Old Spice

As old as the hills.

 

As fresh as the dew.

As sure as the sun rises and sets, light and darkness engage in an eternal struggle. 

 This time of the year, when its seems nighttime might last forever, we find ways to beat back the darkness. 

Always have.  Always will.

 Just outside our door.

In our homes.

…and in our hearts.

With music…

…friends and family…

…stories…

 

…and more stories.

Parties help.

So does chocolate.

Sweetness of any kind, really.

And a sense of adventure, even if it’s just in your own mind.

When in doubt, add an extra pinch of spice.

May the New Year bring you fun and adventure, sweetness and spice.

All words and images ©2015 Naomi Baltuck.

Click here for more interpretations of The Weekly Photo Theme: Now.

Click here for more interpretations of The Weekly Travel Theme: Spice.

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Everything is Illuminated

On Christmas afternoon, we go for a walk, rain or shine.  In Seattle, that usually means rain.

One of our favorite destinations is the duck pond a couple blocks from our house.

We had a green wet Christmas…

… at the end of a green wet December.

But we didn’t mind a few puddles, and neither did the ducks. They reflect the sky and light up the forest floor.

The forest was showing off its Christmas colors.

The sun never came out, but orange streetlights lit up the raindrops in the tree branches.

There was even enough light cast by the streetlight to take a shadow portrait.

Our afternoon walk turned into a night walk when we decided to go to the top of the ridge to watch the moonrise from our favorite overlook.

I love night walks.  Everything is illuminated.  Light and color are everywhere.

It was interesting to note how people decorated for the holidays. From this…

To this…

And everything in between.

The moon looked like a giant Christmas bauble in the sky.

But the lights on the ferry were as pretty as any I saw that night.

And the wet pavement reflected the streetlights,paving our streets with gold.

Maybe that’s why we’ve never bothered to decorate the outside of our house.  I doubt we could improve upon the job Ma Nature has done.  But the inside story is different.  It is there that we like to let our little lights shine.

All words and images c2013 Naomi Baltuck

Click here for more interpretations of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Illumination.