The Pope’s Hat

So now that you’ve seen some interior shots of Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California, I thought I’d show you the outside.  Yes, this is over the top but for some reason I couldn’t help myself!  (The image was tone-mapped using Nik HDR.)

One of the things I learned about this cathedral’s architecture is the purposeful marriage of ancient (concrete and wood) and new (glass and steel).  This concept is not only used in the construction but in the symbolism as well, which I hope to share more of in the near future.

The Old:  I was amazed to learn that the first recognition of concrete was 12,000,000 BC in Israel where reactions between limestone and oil shale during spontaneous combustion occurred to form a natural deposit of cement compounds.  In 300 BC, Egyptians furthered the discovery of lime and gypsum mortar as a binding agent for building the Pyramids.

The New:  The outside is shaped like a pope’s hat and is made of newer materials, glass and steel.

This “pope’s hat” is a beautiful piece of architecture in my opinion and changes depending on the light hitting the glass.  At night, it is beautifully illuminated!  I will have to go back and some night shots.

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Home is Where the Heart Is!

For the last 2-1/2 months, we’ve been under a major remodel and have been living somewhere else.  This past weekend we moved home and I can’t tell you how nice it is to be back home!  I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished, although the kitchen is not quite done.  You’ll see some missing cabinets and light bulbs, window treatments, etc.  This will all be completed soon, but we wanted to come home as soon as it was habitable.

The picture of our new kitchen was taken with my D750 using my 24-120mm lens (I love that lens!).  I tone-mapped it in Nik HDR and then added some sharpening.

The “before” was taken with my iPhone.  You can see where the space was originally enclosed and much smaller.  We opened it up and moved the fireplace to a corner in the living room.  Dave is a happy camper in the kitchen last night cooking our first meal which was chicken piccata…it was yummy!

SQUARES – Monochrome Madness

For a few months I’ve wanted to take a photo at this construction site because of the geometric patterns or should I say “squares”…or should I say almost squares lol.  Finally, on my way to the gym Sunday morning, I stopped to take this photo.

Please check out Leanne Cole’s blog later for the entire gallery.

SQUARES