The Dress

A Virgin a Day
December 11, 2010
Day 11

Our Lady of Guadalupe

A Virgin a Day is the title of this Meme Project. It is a tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It started on December first and will culminate on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is December 12th. Of course I continue to dedicate all of these posts to my Mother, Carmelina Rosa Caruso Spado. A memorial to her love and devotion to her family, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

To participate, see Rebecca’s recuerdo mi corazon blog. There, you will get more definition and instructions as well as see other’s submissions, which, If I may add, are quite fascinating, artistic, poetic and bold.

In 2008, I volunteered to help out in an event called The Longest Walk II. A March across the USA from San Francisco to Washington DC to remind Americans to protect Sacred sites and quit harming Mother Earth. I went to help out and support this effort. I brought my van and a trailer and hauled the walker’s backpacks from daily camp to daily camp. We went non stop at first, walking miles and miles every day. After a few weeks on the road, we finally got a few days off to rest and resupply in Bakersfield, California. It was on one of these days off that I took walkers that needed to get to a laundromat, bank, store or post office where they needed to go. I did some personal things I needed to get done as well.

One day, I stopped in downtown Bakersfield for a regular sit-down meal. After lunch, I walked around the downtown area and peeked into the windows of the shops. Passing by this one trendy little women’s wear boutique, I caught a glimpse of a very unique dress in the window. I kept going back and driving by that shop, looking at that dress.

Mrs. Spadoman looks fabulous in this dress

When I saw it, I thought of how I’d like to buy it as a unique gift to send back home to Mrs. Spadoman. The walk had me away from home for months. I was always thinking of all my family members and buying trinkets or post cards to send home. This dress was special. I had to buy it. 

It was awkward for me to walk into that store and talk to the two young black clad pierced goth women about buying a dress for my wife. I mean, I’m an old guy. I know I don’t fit the stereotype of someone that would shop in their little boutique. But I did take a deep breath and go in. I don’t know what I was thinking would happen. What? Would they laugh at me? Think I’m a pervert? I was just a little unsure as dress buying, especially an old gray haired Midwesterner dress buying at a trendy chic boutique in downtown Bakersfield, was a lot out of my character.

When I walked in, there were two women working there and no one else shopping. I had both sets of eyes on me instantly. I wasn’t going to shop around, I was gonna buy, so I walked right up to the front counter where one of the women, the one with the purple hair, was standing. The other, dressed in layers and layers of what looked like rags with sleeves that hung down past her hands that had holes in them for her thumbs,  stepped up quickly. The second one seemed inquisitive, interested in what the purpose of my visit would be. Dominatrix? I mean, just sayin’!

I told them I saw the dress and I wanted to know what size it was and how much. They helped me and gave me their undivided attention. They told me how cute they thought this dress to be. It was February, but it was a sun dress. It wasn’t going to worn that afternoon. I told them I was going to send it home to my wife. I did get some accolades for being so bold as to buy her a dress. I got the idea that it’s not too common a practice.

I’ll let the pictures describe the dress. What brought my eye and interest to it was the bold bright display of Our Lady of Guadalupe prints all over it. “Very colorful,” I thought, and the image of Our Lady on a dress would be very unique. I knew Barb would love its “kitsch” tendencies that bordered on the irreverent. I also knew we both liked the folksy colorful Guadalupe image.

I sent the dress home, but before I did. I had it with me when I returned back to base camp. While talking to some of the people I met on the walk about what we did that day, I was asked and I answered with, “I bought my wife a dress.”

I had to show people. Some thought it was so cool. I did, that’s why I bought it. A lot of the younger women, the ones with eclectic taste, really liked it. I sent it home after showing it off and returned to the walk.

When Barb received it, she told me she thought it was beautiful. It was fun to pull it out in the dead of cold wintry weather yesterday for the photo shoot, (we’re expecting a foot of new snow and temperatures to plummet down to below zero in the next few days). I think Barb looks fantastic in this dress, and seeing her wearing it made me wish the winter will speed by so we can be somewhere in temperatures where a sun dress would be appropriate attire.

