Christmas in California


OTB (2007)

Merry Christmas Dharmaniacs!

More pics below…   (w/ apology to dial-up connections)

Some of my favorite things this time of year:  Christmas trees, food, drink, family, friends, sparkly lights and the wonder in a child’s eye.  I still miss a snowy white Christmas, but I won’t complain too much!  Just want to share some of the beauty tonight.  

These are some shots of a friend’s little girl from past years.   She’s still quite the ham.

  

My husband photoshopped the one on the left to look like a watercolor painting.  I think it really captures the magic.  I still feel this way when I look at a beautifully decorated tree.  

From Thompson street in Alameda.  Every house for blocks on end has a Christmas light display.  Hubby gets the credit for these too.  Part of a little project in night photography.    





















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  1. The Band

    • Alma on December 26, 2007 at 04:06

    Christmas light crocodiles.  We sure don’t have that in Michigan, nor Santa water skiing.

    My two, 3 year old great nieces put on quite a song and dance show last night on my Moms stair landing.  They wouldn’t allow anyone else on the “stage”. It’s good to have little ones around again.

    • feline on December 26, 2007 at 04:18

    I’d like to get some.

  2. Favorite gift?  Weirdest gift?

    Mine are related to what I’ll always remember as a zombie Christmas.  

    Favorite gift:  Last night I went to a movie with friends we hadn’t seen in a while.  The movie that they picked was I Am Legend.  At the theater one of them gave me a book – Alice Water’s: The Art of Simple Food. This turned out to be my favorite gift.   I didn’t know much about the movie going in just that it’s a SciFi thriller about a deadly virus that wipes out New York and the rest of humanity.  Will Smith and a gorgeous German Shepard are the sole survivors. The virus either killed humans or mutated them into hairless, rabid, vicious zombies. I can’t even describe them because I had my hands over my eyes whenever they showed up.    Their mutated skin is sensitive to UV light and burns (with smoke and everything) in the sun, so they can only come out at night (of course!).  Around the time our hero was late getting home after sundown is about the time I walked out of the theater.  It was obvious what was coming and I knew that dog was going to get in trouble at some point.  I couldn’t bear that.    So I went to the lobby and sat on the couch, really glad that I had that book with me to read while I waited for everyone else to watch the rest of the movie.   There was another woman sitting there also reading a book.  I found out she was too scared to watch too.  She said, “you lasted longer than I did.” LOL, then I didn’t feel so wimpy about leaving the movie early.  And now I had a chance to look at the cook book.  Usually I don’t read the intros and just look at the recipes.  But Alice Waters is one originators and heroes of the local & sustainable food movement so it was definitely something I’m interested in.   New Year’s resolution:  this book inspired me to follow her path and eat healthier for myself and for the planet.  Simple fresh food is good for the body, mind and soul.      

    and now for the Weirdest gift:   I freaked when I opened the box this morning.   My MIL gave me this zombie cat.

     

    Just when I thought I was safe!  gaaaah!

  3. And that little girl does completely capture the spirit!

    My funniest gift was a sweatshirt from my mom that says:

    Who needs therapy? I’ve got my book club.

    Where does she find this stuff??

    And here’s my favorite:

    Its from my niece, who is a major fairy lover. But it also goes with the gift from my brother and sister-in-law, which will come in the spring. Summer before last I lost my 100 year-old elm tree in my back yard to dutch elm disease. This spring they’re giving me a new tree. How cool is that?!! And it’ll be a great place for fairies to play.

    • vigkat on December 26, 2007 at 05:21

    night photography.  Very impressive.

  4. I didn’t know people were so into holiday decor up north. There’s hardly any in LA, just some isolated pockets of festivity and people driving around in convertibles wearing Santa hats! So weird…    

    • RiaD on December 26, 2007 at 14:54

    stunning photos!

    & LOL about your zebcat! My m-i-l once gave me a gingerbread house for my village… it was painted black with tiny bits of white (snow)edges & neon Orange/Purple/Yellow ‘candies’… all i could think was ‘day-um, this looks like a haunted house!’ it lives in my attic in a box.

    my daughter gave her nephew (my grandson, age 2.5) a wee guitar this year… its real wood, etc.  he didn’t care about the rest of the gifts after that! (his mom&dad got a bit miffed)

    his first song? ‘I won’t back down..ooh- noo…i won’t go down… no i won’t back down!

    we went to ‘music night’ last night and the boy came with his guitar… everyone asked him to play, so he did… when someone turned away & started talking, our boy stopped, put little fists on his hips & grumped ‘you listena me play mr.lee… i listena YOU play foote & dinna talk!’   it was toooo funny!

  5.  I do love the decking the halls part of Christmas and the lights. As a native Californian in Oregon thanks for the California lights.  

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