Cultural Dependence

Have you missed me? It’s been a busy few weeks. I went to Germany and even had an email account hacked. And how about the whole Balloon Boy fiasco? Richard and Mayumi Heene are awful but the media did not help the matter. Why report on real news when there’s live footage of a boy hurtling through the sky in a UFO-esque contraption, most likely on the way to his death? Veracity is secondary, it’s the story, what we think we see or want to see. Do we really want to see a tragedy involving a kid? What do you see?

In Oakdale, California, David Nunez’s father excavated a “football-sized rock” ornamented with what the two men saw as an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, according to this Boston Herald story. Of course, “the caramel-brown and chalkboard black hunk of gneiss, a banded metamorphic rock that started out as sandstone and shale” dates back millions and millions of years. This shape was created around the same time as the Sierra Nevada Mountains, way before humans and human stories spawned. Merced College humanities professor Max Hallman gets it: "Culturally, people in India may have seen a Hindu goddess on it. If you’ve never heard of the Virgin of Guadalupe, you wouldn’t have seen it. Visions are culturally dependent.”



What then, Professor, can we deduce about the culture of Braehead, Scotland, where the purported image of Christ has been spotted on the bathroom door of an Ikea? According to this Telegraph UK report, visitors to the men’s room see Jesus and Gandolf. As such Madonna of the Toast stories go all of this is pretty standard. Here comes the curveball: the Ikea claims that the face is intentional, and meant to portray Benny Anderson of ABBA. As a spokeswoman said: “Swedishness is engrained in every part of our stores."

I love it when corporate branding and national identity mingle, especially when some late 1970s pop music joins the mix . . .

Viva Our Lady of Guadalupe y Lucha Libre

Hilda Maciel was cleaning the griddle at the Las Palmas restaurant in Calexico, California, when she discovered this Our Lady of Guadalupe image, according to this Imperial Valley Press article. A border town, it is no surprise that in Calexico the image elicited thoughts of Our Lady of Guadalupe and not the Virgin Mary, though of course the two are more or less the same. Even the local priest that “confirmed the image was a true likeness of the Virgin” hails from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

The form really struck Maciel because just two days before seeing it her brother had died of a heart attack and this was her first day back at work: “I believe that for me it’s to give me the strength to continue on.”



While the visual manifestation of this iconic form is pretty standard by Madonna of the Toast standards, the story seems to be making the media rounds by virtue of the fact that the Las Palmas Swap Meet had brought some Lucha Libre wrestlers in from Mexico. The visit made by Renegado and Mr. Tempest to the newly erected shrine provided a unique photo-op. Said Mr. Tempest: “I follow Our Lady of Guadalupe . . . This is amazing. It’s a true miracle.”

A Stony Jesus

"I ain't no rock scientist, but call Dr. Dre ...” So uttered Erik "Smoke" Jones. According to this Contra Costa Times article, Jones discovered the face of Jesus on this stone, one of many that comprises the counter at the store Cali Style in Redlands, California. Jones told his boss Jonathan Hernandez about the discovery, and presumably Hernandez told the media. The counter has been in the shop for years, but Jones only noticed the image a couple of months ago.

The writer reports that from different angles the face better resembles Che Guevara or just a black splotch. Whatever it is you see, however, Jones adamantly denies having painted the stone, and while neither a geologist nor Dr. Dre were consulted, the reporter does make it a point to say that the form seems to be a natural occurrence.

According to the article, “the image is viewed more as a curiosity than a sign of divine presence.” In fact, Hernandez hopes the visual manifestation doesn’t attract too many of the devout. I guess lots of folks praying and lighting candles could interfere with the business, and if really large groups began to congregate they could also get in the way of Hernandez’s business next door: THC Smoke Shop. Makes for a new interpretation of this phrase from the article: “stony store counter.”

Without incriminating myself too much, I can say that several years of living in California did prove to me that the state’s pot culture is something truly um, err, uhh . . .

