Picture post

[yakalskovich]

Last year, I went to the light house festival at the Nazgul's library, took pictures, showed them to Thomas
the Metropolitan, and he decided I needed to try out a proper camera, so he lent me his third best Pentax. Which has since become 'my new camera which is neither new nor mine', and almost a part of me. So of course I had to go back this year and take proper pictures with a proper camera.



Before I left, I took a picture of my Christmas decoration on the blacony -- I managed to focus on the golden boughs and reduce depth far enough for the plants to be suitably out of focus. So, content with that, I packed up ALL THE EQUIPMENT (including the tripod Thomas lent me) and went off to meet the Nazgul and see some pretty lights swimming on a pond.



There was a bit of ice on the pond, and far, far fewer people than last year.



Some put their little lanterns / 'light houses' into the pond early, before the main group arrived from the church.



Kids putting their lanterns into the water.



Many of the little houses were castles, just like last year.



Little light houses lining the pond, not drifting further out this year because of the ice. There weren't many people there, and the Nazgul claimed it was very cold. I didn't really think so; but I was incredibly focused on the camera, the tripod, and the tiny rugrats that might have bowled it over if I hadn't been careful.



They were clustering by the shore.



And here you have a Nazgul taking pictures as well. As soon as she posts them somewhere, I'll link them from here.-

Comments

[paceisthetrick]

I love these!!!!

Wish I could be there to share the experience. <3

[yakalskovich]

It was lovely, and there was this little Christmas market in the castle's courtyard, where we went beforehand to look around and have a hot mulled wine, all very typical for German Christmas markets.

[paceisthetrick]

I remember Christmas in Helsinki, how beautiful it was. Even the Israelis loved it.

[yakalskovich]

Yep, it's just another midwinter festival of the kind that elin_gregory once aptly described as 'Whistling in the dark to make the sun come back'.

[paceisthetrick]

That is a perfect description. My friend Penne once wrote a book on what Christmas has become in America.

http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryAmerican/Cultural/?view=usa&ci=9780195109801

[yakalskovich]

That sounds very interesting!

And yes, her descriptions tend to be perfect that way.-

[paceisthetrick]

I teach children so the frustration with the unrestrained addiction to the latest junk that will be jettisoned before the summer is a source of huge frustration. They get the latest this, the latest that, and all the toxic waste is sent to dumps in Africa where we don't care if people get sick and die.

I always spent Christmas Day at the Community Food Bank packing meals for the poor.


(Sorry to be Debbie Downer. :( I have the flu and am lying on the couch with every bone in my body aching, unable to do anything useful.)

[yakalskovich]

Oh yes, I had the flu last week; I hope you'll be better soon!

[paceisthetrick]

Thank you *snuffling*

Thinking of you <3

[paceisthetrick]

http://screen.yahoo.com/cat-likes-treadmill-walk-owner-194136593.html

Re: Thinking of you <3

[yakalskovich]

That earnest little stripey face! Awwwww!

Re: Thinking of you <3

[paceisthetrick]

That needs to be Mephi!

Re: Thinking of you <3

[yakalskovich]

Some people have all the space. Alas, I do not -- so my own treadmill, to share with my cats, is forever out of the question.

Pour toi <3

[paceisthetrick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M7ibPk37_U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q34z5dCmC4M

Re: Pour toi <3

[yakalskovich]

Existentialist cats!

Re: Pour toi <3

[paceisthetrick]

Yeah mine are definitely of the Camus persuasion.

Why oh why couldn't I have this???

http://screen.yahoo.com/ping-pong-playing-cat-084000576.html