Truthfully, I was so excited about this whole Virgin Business as I knew I’d have a depiction of Our Lady on a dress. The odds would favor the fact that no one else would have something like this. It would trump every Virgin object, painting, statue and what have you. You can see I am proud of it. But the posts I have seen this past eleven days have been nothing short of magnificent. The art, the reverence, the history and knowledge and the personal outpouring to each other and the blog readers about The Blessed Virgin Mary have reached us all.

Gracie Jayne had to have her picture taken for this very special fashion show.
Isn't she beautiful

That’s my story for today, Day 11 of 12. Tomorrow, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the end of this beautiful, thought provoking inspiring Meme project. I am grateful to Rebecca for coming up with this fabulous idea. It brought so many ideas and people together. Coming away from this exercise, I found I have made some new connections and think about some things in different ways.

Thanks Rebecca and all of the participants of A Virgin a Day.

Tomorrow, The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at a shrine in her honor near LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Peace to all

Corn Mother

A Virgin a Day
December 10, 2010
Day 10

Our Lady of Guadalupe

A Virgin a Day is the title of this Meme Project. It is a tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe. To participate, see Rebecca’s recuerdo mi corazon blog. There, you will get more definition and instructions as well as see other’s submissions. 


NOTE: For those that have come for Haiku My Heart Friday, please scroll down and you'll find my submission. Thank You

I have always had a fascination with the image and statues I’ve seen of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I never knew why I liked this art form so much, but after my Mother went on her final journey home last February, I realized it was her influence and her faith that has kept me interested, and somewhat knowledgeable, about Our Lady. I can't tell you when I realized how much I appreciate the art side of it.

If you care to, you may look at this as religious, or you may see it as art for the sake of art. I make no assertions about anything to anyone as far as my own faith or religion with these posts. I simply dedicate my involvement with this Virgin Business to my Loving Mother, Carmelina Rosa Caruso Spado. Just to be talking about the Blessed Virgin Mary would make her proud of me.

Cristina Perez' Corn Mother

I’ve mentioned before, mostly on the blog comments of the fabulous artists sites that I am so fortunate to have been introduced to, that I have a hard time understanding the creative process, I don’t do poetry very well and I admire all that can deliver such beauty in photos, paintings, objects and words.

That being said, the fact that I don’t get out much to art shows or openings might be one of the reasons why my grasp of art may be a bit lacking. But I know what I like. I just can’t tell you why I like it, or dislike it, if that’s the case.

This particular subject, Our Lady of Guadalupe, I like. And that assessment is “in general.” I have only learned recently that these types of paintings and color treatments that I find when visiting the Southwestern USA, where Guadalupe is so prominent, is considered Folk Art, or at least a form of Folk Art.

Back pedal to around 2004. I was living in St. Paul in those days and hanging out at the J&S Bean Factory Coffee House. My good friend, Steve, owns the place. I’d show up there just about every morning. Most of the time, the usual characters came in, conversations ensued, and time was spent whiling away many hours each morning.

A positive about this daily event was that I got to meet a lot of people. I’d be talking to someone and someone else would walk in and the person I was talking to knew this other person and I was introduced and low and behold we had something or someone in common. Next thing you know, we’re all talking and making connections and it wasn’t very unusual that I didn’t know someone else, someone that wasn’t seated at the table, that the person I was just introduced to, knew as well. If not a person, then a place, or a job I’ve held, as I am well traveled from years of road trips throughout the USA and have held my share of jobs.

In this one case, I met a guy named Tom. Tom, in his own right, is a very unique character and is an artist. His medium is bronze casting and he is from the very old school of seeking benefactors, or what he calls in the vernacular, patrons of the arts. Patrons that would give him money to research, plan and produce an exquisite art piece that they could have for their own collection.

Disclaimer: So far, this story has nothing what-so-ever to do with The Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s just how I came about going to the art show that produced the Corn Mother print that will.

In any event, Tom and I became friends quickly and we met many mornings and talked about everything in particular and nothing in general, or is that the other way around, I never could get that right either.

Tom, being an artist, knew many other artists. He told me about an art show coming up in an old Northeast Minneapolis building that had been turned into artists lofts called The California Building.

A photo of Tom's most famous work, Moonbell. It sits in the entry of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Building 

Incidentally, one of the connections Tom and I made in the weeks leading up to the announcement about the upcoming art show was the fact that someone I worked with years before, had a loft there. A fellow named Aldo Moroni. Aldo and I worked in the motion picture industry together, that’s where I met him. He has a studio in the California Building and if I went to this particular art event that Tom was inviting me to, I’d get to see Aldo and his then not yet famous Babylon Project, which, is quite interesting as well as very beautiful.

