Old St. Patrick's

 

I've been wanting to capture the inside of this church for several years. Each time I tried I hit a wall so to speak.

First there was Covid, the church doors were closed.

Then there was constuctions around the area, the doors were closed.

Then there was renovation of the inside, the doors were closed.

You get the idea.

Anyway, last week when I got off the train and out onto Canal Street, I looked to my left and once again saw that gorgeous steeple staring at me. 

I figured what the heck, let me try again and see if the doors are open.

Lucky me!!!! Doors were open and the public could enter.

There was arrangements being made for an upcoming funeral, but the gentleman working at the church was nice enough to let me wander around and snap away.

Since its founding by Irish immigrants on Easter morning in 1846, Old St. Patrick’s has been interwoven in the life and history of the City of Chicago. Founded in 1846 as the first English-speaking parish in the city, the current church building was designed in a Romanesque style by two of Chicago’s earliest practicing architects: Augustus Bauer and Asher Carter. The cornerstone was laid on May 23, 1853, and the building was dedicated on Christmas Day, 1856.

 Old St. Patrick’s is one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Its survival makes it the oldest public building in the City of Chicago.

Inspired by the Celtic art exhibit at the Columbian Expostition of 1893 and the Book of Kells in Ireland, Thomas A. O’Shaughnessy designed, constructed, and personally installed the 15 beautiful stained-glass windows of Old St. Patrick’s between 1912 and 1922. The 12 side windows were inspired by the Celtic designs of Ireland’s Book of Kells. The final triptych windows, done in an art nouveau style and installed in the eastern facade of the church, are the “Faith, Hope & Charity” windows, also known as the Terrence MacSwiney Memorial Triptych. In 1977, Old St. Patrick’s was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 Old St. Patrick’s Church has stood at the western gateway of Chicago’s Loop for more than 150 years. Built seven generations ago, this old city Church, a treasure born of the immigrant dream, has welcomed hundreds of thousands of people through its doors who seek a deeper, richer experience of life.

 Today, Old St. Patrick’s is home to a membership of more than 3,000 households.

 

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Chip Chucking

In many parts of the old world, and in the past, in mountain regions of Europe, caked and dried cow dung was used as fuel. 

 In India, it is dried into cake like shapes called upla or kanda, and used as replacement for firewood for cooking in chulah (traditional kitchen stove).

 Cow dung, is often used as agricultural fertilizer. If not recycled into the soil by species such as earthworms and dung beetles, cow dung can dry out and remain on the pasture, creating an area of grazing land which is unpalatable to livestock.

 In several cultures, cow dung is traditionally used to coat floors and walls. In parts of Africa, floors of rural huts are smeared with cow dung: this is believed to improve interior hygiene and repel insects

Nowadays, it is also used in creating flower and plant pots. It is plastic free, biodegradable and eco-friendly.  Dissolves naturally and becomes excellent manure for the plant.

Aside from all the above uses of cow dung, there is one more use for this versatile "cake", and that is the cow chip throw.

Our neighboring community, Chatham, has made the "Cow Chip Throw Competition"a yearly summer event during their Sweet Corn Festival.

 Okay, so this one might seem a little on the icky side (literally), but that doesn’t mean that it’s not fun and highly entertaining to watch. In this event, participants are required to throw a hardened, disc-shaped piece of cow dung as far as they can. 

 Official Cow Chip Throw rules stipulate that the chips must be more than six inches in diameter.

Novice throwers generally go with the “bigger is better rule,” selecting the largest chips they can find. Veterans, though, look for ones smaller in diameter but with some heft to them and as perfectly round as possible. They know that larger, drier chips will break apart mid-air, and they shake them with one hand to test their durability before picking. 

The veteran throwers also know better about keeping their mouths closed as the wind whips through the crowd and debris fleck from the chips and go flying.

  Contestants select two chips, each about 6 inches in diameter. The person who throws the farthest wins, and if it breaks in mid-flight, the piece that travels farthest is counted. 

This might seem easy, but it actually takes quite a bit of skill to fling your chip the farthest. Most throw overhanded with the flick of their wrist, instead of throwing the chip “frisbee style.”

  Two of the biggest competitions in this country are the World Championship Cow Chip Throwing Contest in Beaver, Oklahoma and the Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw and Festival in Sauk City, Wisconsin.

 

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Water! Week 31

" Water Photography is a fun one, with endless possibilities. From scenic vistas with waterfalls, to street photography in the rain, or some cool water droplet experimentation in your basement, water photography allows you to freeze the action and show the viewer a glimpse of this world we cannot ordinarily see."

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Meet Our New Neighbors.........

  The Wrens!

 Since it's hard to tell the difference, this could be Papa Wren .......

........and this could be Mama Wren

But one thing for sure.......

This is Baby Wren 

 Close up of Baby Wren

Home location.......

nestedd behind the outdoor speakers.

 Don't dare turn on the speakers now....don't think Baby Wren would enjoy my tunes.

Ma and Pa are around all the time and enjoy singing a lot, so I guess my tunes can wait.

 

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