Christmas Trains

I was reading about some different photo techniques for some Christmas pictures. I saw a couple articles about using a shallow depth of field to throw the background out of focus. Specifically a background of lights, even more specifically - Christmas lights.

So, I had a technique, but I needed something for the foreground. Something appropriate for the holiday season.  It didn't take me very long to get some ideas. There's not much more appropriate than model trains to create a nostalgic atmosphere.  My father worked for railroads all his life, so we grew up with real and model railroads. I've had model railroad engines and cars as long as I can remember.

I grabbed some of the pieces in my collection and headed for the living room, where the tree was available as a backdrop.

I started with a Western Maryland Railroad steam engine.  I like this picture so much that I've made it my desktop on my home computer.  A model steam engine with blurred Christmas lights - I am really happy with this foray into a new skill. Particularly since my father retired from the Western Maryland at the end of his career, this is a special photo for me.

I also got a picture with the coal tender.

From there I moved onto something a little more modern from the Baltimore and Ohio line. My father didn't work for the B&O, but is was part of the Chessie System that also included the Western Maryland.  This is a classic look from a lot of old movies.

And with a second diesel engine attached.

These are all HO gauge, but I do have 2 O gauge (the size of Lionel trains) that were gifts from my mother after my father retired. The two O gauge cars are from the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (M&St.L) and the Great Northern. These were both railroads where my father had worked.

Well, I grabbed the Great Northern boxcar and tried the new technique on a larger (and brighter) subject.

I guess I need a larger tree for the backdrop - but it still is a neat picture to me.

Last summer, Gloria and I found a Lionel set of Chessie System equipment in an antique shop. I tried it out last summer (with Gloria's permission) but I couldn't get it to work.  So I didn't know if it would run, and I had promised not to get into it until Christmas, so I didn't know if it worked, and wouldn't know until Christmas.

I did some research online about what might be the problem and possible solutions.  Christmas came and I had to wait until the middle of the afternoon to be able to play with my train set.  At first it didn't work. I tried a couple possible fixes, but it still wasn't working.  I was running out of options, but still had a couple more things to try.  I was finally able to get it running and had to get pictures. But pictures wouldn't capture enough, I had to get a video of the train moving.

Be sure to watch this to the end (it's only 49 seconds) to see the blooper reel at the end. In the blooper you can even see the engine making smoke. (Don't worry, it's the smoke that the train is supposed to make - there must still be some residual of the smoke mix in the smokestack.) 

So the Christmas trains have had a very eventful holiday season.

Father Christmas

Santa, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Saint Nicholas...

I've had an affinity for Fr. Christmas for a very long time.  One of the first things that Gloria ever did was when I asked her to help me make  a costume along the lines of Fr. Christmas.  I was in a historical group and was making a holiday outfit that also works very well as a Fr. Christmas costume.  I'm 6'4" tall and I was making a floor length red velvet gown with huge sleeves and fur trim. I needed help with the hem since I could not mark and pin it while I was wearing it. So I asked for her help and she pinned the hem for me on one of the first times we spent some time together.

I still have it and try to find opportunities to wear it - but there are not a lot of social events where a man can wear a red velvet gown.  I did use it for pictures with the furbabies last year.

It's even more impressive when I'm standing up and I'm not in front of a red background - but you can get the idea.

Now onto the collection that comes out for Christmas.

The heart of the collection is displayed on the piano.

They range from rustic woodland santas to velvet and satin formal Fr. Christmases which I sure the original Bishop Nicholas would never have recognized. If you look closely, there are even two bagpipe playing santas on the left.  My Mother used to love Santas as well and many of these are presents from her, and some of them were hers.

But the santas don't end at the piano, they are taking over the house.

The sleigh is nice and I like the action of the reindeer taking off. The other Santa is actually a set of Russian nesting Santas.

Meanwhile on the wine bar, a couple of European feeling santas are  hanging out.

They just feel so "right" on the wine bar in a Tuscan themed kitchen.  And of course there needs to be a train - that one's a cookie jar. And the fuzzy santa in the middle is a wine bottle gift wrap canister.

I went looking for a better picture of my suit and here's one showing a bit more detail. It was at our office party 2 years ago.

O Christmas Tree(s)

Peeking in the living room window from the yard, you can see that the outside has come inside and a tree is in residence.

The tree has been set up and smell of real pine is escaping from the living room. We traditionally go out the first Friday of December to get the tree, then set it up and decorate it the next day.  We try to make a party of it, but this year it was just Gloria and me doing the decorating.  Gloria sits on the couch unwrapping the ornaments (most of them still in their original boxes) and everyone else (me) puts them on the tree.

Before any ornaments, I weave in the lights.  I put on a lot of lights, and weave them in and out from the trunk to the outer branches. This give a great depth to the tree and the lights. It's a trick I learned from my brother when we were still decorating our Mother's tree. The angel on top is another family tradition we've had for more years than I can remember, but the lights still work and she still graces the top of our tree every year.

We always start with two special ornaments, they were bought in the hospital when Jacob was born and they are always the first two to go on the tree; even now - 29 years later. After those two, it's full steam ahead.  We do have a few predominate themes; Santas, dogs, and trains. There are plenty of other ornaments as well, but those are the three most common.

We have been building our collection of ornament since our honeymoon.  While we were on our honeymoon we found a Christmas shop and bought a particularly pretty ornament. Since then we try to each get a special ornament every year.

We also got two ornaments each year for Jacob.  A couple years ago, when he had moved out of the house, we gave him 1/2 of his special ornaments (except for the ones from the hospital) so that he would have a starter collections for his tree.

We have also gotten ornaments to remember the international students and families we have hosted over the years. When we hang their ornaments on the tree we can remember the blessings of friends who are not with us this year.

We ended up with a smaller tree then usual this year so we had to pick and choose what to use, but every one has a memory associated with it.

And just for fun, we have started putting up a small tree in the family room. This is the second year, but it carries the decorations into the room where we actually spend most of our time.

On the wall behind it are pictures of all our fur-babies; adopted and fostered.

Santa's village

Santa and Mrs. Clause have been busy getting ready for a special season of blessings and joy.  Instead of trying to post too many pictures, or writing a post that goes on forever, I'm visiting around the house in several posts.  Today We'll take a stroll through the Christmas Village.

The village has been a work in progress for many years. It is one of Gloria's annual efforts. She has been picking out new pieces for literally decades as we find special buildings or characters or elements that she likes.  It has found a home on 2 tables 4'x2' and the bar for the highlands (there should be a joke in there somewhere, but it won't show up until after I have hit 'publish.')

The village shows a lot of our own interests, two churches, a coffee shoppe, a pet salon, toy shop, 2 dog walkers, several inns, but only two houses, and as you can see - a train right up in front of the whole scene.

The highlands (on the bar) also hosts a lighthouse, but I'm not sure why.  There really isn't a nautical theme anywhere else. I guess it's from living in Maryland right next to the Chesapeake Bay and going over to the Eastern Shore regularly to see Gloria's family.  The highlands also are home to the school and the residential neighborhood.

Down in the commercial district is the heart of the village.

There are a couple of frozen ponds in the park in the foreground and in the center of the village is the church. There are plenty of people (and dogs) out enjoying the fresh snowfall and getting ready for Christmas eve.

And we can't forget the kids.

Santa's Workbench Toy Shoppe is right next door to the Posh Pets Salon (with one of the dog walkers right outside the pet salon.) So we're ready for the two legged and the four legged kids.

There's a lot more going on from the tree lot to the inns, but this is just one stroll through the village.