Back to my story. While attending this art event, I wandered through the floors of lofts and stopped here and there to look at what might be offered. In a small uncluttered room were a few paintings and prints. One of these was the one I am presenting here as my offering for A Virgin a Day.

When I saw it, I immediately said, “Corn Mother”. The artist, a woman named Cristina Perez, heard me and told me, “Yes, the name of this print is The Corn Mother.”

I had to have it. I liked it. The colors, the image. I’d seen that image before. I knew it was Our lady. She resembled Our lady of Guadalupe, but with a corn cob as an aura. Back in those days I had already started my once and twice yearly treks to New Mexico and was falling in love with the Folk Art of this particular image.

I made a purchase of art, while attending an art show in a building where artists plied their trade. That had to be the start of it. Now, many years later, I will go to Cristina’s site and write to her and tell her how I am posting this story about her art piece and that since I looked up her name and found the modern day site for her work, I see she is quite talented and there are other pieces I might be interested in purchasing. I see she has a great portfolio of Los Dios de Los Muertos, or Days of the Dead folk art, with my Corn Mother amongst the offerings! I will be paying her site a few visits.

Incidently, while perusing Cristina’s website, I came across this fabulous painting entitled Mayan Mother from her collection. Just seems fitting as every Mother emulates the Blessed Virgin Mother, and this Mayan Mother is no exception.

Mayan Mother

Brown Mayan Mother

Not different from our own

Reflecting Mary

(I thought I'd add haiku for this print since today is Friday and Rebecca's Haiku My Heart Friday, another great Meme idea, is usually presented today)

So, that’s my story. That’s my submission for Day 10. The Corn Mother print and how it came into being in my life. Our Lady working in mysterious ways? Maybe so. I’m making a new connection with an artist I met only once, and I’m inspired to call Tom Attridge and see how he’s doing. Maybe I’ll pay him a visit and we’ll sit around his kitchen nook and hold the guitar a little.

Peace

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

A Virgin a Day
December 9, 2010
Day 9

Our Lady of Guadalupe


A Virgin a Day is the title of this Meme Project. It is a tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It started on December first and will culminate on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is December 12th. Of course I continue to dedicate all of these posts to my Mother, Carmelina Rosa Caruso Spado. A memorial to her love and devotion to her family, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

To participate, see Rebecca’s recuerdo mi corazon blog. There, you will get more definition and instructions as well as see other’s submissions, which, If I may add, are quite fascinating, artistic, poetic and bold. By the way, click any photo here to enlrage it to see more detail.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

As I was growing up in the predominately Italian Catholic suburb of Chicago, Melrose Park, our neighborhood parish church was Our Lady of Mount Carmel. As a young boy, I was always confused about The Blessed Virgin Mary. I knew who she was to represent, but who were these other “Ladies”? Our Lady of this, Our Lady of that, Our Lady of the other thing and Our Lady of those guys. I tell you, it was confusing.

But that confusion to a young boy makes perfect sense as the Blessed Virgin Mary has been seen, visioned and honored by and for all people, with each group claiming her as their own "Lady". Her mission, to bring people to her son, Jesus Christ. He is said to be the son of God. Mary, being a virgin, but still being the birth Mother, is kind of special then in that sense.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is just one of many ways in which the people chose to show and honor Mary, Mother of God. She is the Patroness of the Carmelite order. The first Carmelites were hermits living on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land. They built a chapel and honored the Blessed Virgin Mary as The Lady of the House. She became Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

Another depiction of Our Lady of Mount Carmel as painted by Pietro Novelli, from the 1600's

There are so many tributes, traditions, ideas and heritage, both cultural and religious, that have lived through the years about all of the Saints and Marys. One for Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the Scapular. A Scapular has a specific definition to the Catholic Church. Information can be found at the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia site.

I had a Scapular. My Mom, whose name is Carmelina and a close resemblence to Carmel, made sure I had one to protect me and assure my rise to heaven in the event of anything bad happening to me, the back of my Father's hand for wrongdoing not withstanding.

