Esther's favorite photos

Please note that these are the last photos I'll be posting for several weeks. We will be away to Utah and southern California, visiting some of the Utah parks and Death Valley. I'll not be on Ipernity at all during that time. I've posted these photos from a 2021 trip to Death Valley with my wife, as a reminder of where we'll be. The photo was taken at Dante's View in the Amargosa Range on the east side of Death Valley. The view is to the northwest over Badwater and up the valley. We'll be there again if all goes as planned the last week in February with our oldest daughter whom we will be picking up in Las Vegas before going on to Death Valley.

Love Pip Grèbe huppé Podiceps cristatus

A “hofje” is a Dutch word for a courtyard with almshouses around it. They have existed since the Middle Ages. The Netherlands has several “hofjes”. The Hofje van Aerden (or officially Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden ) was established at the end of the 18th century by Maria Ponderus, who wanted to provide free housing for impoverished female relatives from her or her husband's family. The stipulation was that these women had to prove their familial connection and adhere to strict behavioral and religious guidelines: remaining unmarried, of impeccable conduct, and of Protestant faith. Maria's vision was so profound that she ensured its continuation through a foundation established in her will, leading to the opening of the hofje on November 1, 1773. The Hofje van Aerden was designed to house eleven women, but it expanded over the years. By the late 19th century, it could accommodate up to fifteen women. Today, the criteria for residency have evolved, and it now serves as a residence for ten single women. The complex is arranged around a central courtyard, nearly square in shape, measuring approximately 40 by 32 meters. It was constructed on the site of the former Leerdam Castle, which was destroyed during the Eighty Years' War.

The Mariakapel (Mary Chapel) was built in the years 1954-1957 using medieval building materials. The bricks are from the foundations of an old monastery and the roof beams are from an old Saxon farmhouse. Money, volunteer labour and design were provided by the local community of Borne. The chapel is 6 metres wide, 4 metres deep and 8.5 metres high. On either side is a stained-glass window. The statue of Mary, carved from sandstone, came from Vreden in Germany, where it had been found in pieces near a bombed-out church. It has been fully restored and provided with head and feet. Borne's Mariakapel is considered being one of the most beautiful in the region. In september 1957, the chapel and the statue of Mary were consecrated.

Royal Albert Bone China from England.

Metropolitan Museum of Art - Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350 exhibit, New York, NY Virgin and Child by Palaiologan, circa 1260-70. Tempera on wood with metal and bejeweled revetment. Located in the Carmelite church of San Niccolò in Siena, Italy.

HWW and a peaceful wednesday!