Isaiah says: ‘ I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul will be joyful in my God. Why? For He has dressed me with the clothes of salvation, He has covered me with a coat of righteousness. I am not exposed by my humam failures. I have a permanent, unearned status of being loved, protected, and made right with God. (All I need is to want it.)
That was said in Isaiah 61 :10
Then what did Paul say similar to that? ‘ For God has made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Jesus.’
2 Corinthians 5:21
And now continue with Isaiah speaking in gardening terms: ‘For as the earth brings her bud, and as the garden causes things that are planted in it to grow up; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth ( God’s unstoppable restoration ) before the nations.’
Isaiah 61:11 We can choose Jesus daily and the work is done.
Now for the dramatic split jagged cliff, along the Nahe River cycle path between Bad Kreuznach and Bad Münster am Stein – Ebernburg, known as the Rheingrafenstein. It rises 136m above the riverbank and is famous for its steep fissure and medieval ruins of a castle at the top.
This is how I first saw it cycling past.
I then wanted to spend some time asking questions while I saw it with a pen and then a brush in hand.
What made the water smooth?
What was light green and straight?
Were the cliffs really floating in green.
At another time I went back.
There was a division of the water and the smooth was going round an island of rushes.
The split cliff did seem to have plenty of green vegetation all around.
And yes, it was amazing so much so that Joseph Mallord William Turner ( 23 April 1775- 19 Dec 1851) on his travels also painted it. Kenneth Clark once wrote of Turner: ‘ He was a genuis of the first order – for the greatest painter that England has ever produced.’ He waa a Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist who they say bipassed Realism presaging Impressionist and Abstract Art that arose decades after his death.
He left behind more than 550 oil paintings, 2,000 watercolours and 30,000 works on paper. His original travel sketchbooks and watercolours from this trip are housed in the Tate Gallery in London.
Here there is a cycle path featuring marked positions from which he painted. An example is below.
It was with these times in mind that on a day with 33⁰C that we went swimming at midday with the Rheingrafenstein as the back drop. I floated for a moment head down my shadow directly below me and with the blue of the bottom of the pool the water made white curving lines. I had
seen something like that rescently. That is how David Hokney saw the water in the pool. I then watched
CBS Sunday Morning. It says so well what we the public will miss of him. Press on the blue to appreciate this also.
David Hockney was born 9 July 1937 and recently passed away 11 June 2026 aged 88.
We continue to travel.
Take care,
Sandy 🙂
