White Dove of the Desert-February 7, 2013

When I say everything is brown, please understand I mean everything. Yards are dirt with the only living shrubbery being cacti. There don't appear to be boundaries between houses, just dirt. It is just unbelievable. Houses are painted brown. Businesses are brown. School yards are brown. That's it. Brown. So today to break the monotony we went to see the San Xavier Mission. It is a Franciscan mission built 300 years ago and is still operational. 

See why it is the White Dove of the Desert. It can be seen for miles.

 

 

Statue of a Franciscan monk. The interior is being restored by some of the

same people who restored the Cistine Chapel. This building is old so they really

have their work cut out for them.

 

 

Oil painting of the Last Supper painted in very thick paint directly

onto the wall. At least it can't be stolen.

 

 

The courtyard between the church and the chapel. Typical of

the landscaping in this area. Even the green cacti are not bright green.

 

We climbed up Grotto Hill adjacent to the church, turned around

and got the shock of our lives. GREEN! These are beautiful green

irrigated alfalfa fields on the Mission grounds. What a stunning sight.

 

We enjoyed today, not just because of the gorgeous weather but because this White Dove was a sight for sore eyes, so to speak. A white building and green alfalfa was soothing to our brown-weary eyes. What a fun day.