The Coffee House

[snowbear116 47]

Haven’t had a live tree since the sappy pine needles attack of 2002. I love our fake tree. It twinkles so prettily and I can leave it up as long as I want. Although, typically I take it all \down on New Year’s Day - I like to start the year with a fresh and uncluttered house.

I want to plant a small evergreen in the front yard and decorate that, keeping the inside of the house for plastic. The front yard isn't that big so we'll have to plan it carefully, leaving room for the desired flag pole and the proposed wheelchair ramp.

When the real one comes down, the limbs will be lopped off and taken to the recycle station, while the trunk will be cut into shorter pieces and turned into something like bud vases or candle holders.

 

[smoke665]

@CherylL not just kids you have to worry about. There's a lot of clumsy adults out there. I just don't have the patience for it anymore.

 

[cgw117 142]

@CherylL not just kids you have to worry about. There's a lot of clumsy adults out there. I just don't have the patience for it anymore.

 

[snowbear116 47]

I finally got around to making the lobster pot pie.

 

[cgw117 142]

Dunno. I miss our old holiday pre-pandemic parties. Still, they were sometimes marred by childish goofs and creeps lacking in social skills. Close to 98% of guests were gracious, civilized and considerate. They made the evening. Now in small town Ontario and know our old vibe would alienate rather than attract. An old mate suggested we go for the Newfoundland tradition of the "kitchen party" where a parade of neighbors drop in on a given evening. Better still is the holiday tradition of "Mummering." Seems like dumb fun to me!

 

[smoke665]

First Christmas party of the season last night. Attended our FD, party at a local resteraunt. Great time catching up with old friends, families and really good meal. One member was a scrawny kid just 18 when he first joined. Over the years I've watched him get married, have kids, seen the babies born and grow, their oldest is a teenager now. Looking around the room all of us have aged!

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Messed up a Time-Lapse

Just before mid-night I checked and the sky was fairly clear, and I was click some stills of aircraft circling and landing (maybe some take-offs in there) and I realized that it might be nice to try a time-lapse (using my Sony a6400 w/Canon 50mm F1.4 FD S.S.C). Maybe it's a bit cold for that, but nothing should be moving during the recording (aperture stuck at 1.4 and no shutter curtains moving & manual focus at infinity) so it should be safe enough. But I botched it at my first start. I'm not sure exactly when I re-started, but I might have missed mid-night. It's not a tragedy, but it would have been nice to have included the actual start of the day. Also I don't feel like recording more than a couple of hours. I won't leave it "all night" due to it being fairly cold.

Here are some stills taken with my Nikon 1 S2. '14 was taken @22:37:30, '16 was taken @22:38:34, '19 was taken at 22:39:36. My camera is probably a hour off, but otherwise is usually set to within +-2 min. (I checked and it was within 2 min). I don't have an aircraft radio handy. I used to have one that covered the frequency. It should be possible to hear air traffic control and know which planes are in the pictures. If you know the schedule, it should be possible to know where each plane is heading. It could be a novel way to start a video of a holiday trip. If you have others to work with, you could record boarding a plane, the take off from both inside and outside, and the flight winging off to New York, or where-ever. I don't know the stars well enough to know what's in the sky at night. Exposure set to EV=+2.0.

"Hey Sony, on the a6400, it sure would be nice if I could use longer exposures than 1/30 sec when I'm recording with a 1 fps frame rate. . . .

 

[limr30]

We always had a fake tree when I was growing up and I feel like I am still in rebellion against that thing. Plus, I don't feel like storing a fake tree. Last year, I bought a potted arborvitae and it was doing really well, but then it took a turn before I could figure out where I wanted to plant it. This year, I am going to try again.



We are decorating our doors at work. Here's mine. Double Internet points for anyone who gets the joke.

 

[SquarePeg37 8]

Wrap of Khan?

 

[MartinCrabtree109 3]

I'd say wreath of Khan.

 

[cgw117 142]

We always had a fake tree when I was growing up and I feel like I am still in rebellion against that thing. Plus, I don't feel like storing a fake tree. Last year, I bought a potted arborvitae and it was doing really well, but then it took a turn before I could figure out where I wanted to plant it. This year, I am going to try again.

View attachment 292663

We are decorating our doors at work. Here's mine. Double Internet points for anyone who gets the joke.

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Succumbed to the fake side after too many beat downs over price, "look," and long drives to chop-it-yourself thieves. The tree's black body bag freaks the neighbors every year. That "Wrath of Khan" wreath could get you institutionalized...But then you already are!
And a seasonally appropriate gift just for you:

 

[limr30]

Succumbed to the fake side after too many beat downs over price, "look," and long drives to chop-it-yourself thieves. The tree's black body bag freaks the neighbors every year. That "Wrath of Khan" wreath could get you institutionalized...But then you already are!
And a seasonally appropriate gift just for you:

It's just me and the girls, so I usually get a nice small tree, and I live in the sticks, so the carcass returns to the earth in the woods behind my house

Excuse me, but that is the Wreath of Khan, thankyouverymuch!

I'll be here all week, folks! Don't forget to tip your waitress!

(Oh, I am being institutionalized, for sure!)

 

[limr30]

I'd say wreath of Khan.

One MILLION Internet points!!

 

[limr30]

Wrap of Khan?

You got the first two letters right

 

[jeffashman11 2]

We always had a fake tree when I was growing up and I feel like I am still in rebellion against that thing. Plus, I don't feel like storing a fake tree. Last year, I bought a potted arborvitae and it was doing really well, but then it took a turn before I could figure out where I wanted to plant it. This year, I am going to try again.

View attachment 292663

We are decorating our doors at work. Here's mine. Double Internet points for anyone who gets the joke.

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Ah, yes... the wreath of Khan...