Mad as a Hatter

Ellie and Daddy got tea sets for Christmas, so we had a little tea party before our proper feast. If you were here we'd offer you something nice to eat with your tea. Ellie has a lot of doilies, so we're all set for a formal occaision. I don't have any doilies myself, but she tells me I can borrow some from her any time I want.

I am relieved. What would the new year be without doilies.

Branch Manger

No creche as yet, but we may get there by the end of the week. For now, Robin and the kids went up the hill and found a nice lookin' branch and pulled it off the tree. Don't worry, we have lots of trees. It seems Penny (Robin's mom) has lots of decorations, so we added some of hers to ours and let Aliana do the final touches...and I think it might be the most beautiful tree (branch) I've ever seen. It reminds me a lot of something my Grandmere might have done. Melle Kalikimaka to all!

Ice Ice Baby

We have had a freeze for a couple of days. No snow at our place, but all the surrounding towns seem to be snowed in pretty well. Izzy found ice in the troughs for the goats and cattle. It was beautiful so I took a picture of it. I do that from time to time. I think Robin's photography has effected mine...it's all beginning to look alike. Is that what happens to couples who shoot together? I'll have to do something about that...Perhaps it's because most of what I post here is for her. Like the ice...this is beautiful but in the end will not last.

Underwear Model

It's been a long time since I did a lingerie shoot. How my life has changed.

when blogs collide

Usually all the farm updates are on Robin's blog...but lately she's been all about the photography. She's gotten quite good at that. Today I thought, since she's sick in bed, she might not get to post anything. Being far more religious about the daily posting than I, her loss would be more heartfelt than mine. Perhaps there's an indulgence in this for me...good deed for the infirm and all that.

So here I am a-butcherin' our dear duckie friends. Actually they were really annoying ducks, so doing them in was a popular move all around the farm; even amongst the fowl-loving set.

I am particularly fond of this little diptych since Robin and I each took one of the photos, then I mushed them together. This was rather like the collaborative slaughter we undertook.

I done cut 'em...then she done gut 'em!

Robin's last post had to do with the value judgments around eating meat and slaughtering fowl. Here's evidence that she was in earnest.

Hello Mitzi

Today I heard I have a secret follower on the old blog here...so if you're out there Mitzi (sp?)...this one's for you. Bliss and Jonathan brought their cute little doggie (Phineas) to have a portrait made. We did some with the dog, but then he'd had enough. So we did some without him. We had a great time and got some nice pictures. It's wonderful to have our east coast friends back here in California for a while. I hope they get to stay.

This one's for Mom

Here you are Mother Dear. Night photography as requested.

Ratrick

This one's for Robin

This is what I was trying to finish making as a surprise for you after dinner. Sorry that did not work out.

One good hand deserves another

OK Robin's hand pictures inspired me to do the same to her. So here she is cuttin' up some pig or other. For the record, we did not raise the pig. We are going to see if we can live on food we've stored for the next 30 days.

The Book Lady

Bliss has been our most frequent (just about only) visitor here in the new home. Being so far out in the sticks, we don't get a lot of callers. We kinda like that, but Bliss is family. So close in fact that Elizabeth still thinks she's my sister. She's more Robin's sister than mine, but Robin's been nice enough to share.

She brings books for the kids. The kids love this of course. We do too.

Lizard Lover and Frog Farmer...my wife Robin.

Robin caught a frog and a lizard. Then she held them a bit too close to each other. Amphibian vs. reptile. I think the reptile won. Neutral corners for each and nobody was hurt.

Some processed image samples

Hey there...a few folks have asked me about Adobe Lightroom and what I might use it for. While I have a workflow that requires organization and filing, and Lightroom is great for that, what I think most people are after is the effects and tweeks you can do to a picture. So I processed my boy. The last one is unprocessed...just scanned from Kodak 400NC film scanned as a fat jpeg with digital ice to remove dust etc. The others have been processed starting with Lightroom presets and then tweeked a bit with their tool palette. All six took about 30 minutes. I could do them quite a bit faster, but I was up and down doing chores at the same time.

Lightroom is quick and smooth. Pick your favorite Izzy!
Patrick

I have nothing to say about this photograph

OK so that's not exactly true. I just don't know what to say except it's a desperate attempt at a subject when I didn't feel like shooting anything today. So I had Izzy shoot it for me. He did a good job.

This was an object found at the bottom of a box of junk. Too much junk in the bedroom. I was not doing my bit to clear the pile away so I got in trouble. Needless to say, a few minutes later I was digging through the pile. Most of it got thrown away. This thangymawhatsit did not. It was too beautiful so I shot it instead.

I think it came from the door of a coal stove we tossed out before we moved up here.

There's a visual metaphor in this object for life, or the election cycle, or my new job, or something...but I don't have the energy to find it. Consider this your poetic scavenger hunt and find it yourself.

Or not.

Patrick

Trick or Freakin' Treat Everyone

So Robin got together some really nice costumes for the kids. Mostly thrift store materials. Manufactured stuff was all used and really cheap.

She says next year we're going for entirely home-made costumes.

Ellie was able to keep up with the kids for the first time. She did not need to be carried around all night. Great for moms and dads and wonderful for Ellie too I'm sure.

It was a bit hard this year as we have had a wonderful Hallowe'en tradition since Izzy was born of sharing the night with Paulo and Aiden and their families in Watsonville. We're not there and couldn't make it back to join them. That was hard on Robin. Perhaps next year we will.

For the record I think the person who decided to re-invent the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup should be locked into a cell with the person who re-invented the Oreo Cookie...and then they should be left to rot in their own filth for the rest of time. Some things are sacred.

Patrick Works

Low-Brow Confection Snob

Wanna buy a rake?

I Got home from a hard day at blackrock. Found myself in the midst of fencing project finishing up as I arrived.

Once we were done we found we'd imprisoned our collection of dead garden tools.

So I shot the prisoners. Odd to shoot the dead, but I did.

Then watched them carried outside the prison walls to be disposed of.

I have no idea of their final resting place.

So here's a picture of the prisoners up against a tree...just before they were shot.

I normally don't go in for the still-life pretty object found subject kinda stuff...but there it was and there I was.

So here you are.

Something else tomorrow I hope.

Patrick

Here Kitty Kitty

Charlie my cat died last month...and we were without a cat.

Then we got a cat. I have a camera. So here you are.

Robin thought I should start posting a picture each day too. What with the regular demand for family images, between us we've got a lot to post. It's nice to have this stuff someplace other than the commercial website.

So here's Phoebe the cat kinda solarized or something. I was bored and playing with Lightroom.

For those who have not tried it, Adobe Lightroom is groovy. Try it for free. Dowload from http://www.adobe.com/

You should also see what a real blogger can do at http://www.monkeymindonline.blogspot.com/

Patrick Works
Cat Lover