Color me disappointed. I was hoping that the State Capitol building would be adorned with colored windows to form a Christmas tree, as is typical for the Christmas season. I had expected it to be so the day after Thanksgiving, but sadly that was not the case this weekend. Hopefully that situation gets rectified soon.
As I drove through the capitol grounds, I noticed that the Sakakawea statue was getting a face full as the snowfall began to intensify. I set up my camera in the middle of the road with a clamped aperture and long shutter delay, set the timer, then splashed the statue with light from a handheld flash unit to fill in the shadows. I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out. Then it was on to one of my favorite Christmas destinations:
You can always count on the folks of Northview Lane to make sure that the Christmas spirit is alive and well! Even without a whole lot of snow on the ground, this street is a winter wonderland every year. I’ll probably take my family through it tonight, now that we’ve had a bunch of flurries overnight!
There was already plenty of traffic; the locals know when this display goes online each year, and there were plenty of people driving up and down the hill.
Friendly hint: TURN OFF YOUR HEADLIGHTS and just use your vehicle’s running lights if you want to enjoy the show and make it more pleasant for others. It’s hard to enjoy the lights when someone’s high beams are blasting you in the face; that’s what happened to me last night.
This tree is a
lot bigger than the photo implies. It’s also adorned with some of the coolest Christmas decorations I’ve seen, and the yard sports a lit menagerie of Christmas characters and critters.
Atop the hill is this house, which has an elaborate animated display of lights that keep time with the Christmas music broadcast on 107.5 FM. There are often people stopped near this house with their car radio going, watching the different lights (and MERRY CHRISTMAS spelled out on the lawn) flash and twinkle in time with the music. I found out that a motorcycle friend’s father-in-law owns the house, which was pretty cool. Josh and a few friends were out on the sidewalk across the street with a boom box and Santa hats, waving to passers-by. Josh told me that on the 20th they’re going to have elves out there, giving candy to kids that come by, so save the date on your calendar! Tell them I sent you. I’ll probably be there with my little boys too, as one of them will be turning two.
Until (and after) they get the capitol lit for Christmas, make sure you frequent Northview Lane this Christmas season! Oh, and if I may make one last suggestion:
Pick up this CD. Keep it handy for Christmas. I actually dubbed mine to
MiniDisc™, since the stereo I put in my truck plays MDs instead of CDs. Once the snow flies in the fall, I put this disc in…and it doesn’t come out until the snow’s gone for good in the spring. Of course, I also have my iPod connected, but that’s another matter.
That’s all for now. Put in your Vince Guaraldi disc, get some hot chocolate, and head for Northview for a dose of Christmas spirit!