It is two small patches of cloth, held together with a string, and worn over your shoulders with one patch on the back and the other on the breast. The Carmelite order originated the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Since we were parishioners of that church, we followed suit. Not much different than wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey on game day if you live in Wisconsin. Of course, being near Chicago, we wore our Scapular under our Bears Jerseys, and we never took them off except to shower or bathe.

The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

I mentioned the place where I grew up as an Italian community. How do I know? Well, I lived on the eighteen hundred block of 22nd Avenue. There were 26 houses if you count both sides of the street. Of those 26, 19 had Italian surnames. Spado, Ciancio, Salerno, Colona, Spinelli, Ravenisi, Baldo, Miorello. Funny, an English guy lived next door to the North, Fishleigh was their name, and they weren’t Catholic.

Another phenomenon where I grew up was the Italian Feast. A big, and I mean big, celebration during the week preceding the 16th of July, which is the Feast Day or Our Lady of Mount Carmel, took place in the blocks surrounding the church. It culminated with a hugely attended, literally thousands of people, outdoor mass on Sunday at high noon, and a procession through the town.

In this procession, a large beautiful statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the one pictured in photos above and below, was carried upon the shoulders of the men of the parish. Leaders in the parish structure would carry this image. Other groups, like the Holy Name Society, Knights of Columbus and the Alter Boys would walk the procession in their groups, maybe they carried lit candles or other religious articles like crosses or other statues of Saints. There were visiting bands from other parishes and they would travel tomplay at The Feast celebration.

Many women walked, dressed in solid black, on the hot blacktop streets. They would stop while on this trek, and go to their knees, praying the rosary. The hot asphalt burning them at times in the sweltering Summer heat. People passing out left and right. Sacrifice for Our lady of Mount Carmel.

Of course, since this was an Italian neighborhood, the food of the Feast was Italian and was wonderful. The Feast still goes on, but ethnic makeup of Melrose Park is changing, so there are some differences from the 1950’s and 1960’s when I grew up there. But they do have a Facebook page that seems like they are keeping the old tradition alive. There are some grat photos of Our lady posted there as well.

Back to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The image at the beginning of this post shows the gold crown she wore along with the beautiful gold and white garments. The old church itself, the one that was there when I lived there, was also a very beautiful place inside. A new church was built to hold a growing population. Here is a photo of the inside of the old original Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Melrose Park, IL in the 1960’s.

Our Lady takes center stage at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Melrose Park, IL
This is the interior of the old church

And here is a photo from the archives of my own collection. It’s from 1967, and came out of the pile of pictures we went through from the boxes my mother had in her closet. This is statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel being carried throughout the town during the Feast day celebration, of which we were in attendance every year.

The Madonna being carried through the streets during The Feast

I look at the image of the inside of the church and I can tell you every word of Latin that was painted on the ceiling. I don’t know what it means, but I can tell you what was printed. And I am amazed at the beauty. I don’t remember seeing or knowing this beauty growing up, but I can see it now. What I do remember is that statue. How ornate, the gold crown. She was truly portrayed as The Mother of God, telling us that the way to heaven is through Jesus Christ.


Tomorrow, the Corn Mother

Peace

Sacred Mother Earth

A Virgin a Day

December 8, 2010

Day 8

Our Lady of Guagalupe

A Virgin a Day is the title of this Meme Project. It is a tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It started on December first and will culminate on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is December 12th. Of course I continue to dedicate all of these posts to my Mother, Carmelina Rosa Caruso Spado. A memorial to her love and devotion to her family, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

To participate, see Rebecca’s recuerdo mi corazon blog. There, you will get more definition and instructions as well as see other’s submissions, which, If I may add, are quite fascinating, artistic, poetic and bold.

A Virgin a Day. Yes, Mother Earth. The Supreme Mother of all of us, but a virgin? Well, think of it this way. She renews herself constantly, always fresh and pure is the water that comes up in her springs, even after we pollute it with waste and chemicals, she purifies the water for our renewal. The water, the life blood, our life blood, the life blood of the Sacred Earth Mother. We do our best to pollute the water and the air, but the Earth Mother renews and allows us to breathe and drink.

