Christmas 2008

I was going to avoid doing a "Christmas haul" type entry because it feels like bragging and I doubt any other people care about what I got.  But I decided to do an entry about Christmas anyway, except sprinkle it with some photos and talk about my Christmas experience this year.

Christmas is of course one of my favorite holidays.  I'm a sucker for tradition, I'm not big on change, so tradition is a happy time for me.  Traditions help solidify memories and keep these organized, plus I enjoy all of the traditions that we've established.  Christmas Eve is just me and the parents.  In the past we took the day to go have lunch with my grandmother on my mom's side and visit her brother to deliver goodies, but since my grandmother's passing this tradition has fallen away, so now it is just a time spent with the parents.  We get a movie, not always a Christmas movie, but more often than not it is and watch it during dinner.  This year it was A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott (I also watched the MST3K version of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians earlier in the day but that wasn't part of any tradition).  Our Christmas Eve dinner is a tri-tip roast with baked potatoes, a Caesar salad and garlic bread with a dessert of cherry pie, none of it strctly home made (tri-tip is pre-marinated, salad comes from a bag, garlic bread is pre-made and the cherry pie is canned cherries + frozen crust), but it's still a great meal and it's all about enjoying the movie together.  Plus any tri-tip is good tri-tip if cooked right, which my mom does quite well.  Then I follow it up by watching A Christmas Carol in bed before I sleep, ever since TBS started showing it 24 hours.

Christmas morning hasn't changed since I was a little kid, except with me getting up progressively later as the years go on.  When I was a kid I was the first one up, then the second and this year for the first time ever, I slept in until 9 and was the last one up.  It may have had something to do with the fact I had stayed up until 2 am and slept until noon for the past few days and had stayed up until 2 the night before.  But it was an okay break in tradition and made the transition into gift opening much easier, I think.  We turned on the log on TV (this has replaced Christmas music on the stereo over the years, since it's just plain cooler, I mean what beats a fake fire on TV?)  Stocking gifts are first, then regular gifts.  Of highlight from my parents were some Disney/Star Wars stuff, a book about my Nikon D40 (operation, tips and tricks type stuff), some of the Star Wars books I needed and the newer version of the Car Spotters Bible, the book I used to identify the cars I take pictures of.  This book puts all the same pictures from the past book in color, does away with the seperation between decade groups, and carries with it some of the flaws from the previous version like giving some cars their own sections for no reasons (Mustang and Thunderbird have their own section, but all other Fords are together, except Falcons), as well as adding some new flaws such as removing all the Chevy II-era Novas and not including pre-40 vehicles.  But otherwise it's nice to own, especially since my original copy is falling apart.

Traditional Christmas morning breakfast followed, except this time it got mixed up a little.  In the past it was scrambled eggs with leftover tri-tip mixed in and toast, this year it was tri-tip and cheese omlettes and breakfast sausage with toast.  I much prefer this version, as I much prefer my dad's omlettes over scrambled eggs and the meat intregates much better with it.  This breakfast is late and big enough to eliminate the need for lunch.

In the afternoon we headed to my grandparents for the rest of the events.  This year I was looking forward to it a lot, as it would be the first Christmas for Evelyn where she would actually know what was going on, as her actual first Christmas she was only 6 months, and wasn't really aware of the signifcance of it all.  She was being a cute brat the whole day, going around the kitchen demanding everyone give her chips and run between Lindsay's room and the living room.  First thing was of course stockings, which Evelyn wasn't much interested in once she got hold of one toy she really liked.  Because of the relatively large size of the family, I rarely see what anyone else is getting unless they are in my immediate vincinity, so it's a bit odd.  Next was some time for snacking before the main presents.  All the grandkids got one big "Santa" gift from my grandparents and I think Vanessa was the most enamored with her's over everyone, as she got a Wii which she has been wanting since it came out.  She nearly passed out, I almost expected her to slip into N64-kid mode.  Mine was a Magellan GPS, which I only recently wanted, as I realized at SSU I was printing out way too many Google maps to get around, the fact I have a shitpoor sense of direction and would get somewhat lost quite regularly.  I was quite happy with this, I'm hoping it will work out well for me.  I also got a bunch of car washing supplies from my Aunt and a crazy Marc Ecko Darth Vader shirt that I'll end up returning because it's way too flamboyant and fancy for my tastes.

Evelyn wasn't too into the whole gift upwrapping thing.  She opend up her present from her father, a easel and demanded her mother open it for her, rather than go for any other presents.  She eventually moved onto her other presents.  She got a tea set that she really loved and played with for the rest of the night.  She also got a ton of books from both myself and my mom, me giving her two Eric Carle books, the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Brown Bear What Do You See, the former being my most favorite book from childhood.  I'm hoping she enjoys it as well, and I think with her amount of intelligence, I can see her beginning to read much earlier than most other kids, if her level of speech is any sign (she is only 18 months but probably has the speech patterns of a two year old).  I joked with Vanessa we're going to turn her into a nerd.  But that's not a bad thing, I mean her uncle is a nerd.

