As always, this is an unscientific poll of locals...but most likely, it will get more humid as the storm gets closer, and we'll get significant wind and rain. If you want to check the progress of Emily (or other storms) go to the National Hurricane Center.

Until next time, Eli
{PS: Thanks to the fab guys who take care of BBTS, The Rectory and us...}

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