We blemish her body with scars from war, mining, buildings, roads and general disregard. We heap trash onto and into her, but she contains and holds and renews for us. The soil regenerates for plant growth naturally. Ever see a place where nothing is growing? Even the rockiest and driest of all desert landscapes, or the icy netherlands of the coldest places, have life. One seed can sprout and grow a plant just as one was made into a Man God in the form of Jesus Christ from Mary’s womb. 

Mother Earth takes all of the suffering in the form of mankind’s waste and garbage, just as Mary is said to take mankind’s suffering, and gives us healing

In Northern Minnesota, they used to mine iron ore. There are huge abandoned open pit mines, not only there, but in many places on Earth. An example of the power of the Sacred Earth Mother is that these places, once scars and open wounds on Mother Earth, are tree covered beautiful places now that the mining has stopped, some with lakes teeming with fish, and habitat to protect other plant and animal species. Just as we heal from scars, just as we heal from what happens to us.

The womb of Mother Earth is everywhere. Life can and does spring forth. Try as we might to scar her, tread on her, soil her, deplete her, she rises and gives us more. There is always a place, the Sacred Earth Mother provides for us. Even the barren desert is shelter.

I can easily make a connection between The Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother Earth as one in the same. They both are Sacred. They both are the Mother of all things. One is the other, or at least epitomizes each other. 

The Blessed Virgin is steady, and has led mankind to God in her mission. She does this constantly and never fails in moving forward on that mission. Never faltering in her attempt to free mankind from bondage.

Mother Earth is the same. The sunrise is never late. Unbending intent, can be said, to show how the sun, moon and stars align in an unfaltering rhythm, day after day, year after year, millennium after millennium.

My presentation today, Day 8 of this Virgin Project, is Earth. Mother Earth. It’s part of the language. We say “Mother Earth”. She is known to most everyone by that moniker, just as Catholics and Non Catholics alike know who Our Blessed Virgin Mary is.

The Queen of Heaven is allowed to stand upon the Sacred Earth Mother

The blood, skin, bones and hair of mankind and animals, along with the plant life and decomposition make the soil. Mother Earth then, is all of us. The Universe is all of us. God is all of us, and makes no distinction. Cold makes everything cold, heat the same. Mother Earth will swallow you, whether in a box or as an ash, and we all will revert back for renewal.

The Mother of The Blessed Virgin is Mother Earth. I thank the Sacred Earth Mother for giving us so much, for giving us Mary, for giving us a Higher Power that we can see everyday in the heavens as stars at night, and the brightness of the sky in the day, for feeding us and taking away our thirst.

Think about it.

Peace

On the Road with Mary

A Virgin a Day

Days 3,4,5,6 and 7

A Virgin a Day is the title of this Meme Project. It is a tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It started on December first and will culminate on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is December 12th. Of course I continue to dedicate all of these posts to my Mother, Carmelina Rosa Caruso Spado. A memorial to her love and devotion to her family, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

To participate, see Rebecca’s recuerdo mi corazon blog. There, you will get more definition and instructions as well as see other’s submissions, which, If I may add, are quite fascinating, artistic, poetic and bold.

I just returned from a quick trip out East to Washington DC. That's why there are no Virgin posts from Round Circle for Days 3,4,5 and 6. So, I continue this fabulous project with Day 7. I went alone and when I wasn’t listening to the radio or singing to myself, I was thinking about whatever popped into my head. I knew that I wanted to write stories to fill in the remaining six days of, what I consider to be a great project meme, A Virgin a Day. I was reading the comments on another person’s blog, and one made by a friend of mine. She referred to my posts as Encyclopedic. I guess the others were, to a degree, and so is this one. But hopefully, I’ve added some personal flair. Certainly don’t want to get a reputation.

It wasn’t only on this latest trip that I noticed the existence of Mary on the side of the road. Mary is everywhere. Statues in Catholic cemeteries standing guard over the graves of loved ones, or in a religious goods store that might have examples from the sublime postcard to the extravagant hand painted life size plaster rendering fit for a church. You'll find her In lawn and garden shops, and at roadside vendors who sell cement statues of everything from the aforementioned Mary to a giant elephant. When In New Mexico, the displays at every garden shop and gift store is Our Lady of Guadalupe with her colorful clothing and background fan of glory.