After the presents and subsequent recovery, the Wii was set up and fun was had by most playing Wii Sports.  Even my dad and aunt joined in on the fun.  I think Ernie ended up playing more than Vanessa however.  I think everyone will get a lot of use out of the Wii.  Many of my memories with Vanessa at my grandparents were filled with playing SNES, so I see the Wii fitting very well into that household, until she moves to Sacramento and taking it with her.

Christmas dinner was the usual ham, though it was missing the traditional spinach casserole as there was no spinach in Concord apparantly.  While it wasn't a very together dinner, with various members of the family not eating dinner at the table, it was still very nice and enjoyable, even though Evelyn was becomming quite cranky at this part.  The rest of the night was filled with more Wii playing and dessert.

Overall it was a very good Christmas, it reminded me how much I enjoy my family no matter how many stupid things they do, how annoying they can be and how much changes, they are still a great part of me.  I'm looking forward to next year's, as Evelyn gets older and is able to enjoy everything more.

And now for some pictures.  All my Christmas 2008 pictures can be found in thier Flickr set.


The Christmas tree at home


At one point the autofocus on my camera said this was in focus, I didn't agree but thought it made a good shot


The Star topper, I refuse to have an angel on our tree as it looks like the tree is shoved up the angel's ass


My mom's mini-Christmas village


The nativity scene. This year I decided to mess with it. I put my Christmas C-3PO Galactic Hero in at first and later put in a Homie looking over the baby Jesus. Threepio was found almost immediately, but the homie had to be pointed out. I put him back in later thought. He just works perfectly in the scene.


The numerous stockings at my grandparent's, they were placed in the family room this year as there was no room for them in the living room


My grandma always does a great job with the tree, I can only imagine the time she spends with it


Vanessa and Ernie with their drinks of choice, though Vanessa could barely finish that margarita


Not sure why Evelyn was making this goofy face, but I like this shot


I never ask anyone to smile for my shots, especially Evelyn. She does it automatically when she sees a camera, her mother has her well trained.

So that was my Christmas.  I hope everyone who does celebrate also had a great time and a Happy New Year to all

Photos from November

I'm going to start a new tradition of making a post at the end of a month to post a select few pictures from that month. Of course it's already starting in December, so I'm a bit late for November pictures, but whatever. It's also probably a bad time to start this tradition, as my main source of pictures doesn't start again in full swing until July or so. But maybe this will force me to take more non-car show pictures. So let's begin, November photos!

When I was home for Halloween I got to play with my dad's home made light box/studio, made from a bucket with a hole cut out of the side and a light placed on top. I did some photos of some diecast and really liked them. I had to do some white balance adjustment thought

1959 Chevrolet Impala by Johnny Lightning


"Bone Shaker" by Hot Wheels

November only housed one car show and that was the Good Guys Autumn Get Together. The weather wasn't great and I was pretty sick, so my picture taking was limited. But I still got some photos anyway.


1959 Chevrolet Impala hood ornament with rain drops


1950 Ford


1946 Cadillac hood ornament


Classic Hot Rod Mercury


1955 Oldsmobile Super 88


1925 Graham-Paige that traveled from Argentina to Alaska


1932 Ford


I already posted this before, but I'll post it again. My 1957 Hawthorne bike



Of course November is the time of Thanksgiving and this year I have been bringing my camera to the family gatherings this year in order to capture more of the event and trying out people pictures. I hate posed pictures though, so I try to be inconspicuous and capture events


Though of course I can't help missing out on an Evelyn pose, she was the main subject of most of my photos anyway.


A happy accident type photo


A goofy old manish face


The table


And the final pictures from November were taken at the Great Train Expo, a model train show that travels around the country. I went to the one at the Alameda Fairgrounds since I was already home for the weekend, I love model trains, and wanted to take some pictures anyway.


N Scale Union Pacific


Z Scale radio station


Z scale rail yard


On30 gauge tramps


On30 Locomotive


G scale band


G scale locomotive


LEGO Pleasanton


N scale town


That does it for my pictures from November. You can guess what Decembers will be filled with, though Christmas photos may get their own post all together. I don't know what else I'll be photographing in December, however.


Also, though I have no reason to really ask any of you, casual readers to do so, I thought I'd throw it out there. AT&T recently terminated their agreement with Flickr on providing AT&T DSL customers with a free pro account, so come February I'll be losing my Pro account if I do not purchase one. So I ask for any donations if you wish to do so. My Flickr Pro account is pretty much why I got so into taking pictures. Why take 500 pictures if it takes you months to upload them?

So if you are feeling generous, please click the donation button below. Any amount is appreciated. I wish I could offer something in return, but I really have no ideas.

A hike through Crane Creek Regional Park

After an extremely shitty week at school with the stress of two midterms and some shitty personal drama spilling over from the week before and shit that happened during the week (I resist the urge to elaborate, but I'm staying on my no personal entries rule), I decided I needed to take the weekend to get out of the dorm and do some photography. Since there was no car shows going on and there won't be for awhile and I was tired of doing campus photo shoots, I decided to pack a lunch and head up to a regional park and take some pictures there.

My original destination was the Sonoma Valley Regional Park in Glen Ellen. I followed Google's directions to Sonoma Mountain Road and realized that that street deserved its mountain name, barely wide enough for two lanes and no lines painted, I wasn't going to drive that, especially when I wasn't sure where I was going. I decided to head back the way I came and take the alternate route of highway 12 through Santa Rosa. I passed Crane Creek on my way up and decided I'd stop there instead. While not as large nor tree filled as I read that Sonoma Valley was, I thought it would be a nice drive.

First thing I noticed was the lack of a ranger station of any sort. Yet you still had to pay for parking, $5 in an envelope. I guess it's based on the honor system and fear that they could come and check anytime, writing down license plate numbers and parking permit numbers to see if you paid. Though it seemed like I was the only one who paid. Oh well, more money for the parks.

Crane Creek is very much like most of California and Sonoma county, covered in grassland with a few trees cropping up here and there. Not until you descend down the hill slightly towards the actual Creek (which was dried up at this time) do the trees start to get more thick.

Overall it was a lovely hike. I'm kind of glad I went to Crane Creek instead. I'm not the most physically fit, and this hike had me somewhat winded near the end, I could only imagine what Sonoma Valley would do to me if it was longer. I'd definitely go up there again, though I'd bring a walking stick. It was great place to clear my mind, distract myself from the shit week I had, and give me a chance to take some great pictures.

My initial reason for going to a park was to see some actual trees that changed color in fall, unlike the evergreens and redwoods I'm used to seeing. While Crane Creek had none of that, the vineyards across the street were showing off their fall colors and it was quite a beautiful sight.




That one was actually taken near the end of my hike.

The first trail I headed to was the overlook trail, I wasn't sure how high up I was, so I wanted to see how far I could see. The view was gorgeous, with Rohnert Park and parts of Santa Rosa in the foreground and the hills covered in haze in the background, I was really awed by it all.






I'm pretty sure that building is the new Green Music Center here at SSU, but I'm not certain, as I couldn't really gauge my location in relation to the school.



From the outlook and other high points of the park, I turned around toward Pressley road and towards the multitudes of vineyard homes and ranches that were located here.


This house really captured my attention, it just stood out where it was.




I wasn't sure what would look better, with the weeds in focus or the house in focus. I think the weeds in focus turned out better, but I think it's because I didn't really get the house totally in focus in the other. Maybe if I played with the F-number I might have gotten better results.


All the trails were marked throughout the park. I spent most of my time on the Fiddleneck trail, which was for walkers, bikes, and horses. I saw no bikes, and only saw horses when I was leaving. This trail does a loop around the park, with various junctions to the other trails. This trail however was not marked and looked like a shortcut that quite a few people decided to take.


The center of the park was made up of a mass of trees that shaded the wildflower meadows. Apparently during the spring this park is a great spot for wildflowers. I guess I'll have to go back when they are in bloom. All I saw were wilted, dead wildflowers.


This tree was all alone near the top of the park. Also notice in this shot part of the trail. The Fiddleneck trail was covered in rocks and gravel that made it quite a difficult journey when going up and slightly dangerous going down. Would not want to ride a bike down this.


I know nothing of trees, so I don't know what this is. But the mass of branches going every which way was amazing. It reminded me of the haunted trees at the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland.

Another example of the crazy branched trees




Many of the trees had lots of moss and other plants growing on the actual, giving a really cool look.


I wonder how many people go off the trail to go check out that arch, either to lay under it or just look at it closer. I decided not to.


This barbed wire was kind of in a random spot. I guess it was to really force people to stay on the trails by only giving them a gate on the actual trail. I liked the rusted look and the menacing barbs. I had to hump a gate post to get this shot, but I'm pretty happy with. Should have messed with the F-number to get those back poles into focus slightly more without losing the main focus on the front post.


Crane Creek itself was dried up for the year, but apparently it does run at other times. Which is strange, because the Fiddleneck trail seemingly goes right through the creek. It was a tough challenge navigating the many river rocks though.

After the creek and climbing a big hill I was starting to feel the effects of my longish walk. I'm not sure how much I hiked, probably no more than a mile, but it's not something I'm used to. I rally enjoyed myself though. It was great to get out of dorms and into nature, where it was quiet except for the occasional plane sounds, hawk screeches, and rustling birds and lizards. There was only a few people on the trails with me and only one I crossed paths with. I felt alone during most of my walk, which was nice for my mind.

Next time I get out I'm definitely going to try out the Sonoma Valley Regional Park and maybe even the Jack London park, also in Glen Ellen. But as the year wanes on, I don't know how much I'll be able to do before the rain starts, though that will make for some good pictures as well.