Friday, February 8, 2013

An Unusual Storm


My first thought when I discovered the www.illustrationfriday.com theme Storm is that I would finally come up empty handed.  Every Friday I play a fun little game of hide and seek trying to dig up a matching piece of art.  Storm?  Then I remembered this little umbrella piece.  Actually, I think I sold the original for $1.00 at a thrift sale.  But after a little searching I found a digital scan in an old file folder.  I scanned it right through the glass of the frame it was in. 

Well, with all that searching, umbrellas and storm talk I couldn't resist pairing today's art post with our visit to the ruins of Lubaantun in the Toledo district of Southern Belize. We weren't sure if we would even be able to see the ruins.  The first day we sat in our car while the rain poured down, only to give up and drive away.  But we were only in Punta Gorda for a few days.  And we had to see the place where the controversial Crystal Skull was discovered.  Have you seen the last Indiana Jones movie?  You can visit here for the scoop.  The infamous skull is believed to have originated here and is said to possess paranormal powers.  Cool. 



Lubaantun is an unusual ruins.  The name means, "place of the falling stones." And it dates back to AD 730.


The umbrella only dates back a few years. Luckily we only discovered a drizzle on this day.



The ruins are set in an exotic and beautiful jungle setting.  





It is always interesting to see a site that is not fully excavated and reconstructed. 


I'm so glad the rain didn't stop us from visiting this unusual site. It is considered unusual because of the way the Maya laid the stone together without mortar.  Plus there's the whole human sized Crystal Skull thing. 

P.S.  If you are interested in ruins be sure to click on my Belize labels for the other sites we've visited.  And there will be more to come.   

13 comments:

The Retired One said...

Belize is on my bucket list for photography for sure! What time of year did you go?

Tweedles -- that's me said...

so beautious for my eyes to see!
love
tweedles

Jay said...

That looks like an absolutely fascinating place! And it's where the crystal skull comes from? Wow. I'd have enjoyed sitting there thinking on that.

Love your umbrellas. I came over from IF!

Elizabeth Rose Stanton said...

Gorgeous shots! Love the umbrellas!

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

I love your umbrella painting, and it's a shame it only sold for $1. Your shots of the Mayan ruins and the jungle in Belize are mesmerizing. I've never been that far South, but I did do some missionary work with Mayan ancestors in Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. It was both rewarding and fascinating, so would love the opportunity to do it again. Blessings!

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Creations By Mit said...

Nice job finding a matching illustration! I think umbrellas qualify! And VERY cool photos! I may just boycott this week's challenge, "storm." Had enough of that with the blizzard this past weekend! :)

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

What neat pictures. Love the foliage and the ruins!

Pat Tillett said...

Love the painting and the photo tour! In fact, I love all of your photo tours! Thanks for taking me along.

Anonymous said...

I watched a special on TV about the several Crystal Skulls found and those are scattered among places like the Smithsonian, and other big name museums.

They have concluded, or the show did, that all the world's information is in the skulls something like an external hard disk contains a lot of information. There are scientists trying to figure out how to download the information they contain.

Rosemary Aubut said...

Great post, very interesting! Very nice photos!

Linda Hensley said...

It must be so awesome to go to a site like that. Someday maybe I'll get to follow in your footsteps? I especially love your trees and flowers photos.