Cement lawn ornaments being sold at the side of the road

You can find small grottoes outfitted with Our Lady by the side of the road while in the Southwest. Up here in the Northland, not so much, but I did pass by a grotto in Dickeyville, WI. A small town in the extreme Southwestern corner of the state, close to where US Highway 61 meets the Iowa border.

This is called The Dickeyville Grotto. It sits on the grounds of The Holy Ghost Church in Dickeyville, WI

This grotto was built by Father Matthias Wernerus during a time period between 1925 and 1930. A stone mason, he used all kinds of materials from all over the world. This passage, from their website, mentions the materials used:

It is a creation in stone, mortar and bright colored objects-collected materials from all over the world. These include colored glass, gems, antique heirlooms of pottery or porcelain, stalagmites and stalactites, sea shells, starfish, petrified sea urchins and fossils, and a variety of corals, amber glass, agate, quartz, ores, such as iron, copper and lead, fool's gold, rock crystals, onyx, amethyst and coal, petrified wood and moss.

Here is a close-up example of some of the stonework.

Click to enlarge any of the photos. In this example, you can see the colorful assortment of stones used at the Dickeyville site. Quite an undertaking when you consider the size of the entire area

The grotto of the Blessed Virgin is the frontal piece of this area, situated at the side of the Holy Ghost parish church. Here is a photo of Our Lady, inside the grotto, protected under glass.

The Virgin Mother under glass at Dickeyville

Other Virgins can be seen with a keen eye while traveling through rural areas on two lane roads or in towns and cities. The statues are everywhere. Some white plaster, some painted with her majesty wearing the robin’s egg blue robe. Some people build mini grottoes to hold her, like little houses, and some buy a grotto from a store that might specialize in such matters, like Lawn Ornaments and Fountains.com.  They also have a great selection of statues of Mary

Mary in a Bathtub is a way of life

And then there is Mary in a Bathtub. I’m not going to tell you that there isn’t some humor involved, but then again, this is serious Virgin Business. Ever since Mrs. Spadoman and I got married and started traveling, we have spotted these roadside Marys. We drive a lot of small two-lane roads across the United States. Here’s how it started for us:

“Mary.” Barb said, pointing her finger in the direction of a statue in someone’s front yard.

“What? Those are everywhere.” I’d say in a matter of fact response.

Five minutes later

“Mary, Oh, and another Mary, one in a bath tub", she’d exclaim.

“So, how many have you seen today” I ask.

“I have three, you don’t have any, you better start lookin’” she taunts.

“I’m not playing this game, those are all over the place.” I say sarcastically.

“You don’t have a choice, it’s a way of life, like seeing a VW bug, Oh look, Mary in a bath tub, I have four.”

You get the idea. We don’t go anywhere and not have this competition. VW beetle automobiles, signs where someone has used a “K” where a “C” should be used and Mary/Mary in a bath tub. We have used the phrase Naked Mary, to denote no bath tub or other grotto being used, and the yard statue stands “naked”.  Of course you don’t get credit for any Marys that are seen in a cemetery or at a church, those are public domain.

Here’s a photo of a simple Mary in a grotto at someone’s home close to where I live. 

A typical rural Wisconsin roadside Mary seen displayed in a home made grotto

The Catholic religious stores and garden centers that sell lawn art usually have a plastic “aura”, or bath tub-like enclosure, that can be used with your statue, like the one seen in the photo below, more info at THIS LINK.  

You can buy this one, along with a statue of Mary, online.

It takes quite an artistic talent and a lot of brute strength and determination to use an old claw foot cast iron 350 pound bath tub, but some do it, and some make the wooden structures themselves as well. Here’s an example of a tub model from Google Images.

That's a big bath tub!

So, that’s my Virgin today. The Blessed Virgin Mary, on display, at the side of the road, along with a way of life for spotting her. I can't help but wonder how many people's lives might be transformed by the site of these simple images of the Mother of God. For that matter, I wonder if anyone else has the way of life?

By the way, as I was writing this article, I asked Mrs. Spadoman where she thought we have seen the most. Her response? Upper Peninsula Michigan in Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield. The area seems to be loaded with them. She’s winning, I’m sure, but no one has an actual count.

Peace

Our Lady of the Way

A Virgin a Day
December 2, 2010
Day 2

A Virgin a Day is the title of this Meme Project. It is a tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The plan is to post about The Blessed Virgin Mary for twelve days, ending on December 12th, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To participate, see Rebecca’s recuerdo mi corazon blog. There, you will get more definition and instructions as well as see other’s submissions. 

