Twelve Days of Christmas - Eight /  by Dave Hileman

Not every image of Christmas is of warm meals and families smiling in front of decorated mantles with a fire softly glowing. Washington’s attack with 2400 troops on Trenton, NJ is only one of many battles that occurred during the holiday. While the truce in Flanders in 1914 is famous it is so because it was so out of sync with the rest of the front and, in fact, the rest of the war. Raids were often conducted over Christmas during the Civil War and Germany tried to take advantage of the season on more than one occasion.

The Wreaths Across America project provides a natural wreath for every grave in our National Cemeteries. This shot from 2011 is from Arlington. Walking among the graves there is always a moving event, more so with the wreaths on display. They are placed the weekend before Christmas and are there for two weeks. There are National Cemeteries in every state across America and more locations overseas. You ought to visit one near you this year and take a different kind of Christmas photo.

Learn more about the organization here: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org


Twelve Days of Christmas - Seven /  by Dave Hileman

Trains. This photo is from 2004, one of mine that I recently was able to access again after a long time. It is not a great shot but it does have the “G” gauge train set that our friend, Gregg Lagerberg, gave to our boys when they were little. Neither of them was particularly enamored of the train so in 2004 as our grandson, Kellen, was coming to the house and he would be turning two, I set it up again. He was not charmed. Too loud. Eventually I gave the set to a friend whose two boys appeared to like trains. Growing up setting up the train was a big deal. We had a Lionel “O” 27 gauge then later changed to an “HO” scale that we would set up on a 4 x 8 platform with painted streets and houses that lite up. The tree was always precariously perched on a stand in the middle and the sheet of plywood would sag ever so slightly under the weight giving the train a bit of an up and down. As a teen I bought an “N” gauge set and even built a couple of small layouts, one under our tree the first year we were married. I still have that train - maybe next year it will be under the tree.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Four /  by Dave Hileman

A master! I think I wrote about this before but there is a difference this year. My Aunt Carrie, who loved to travel, brought two hand carved ornaments back from a trip in the mid 1950’s to Nova Scotia. One for me and one for my brother. They were carved by a now well known Canadian carver, Andre Gault. They have been on our tree each year since. I think they are carved from maple. So, this year as I come up on nearly two years of learning to carve I thought I would “duplicate” my snowman for it is a rather uncomplicated piece. Wow, simple is deceptively hard. I did not expect too much of my work and I was right! His is all subtle, smooth curves and converging sections. My work is halting, semi-round and smushed together. Still on the tree it goes. Next year will be better.

By Andre B. Gault

By the “unknown carver.”

Twelve Days of Christmas - Three /  by Dave Hileman

Our tree is a memory treasury. Most of the ornaments are reminders of kids projects, friends or places we have been. But some of them have become pretty shabby over 20 or 50 years. So we have begun to retire a few and replace them with new memories. These first two are not “special” except we thought we needed some pizzaz cause a lot of ours were/are paper or cloth, So we bought these two shinny ones at Bronners in MI, an amazing huge Christmas wonderland. And they will remind us of our excellent 2021 trip to the upper Midwest. And that is special.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Two /  by Dave Hileman

This scene is from a short trip to Ocean City, Maryland on a cold, sleety and occasionally snowy afternoon. There were few people around. Most of them were apparently sane. I was taking pictures along with my friend Dennis, however, he does not improve the “it really is not too bad to go shoot photographs today,” factor. There were a few nods to the upcoming holiday. This fallen Santa against the deserted and bare Ferris wheel were indicative of the effort to make this a merry celebration. Still, it really was not too bad out there:

Twelve Days of Christmas - One /  by Dave Hileman

I was able, along with two friends, to spend three days on Chincoteague Island last week. Lots of fun photographing wild ponies, Snow Geese, herons, a few people and some interesting shore buildings as well as a short jaunt in the sleet and snow to Ocean City, Maryland. Not a lot of people on the beach there. In the small town of Chincoteague they have an equally small park that is all higgledy-piggledy with lots of people’s ideas of what ought to be there. The one that I expect had no opposing voices - the statue of Misty, the pony whose story made the island world famous. It was appropriate to deck her out for Christmas. I included two of the many ponies I photographed as well.

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi /  by Dave Hileman

The last of the light illuminates the line of clouds lining The Atlantic Ocean as seen from the shore at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the Eastern Shore. It was a magnificent night.

Tomorrow starts the Twelve Days of Christmas, TLT style.

