La Purisima Mission
Visiting a mission is like taking a tiny trip back in time. The dirt floors. The red, adobe walls. The clay tiled roofs and tiny chapels, decorated in gold leaf. Something about the past seems to linger there … drifting, perhaps, like dust caught in motes of sunlight.
According to the Mission website, La Purisima Mission was founded in 1787 by Father Presidente Fermin de Lasuén. In those first few years, several thousand Chumash Indians were baptized into the Catholic faith and lived as a community on the 470 square miles of Mission land. Today, La Purisima is the “most extensively restored mission in the state [of California],” and hosts over 200,000 visitors per year.
Despite its popularity, the Mission was relatively empty during our visit. The peacefulness was perfect for exploring and taking pictures of the grounds.
I find it amazing how, when you pick up a camera, the world around you seems to take on a different shape. Deep shadows and golden gilt becomes a touch more magical, and suddenly you find yourself marveling at the way the sunlight plays across the wooden cracks of an old oak chest, or at the color of the dirt in a dusty room.
I am not an experienced photographer by any means, but I really appreciate how looking through a lens reminds me to explore every nook and cranny of a place, and sift through the dust to find the extraordinary.
Really, it teaches me to look at the world as Clark does. As adults, we often forget what wonder and awe feel like. A child sees nothing but adventure — nothing but new places to explore, new textures to touch, and new memories to create.
Clark is so great at stopping to smell the roses — well, in his case it’s more like stopping to eat the roses — and really looking at this incredible world around us. That’s something worth aspiring to, whether while traveling or at home. When it comes down to it, I want to emanate that childlike wonder in every facet of my life. I want to find the beauty and depth in every little moment, no matter how small or mundane.
