Every year1, for the last sixteen years, I make a video of our family putting up our Christmas tree. I’ve been behind in uploading these. Last year for obvious reasons.
I’ve finally gotten around to uploading 2022, 2023, and this year’s 2024. I’ve even found the “lost” footage from 2016.2
Without further ado…Merry Christmas!
If you want to journey back with me, I have finished uploading all the videos* going back to 2008!
Cars were my father’s one true obsession. He could take a single look at any car and regale you with information about it. What engine it came with from the factory, what options were available, who famously drove one, what races it participated in, quirks of its engineering or design. My dad loved cars. Car magazines? If one was published, he was a subscriber. When YouTube came along he would share numbers car-related videos with us over dinner – kindly, but forcefully in his excitement.
Every year, for as long as I can remember, we would go to the big car show in downtown St. Louis. Where all the manufacturers – and later only a few – would show off their latest concepts and models. Easter car show in Forest Park. Every year. Sundays as a kid at the local dealer looking over what they had in stock. No nosey salesmen to bother you! Every Friday, from Spring to Fall we’d be at the local classic car show. He’d stop and look at every car. No hyperbole.
I humored him as I didn’t get to spend enough time with him as a young man and enjoyed his company. As I got older and into car culture myself I found my own favorites and additions to the “If I win the lottery” wishlist. I also started bringing along my camera. Much to his chagrin I was more interested in taking close up photos of the details of the car. The ornaments, the badges, the chrome, the gauges. He always wanted me to take a wide shot of the whole car.
He passed on the first of this year and when car season came around I wasn’t sure I’d want to go again. Finally, in July with the long holiday weekend I decided to go once more. One last walk around the parking lot. Smelling of exhaust and too-rich mixtures of gasoline. Of oil. Oldies – or popular music to my dad’s generation – on full volume. Cars of every color and shape.
I took this picture of a late 60s early 70s Dodge Charger. Lit by the fading sun. A well-cared-for specimen that my dad would have told me all about.
Fujifilm X100VI f4.0, 1/1000, 125 ISO (Auto) Light crop and edits to RAW file for exposure and color.3
In any year, Kamala Harris would be my choice for President of the United States. In this year, she is the only choice. She has my vote. She should have yours as well.
This past weekend our family went on a little trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. We rented a cabin and went on a hike (pdf) at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. I took some photos and a dronie video and a 360 photo too!
It’s refreshing to see two creative and talented guys talking about life in such a casual and open way. You might need the subtitles for this one. 🙂