Yellow-rumped Warbler /  by Dave Hileman

This is a first year bird - born last spring. You can tell this one from a more mature bird by the grey cheek patch v a dark, even black patch on an older bird. I once tried to get very close up photos of birds and occasionally still do, but I really like one that shows more of the environment as this one is a very typical perch in winter for this abundant bird.

A Bird Photo! /  by Dave Hileman

For three days I was in Chincotreague, Virginia with two friends, George and Dennis. We photographed a variety of things but were primarily there for birds and Snow Geese were high on that list. I did not see any on the day I arrived. On day two we knew where they were likely to be early the morning and I was up well before light to walk up the beach a bit and then back toward the bay side to be in position close to the flock. I tried several photos before it was really light enough but about 7:45 there was sufficient light to get this first usable picture. Aesthetically it is not great but it is still satisfying to me as by then I was really cold. I just got back from the trip and am too tired to look at many of the images taken but I will get a few more up before I start the 12 Days of Christmas photos.

There are male and female geese and what was once classified as a Blue Goose but is now considered a dark version of the Snow Goose.

Not a Bird Photo! /  by Dave Hileman

It should or could have been but I forgot my connector to download images from the SD card. So, here in Chincoteague with birds and ponies taken however, not transferred. I did buy one today, too tired to plod through the photos - however, tomorrow! Thanks for looking at NYC skyline. Maybe there is a bird in the photo somewhere.

Tight Right /  by Dave Hileman

A Sunbeam Alpine leads an MG-A into a turn on the Schenley circuit for the 2012 Pittsburgh Vintage Gran Prix. Schenley Park is an urban park in Pittsburgh’s Oakland area near the Pitt and it is a fabulous place to watch this form of racing. Excellent spectator areas, staging and pit areas you can walk through, lots of parking and three days of racing plus a great car show. And lots of food venders.

Gift of France /  by Dave Hileman

The Statue of Liberty is a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. It was built in France and shipped to the US in pieces. Sort of the first IKEA. It is an iconic representation of the US well known around the world.

Before the Green /  by Dave Hileman

I enjoy vintage car racing. Perhaps because I am a product of the 60’s when many of these cars or at least the marques were at their apex and back then I followed racing intently. Maybe because one of the premier venues is in Pittsburgh where every July they stage a week of events at Schenley Park. One thing is for certain it is a target rich environment if you are a photographer. These shots are from 2012. I took them along the staging area where the drivers wait for their race. The line up here by class and go out as soon as the last race is done and the track is cleared. These are amateurs and most will not push their cars to the limits but occasionally a race will be hotly contested. And accidents do occur so there is a quiet in the waiting. Some are reviewing the track, or thinking about a tricky corner or a recent mechanical issue they hope is resolved. A few get last minute advice or a quick “Be careful out there.” But it is the stillness you see before the frantic pace of a 15 laps feature as they wait their turn for the green flag to fall.

Way North /  by Dave Hileman

We were in the Moosehead Lake area of Maine and we needed a place to stay. No trailer then. We make a reservation for a place that was only 35 miles away. However it was 25 miles on the Golden Highway, a dirt logging road toward the Canadian border. It took us nearly 2 hours to drive the road, huge ruts, deep holes, standing water and BIG trucks. The place was quiet, they did have a second guest on property. While we were eating dinner the rainbow appeared and I want out to make a photo. It was an interesting place. But one time is sufficient.

Peek /  by Dave Hileman

Once more at the Richmond Folk Music Festival in 2011 ( I have not even looked at the other five years we attended the RFMF). This was a mariachi band getting ready to go on stage and I could see them warming up through an opening in the tent. Hence the shot.

I did so much poorly... /  by Dave Hileman

on this photo and I still love it. This is the first grizzly I have ever seen in the wild. We were at Yellowstone and she emerged from the tree line with her cub. They were in sight for about 5 minutes. By the time I got out the tripod, changed the lens and got it set up, there was very little time. The bears were a looooong way away. - across a valley. I was still very new to photography with any actual intentions and was with my new camera. I rushed everything and got about 12 shots of the bear. Only this one had the cub sitting and both faces visible. And my exposure was off and my focus was really off, see how nicely sharp the tree on the right is:) But still the first grizzly, a pose like a teddy bear for the cub, a photo to remember it all and a desire to not mess that kind of opportunity again. I would do, of course, but maybe fewer times. One reason I really like this medium the experience of that moment comes flooding back even when the photo is not superior.