I'm Baaaack.

No, I really didn't go see a wizard. What I did do was spend three days here:


(image by Red Stick Rant / iPhone)

My annual silent retreat at Manresa House of Retreats in Convent, Louisiana. But, I hear you ask: That's a Jesuit place and... you're not Roman Catholic. Quite true. I go for two reasons: First, I am a Christian, and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola work just fine for any Christian man (the Jesuits will let most Christians in - and yes, it's men only) seeking a serious deepening and understanding of their Faith. Second, The Episcopal Church (tm) doesn't have anything that even comes close to the Manresa experience. And given their current obsession and drive for elitist, boutique status - utterly devoid of any of that yeechy, superstitious religion stuff - they never will. Plus, we all know what our Presiding Bishop thinks of Roman Catholics:

...Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children.

Here's another image from Manresa, taken early Friday morning:


(image by Red Stick Rant / iPhone)

Many of my New Orleans readers will understand why my first thought when I composed this shot was "Drysdale painting".

More after I unpack.