Ho Ho Ho!

I love, absolutely love, hand-carved Santas.  I discovered this carver many years ago at a local art fair, and I have been a faithful purchaser ever since.  Her shorter Santas are about 6" tall, and the amount of detail that she is able to achieve using a knife never ceases to amaze me.  Unfortunately, she has developed arthritis and her carving days are coming to an end.  I am sooo sad.  It has been my holiday tradition to get a new Santa each year.  I can't imagine how painful it must be for her to realize she can no longer easily do what she loves.

This year I decided not to decorate much for the holidays, but I did get out a few of my favorite guys to grace my mantel.  There are still quite a few in the china cabinet (why display china when you can show off your favorite knickety-knacks?)

What kid doesn't want to ride on Santa's shoulders?

 Can't you just hear him humming as he dances with this little doll?

 I love the Old World St. Nicholas...she does such a wonderful job with them.  I love the fact that St. Nicholas still has all his hair, while Santa is bald.  Could be because Santa wears a hat and it's rubbed off all the hair!

 Santa's bag was so laden and heavy that he had to bring along an elf just to help him!  Bet you didn't know that happens sometimes!

Merry Christmas!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Molbak's Nursery?  They always have the best holiday displays.  Like the door, like the wreath, like the lantern....LUSTING after the sled.  Had one just like it!

Dear Santa....

I will be a happy girl on Christmas morning if I can find one of these candles in my stocking....

These are the BEST candles....they smell exactly like the real thing.  I was sneaky...I didn't want to burn the votive and use it up too quickly, so I melted it and poured it into my Scentsy tray.  Now it will last for a looong time and my house smells like the best Christmas tree ever.  These candles are expensive (that's why I have only a votive) but they are SO worth it!!

Worth the Wait

We had a lovely sunny mild windless day today, with temps in the high 50s.  I took advantage of the lovely weather and went out to Rattlesnake to see where the water level was....always hunting reflections, and this is the time of year that the submerged stumps show up.

It was late afternoon when I got there, and the warmth of the sun was causing the wet stumps to throw off some mist.   Normally they are all completely underwater...  I love the eerieness of this shot.

 A reflection shot, which called out to be in B&W.  A few more weeks, yet, I think, before my favorite stumps show up.

 I figured that as long as I was out there that late in the in afternoon I would wait for sunset.  There was a slight skiff of clouds close to the horizon line, which boded well for color.  I'm glad I waited.

Ice Geometry

The feather-and-fern artists had the day off, and the geometry crew came instead.  They tried a little texture, but their forte is the straight crisp lines and geometric shapes.

Ice Bound

Even old, past-their-prime leaves look better encased in ice

Contrasts

Can't believe that you can get such fluid organic shapes with the straight, knife-like edges right next to them.  Haven't seen these smaller crackles before.  They look like severely wrinkled linen.

 A couple of wonderful negative-space shapes in the midst of all those lovely feathers and ferns.  I love that swooping curve on the right.  Can you tell I LOVE my pond ice?  When it is cold enough to freeze, the patterns are different every day.  Nothing is ever repeated.  Nature is amazing.

 And isn't it amazing how a nice coat of frost can transform the ugliest old weed into a thing of wonder?

Early Morning Light

Low early sun, a little fog and woodsmoke--perfect.

Heavy mist, fog at the falls....the mist and fog were so thick that the falls appeared and disappeared as the clouds of vapor shifted.  Magical.

Color Spots

A few more fleeting glimpses of autumn's best.

 This ivy was trying to make sure it had all the color choices represented   

 

Even a paver walkway looks better with a festive carpet of autumn colors to accent the ever-present moss.

At the end of the season

Just getting around to finally editing some of the fall shots I took a few weeks ago.  I've been chained to my sewing machine making pjs and matching doll pjs for the Girlies for Christmas, plus working on some new quilts for classes next year.  Most of that is finished (for now--the quilts are an on-going project) so I can get back to playing with the camera.

Most of our color is gone now, but there are still a few trees here and there that are hanging on.  The sweet gum trees are the last to change color, and there are a couple in the neighborhood that still have green leaves.  I am really hoping that when they finally change we get some frost or even snow...

As always, I love the "magic window" that a puddle reflection creates.

 Window reflections look like framed art to me.

It looked as if some these leaves had not gotten the memo that they were supposed to be yellow, or perhaps there was just a rebel streak in them, wanting to stand out from the crowd.  They did.

 And the last gasp of color out at Rattlesnake Lake, taken on a foggy morning, when the fog was wrapping itself around Rattlesnake Ledge.  The contrast of the warm golden leaves against the cool greys of the Ledge and the fog caught my eye. 

Cut Glass

We had frost, and ice, the night before last, and the ice artists were at work on the surface of the pond.

This makes me think of what an angel's wing would look like...

 I love the way this "frond" caught the light of the sun and just sparkled, and how the one next to it didn't.  But--through that one you can see a leaf on the botton of the pond.  It's almost a perfect overlay.

 And this one!  The way the ice formed in the more open areas on the left side of the photo looks as if the structures are leaves.  They aren't, but they certainly reminded me of maple leaves.  Who needs Rohrshach cards when you have this??

Frosty, Baby

Woke up this morning to a light skiff of ice on the pond (bliss) and a nice light coat of frost on everything else.  Couldn't pass that up!  I love this time of year when the azalea leaves are turning color and we are lucky enough to get some frost.  It just looks like a combo of fire and ice.  Those leaves are so vividly warm that I wonder how the frost can adhere.

 And of course, a frost-rimmed leaf is always an eye-catcher to me, especially when it is backlit to an extent.

 And isn't it amazing how some decorative frost crystals can make even the ugliest speckled leaf look great?