#homesteading

Merry Christmas!

I have been absent from Steemit for the last several weeks, but I am hoping to get back into the habit of posting regularly. It's been the usual holiday madness, compounded by a serious case of the winter blahs. I did get a camera for Christmas, and although the learning curve is very steep, I have been playing with it a lot and hope to eventually be able to take some decent pictures with it. Here are a few from last night's gathering with the in-laws.

My mother in law goes a little crazy with the decorating. Every corner of her house has holiday bits all over it. It's quite festive, but it makes me tired imagining how long it takes to put it all up and then take it all down again. Better her than me, I guess.

(https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcGbwbfHCtRLVvQWYwwcvB9S185mkWE2FaHDQsNQ8x1M5/20191224191438_IMG_0640.JPG)

Like I said, I'm still trying to figure out how to get a decent picture with the camera. It might be a long road, but eventually I will get some.

![20191224191515_IMG_0644.JPG]

We had more than five inches of rain here in two days, which made for some exciting flooding possibilities, but nothing really dire happened. The creek that flows past the house got pretty rowdy, though, and I went out to get a few pictures and play with the camera settings.

The road was flooded in a couple of places, but only on one side, so it wasn't much of a hazard. Driving on the opposite side of the road is something I do all the time anyway. That's the only way to avoid the potholes.

Here are a few I managed to get that I really liked. This one is Farmer Dan's house reflected in the slough. I think I will print a copy of it for him.

This one is just a dead blackberry cane, but I love the colors, or lack of them.

Here's a shot of @meanbees when we went up to cut our Christmas tree. I am having fun learning to play with the depth of field thing.

Anyway, there haven't been any big stories lately. Just the slow day to day of a Pacific Northwest winter; gray and damp and a little dull. At least we have passed the solstice and the days are getting longer again, even if only by a matter of minutes.

That snow is not from this year. We have been spared so far. Happy holidays to all! I am off to baste the turkey!

Comments · 14

@kaminchan(76)· 2416d
Now! I am wondering where you have been hiding!!

Take care!
@owasco(73)· 2431d
There you are! I've missed you! Lovey post, I am sooo jealous you got a camera - I will have to buy my own despite my many hints. I know you will treat us to some of your fabulous eye candy. I didn't decorate one bit this year! Not one bit. I carried out my 18 inch plastic still decorated from last year Xmas tree around with me to set the mood and that was that. Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
@shasta(70)· 2434d
Wonderful photos, love those horns and the shadows your lights make! :-)

Merry Christmas 🎄
@fotosdenada(67)· 2434d
I love the festive goat! It looks very wet, indeed. Nice photos, though.

What kind of camera did you get? There's always a learning curve, but you have so much more control over the lighting and focus...

I played with a Canon EOS RP this morning at a local retailer and was impressed. Ten years, it seems, makes a huge difference in camera technology. Time to start saving up...
@templo(70)· 2434d
@borjan(79)· 2435d
:D The goat is a great reindeer !
@ellenripley(78)· 2435d
Happy Christmas! Good luck with the camera. I've only just grasped what aperture is. I listened to my brother and another photographer talking and it really did sound like another language that I'm not included in! 😃
@tipu(68)· 2435d
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@melinda010100(80)· 2435d
So glad to see a post from you and I will be looking for lots of great photos from you! I love your rein-goat! That's a perfect Christmas photo! !Tip !Trdo
@annephilbrick(70)· 2435d
🤗🎄☃️ Merry Christmas ! @goat-girlz ;-)
@manorvillemike(73)· 2435d
Glad you got a camera to play with... And glad you are back posting :-)
@kaminchan(76)· 2435d
Wow! A new camera! These photos are quite good! You’re quick at getting used to this new toy! I like the smell water fall!

The house looks very festive and warming,since fire place too! That goat looks like a moose!

Merry Christmas to you all!
@viking-ventures(74)· 2435d
You decorated more than we did this year! I didn't want to go searching for all the stuff, so we just got a few things.

I had heard about the rain storm - in the next county, I heard they got about a foot of rain over a couple of days. Craziness!

What kind of camera did you get? I've got a new one too, and am working on making friends with it right now... I'm still grabbing an older camera with a broken screen for my food shots and things that have to be shot... while I get to know the new one. It's the least-intuitive camera I've had yet, though my son swears by it. (He's supposed to visit in May, so he may be spending some time helping me!)

Miss you guys. One of my classmates has just bought a place not far from you guys... it's like that's the area for people to return to if they can't afford coast prices (like, most of us.) Another one of my classmates also wants to move back to the area. Hubby's fed up with the snow already, lol. He'd much prefer your area! (So would I - except for the lack of snow... and the mosquitoes... can't have everything, I guess!)
@hiroyamagishi(69)· 2435d
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