Enchantment in the Garden State.

Enchantment in the Garden State
December 24, 2007

(And that's the first photo I haven't had to triple-check the date for, hooray...) I was in Little Ferry, new Jersey for Christmas with Grandpa. On Christmas Eve, he took me out for a fancy Italian dinner at the sort of place that has a Soprano's-esqe back room for mafia activities. You better believe the food was amazing. Cheesecake not served in that restaurant is ruined forever.

And while we were eating, I left these candles burning outside my grandfather's white picket fence. Luminaria's are a New Mexican Christmas tradition. They're supposed to signify that your house is open, unlike that bastard inn, to Mary and Joseph. They're stupid-pretty. There's even electric ones, which I've come to appreciate as well. The electric ones are sort of like eating green chile in Oklahoma: "Well... okay."

I took Grandpa to the grocery store to buy tea lights, brown paper bags and kitty litter the day before. I sat on his porch and made the luminaria's while he watched from inside the warm house. He thought it was the greatest thing to ever happen when they were lit. I don't think he quite understood as Grandpa was a little hard of hearing and I pretty much had to scream the story at him, but I think he thought they were pretty too. He was a little worried the neighbors would call the fire department, but no such luck.

I like this picture because of how grainy it looks. Some people would call that bad resolution, I call it awesome. It looks like a film camera took it. And the New Mexican luminarias lighting up that quintessential white picket fence is just about perfect.

That was a great Christmas.

(Taken with my one and only, the Nikon S1. It really was the only camera I took on the trip.)