House and Nativity 5

The first photo this morning is a combination of two photos: a snow scene and a gingerbread house. I photographed the gingerbread house at school a few days ago and removed the background and added to the snow ... I thought it would be a nice Christmas image.

The Nativity Scene today is a little different because it shows Mary and Joseph standing with the Baby rather than kneeling. The figures were fairly big - probably 10-12 inches tall.

Blue Flag Iris and Nativity 4

This morning I am sending two photos of the blue flag iris. This plant grows in the boggy area behind my house in Holyrood, but I have seen them in most areas I have visited in Newfoundland and Labrador. They are beautiful flowers that I photograph often.

The Nativity scene today is from Peru and is made from wood and textile. For those of you who plan to visit the exhibit presently on display at the Basilica museum, you will see little signs like the one in today's photo that provides information about where the Nativity scene is from and what it is made of. When I was there, I photographed scenes with and, where possible, without the signs. I included the sign in today's photo for two reasons. First, I wanted you to see what they looked like. Second, the photo I took without the sign was slightly out of focus. : ) The sign is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in height. Notice how this scene reflects the culture of the artist.

St. John's and Nativity 3

A couple of years ago, I was fortunate to have gotten a ride from Bay Bulls to Torbay on the MOTTAK, an eighty foot boat owned and operated by Captain Ed Kean. We saw a few icebergs and whales as well as lots of great scenery that day. This evening I am sending a photo looking in through the Narrows to St. John's Harbour with the "Rooms" dominating the cityscape. In years gone by, the Basilica, would have been the most dominant building.

For people not from this area, the Rooms is a museum which officially opened a couple of years ago. It looks like a large fishing stage and can't be missed in this photo.

The small wooden Nativity scene today shows Mary, Joseph and the Baby in a Manger but has a couple of extra figures. The star, a male figure, the head of a cow and a small bird (probably a dove) looking towards the Baby. Unfortunately, this one wasn't labelled so I can't tell you which country it is from.

Holyrood and Nativity 2

In August, I climbed George Cove Mountain and photographed Holyrood Harbour. I used my wide-angle lens to capture as much of the harbour as I could. I hope to get up there this winter to photograph the same scene with snow and ice.

The second is a Nativity Scene, but since it was not labelled, I can't tell you which country it is from. I liked the lighting in this photo.

Nativity Scenes

For people who live in the St. John's area, the annual exhibit of Nativity Scenes is open at the Basilica Museum. I have attended the exhibition for the past two years and photographed over 100 Nativity Scenes. I plan to visit again this year.

I am sending two images this morning. The first is a close up of the Babe in a Manger. The second is a Li Bien Ornament from China. Li Bien means "inside" and the ornament is painted on the inside of the bulb through a tiny opening, a very time-consuming process no doubt.

We are approaching the Christmas season, a time to think of Peace and Love. For the past two years I have included many Nativity Scenes as Photo of the Day. After my visit to the exhibit, I will send along a Nativity Scene as part of my Photo of the Day. I will continue to send other photos as well.

Miles Cove, Notre Dame Bay

Not too far from Pilley's Island (see yesterday's photos) is a little town called Miles Cove. Both photos this morning were taken late one evening in the summer of 2003.

I have photos of other scenic communities in the Notre Dame Bay area on line at: http://www.lanephotography.com/central.htm

Communities - Newfoundland and Labrador

The photos this evening were both scanned from slides I took in the mid 90s. The first is Amherst Cove in Bonavista Bay and the second was taken in Pilley's Island, Notre Dame Bay.

One of these days, I'll get myself a good slide scanner and go back through the 50 000 slides I have in my files. Some go back to 1970, when I bought my first 35mm camera. I wonder how much these places have changed?