Harvey Travel Arts

As I've said before, Brian is the resident photographer about 99% of the time. He has a lot of patience to capture the most artistic light and angles. I remember him taking these photos, and was disappointed when they originally came out too dark. However, playing around with the exposure is a lot of fun and recaptures the original scenes that were before us. The castles we visited were lit from the ground and inside at night, which is why the trees below look so green. That and they're in Ireland, where the grass is just greener . The rain contributes to this, of course. But then we complain about how wet and muddy everything gets. Brian and I like to travel in the off season. For one, it is much cheaper. It is also much less crowded at tourist attractions. However, we deal with the cold wet air. I think in life it's a good reminder you can't have it all!

Above is a cross, one of the symbols of my Christian faith. However, symbols are just that: reminders. In and of themselves, they have no power. The true testimony of a Christian is their relationship with Jesus Christ. He has to be Lord of your life before any change can occur. I think back to Ecclesiastes where we learn that without Christ, our works are meaningless. That sounds very direct, but it is true. We live life on this earth to further His kingdom and His love. Take a different example, the example of religion. Religion being man's way trying to reach God, whereas Christianity is God reaching out to man. The bottom picture shows an ancient burial ground in Ireland. The window to it lets in sunlight only once a year, at the winter solstice. Ironically, there are similar pyramiddic structures in the western hemisphere that also point toward winter and summer solstice. What were men trying to do? Who were they trying to please with their large structures, symbols and precis

How appropriate that a week and a half before this election, I was browsing through the Art Institute of Chicago. Take a look at American Gothic, above. Artist Grant Wood was certainly trying to charicature various themes from the working American. The hard working, serious family portrayed here that almost seems ironic in today's society. We still have hard working families, but the traditional roles of men and women have been lost. Today's family wouldn't necessarily display a woman standing in a supportive role of her husband. Today's family might have the woman in front with her own pitchfork. I wish there was a healthy balance. As scripture indicates, women are to love and submit to their husbands, but husbands are to love and respect their wives. Both need to work together in their God given roles to provide a loving home for each other and their family. Many would like to toss the pitchfork out of the picture. Without an instrument of hard work in our hands, we&#