An Ode to Salsa

Recognizable faces and shapes have appeared on a dizzying array of substrates, formed by jet streams and condensation, frothing oatmeal, rust, wood grain and now, salsa – my favorite condiment. Of course, no proper story about a salsa-splatter Virgin Mary could originate anywhere else but California. After living there for 5 years I can attest to the glories of California salsa. Thanks to the close proximity of so much amazing produce, the state’s Mexican food is often accompanied by a range of salsa as varied as these Madonna of the Toast tales. Pineapple, watermelon, apple, mango, corn, pumpkin seed, tomatillo, heirloom tomatoes – all of these flavors of salsa exist. Free avocado salsa so plentiful you can fill a cup and drink it? Head to Cancun in Berkeley (portion of the famous salsa bar pictured above).



So to Bakersfield, California, we go, where, according to this FaceBakersfield story, Elvia Alvarez was making salsa. Some of it splattered against the wall, forming what Alvarez immediately recognized as the Virgin Mary. Since it has appeared, Alvarez also says her house has smelled like roses, although there are no roses in the house, or neighborhood. Such a scent may come in handy if she leaves that stain on the wall. Odors aside, Alvarez believes the image to be a sign from God that people should learn to treat one another better.

As you can tell from the photograph, this is a pretty standard tomato salsa that Alvarez was blending, nothing more than tomato, chili peppers, onion and cilantro. With the exception of tomatillo salsa, I prefer a chunkier, rustic salsa, hand-chopped and mixed, so a recipe like Alvarez’s doesn’t come out as spicy ketchup. I like my salsa to have a bit of crunchy texture, so those spikes of cilantro, jalapeno and onion really contrast with the tomatoes.

While its carbon footprint is questionable, one of my favorite salsas to make in the winter is mango salsa, thanks to the abundance of cheap South American mangos found at my Astoria produce stand of choice. Let them get really ripe and then chunk them, scrape all the flesh off the pit with a spoon, letting the juice run into the bowl, add some onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, lemon, salt, pepper and you have a top-notch mango salsa, good with chips, on fish tacos or dolloped into a bowl of chili. If you’re really lucky, some of the mango juice will run down your wrist, hit the counter and congeal into the face of Frida Kahlo.

Jesus Doggie Door on eBay

For you long-time readers, this Jesus doggie door is nothing new. Back in January 2007, I blogged about Roger Bowman’s tale of disobedient dogs and how this scratch-formed Jesus face saved them from the pound. What is new, however, is this eBay auction – to the winner goes the doggie door, framed for posterity. Apparently, according to Bowman’s thorough eBay explanation, he has lost his job and needs a quick cash infusion to cover his mortgage.

Like the economy, plenty has changed about this story since it was first reported. One of the dogs is dead, and Bowman no longer believes that the image resembles the Shroud of Turin, though he maintains that it is Jesus, partly because of the iconic beard and long hair, but also because of other circumstances: “The compelling factor in judging this image is the convergence of both the image, which had never before been observed in any way prior to the day it was discovered in full form, and the fact it appeared on an item that was of extreme relevance to the most important issue facing my family at that time.”



As of writing this post, the current bid stands at $1,850. Needless to say, it has generated ample press, like here. It’s hard to imagine why such a personal object for Bowman would be worth much to anyone else, especially in this dire economic climate, but the display case alone is pretty nifty: “The backlight is created from ultra-thin fluorescent tubes that are housed in a pre-manufactured backlight device with a semi-opaque front. It is typically used to backlight transluscent [sic] store signs such as fast food menus.” If there’s one thing that says “classy” and “spiritual” to me, it’s fast-food menu lighting. Actually, the lighting is necessary if you want to see this semblance; it has been rigged to replicate how the sun lit the doggie door on the day when Bowman first noticed the image.

Should you want to kick in for airfare and provide notice one week in advance, Bowman and his dog Hercules will attend an “unveiling,” and presumably pose for some photographs.

Another International Story

The image above is believed to be the Virgin Mary on the glass door of a home entertainment unit in Mangatarem, Pangasinan, Philippines, according to this ABS-CBN report. Yes, it’s been a globetrotting couple of posts lately. Better than its location, this image, along with a Jesus image on the opposite door of the same piece of furniture, has already been credited with curing a sore throat so severe that the afflicted woman in question had lost her ability to speak. While the family that owns the holy hutch has chosen to remain anonymous in the beady eyes of the media, neighbor Hilda Evangelista has praised the object’s healing wonders, crediting it for restoring her voice.

