Disney Tree

Our living room tree is smaller since 2008, with storage restrictions helping us to buy a table-top tree which is filled with all Disney ornaments collected over the years. The table is a glass-topped table with a roomy shelf below and we have located our three-building "Princess Village" there. Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast have lighted houses and several figures along with a Christmas tree.
The decor of the entire room is Disney as we shall see in the next post.

Big Tree

Any Christmas decoration must center on the main tree. In our family room, the tree that comes up just short of the ceiling is filled with ornaments as old as 42 years, family ornaments with pictures of the children in the 70s and the grandchildren this century, clip-on candles, ribbon, and lots to see. This one takes the most time and most physical effort to set up, but it is the one that stays lit any time we are home and awake.
More decorations in the next post.

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney

Decorating for Christmas has long been a major project in our home. There was a period of time during the 1980s where we had trees in every room. At the height of the effort, we counted 14 trees of all sizes and shapes in the house including 3 in the Family Room. Each had a differing theme or color scheme. We went so far as to have a small tree in the laundry room, where there was no floor or table space, and we suspended the tree on the light pull.
Since the children have grown, moved away, married and had children, we have cut back on the trees. We do have five trees on our first floor, though, and really enjoy getting the items out and make the whole house look like Christmas. We always have these up before Thanksgiving, so our early December postings will look at some of the highlights of our Christmas decorations.
We begin, of course, with the four grandchildren. My wife has hand sewn Christmas stockings for our children, then for their spouses, and more recently for the grandkids. As I look up at the fireplace right now, the whole family collection is bright and attractive. But when we put them up, I set them up for just the "fantastic four" to prepare for the annual Christmas picture. Using a filmstrip motif, the four stockings are matched with head hots of the children. This is an early look at the photo and if you get a Christmas card from us, you will be receiving a copy.
If you are not familiar with my angels, the eldest is Gianna, just turned 7, at the left. Her little brother Joey is next. They are my daughter Meredith's children. Carolyn, now 6 1/2, is next followed by her baby brother Bobby, just over 6 months. They are my son Eric's children. The two smaller faces in the photos of the girls would be the American Girl Dolls that Grandma & Poppa bought for the girls this summer.
More decorations in the next post.

Eiffel Tower

Years ago I would load up a camera with Kodachrome Infrared film and fire away, usually at Fall Color time, and see how the images came out a week later when the slides were processed. Today a digital SLR would have to be converted to Infrared to get the same result and the photos would be shot blind as the processor would not be able to let us see the image in the shooting. So I have been playing with some Infrared-style effects in Photoshop and came up with an image I really like. Can you guess which image is the technical Infrared effect?

I also added one of my fall color images taken at a forest preserve in the 80s with Infrared film. Will it help you to choose the Eiffel that is in IF? A new topic will begin tomorrow with the beginning of December.

Back to the Future

We saw RETROFUTURISM -- which I translate as 'Back to the Future-ism' -- in Tallinn and in Hamburg, two widely-spread cities, in July. The logo look on the bright wall was irresistible.
The road sign, which seems to direct us to bear left straight into the ground, was seen in Arizona during spring training. The visual is interesting, but the truth is boring. Portable signs are moved into place before a game, then stacked and re-situated for after the game.
Our "sign" posts are complete for not. One post will take a retro-look at our Paris visit this summer. A little experiment.

Liberty

True liberty is enhanced by knowing where to look! I loved the street signs painted right on the London pavement, reminding pedestrians which way to look. Certainly an American should be told when to look right, but Londoners are warned as well, as many turnarounds, one-way streets and transition lanes make a warning of which way to look very helpful.

THANKFUL

Today I am thankful for so many things. Health, of course, for myself and my family and my friends. The joy of the holiday season. A wonderful church to be a contributing member of. But also for the freedoms that so many Americans seem to take for granted. I look back today in my collection of signs and find these two, collected on my only trip to Europe (so far), at Sachsenhausen, the German concentration camp at Oranienburg, near Berlin.
For those not versed in German, the sign nestled in the barbed wire warns you that entering this area will get you shot. The iron sign built into the gate, of course, suggests that Work Makes Freedom, the German right-wing slogan to justify all sorts of torture and murder.
Thank you, Lord, for the freedoms we cherish and sometimes fail to treasure. Guide us always in the ways to promote true American freedom. Let us always learn from the mistakes of the past and work toward the best of what we believe in. YES, WE CAN.