Dear Santa - White Sky Poo Was NOT On Our List

Dear Santa - Hi. How are you? How is Mrs. Claus? I hope you are recovering from your trans-global trek to places where people believe in Jesus and you. Thank you for being so jolly, and for all the presents. I especially wanted to thank you for the snow that fell on us down in the Northern Neck of Virginia on Christmas and today. It was white and clingy. When I went out to shoot this picture of the rowboat and pier, I thought it was nice that it was snowing on Christmas.

This morning, on the other hand, I began to wonder about your mood. I mean, Four & Twenty Blackbirds would have been cool, but Four & THIRTY-SEVEN seems a bit much.

But then you gave us cardinals - even a camouflaged girl one, and a hiding one - so we thought "Yay, Santa's still the bestest!"

And the Pier and frozen creek - nice touch, Father Christmas!

It was also pretty cool of you to make sure no one suggested eating outside, this time.

The tree was nice, too. So clever of you to put all the most enticing and breakable ornaments above the Toddler Line, too.

I liked this cardinal the best. I named him Chet.

These two cardinals were feisty. You bring the coolest stuff, St. Nick!

But seriously - enough with the snow. Look how cold those birds are!

And thanks for our own little house, back in the land of Not-A-Flake-Of-Snow. Sorry we forgot to leave you any eggnog- I mean, milk and cookies. Hope you found our tree up to snuff. Maybe someday we'll get a chimney for you to come down. Just please - no more white sky poo when we're trying to drive. Thanks dude. You rock!

Love, Joe and [Maris]

The Sun Sets . . . For Now

It got harder to leave Key West each time we did it. This should be the last batch of pictures from our Happy Place until we get a chance to make the trip again. We've already decided that when we lose the house, we're making our way down there to be homeless at the south end of Route A1A. Above - Sunset from Mallory Square.

Our 2002 trip had to be pushed back from October to December, thanks to work stuff, but it was cool to see the visual juxtaposition of Christmas decorations and tropical foliage. [Maris]'s shots!

Until we meet again, La Mer...

Sunset #2 - Mallory Square.

Schooner Liberty returning from its sunset cruise.

Mallory Square's daily Sunset Celebration is part boardwalk, part craft show, part street theater and all party. Above, legendary Will Soto prepares to start his long-running tightrope/juggling daredevil extravaganza (as seen from the Schooner Western Union).

Key West Lighthouse, as seen from about a quarter of a mile offshore, aboard the Western Union.

Key West's waterfront, from Mallory Square to Fort Zachary Taylor Park.

Under full sail on the Western Union. Perfection at sea.

(sigh)

Closer To Home

Okay gang. Short and sweet. Here are a few more images of the places I've called home. Leading off is a time-lapse shot of Rockville Pike in front of Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville, MD from December 1992.

Front porch view - Christmas, 1989.

Two feet of snow - very rare in Rockville! February 1983.

Also rare - this aerial view of our house (the one with the tan roof), courtesy of my friend the pilot - 1986.

Long nighttime B&W of the old jungle gym at Rock Creek Valley Elementary School - Rockville, MD - 1987. Nearly froze my feet right off, walking around the neighborhood in the snow half the night!

Here's what my alma mater Rockville High School looked like from the air in December of 1986. It has since been renovated so extensively that almost nothing from the structure above survives, except for the theater building at the far left. You really can't go back, I guess. Not that I'd want to, but still. Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Um, self-portrait. Germantown, MD - 1995.

THREE feet of snow! Enough for legitimate drifts! Frederick, MD - January, 1996.

Join me next time for whatever it is I find myself in the mood for - providing, of course, that whatever that turns out to be has already been scanned.