The article goes on to say that other neighbors have been showing up at the home to pray, but it doesn’t sound like the owners are so keen to have them around: “A member of the family noticed a ‘shadow-like’ image of a veiled woman while she was wiping the glass doors of their television rack. The family said they wiped the image over and over, but could not erase it.” Ha!



And, just to slake anyone’s concern that Americans have grown weary of such stories, here’s a Virgin Mary rust stain from a sink in Salinas, California, according to this KARE 11 report. Found by a plumber working on a drainage system as part of renovations for this soon-to-be restaurant, the owner thinks this sighting is fortuitous, so long as it is cleaned up before local health inspectors pay a visit.

I'm Not the Only One Thinking About This Stuff

Straight out of Stockton, California: a Virgin of Guadalupe rock. Jamie Garcia had hit rock bottom (get it?), having lost his family because of his excessive drinking. While working construction, according to this CBS 13 report, Garcia found the rock pictured above and immediately felt that his life had changed. He quit his vices and grew closer with his wife and kids. Garcia believes the image to be that of the Virgin of Guadalupe with Juan Diego looking up at Her. Garcia goes on to say that he has been offered $80,000 for the rock, “but he refused, saying it’s priceless.” That’s something you say when you’re offered $100 for one of grandma’s old baubles, or you're mimicking one of those credit card commercials. If the story is true I guess credit (I'm on fire today with the wordplay, no?) has to be given to Garcia for not selling out.

If you’re a regular in these parts and have already read and re-read Madonna of the Toast you might be interested in this tongue-in-cheek perspective from the Contra Costa Times, which riffs on a Jesus ultrasound (different from the one I mentioned last post). Here’s an excerpt:

As I have two biological children, according to the last time I counted, I have some experience in trying to decipher ultrasound images. It's not easy. One minute you think you're looking at a little thumb, the next the doctor tells you that thumb is really a spleen. I once thought my daughter's ultrasound actually showed a squadron of Russian fighter planes attacking Dublin and tried to call the authorities. You just never know — it could happen.

Though seeing Jesus in there could be just as startling. I'm sure Mary and Joseph had the same reaction when they got their first three-dimensional ultrasound at Bethlehem Ultrasound and Donkey Feed.

Until next time . . .

That's Gotta Hurt

Cannery Row in Monterey, California, made famous by John Steinbeck, flocked to by tourists for the dramatic coastline, popular aquarium and fresh seafood. Now, add to the list of Cannery Row points of interest the place where Marc Lipton (the man whose knee you see above) lost control of his motorcycle, sliding 50 feet, according to this KSBW story. The scrape, to Lipton, looks like the Virgin Mary and he cites the resemblance as the reason why he did not suffer a more severe injury. Lipton was close to home, so he wasn’t wearing leather chaps. The scrape does have that hooded Virgin Mary shape. Lucky as Lipton was, that really has to hurt. I can't imagine getting home and going right for my camera. I wonder how it will scar. No word on the condition of the bike.

Many Madonna of the Toast stories originate in California, which makes sense since it is the state that bore many iconographic American images (thanks, Hollywood). Steinbeck certainly played a hand in crafting California into the American psyche with his astounding and acute renderings and responses to Manifest Destiny.

Steinbeck did cast his gaze beyond the US, however, so here is some extra credit reading: a travel essay written by him about Positano, Italy, which first appeared in a 1953 issue of Harper’s Bazaar. The piece details the drive from Rome and the goings on of this ancient Amalfi Coast town. The writing is straight travelogue with ample examples of the local color (like the embittered cobbler who is convinced that all of his shoe designs are stolen by the designers in the cities).



