It’s been quite a week for crazy Christmas sites. First stop, check out Chewie singing. While that’s playing you might enjoy an interactive Christmas light display with 26,000 lights that can be controlled via a web browser. From the just plain wierd department it’s Santarchy. Be careful out there.
Speaking of furry Christmas, help a furry Maine Coon find a good home.
For years I’ve been watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation at the start of each holiday season and dreaming of creating a holiday display like Clark Griswold’s. A family in Novato has taken that idea and gone even further, covering their front lawn, roof, and most of the interior space with a wonderful display of Christmas cheer. The Cronicle has an article on their home and counting up the lights at 80,000. Sara and I went for a visit on Saturday, check out the pictures here.
Doug and Alma have also added holiday cheer to their home, and to the web with some nicely decorated trees.
While you’re viewing all the photos, enjoy a listen to the music from last weekend’s UCCE Holiday Show.
Photos from two recent outings in San Francisco. On Monday night I headed out to the Embaradero waterfront with my new co-worker Christophe, also an avid photographer for some evening photography. The lights of San Francisco are quite wonderful after dark. I focused on long exposure shots, going for the streaking car lights, and smooth water effects. We’ll be heading out for many more outings after the holidays.
The other set is from the recent Go Game in North Beach. Team Player reunited and put in another solid showing. There was some controvery over the scoring. Officially we came in second, but we’re convinced the judges miscounted and we were robbed of first place.
On the way in the morning the Bart train stopped in the tunnel, west of the 12th Street stop with the exciting announcement of “there’s been an earthquake in the Bay Area”. The crowded Bart train was full of excitement, where was the quake? how big? how long would we be stopped? Slowly the train got underway, inspecting the track ahead. All was fine, I didn’t even feel it 
Sara felt it out in Walnut Creek. The Cronicle and The Contra Costa Times have stories.
I just got to work and found the USGS info, a 3.4 up near Vallejo, click here.
Sara’s brother Evan has some rockin’ new music available for free download at download.com. Also check out Evan’s other project, Chronic Town, an R.E.M. tribute band.
This years family Thanksgiving dinner too place at the Raymond’s in Orinda, CA. Sara cooked up a storm for 24 hours. Photos are available here. On Friday we visited the Bay Model in Sausalito, a 2 acre working hydraulic model of the San Francisco Bay. Fascinating and definitely worth a visit.
There’s a wonderful vintage clothing store in San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square whose sales go to benefit and the Helpers of the Mentally Retarded. I’ve been visting the store for a few years, finding Christmas presents and some great vintage clothes. The woman who runs the place, Joy Venturini Bianchi, is a total fashonista, and has a great eye for clothes that fit and look great. Sara was in search of hats to wear for our rehearsal dinner and day after brunch. A few photos of the many hats she tried.
Once again we had a tree decorating party, this time to celebate our first tree together. On Saturday we went tree shopping. On Sunday we had a record turnout with a wonderfully decorated tree lighting up our living room. The Canon 20d was setup to record all the action in time lapse. Thanks to all for helping!