You can't imagine how bummed out I am that I have to leave town right in the middle of all this Virgin business that's going on. But I must. I will post a photo of an original art piece I have today, and will pick up where I left off when I return. I won't be back until next week, probably by Tuesday, but I'll get Virgin a Day posts in for the last 6 days of this wonderful Meme Project. Please make your way back here, and to the others. I have some excitement planned.

As I will throughout the entire exercise, I devote these posts to my Mother, Carmelina Rosa Caruso Spado, who dearly loved The Blessed Virgin Mary in any form she appeared.

For today, Day 2 of twelve, I present a print of a painting I have of Nuestra Senora del Camino, Our Lady of the Way.

A print of a painting by Francesca I. de Garcia C

Many think, when they hear of Our Lady of the Way, that she is the Patron Saint of travelers. But her claim to fame is much more than that. The "Way" that she guides, is the way of Jesus Christ.

A brief story, I purchased this piece for my Mother many years ago while I was in the small town of La Mesilla, NM, near Las Cruces. That's the first time I met Francesca, the artist. I have returned a number of times and plan on seeing her again this Winter as I travel to New Mexico.

When my Mother passed, I asked that I could have this artist's rendition  back for my own collection and my request was granted by my brother and sister.

Peace to All

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

A Virgin a Day

December 1, 2010

A Virgin a Day is the title of this Meme Project. It is a tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe. To participate, see Rebecca’s recuerdo mi corazon blog. There, you will get more definition and instructions as well as see other’s submissions. 

I have always had a fascination with the image and statues I’ve seen of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I never knew why I liked this art form so much, but after my Mother went on her final journey home last February, I realized it was her influence and her faith that has kept me interested and somewhat knowledgeable, about Our Lady. If you care to, you may look at this as religious, or you may see it as art for the sake of art. 


I make no assertions about anything to anyone as far as my own faith or (lack of) religion with these posts. I simply dedicate my involvement with this Virgin Business to my Loving Mother, Carmelina Rosa Caruso Spado. Just to be talking about the Blessed Virgin Mary would make her proud of me.

We will start today, December 1st, with an image on a Colcha of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. More about Colchas later. We'll end on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12th. If you are not familiar with Feast Days, well, then you obviously aren’t, or weren’t raised as, a Catholic. Here is a Saint a Day site that lists names of Saints and their Feast Days. It’s actually quite interesting, and might even be useful for the Catholics among my readers that need a refresher about Saints days. By the way, HERE is information about the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the main subject of this entire Meme Project.

For the first day of this Meme, I’d like to show you some photos I took inside the El Camino Real Cultural Heritage Center just South of Socorro, New Mexico. The center is along I-25 at exit 115. This Cultural Center lies along the original El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, The Royal Road of the Interior Lands. You can get a sense of the 1500 mile trade route journey from Zacatecas, Mexico to Santa Fe, New Mexico with a visit to this heritage site.

One of the displays was of a colcha. A colcha is a woven wool mat, banner or blanket that has a design embroidered with wool. Wool on wool, if you will. This is a colonial art form. Much more about colcha embroidery can be found by clicking on this highlighted area

This particular colcha is entitled Nuestra Senora de Socorro, Our Lady of Perpetual Help. By the way, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is on June 27th. The word Socorro means “Help” or “Aid”. In June of 1598, Juan de Onate led a group of Spanish settlers through the region using the Jornada del Muerto, the journey of death, an inhospitable patch of desert that ends just South of what is now present day Socorro, NM. The local Piro Indians gave the travelers food and water, saving them from dehydration, hence the name, Socorro.

Here is my Virgin of the day. Nuestra Senora de Socorro embroidered by the Secorro Colcha Embroidery Group.

Beautifully woven wool on wool. Our Lady of Perpetual Help
(Note: All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them)

This sign posted information about the exhibit

This colcha measures approximately 16" X 22"

In the days to come, there will be more artwork of Our lady. I won’t be able to do one every day as I will be on the road and traveling to Washington DC, and be gone about a week starting tomorrow. I’ll resume my postings of Our Lady and tend to this Virgin Business upon my return.

Peace to All