Germane to this blog, however, is this story of the town’s very own Virgin Mary sighting, involving the church above, Santa Maria Assunta (no reason to paraphrase Steinbeck):

Like most Italian towns Positano has its miraculous picture. It is a Byzantine representation of the Virgin Mary. Once long ago, the story goes, the Saracenic pirates raided the town and among other things carried away this picture. But they had no sooner put to sea when a vision came to them which so stunned them that they returned the picture. Every year on August 15, this incident is reenacted with great fury and some bloodshed. In the night the half-naked pirates attack the town which is defended by Positanese men-at-arms dressed in armor. Some of this fighting gets pretty serious. The pirates then go to the church and carry the holy picture off into the night. Now comes the big moment. As soon as they have disappeared into the darkness, a bright and flaming image of an angel appears in the sky. At present General Mark Clark is the sponsor of this miracle. He gave the town a surplus Air Force barrage balloon [my hyperlink]. Then very soon the pirates return their boats and restore the picture to the church and everybody marches and sings and has a good time.

I love the fact that the "flaming image of an angel" is achieved using a World War II leftover! War and religion have always walked hand-in-hand I suppose.

Anyone else in the mood for a trip to Italy?

Don't Let the Cat Lick That Spot

Florida residents Laquan Joyner and her husband Theo Grimes have been praying for a sign from God, according to this KARE 11 report. They believe their prayers were answered in the form of this stain, located next to bottles of shampoo in their shower. They both believe this to be an image of Jesus and for that reason, “they will never clean the spot and they now treat the shower like a shrine.” Looks to me like the stain might be a result of having never cleaned that spot in the first place.



I doubt we’ll ever see a better visual manifestation of a religious or secular icon in a shower than the V.I. Lenin shower curtain included in Madonna of the Toast.



And in case a dirty shower is not an image that you want to carry around with you this weekend, how about some kitten cuteness? According to this CBS 4 report, and supported by those trendsetters over at BoingBoing.net, a litter of 6 cats born in Sacramento, California, included this little guy with the message “I Love Dot” (I [heart] [dot]) in its hair. The family that owns the cat claims that mom’s name is Dottie, so “the message of love is clearly for her.”

All together now: Aaaawwwwwww . . .

Holiday Inspired Visions

Well, it’s Good Friday once again – I think plenty of folks would argue that all Fridays are good ones – but this one gets all of the attention. Certainly was true last year for Madonna of the Toast, which, along with yours truly, got featured on the CBC's The Current. The book had just come out and images of Jesus had been spotted in a church in Prince Edward Island and on a baking tray in Kamloops, British Columbia (above). Time to bring in that guy with the book.



We head to warmer climes this year: Citrus Heights, California. According to the Fox 40 report above, Manny Duenas was doing yard work last Sunday – Palm Sunday – when he discovered the image of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus on this palm tree branch. It gave him goosebumps even though it looks like it was pretty sunny and warm. Only moments away from being tossed into the compost bin, the branch has now made the rounds on local news reports and Duenas gets his fifteen minutes, and an uncluttered yard!

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Aside from the high-profile instances of pareidolia that swell to international proportions thanks to swarming media interest, most of the stories I pass along to you here are passing news items that most people forget about by the end of the week, or until the next commonly occurring unusual happening cries out from the small-town newspaper or a scrappy affiliate television newscast.



That’s what drew me to this piece from The Salinas Californian about the one-year anniversary of then 14-year-old Deanna Jimenez, along with her sister and mother, spotting the image of the Virgin Mary on a sycamore tree in Soledad, California. The image appears mostly due to how a bulge on the trunk casts a shadow; between the form and texture of the wood and the play of shadow and light, Her image appeared, and has appeared over and over again for the past year (though the image is emboldened when there are no leaves on the branches). It’s a familiar tale of one person’s vision infecting hundreds of others, even the Catholic Church who had sent out an official to examine the tree, "cautioning the public to refrain from calling it a miracle."



According to the article published a few days ago, while the crowds of the faithful have diminished, the prayer candles, rosaries and flowers continue to be placed around the tree. For the truly faithful, media attention and gawking passersby matter not, especially since the anniversary of this discovery is today – December 12 – the same day as the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

For the record, all of these pics are from one year ago. I guess now the scene is more tranquil, which seems appropriate. One of these days, I hope to be in the vicinity of one of these events so I can gawk at the gawkers and their cell-phone cameras. But that's another rant for another time . . .

