On Saturday we went exploring and found this tree. The kids had fun. Nicky is above, Mathew immediately below, and Julian is far below. After a while, I took their portraits.
As I watched the kids play, I mused that parenting alternates between terror (as Joseph Conrad’s Kurtz might have exclaimed in Heart of Darkness, “The horror! The horror!”) and magnificent wonder.
Christmas Eve was mostly sunny. A week of rain had come before, and a sloppy wet day was to follow on Christmas. We took advantage of the interregnum to get the somewhat cabin-fevered kids out to the playground.
This ladybug landed on Julian’s thumb. He wanted to take it home and put it in a jar. We told him that ladybugs wanted to be free. He reluctantly accepted this (particularly after she flew away).
I was trying out my new AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens. The production version of the lens is just available in the U.S. It features vibration reduction, a huge zoom ratio (more than 10:1), a reasonably light weight, and small size. Altogether an incredible lens, with a hefty price tag (about $700 retail). I expect to write more about this lens when I’ve fully tried it out.
I slammed a 36mm extension tube behind the lens, and took this macro hand-held. When I reviewed the photographs, I saw the shadow of the ladybug formed a “heart.” Coincidence, or a plea for freedom? (Is the Ladybug pleading, “Have a heart!?”)
Here are a few other photos of the munchkins playing on Christmas eve.
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Nicky:
Julian:
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Mathew:
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Best wishes on this holiday to everyone from all of us!
Christmas eve ended in a red sunset with the dark sky warning of the next wave of impending rain coming in from the Pacific. A lone sailboat enjoyed the twilight colors:
This moth flew into our bathroom last night around 10PM. The moth was naked. So was I. But I had to photograph him (he had landed on the bathroom mirror).
So I got out the Canon Powershot and put it on a tripod. These LCD digital cameras are really better for quick photo macros than the SLRs anyhow. Here’s a picture of me taking the picture:
The bathroom seemed awfully quiet with just me and the moth. Maybe that’s because I had photographed Julian earlier as a ghost. Thanks to the miracle of bounce flash, his motion is partially captured. A neat effect:
Yoda and Emperor Palpatine contemplate the fate of the world…or is it a marble?
A metaphor for our times? It’s wild how Star Wars has built a mythology that works in current times and appeals to kids (and the young at heart).
