Jesus in the Bar Code, Mary in the Field

I've been travelling a lot lately, without computer and access to email. This has been so liberating I might make a regular habit of it. One of my stops was North Carolina, in the Smokey Mountains near Asheville. One of the most beautiful places on the planet. With some of the friendliest people I've ever met.

A friend mentioned she saw a car with a bar code bumper sticker (I know, the title of this post gives it away) - she stared at it until the gestalt finally worked its magic. It said "Jesus" - bar code, blink, Jesus, blink, bar code, blink, Jesus. I don't think there's any more I can say about this.

A small lake about a five minute walk from the cottage where I was staying boasted gorgeous purple irises along its bank. Up the hill from the lake a farmer had just mowed a field. Perfect for Arika's run after a long working day. One late afternoon while we were hanging out in the field I noticed a statue about two-thirds of the way across, not too far from an access road. Yup, a statue, the kind you might find in a church surrounded by votive candles. It was Mary, uh huh Mary, mother of the bar code Jesus.

There was a post next to the statue with what at first I thought was a mail box (second choice to votive candles?). Turned out it was a bird house.