Amazingly enough, for all of the Jesus and Virgin Mary trees that I've blogged about, there is nary a tree in Madonna of the Toast. Curious.

Mona Mary

Hard to believe Thanksgiving has come and gone. Mine was good but rushed. I had to travel to London last weekend for book biz, but even when I don’t blog for a few days, these events don’t stop . . .

After attending her mother’s funeral, Shunattee Lewis flew back to her home in Sacramento, California, on Thanksgiving, according to this News 10 report. That night, still reeling from her mother’s loss to bone cancer, Lewis, for no particular reason, pulled a muffin pan out from a kitchen drawer. Having sat unused for years, the pattern in the pan “could have been rust, it could have been dried food, but whatever it is, Lewis and her family say the apparition resembles a matronly woman wearing a shroud.”

Seems hard to believe that the substance that created this image remains unidentifiable, but no matter what it is, Lewis believes it is a miracle, one linked directly to her mother’s death. Lewis’s husband first thought that it looked more like the Mona Lisa, which I can see, especially the high forehead. Their 8-year-old son had this to say: “It looks like she has a happy face and then don’t that look like a baby.”

No matter what you see, Lewis is convinced of the miracle because she is a believer. In fact, she believes in the form’s power so much that she has invited anyone interested in seeing the pan to come over to her home to take a look and share in its glory. Should you be in the Sacramento area, follow the link to the News 10 story and you’ll find a phone number.

From the News to NASA, These Stories Can Cover Some Ground

As I mentioned in my last post, what continues to fascinate me about many of these visual manifestations and the stories borne out of the objects is how they resonate and extend through the news and culture at large. Take this charred California sycamore tree for example. For about two years, the faithful and curious alike have stopped to pay homage to what locals call “The Mary Tree.” According to this Daily News Los Angeles report, however, interest in the tree has grown lately because it survived the Buckweed fire, one of several large forest fires that razed portions of Southern California a few weeks ago. The Buckweed fire has been in the news quite a bit because it burned over 38,000 acres, forced the evacuation of 15,000 people and destroyed 21 homes; it is also the fire that a 10-year-old boy has admitted starting accidentally. Prosecutors and various state officials are mulling over whether or not to file criminal charges against the child, who by all accounts is a nice kid who made a BIG mistake, though his confession apparently makes it clear that arson was not on his agenda.



And from smoking swaths of such destruction, large enough to be seen from NASA satellites, emerges this singed shell of a tree on the side of the Sierra Highway in Agua Dulce. A pen dangles from a ribbon tied to the tree that people use to leave their prayers and wishes. Among the expected notes about health, healing, love and life, one can also find pleas for help with immigration issues. Talk about a topic right out of the national headlines!



So, in one blog post we have evoked iconography, ecology, immigration, belief and NASA -- and that's what Madonna of the Toast is all about!

An eBay Excursion

Underprivileged kids being denied healthcare, rogue private armies, presidential fund raising: while it isn’t fair to say it’s been a slow news week, I can say that it has been a slow week for stories about the visual manifestations of religious and secular icons. Of course, if you REALLY want to read about these phenomena, you can buy Madonna of the Toast, or sift through this blog. In an effort to keep content as lively as possible around here, however, I am going to start dredging the eBay aisles (with the hope that such scouring can uncover enough material to merit a regular series about my findings). Think of it like the old If a tree falls in the woods quandary, except this one is: If the media doesn’t report it, does it really happen?

So, for the inaugural installment of eBay happenings, I share with you the following:



Wine seeped out of this 1967 pinot noir and left this stain on the crate. According to the seller’s explanation, “the wine should have turned to vinegar, however, the wine in this particular bottle has a very pleasant aroma.” We’ll never know though, because the item being sold is the photo collage of the stain, its crate and the bottle from whence the wine came. Want one? Better get bidding before October 11.



In 1977, 6-year-old Richard Graham found this rock along the banks of the Snoqualmie River in Washington, the state. Emblazoned on it, the image of Mary, holding Jesus. This item actually has a few bids.



