St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church after the last service on Christmas Eve (the picture was taken just after midnight, so it was actually taken 12/25). The stained glass window is St. Michael. The lanterns lining the path into the church are luminarias and light the way for the Christ Child. They are a New Mexico tradition on Christmas Eve and outline buildings and paths. Whole neighborhoods are decorated this way. It is even in some ownership covenants. They are also called farolitos.

St. Michaels has been an important part of our lives for many years. My children grew up in the parish and Mara, the grandbaby, was baptized here. It is a large and inclusive parish.

Today had a couple of camera related tragedies that have left me reeling. My Nikon P6000 just quit working it is only about 6 weeks old, but when it is turned on sounds all crunchy. I think it will be covered under warranty. Then the puppy bolted from the car and got tangled up in the camera strap and bag to the my DSLR. My teleconverter has a chipped mount. The camera faired much worse. It bounced along behind the dog on the pavement for 75 feet. It is quite banged up, and while still operational it is now missing a door. My new lens sustained a broken filter and a whole lot of nicks and bangs. I am in total despair at the amount of damage and whether I will be able to afford the repairs.

Today I am grateful for luminarias, tamales, homemade red chile, chile rellanos, St. Michaels, and no family squabbles on Christmas Day.