the stillness the dancing

Oh, the evil in one little bar of chocolate goodness.

T. S. Eliot's said "so the darkness shall be the light and the stillness the dancing"~perfect words to wrap up 2016.

Nothing better than twilight at the beach.  Well, maybe a warm beach as opposed to the Atlantic in December. 

I'll have to bribe myself to walk the entire boardwalk tonight, so to see one last viewing of these fun light displays.  It's. So. Cold. 

Enjoying one of my stocking stuffers!

It may sound silly, but go get yourself a nice colouring book~it's oddly satisfying and soothing to complete a picture.

The last sunrise of the year. 

the stars and the surf

lulled me into slumber last

night of this hard year

gioia sulla spiaggia

Enjoying what had now become a New Year's tradition~eclairs (both savory [cherve, thyme, and 'shrooms] and sweet~well, British sweet cream.  Which isn't.)  Should I ever win the lottery, I am becoming a pastry chef.

Back to beach to say good riddance to this year.  The only drawback to a Texas life was no ocean (the Gulf doesn't count)~so I am savoring the fact that I can jump in my car and be seaside within an hour or two. 

And I've said (ad nauseam, I'm sure) that the school year is the new year for me, there will  still be long beach walks pondering what's next for me.

My countdown clock tells me that I have only 160 more days until I can begin a new (urban) chapter! 

Happy to see the Christmas display still up.  If the wind dies down, I may go back out when it's dark to get some twinkly shots. 

If you squint, you'll the little wooden angel that a high school friend sent to me last Christmas~I've dubbed her Gioia (Italian for 'joy') and she's gone on many adventures with me this year.

little wooden sprite

thanks for the interesting

spin around the earth

silver/gold

Not quite sure what the adage of something, something new/old friends, one is silver, the other is gold (and I'm FAR too invested in vacation sloth to actually Google it), but as I age~while I so enjoy meeting new people and the layer of interest they bring to my life~there is something so comforting about kicking off one's shoes and curling up on a sofa and just Talking without filters.

Two of my former Austin colleagues~both of whom call Baltimore their home~so lovely to catch up with them for an afternoon. 

deep joy of being

known from survival in some

fun teaching trenches

And, I have to laugh at my two Jewish friends~posing in front of a Christmas tree.

Christmas~past/present/future

New "KitchenAid" from Poppa~many special cookies were made. 

The true reason for the season~lefse! 

Festive feasting. 

The calm before the carnage. 

when does it slip a- 

way?  That deep childlike delight

in the smallest things.

Christmas Eve post-lights viewing treat. 

All he wanted for Christmas was "trains and candy corns."

Little Cindy Lou Who. 

A lovely Christmas~full of quiet moments, zany dances, yummy meals, and lovely gifts.  The only thing missing was a snowfall.

cuties

rosy-cheeked lake walk 

pockets full of acorns and 

tissue~winter break

solstice

I've been pre-posting most of these this month~between the musical life in December and being a house guest for two weeks~bouncing between hosts, I take whatever quiet time I have to upload photos and create the haiku.  So.  These shots are actually of the dawn of Solstice this year.  

absorbing the light

illuminated Sol In~

victus that dwells within.

sparkles of whimsy

Went to see 34th Street~Baltimore style.  Fun block of neighborhood whimsy.   

juxtaposition

childlike delight and freezing

of the adult bones

It's a sign~literally and figuratively!

festive at the micro level

vivid bursts of food

lift the frigidity of

 a mid-winter's gloom 

time & timing

If music, food, love

are all enhanced by perfect 

timing~why didn't

this wall of clocks work?

keep your figgy pudding

I prefer my figs to appear on fresh croissants.

the sheer & utter

luxurious hours of hol-

iday rhythms