And finally, the most difficult to see, and afford, a crucified-Jesus image in this door’s wood grain. The seller, asking $7,000 for the door, will give a portion of the sale to charity. The door is in the seller’s home, where she has been living for 7 years (and the house number is 7) although she only just noticed the image about one year ago. From the text that accompanies this item: “Salvation is a gift- believing is a choice... worldy goods are temporary-salvation is eternal-- choose wisely.” “Worldy” goods (“Worldly” for those of us with a dictionary) may be temporary, but is $7,000?

Hope you enjoyed this eBay excursion. Like beauty, matters of faith are in the eyes of the beholder, even (and perhaps especially) if it avoids the media gaze.

Jesus from the Side, on the Side of a Fence

I have an affinity for California; I lived there for years and return for visits often. In fact, I was out in the Bay Area a few days ago. I ate lots of Asian pears and burritos in the Mission. At times, however, the state and its residents strike me as parodies of themselves, fitting that New Age, Burning Man, let’s forget about everything and just bliss out with some yoga attitude. Of course, these are generalizations, and most Californians do not fit this mold (though the ones who do seem to inform how the rest of the world views the Golden State).

So I couldn’t help but chuckle when I read about this latest Jesus image sighting in Lodi, California. According to this News10 report, while meditating in her sister’s backyard in the far reaches of the Bay Area, Emily West spotted Jesus in profile on the fence. No one has ever noticed the face on this two-year-old fence before now. As a breast cancer survivor, West considers this knot of wood an auspicious sign that the days ahead will be good ones. I sure hope that is true for West. It doesn’t matter if it is yoga, training for a marathon or praying in a church or mosque, anything that bolsters the spirit of a cancer survivor is worthwhile, and valid.

And from a Madonna of the Toast perspective, this image is unique as most visual manifestations of Jesus resemble Him from the front, but here in profile the wood’s coloring reveals His hair and angular beard. This Jesus strikes me as a youthful one, like Ted Neeley, the actor from the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Or maybe I'm just a sucker for one of the film's catchier tunes, "What's the Buzz?" Let's sing it together:

What's the buzz
Tell me what's a-happening
What's the buzz
Tell me what's a-happening

I'll keep telling you what's a-happening when religious and secular icons appear in unexpected places, but it's up to you to make sense of it . . .

15 Minutes of Fame is Not Worth $50,000

LaDell Alexander’s 23-pound river rock naturally colored in a way that resembles the face of Elvis did not attract a single bid on eBay. According to this Rocky Mountain News article about the failed sale, Alexander attributes it to the glut of Elvis memorabilia available on eBay these days because of the recent 30th anniversary of the King’s death. Maybe that’s it, or maybe it has something to do with the asking price: $50,000! Alexander and her husband later lowered the price to $20,000 but that didn’t help. The Alexanders came up with the substantial sum through sound reasoning, based on the intricacies of the collectibles market. Said Alexander, “They paid $28,000 for that cheese sandwich (which carried an image of the Virgin Mary), and I thought 'Hey, this was a big rock.’” In hindsight, however, LaDell and her husband enjoyed their fifteen minutes of fame, and feel lucky to have even gotten that much attention for their Elvis rock. Andy Warhol would be proud.

And speaking of fifteen minutes of fame, here are a couple more recent visual manifestations of religious icons.



In Manchester, Connecticut, Malynda and Eric Smith credit their daughter for having spotted God on a kitchen cabinet. The kid needs to brush up on her iconography, but I guess that’s what parents are for, because Malynda took a look and saw Jesus, God’s son. According to this report, the family has only lived in this home for about a year, and this is the first time anyone has noticed the recognizable form. Unlike others who encounter such objects, the Smiths will not be trying to sell the cabinet as they consider such action bad luck.



And from the east coast to California’s southern climes, National City to be exact, we have Our Lady of Guadalupe on this turtle-shell necklace. The Union Tribune reported that 73-year-old Jackie Seiler spotted the form after trying to sell the necklace. She didn’t get that sale, but later that day she made a $1,000 sale, an all-time high for her store. Since the discovery of this form of faith, sales have been on the rise. Seiler plans to consult her local priest. He or she may suggest that Seiler gets her eyes checked, as this one is a real stretch.

