The World's Most Beautiful Places
This is a view of Delicate Arch at sunset as a spring thunderstorm passes through the area. Delicate Arch is located in Arches National Park, which is just north of Moab, Utah. The geologic Entrada sandstone layer that covers much of the park is ideal for creating natural arches over thousands and millions of years, through a combination of wind and water erosion, as well as from the seasonal freeze and thaw cycle.
A statue of Saint Scholastica at the St Meinrad Archabbey in Spencer County, Indiana. Scholastica, is a saint of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion. Born in Italy, she was the twin sister of Saint Benedict. She is considered the patron saint of Benedictine nuns, compulsive children, and not surprisingly, education.
The Saint Scholastica statue was created by Herbert Jogerst, a German prisoner of war during World War II. Incarcerated at Camp Breckenridge (Morganfield, Kentucky) in 1943, Jogerst returned to Germany in 1948, but had a difficult time after the war finding work. Having gotten to know the chaplin at Camp Breckenridge, Herbert reached out. The chaplin, impressed by his work was able to arrange the commission of several statues for St. Meinrad Archabbey, that today stand above the entrance to the Archabbey’s church. In addition to the St. Scholastica statue, they include statues of St. Benedict and the Lady of Einsiedeln Statue with Christ Child, also known as the Black Madonna. Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland is the founding monastery of St Meinrad.
Also worth nothing, the Christ of the Ohio statue which stands above the Ohio River 14 miles south St. Meinrad, was commissioned while Herbert was working at St. Meinrad, by a visiting doctor who wanted a statue for his home. That statue was eventually purchased by the City of Troy, Indiana, when the doctor’s home went up for sale. The Christ of the Ohio Statue was dedicated May 1, 1957. Herbert Jogerst died in 1993.
A beautiful morning drive along the tree-lined scenic roads of Old Frankfort and Pisgah Pike near Lexington, Kentucky. This is the epicenter of the Kentucky Bluegrass, and thoroughbred horse racing. Outside the city limits, large horse farms circle the city for miles. And this particular stretch is among the most beautiful, especially during the summer months when the leaves are out and the grass is green and lush. If you are lucky you will see a horse or two, hanging out in the black double-fenced pastures. The double fencing allows the horses to roam freely, while limiting close interaction when needed.