Our Lady of the Palm

When I first moved to Southside Park I was walking around and saw this statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe in a front yard on T Street.

It was a four-plex across 7th Street from Our Lady of Guadalupe church so assumed it was where the nuns lived.

On another walk around the neighborhood I met Helen, the owner of the apartments and she set me straight. Her story was much more interesting. There was a large palm tree in their front yard that was diseased. The removal price was too steep so her husband decided to take care of it himself. This work of art was the result!

I love her face, the stars on her cloak, the man kneeling to her and the roses surrounding her. But most of all I love that she is firmly rooted in our neighborhood.