November 2013December 2013 January 2014

12/28 - Our Cookie Tree

Here's a quick shot of our cookie tree with its candles lit. File this under extreme Christmas.

Keywords: christmas

12/20 - Crepuscular Light

On the east coast, the autumn sunsets were always spectacular light shows with brilliant reds, pinks and violets highlighted in the sky. On the west coast it seems to be the dawn that puts on the great sky shows.

The sun is rising.

Keywords: science

12/15 - The Kaleberg Christmas Party

To celebrate Christmas, the Kaleberg Compound was converted into a Christmas cave, shrouded in greenery and full of warmth and light. There was also cassoulet. Two years ago we had some problems with our cassoulet, but this year we bought most of our pork products from the Clark Family Farm, so our cassoulet was a sparkling success. In fact, this may have been our best cassoulet ever.

This party was also the coming out party for our renovated Empire State Building, now with glowing Neopixel lights, and it gave Godzilla an excuse to positively glow with atomic fire.

Welcome to the Kaleberg Compound.

Our big tree and the decorated mantle.

Our party spread with half and half cookies, dried fruit sweet meats and our illuminated fruitcake. Not shown: the egg nog and the brie en croute with cranberry chutney.

Another view of the table.

Atomic flames, holly lights, skyscrapers and a fruitcake

The big tree in full form

The cookie tree waiting for its gingerbread

The cassoulet

Our champagne forest

Keywords: christmas, clark family, kale

12/12 - Santa Claus is Coming to Town

We heard the siren relatively late last night. It got louder, then softer, then finally louder again. It was the annual Port Angeles Christmas firetruck. Santa was on board with his Christmas tree and his escort of elves collecting money for the food bank and passing out candy canes. Yes, Santa Claus is coming to town.

The Port Angeles Christmas firetruck

That's our neighbor's lights across the street.

Santa on his appointed rounds

Keywords: christmas, port angeles

12/11 - Edible Art at the Sheraton - 2013

Every Christmas the downtown Sheraton in Seattle hosts some serious gingerbread cookie art. There's more than gingerbread, of course. There's also a lot of candy, spun sugar and serious imagination. This year, the theme was nursery rhymes, rendered as charmingly as ever.

That's Jack's beanstalk towering over Seattle.

This is jolly old London, the setting for oh so many nursery rhymes.

London Bridge is falling down.

Hickory, dickory, dock.

There was an old lady who lived in a shoe.

I saw a ship a sailing.

A close up of the ship - The windows were magical.

If you look carefully, you can see the cow jumping over the moon.



A rendering of Seattle under the bean stalk.

Keywords: christmas, seattle

12/10 - Seattle Cranes

It is our favorite time of the year for visiting cities, because this is the time everyone gets serious about decorating for Christmas, and Seattle is no exception. There were wreaths and roping and Christmas lights everywhere, so the city was at its best both by day and by night.

The downtown Christmas tree

The Space Needle and one of the many construction cranes

The Space Needle a bit later - That's the Pacific Science Center down on the left.

The Space Needle and even more cranes

As dusk approaches, the cranes take light.

The guys must have had some real fun decorating this one.

Downtown by night

That crane from another view

More cranes decorated for Christmas

The Space Needle with its Christmas tree topper

The Space Needle again

Keywords: christmas, seattle

12/09 - Winter on the Lake Angeles Trail

Needless to say, we didn't get all the way up to the lake. We were tight on time, and we were not in the best shape. Still, we managed to make our way through the winter woods to the stream crossing, about 700' above the parking lot. It was cold, and the trail had a thin coat of snow on it, but it was not slippery. It was also beautiful.

The bridge over the stream

Snow on logs

Snow on the boardwalk

Snow on the trail

A very Christmassy scene

Snow on salal and Oregon grape and probably other plants

Snow on the rocks

Less snow as we descended

Ice on the water

Keywords: winter, lake angeles

12/05 - The Making of the Kaleberg Christmas Tree 2013

Our 2013 Christmas tree is coming along nicely. We were driving home from the Farmers' Market and saw a huge tree right on First Street. We screeched to a halt, probably scaring the drivers behind us, but we had to check out this tree. It was huge. It was green. It was a monster. It was way too big for our car, so we had it delivered. Then came the wiring and the lighting, and then the ornaments. It's still a work in progress, but we have to admit that it is quite a tree.

It started right after Thanksgiving and Hanukah collided.

In came the tree, another monster.

Christmas wreath

Early lighting test

All the great skyscrapers are doing this lately. Why not?

By day

By night

Keywords: christmas

November 2013December 2013 January 2014