PICS: St Paraskevi Monastery

Yesterday, April 1st, otherwise known as Rosalie’s birthday, I was blessed to once again travel with the Seniors of St George to make the annual Bluebonnet St Paraskevi Monastery pilgrimage.

Click pics to enlarge.

Here’s most of the pilgrims — birthday girl is third row back in the middle (others were still shopping in the monastery gift shop).

Monastic housing (aka notbadatall).

Last year’s pic (on the right) reveals just some of the work that’s been done in just one trip around the sun.

Now that’s just plain purty.

This, I believe, is an unfinished landing pad. (See the spaceship below.)

Another view of monastery dwellings.

The “choir stalls” (stasidia, in Greek) resemble other architecture (see above and below).

Patronal icon of St Paraskevi.

Monastery vineyards (click to enlarge).

Mama goat kept a watchful eye on hers and me.

Again, look back at last year and see God’s providence.

An image, carved in the door leading to the nave from the narthex, of St Paraskevi in a boiling pot.

Now that’s just plain funky. An upward view within the narthex.

This space craft is, I assume, destined to land atop the bell tower in the near future.

A cool view of planet earth on the monastery grounds.

Even better! Blue Bonnets a blooming!

I believe this is also found in the Bible. (Mama Goat’s apparently read it.) Please take note.

Just another day, wonderful (I must say), at St Paraskevi.