St. Mary of the Oaks.

We drive Silvio through the twisty Wisconsin back roads up to Indian Lake. The sign at the foot of the steep path to St. Mary of the Oaks:



There's a pale winter light shining through the trees:



The many birch trees remind me of my mother, who would exclaim over the beauty of even the most spindly suburban birches:



We see the chapel at the top of the hill:



We go through the gate:



Open the door:



The altar:



Someone has placed a small photograph of a boy in Mary's arms:



There are many notebooks on the altar. The last three entries are: "Dear Mary, Jesus, and God, Thank you for your continual blessings...,"Great Spirit, Thank you for my courage to accept who I am..," and "Allah Akbar."



There is a small side window.



We move on to the overlook:



The overlook:



Winterscape: