Fireworks On The 4th Of July

(See more fireworks photos!)

As promised yesterday, today I'm posting the fireworks photos I took of the town fireworks display on the 4th of July. The display moved locations this year, from the high school to the middle school, which turned out to be a great place to view the fireworks. I was feet from where the fireworks were launched, and I'm pretty happy with how they came out.

The bumps at the bottom of the photo above are people's heads. There were a lot of said heads at the show, along with the rest of their bodies.

I also created a collage (click on the thumbnail at left to see it large) of several of the fireworks. It's part of the Flickr photoset I've created for the event.

Hugo over at My Left Nut has posted a great video of the fireworks, plus a video slideshow. He also posted a video slideshow of the town parade. Very cool stuff.

2008 4th Of July Parade

(See more photos!)

I hope those in the United States had a great holiday yesterday. I celebrated by attending the town parade in the afternoon (see above) and fireworks show in the evening. I'll have photos of the fireworks tomorrow.

The theme for the parade was "Freedom Is Not Free." There were a lot of service members and veterans, plus a wide assortment of floats, animals, etc. I've created a Flickr photoset of the event, and I hope you'll stroll through to see some of the sights.

Happy Independence Day!

For those of you in the United States, I hope you have a very happy and safe day, celebrating our country's birthday. To those of you in other parts of the world, I hope you also have a happy and safe day, doing whatever it is you're doing today. :)

I plan on attending the town parade today, and possibly the fireworks display tonight. The display will be held in a new location this year, so I'm not entirely sure where the best place to view it from will be. I may just watch the Portland fireworks stuff on TV and call it a night. :)

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

Guest photographer Moe sent me this funny photo of him sporting a green beard for St. Patrick's Day, and I just had to post it. Now that is getting into the spirit of the holiday. :)

Photo is copyright © Moe. All rights reserved. Do not copy or reproduce in any way without permission of photographer.

Merry Christmas!

I'm one tired gal after a busy Christmas Eve, so I'll just post this shot of more Christmas lights (hey, it's Christmas... gotta be Christmas-y!), and wish you all Happy Holidays, however you are spending the day.

Take care, everyone.

A Bear, His Hat, And His Scarf

Merry Christmas Eve! I'm going to keep today's post short, since it's a holiday and all, and those of you who celebrate the day probably have better things to do than to read my ramblings.

Oh, who am I kidding? Everyone else probably has better things to do, too. :)

I hope everyone has a great day, and see y'all tomorrow.

White And Blue

Today's photo was taken at an angle. Please note: this was entirely intentional and I was not over indulging in the eggnog, if you catch my drift.

I had a big elaborate story planned for the photo. But when I started to write it, everything sounded completely wrong (trust me), so it's been scrapped. Instead, I'll regale you with a poem I wrote for a friend. I think you'll find it encapsulates the true meaning of Christmas.
I'm not dreaming of a white Christmas
Nor sleigh rides in the snow
And it's never really been my thing
To go caroling to and fro

Holiday decorations are pretty
The music is quite nice
If there's Christmas pie to be had
I'd gladly take a slice

But there is something else
We need to keep in mind
The reason for this very season
Really isn't hard to find

The answer lies within us all
And it's really so sublime:
Skip the presents this year
I'll take cash this time!I'm kidding, of course (I also accept PayPal!). I'm not so crass as to think the holiday is all about what I can get out of it (gift cards!). Christmas is a special time (for money orders and cashier's checks!) which goes far beyond commercialism (personal checks will do nicely!). I'm sure you agree. I'm off in search of more eggnog. Ho, ho, ho.

Oh, Deer

If you've visited this here photoblog recently, you might be wondering if all I know how to post are photos of Christmas decorations, about which I make up stupid stories.

Well, I'm here to tell you that line of thinking is absolutely incorrect... mainly because I can't seem to think up a stupid story about today's photo. I feel like such a failure. But I do have a stupid pun for the title, so at least that's something. I'll try harder tomorrow.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

While Frosty the Snowman might be a bit of a slacker, I've found some of his relatives who are more than happy to take up where Frosty left off.

Witness the snowmen in the photo above -- their arms are raised, smiles are on their faces, and most importantly, they're upright. Unlike Frosty. The bum.

Hey, Can I Get A Little Help?!

I'm beginning to notice a disturbing trend. A few days ago, I documented a certain Frosty the Snowman sleeping on the job. And just yesterday I found Santa Claus stuck in a chimney! This holiday season is just fraught with difficulties.

And Santa was doing so well, too. Over the weekend he looked fit and serious, ready for his big trip. But now... well, look at him. He's stuck in a chimney, for goodness sake. And Frosty's sitting back there, laughing at him. As if he has any room to talk, slouch that he is.

Since Frosty wouldn't help, I did try to get ol' Santa un-stuck. But he wouldn't hear of it. Said he couldn't accept help from a lady (he's so old fashioned). I told him while I am female I'm no lady, but he just wouldn't have it.

Anyway, after Christmas Mrs. Claus better put Santa on a diet. It's one thing to be fat and jolly, it's another to have to spend Christmas stuck in a chimney.

Up On The Rooftop

I spotted Santa on a roof of a house yesterday off of 4th Ave. Old St. Nick must be getting an early start this year. Or, maybe he was doing a dry run to work out the kinks before Christmas Eve.

Either way, I admire his dedication to what he does. At least he's not laying down on the job like a certain Frosty the Snowman. In fact, he's one stand up dude. Gotta like that.

Too Much Eggnog

Exactly one year ago today I posted a photo of Frosty the Snowman face down in the dirt. Last year's finding was disturbing, but I was willing to give ol' Frosty the benefit of the doubt. It could have been an isolated incident.

That doesn't appear to be the case, unfortunately. I found Frosty in exactly the same spot as I did a year ago, once again lying (or possibly laying) prone in the dirt. The only difference is he's face up this time. That is an improvement, but the overall trend is disturbing.

I've come up with a possible explanation for this strange behavior. It may be a case of his having peaked so many years ago with his famous song and having narrated the Rudolph special. Since then, he now feels all his good years were behind him, leaving him nothing left but to adorn people's yards and drink eggnog.

It's one possibility. I was unable speak to get Frosty's side of the story, as he was unresponsive when I tried to rouse him. I'll keep you updated should I uncover any further information.

Because All The Cool Kids Are Doing It

It's kind of a popular thing to take purposefully out of focus shots of Christmas lights, especially over on Zooomr, my favorite photo sharing site. So here's my (outdoor, since we have no room indoors) Christmas tree, all decked out in bokeh goodness.

Holiday In Library Land

The public library has a lot of nifty holiday decorations on display, which made it rather difficult to choose just one photo for today's post. It required me to think, after all, and that never goes well. So I decided to just go with a mosaic.

To see each photo individually (the mosaic cropped the photos to a square format), please use the links below:

1. Elf's Lament, 2. A Home In The Village, 3. The Requisite Self Portrait In A Christmas Tree Ornament Shot, 4. The Requisite Self Portrait In A Christmas Tree Ornament Shot II, 5. Bears Can Read, 6. I'm Not Sure, But I Think Santa's A Little Off Kilter, 7. Onward, Horse, We Must Get This Whiskey Home, 8. The Requisite My Arm & Head Are Attached To Frosty's Backside Shot, 9. Sweet

Home For The Holidays

I spotted this sign hanging from a pole on 3rd Ave., near the Mason lodge. There are various such signs, lighted wreaths, etc., around the main part of town... put up by the public works office, I suppose. Unless they weren't. Dunno.

I don't know what the red on the pole is. Maybe whomever (unless it's whoever) put up the sign severed an artery while he/she was up there and they bled all over the place.

Don't ask me where that came from. I'm very tired at the moment.Ho, ho, ho.

Christmas Bonanza

The kind folks at Postal Connections let me wander around and take pictures yesterday of all their pretty holiday gift items. Because where there is Christmas stuff, I am drawn to it like a moth to a festive holiday candle's flame. I took several photos, so I created a mosaic since I couldn't decide on just one.

Thanks to Don and Sue, owners of the store, for letting me take pictures. I appreciate it.

If you want to see any of the above photos in full (the mosaic cropped the images to a square format), please visit the links below:

1. Silent Night, Holy Night..., 2. Wrap It Up, 3. Blue Christmas, 4. The Colors Of Christmas, 5. It's Snowing Snowmen, 6. Candy Canes - Five Cents, 7. Special Delivery, 8. Happy Holidays, 9. Smitten By Mittens, 10. Dance Of The Penguin, 11. Ornamental, 12. Oh My Stars, 13. Going A Little Crazy For Christmas

Santa And His Penguins

On the roof of a coffee drive-thru place called the Daily Buzz, which resides in the Safeway grocery store parking lot, sits this rather awesome Christmas inflatable decoration. The penguin in the red box moves up and down. I want one.

Scenes From A Christmas Bazaar

Yesterday I attended 35th Annual Christmas Bazaar at Stayton Middle School. I bought some great pumpkin bread, bought a Christmas present or two, and took some pictures. The above mosaic shows some of the items for sale from the various vendors, and a popcorn machine. Because it's cool.

If you want to see any of the photos individually (the mosaic cropped each photo to a square format), here are the links:

1. Soft, Furry, And Well Dressed, 2. Capturing Snow In A Box, 3. Fractured Illumination, 4. Rush Hour, 5. Time For A Sleigh Ride, 6. Santa And The Egghead, 7. The Gift Of Light, 8. A Modern Girl About Town, 9. Mr. Frosty T. Snowman, At Your Service, 10. Santa's Cookin' Up Supper, 11. Wild Berry, 12. Be There With Bells On, 13. Pop Corn

Enlightened

My brain still hasn't wrapped around it being the holiday season. When I saw a house all decorated with Christmas lights the other day, it took me a minute to figure out what was going on. I'm not overly bright.

Anyway, since it is the season of lightened decoration thingies, I figured I might as well get with the program. The polar bears are a gift for my mother, as she loves all things polar bear. I would have put them out in the yard already (I took these photos while the bears were gracing my dining room table), but it's been darned cold lately. Maybe later today.

J O Y

I was at Postal Connections on Shaff Rd. the other day, and they had adorable little stuffed toys on display, so I took a few pictures. It's what I do.

Here are a couple of other shots of cuteness from the store:

   

Getting Ready

I guess the holiday season is truly here. I happened by some workers who were putting up the city Christmas tree on 3rd Ave. yesterday... it took me completely by surprise. Yes, I know Thanksgiving is tomorrow, but I still have Halloween decorations to put away.

I managed to go out and take some new photos yesterday, which was nice. My camera isn't happy when it doesn't get to scooter around town taking pictures of random things.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Pumpkin Day! SpongeBob PumpkinPants above is one of the hand-painted pumpkins I made for Halloween (see last year's Halloween post for two others). It's hard to tell in this photo, but he glows under a black light.

Here are a few more Halloween-themed photos I've taken over the last month (click on each thumbnail to see a larger view). Enjoy, and see you tomorrow for the November 1st city daily photo theme day.

The Spook Gallery:

Beneath It All

No, this isn't a self portrait.

I decided to take a (brief) break from all the autumn leaves photos to post a Halloween-themed picture. It's both a skeleton skull and a candle, so it's two, two, two things in one! Wow! This is exciting stuff, friends.

Bad To The Balloon

This bad boy was hanging out near Locust St. He has a nice bike, with the flames and all. I wonder who makes it -- Harley-Balloonson? I hear it runs on helium. It gets good mileage since it doesn't weigh much.

Anyway, this has to be the coolest Halloween inflatable decoration I've seen.

By the way, I do apologize for the bad puns in today's post. Kinda.

If This Isn't Scary, I Just Don't Know What Is

I'm a little concerned. When I was out a couple of nights ago I saw this inflatable Halloween decoration not once, but twice, in two yards in separate parts of town. This leads to the inevitable conclusion that they're either multiplying or one was following me. Either way, this can't be good.

If they are breeding or are sentient and capable of movement, then we should all be on high alert. Pay attention next time you're out driving around and you'll see them everywhere. What are these creatures thinking? What are they hiding? This is an issue I strongly feel should be looked into closely. Possibly with the aid of large federal grants.

We need act now, before it's too late. The evil inflatable Halloween monsters are everywhere, in every yard across the country. There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. They're coming for you!!

Ahem. Sorry. I may be rushing to judgment. Forgive me.

I leave you with a final warning: do not approach any of these... beings. We don't know what they're capable of, so it's best to not engage. Use extreme caution.

A Patch Of Pumpkins

I'm not ready. The local stores have put Halloween-related items on sale, and I'm not ready. I love Halloween, but it's way too soon to acknowledge it even being October.

2007 Independence Day Parade

It was a hot one here in Stayton on the 4th... a reader board on 1st Ave. said it was 91 during the parade. But it was worth it.

One of the co-grand marshals, Brunk Conley, was a student-teacher of mine when I was 9th grade, and teaches at the high school when he's not off in the middle east. Hats off to both grand marshals and anyone else who have or are serving in our military.

For more photos from the parade, please visit the Flickr photoset I've created. It has giant frogs, smoking airplanes, Marines, cute children, a guy stuck upside-down in a washing machine, and much more.

Fireworks On Display

Stayton put on a beautiful fireworks display last night. I took several long exposure photos and put them in a Flickr photoset. Hope you like them.

Tomorrow I'll post some photos from the parade, but for now I'm going to go to sleep. I'm bushed.

Happy 4th of July - Be Safe!

Happy Independence Day to everyone here in the United States. I hope those who will be playing with fireworks today will do what the sign says and be safe.

That goes for everyone else, as well, no matter how you spend the day today. :)

Memorial Day, 2007

I took a few photos at Lone Oak Cemetery yesterday for Memorial Day. You can view my Flickr photoset here for more from the cemetery.

Red, White, Blue, Green, and Yellow

This is one of the many American flags which can be found around town. I've posted this photo in honor of Memorial Day, 2007, and all that it means. This flag flies above Pioneer Park.

Inflatable Snowman

I have a confession to make: I've joined the legions of people with inflatable Christmas lawn decorations. It's strange what a half-price after-Christmas sale will do to a person. It was so cheap, and it's a snow globe with fake snow and everything! It's not my fault. It called to me.

I am weak.

But it's cute, ain't it?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope everyone is having a day of peace and love. And pie... lots of pie. ;)

The sign above currently sits in front of Regis High School, a catholic school on Regis St. here in Stayton.

Merry Christmas Eve, Everyone

I wish everyone a peaceful and joyous Christmas Eve... and Christmas Day to those in earlier time zones. Happy holidays to all who celebrate other holidays, and have a happy day in general to everyone.

We're going to have a passel of people over at our house tonight to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. Then my 14-year-old niece will stay over, which always makes me happy because she's pretty much the only person I know who's shorter than me, if only by a little bit. It makes me feel almost tall. ;)

A Purple Christmas Tree

I am happy to say our lonely little Christmas tree is lonely no more. Yes, friends, it has finally been brought inside and decorated. It may not be the most attractive tree, but it's ours... and it's done and out of the way, which is a big plus.

Thanks to those who left get well wishes. I'm better today, so hopefully by tomorrow I'll be as good as whatever I was before I fell ill.

Out of Focus

There comes a time in every wannabe photographer's life when they take purposefully out of focus shot of lights. This is mine. :) It's of some multicolored Christmas lights I spotted in downtown Stayton.

The Town Tree

I finally managed to get a photo of Stayton's Christmas tree when the lights were on. I think it looks rather pretty sitting next to that gazebo. The star on top of the tree is tipped over... probably a result of the high winds the other night. The tree itself is tied down, and I'm glad it didn't fall over.

Speaking of holidays, I want to wish a Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate it.

Lonely little Christmas tree update: the tree I bought was finally moved inside the house today, where it stayed for about 10 minutes before it had to be moved to another room. It aggravated our allergies something awful. We might have to move it to the patio and look at it through the glass door.

Passed Out Frosty

LATE BREAKING UPDATE: Today's post is number 200, and I didn't notice until the day was half over. I'm such a dork. Anyway, on with the post...

Yesterday I promised to show you what Frosty the Snowman does in his off time. Well, I have photographic evidence he has a life beyond that of guarding Christmas tree lots.

Now, let's not assume anything. He could be passed out with his carrot nose stuck in the dirt beneath him for a very good reason. And just because there's an empty whipped cream container next to him doesn't necessarily mean he was hitting the eggnog a bit too hard, so just get that idea out of your head right now. He could have been... um, making holiday pies to give to needy families, and he just dropped from exhaustion.

I do wonder, however, why there's a second snowman nearby who looks exactly like him. Could it be Frosty has a double to take over when he's out of commission?

Tomorrow's photo is of something I found a few blocks away from where I found the above. I'm not saying it's related, but one never knows. Check back tomorrow and draw your own conclusions.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Christmas Trees For Sale

The above is from the local Boy Scouts Christmas tree lot, which is being silently and ardently guarded by Mr. Frosty T. Snowman. If you don't pay, he bonks you on the head with his cane. If you're rude -- bonk. If you look at him funny -- bonk. Don't mess with Frosty. Hey, it's all for a good cause.

Tune in tomorrow to find out what Frosty does in his off time.