Of course, no one has ever said that fame is fair.

Soon it Will be a Jesus Forest

Reported by the Ventura County Star on August 2, this is another Jesus tree. Irma Lopez was watering her front yard when she noticed that the coloring on this wood resembled Jesus, from the torso up. Upon wetting the wood, the shape really popped for Lopez, who soon showed her daughter and neighbor.

All parties involved consider the discovery a blessing. Lopez has lived on this property for 40 years. Her mother, who died a couple of years ago, often tended the garden and Lopez associates the shape with the memory of her mother. Lopez’s daughter gave birth recently to a healthy boy and for her the tree is very auspicious.

If you live in the area, the article gives the address, so I assume anyone that wants to take a look is invited.

It’s funny, for all the Jesus and Virgin Mary trees that I’ve blogged about here, I didn’t include a single one in Madonna of the Toast. I guess with all the potato chips, cows, carrots and shower curtains, a tree nubbed with an iconic face comes off as pedestrian. Oh the world we live in . . .

Don't Mind the Seeds

Another California tale from an Arizona resident, fresh like this watermelon Virgin of Guadalupe. More abstract even than the Jesus driftwood from my last post, this sighting is all about the shape. No matter what you may, or may not, see, it really doesn’t matter because Mary Lou Robles noticed this holy form as soon as she split open the melon. That’s how Mary’s daughter Crystal sees it, too: “It's unexplainable but sometimes God does miracles and maybe it brought her a visual of the watermelon so she can realize she's a great woman and somebody else is watching over her. . . . As long as she sees it and as long as she knows that it’s a thank you.”

Apparently, the watermelon, reported yesterday by First Coast News, is already more than 10 days old, with no sign of rotting.



Interesting about this also is the fact that Robles works in the Calipatria State Prison snack bar. She was getting ready to cube the watermelon so it could be served. Her co-workers told her to throw it out.

Only in California would inmates get fresh fruit.

Beach Combing

I've wiled away many happy hours on California beaches. Back then, I didn't have a cell phone though, and I never found a piece of driftwood that looked like Jesus. But that's exactly what an unnamed California woman found recently as she strolled along the coast, talking on the phone.



According to KNSD/NBC, the gnarled stick has entered this woman's life at just the right time. Her husband is serving in Iraq and is due back in September. She interprets this Jesus stick as a sign that his safe return is inevitable. I sure hope she is right.

I am reminded of a book called Faces of the Living Dead, which Mark Batty Publisher did (the house that published Madonna of the Toast). Author Martyn Jolly examines spirit photography at the advent of photography and correlates spikes in its popularity to times of war, namely the American Civil War and World War I. Confronted with death and destruction on a scale previously unknown, people sought to cope with loss by any means that provided solace, in this case spirit photography.

In reporting these instances of religious iconography showing up in all sorts of places, I have been surprised that more people's stories don't relate to the wars going on in the world today, at this very moment. It is true that spirit photography was something foisted on people looking for answers and that the stories I relay to you are about individuals stumbling upon something that reminds them of something else, but at the core of both is hope and faith: the desire to name the inexplicable and unknowable for piece of mind.

Two Potatoes, Two Crosses

Brad Edwards from WOOD TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan, helped me with Madonna of the Toast by sharing his first-hand account of the Pope Pancake story. He emailed me this past Sunday, Easter, alerting me to the fact that the book was going to be mentioned on air, all thanks to this potato.



Found by Elizabeth Sachs of Marshall, Michigan, as she prepared a twice-baked potato for her son, she believes the cross is a positive sign, no matter what others may think. She says it is "definitely a for-real sign from God," which has "changed everything." You can watch the piece, and even get to see some footage of the book -- thanks, Brad!



This raw potato was cut open way back in 2005 in Joshua Tree, California, by a personal chef, by a personal chef that specialized in raw foods. (I made up the last part.)



Luckily, photographs of this other holy potato in various stages of shriveling exist on this website. You'll have to visit if you want to know how the tuber looked on Day 6.

Oh yeah, some cursory Internet research suggests that there are no potatoes in the Bible . . .