'Tis The Season....
Visited my Mom today at Sandpiper Nursing & Rehab in Mt. Pleasant.
I reminded her it was her wedding anniversary.
Always a week before Christmas.
It would have been their
77th.
The main dining room was being used for a festive employee Christmas party and children were running around stuffed with sugar cookies.
Took some pictures of the decorated tree.
Then used Photoshop to enhance it even more.
Growing up, we three brothers had mixed methods for decorating the tree. My older disappeared and my younger usually got impatient.
Eventually he would start to throw clumps of silvery icicles on the tree instead of hanging them carefully one at a time.
Every year.
Today,
Santa and Mrs. Claus were leaving the room, looking tired but happy.
I asked them to pose with my Mom.
That got a big smile from everyone.
There was a sign on the bulletin board that said
"Save Santa A Trip, Be Naughty."My Mom said
"Of course, I've been nice."
(Click on the photos for details. Can you see the Photoshop effects? I'm glad the Clauses could get away from the shop with a busy week to go.) Thanks for stopping by. Stay warm.
Labels: brothers, Christmas tree, decorations, Sandpiper, Santa Claus and the Missus, silvery icicles, sugar cookies, wedding anniversary
The Neighbors Are Starting To Talk....
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Just had the 11th monthly meeting of my local Photographers Group. We have 101 members.
Usually there's a photo theme and December was
"HEAT." Yes, I had a few ideas.
This
"Texas Pete" shot is hot...but not really as warm as it seems. The cap is still tightly screwed in place. I used PhotoShop to remove the lid, create the falling sauce and the "sizzling puddle" on my tongue. It took a while to get the framing right.
The camera was set on a tripod out back on my deck and I used the timer for about 30 shots as I posed where I thought I should be. I sprinkled water on my face before each shot for "sweat" and clamped my eyes shut.
The family that lives behind me saw about 25 attempts. With the capped bottle.
I used to drive a 1971 VW Super Beetle but this was the closest I had for the "overheated" photo.
I emailed a copy to my brother, pretty proud of the way it turned out.
He called and said
"You ARE aware that the VW engine is air cooled - and it is in the back?"Wait till he talks with the neighbors.
(As usual, just click on the photos to see more details.)
Labels: 101 members, air-cooled engine, brothers, neighbors, Photography Group, sweat, Texas Pete Hot Sauce, tongue, VW
Younger brothers and memories...
Well, that didn't take long!
My younger brother has entirely different memories of the days when all three brothers were delivering newspapers around the Charleston peninsula. He says he NEVER asked us to substitute for him to carry papers on his route. Never.
Our dad was a younger brother. He's the shorter one on the left in this priceless old framed photo. Oddly enough, I never saw this till after he died and I was cleaning out a huge storage area. Cute outfit, dad. I really like that belt.
Mom tells a story that shortly after they met, my dad was smoking a cigarette and kept flicking the ashes into his shirt pocket. She finally asked him to stop doing that..it could burn the shirt. He replied "so what, it's my brother's shirt."
At least I never did that to my brother.
There was the time he was seen by a cousin leaving the house with a salt shaker and a small cardboard box. She inquired and he explained that I had told him if he sprinkled salt on a bird's tail, it couldn't fly away.
He was on the hunt for a pigeon.
Labels: brothers, cigarette ashes, moms and dads, pigeons
Visited my Mom today at Sandpiper Nursing & Rehab in Mt. Pleasant.
Today, Santa and Mrs. Claus were leaving the room, looking tired but happy.
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