Images of Christmas - Madeira

Holiday Lights in Funchal (3 December 2024)

I want to end the year on a festive, upbeat, holiday note. Over the years, we have posted Christmas images from three of the cities I have called home…New York, New Orleans and Baltimore.

Holiday Lights in Funchal (3 December 2024)

I’ve noted that we were fortunate to have planned an overseas getaway after the election. The small boat cruise from Portugal through Spain and Morocco ended on the island of Madeira. We were a small boatload of Americans, so the entirely foreign crew found some turkey meat and mounted enough balloons and flags to celebrate Thanksgiving. But we spent the week after that holiday in the arid and Islamic nation of Morocco. No light displays and Christmas markets there. So, it was a treat to end the trip on an island that was more tropical and filled with Christmas spirit.

Holiday Lights in Funchal (3 December 2024)

Madeira is the main island in a seven-island archipelago 300 miles west of Africa…at the same latitude as Georgia here in the States. Funchal is the capital and contains more than half the island’s population. The island’s origin is volcanic, and lush vegetation covers the dark rocks. If you’re a soccer fan, you know Madeira’s favorite son, Cristiano Ronaldo. One of the greatest players ever, Ronaldo was born here. The airport bears his name. He must have learned his craft somewhere else since I saw no plot of flat land as big as a soccer pitch.

Holiday Lights in Funchal (3 December 2024)

Funchal soon rises up the mountainside from the ocean.

Strands of holiday lighting follow the main roads up the hills.

This was the day we arrived. After a long disembarkation and Customs check, we had a walkabout in the old quarter that included a stop at the tasting room of one of the wineries that make that potent sherry the island is noted for. The afternoon ended with us checking into a lovely hotel and the rest of the day was on our own. I may be old and lame but why not walk back into town that evening? We saw all the lights during the day…we needed to see them in all their glory and were not disappointed.

Holiday Lights in Funchal (3 December 2024)

These hand-held shots could be better. Taking decent pictures of holiday lights should include a tripod to allow for a longer exposure with a lower ISO (“film speed”) setting. Sharpness and color quality has been compromised a tad, but this was a fun walk into town…not a dedicated photo shoot.

Holiday Lights in Funchal (3 December 2024)

We went all the way back to the harbor. On the waterfront promenade was this very tall cone of lights that changed colors and patterns…fun to watch.

After a nice outdoor café meal, we took a cab back to the hotel. It was a delightful, colorful holiday experience and a great way to wind down the vacation and set the stage for our return to home and America’s All-Christmas-All-The-Time scene. The next day, we went to a place like nothing else we saw on the entire trip. We’ll save that for the New Year when more of the trip will be posted.

May you and yours have a grand holiday and a safe, happy New Year.
I will try to do the same.

They Live Among Us

The Election Season is over. We the People have spoken. Sorry the ravings took over for as long as they did (not really…lost another subscriber…c’est la vie). I left the country for a few weeks and now am ready to address other things…like two more ballparks, captivating places and the graves of people who actually did make America great.

Let’s start with the upbeat thought that there are large creatures among us that have escaped our notice.

Jacqui’s Cabin (11 December 2022)

I first noticed the phenomenon after emerging from a cabin in the glorious Methow Valley in the North Cascade Mountains in Washington State. I thought I was documenting how the accumulated snow on the cabin roof can slide over the edge before falling to the ground. Upon closer inspection, the head of an ice creature is clearly evident. It appears to be peering into that window, and I hope the occupant doesn’t mind.

Snooping Ice Creature (11 December 2022)

I’ve talked about cropping images before. In a ‘Tip of the Day’ post in 2014, I advocated cropping as a way to emphasize the best elements of an image. That said, I believe this tactic has revealed more. Back in the 50’s tabloid rags like the National Inquirer would publish photos. Some dude in Kansas took a picture of his girlfriend but in the corner of the sky is…A FLYING SAUCER! Another might be a camping family portrait, but it looks like BIGFOOT is there in the background. Kudos to the crack investigative forensic reporting team at Images and More for reviving this tradition. We present here evidence of heretofore unknown life forms…hiding in plain sight.

Two months before Katrina changed everything, I was in New Orleans. Audubon Park has a fine collection of mature live oak trees, and this one was our favorite. Its wide girth and ample root mass made for a fine portrait stage for visitors. It is also a good place to sit and study, as this young woman demonstrates. I took several shots from a distance because the tree’s canopy is very wide.

Our Favorite Live Oak From Another Angle (23 June 2005)

A straight-on view of the tree with the seated student facing the camera. The tree extends beyond the camera’s view…and nothing suspicious is evident.

Our Favorite Live Oak, Audubon Park, New Orleans (23 June 2005)

This is one of the shots. Again, I thought this view showed how the tree’s branches reached the ground and created more stability before growing upward…as well as the size of it all given how small the woman looks. I zoomed in to see what I could about what she was doing…and there it was.

‘May I Help You?’ Audubon Park, New Orleans (23 June 2005)

I’ll confess. When I recently talked to a friend about this image, I said the beast looked like a dragon…all brown and scaley. You know where its eyes and mouth are. On second thought, it looks more like a boxer dog with a headband. But it is definitely fixated on the young woman.

You saw that the frontal view showed nothing near the woman. This guy decided to appear when I moved to the side. We’re onto something here. The good news is that they seem harmless. Despite their considerable size, they seem content to quietly observe…so far. Be assured that Images and More will be diligent in its coverage of this breaking story…and I suspect it will be a welcome break from our regular news/opinion feed.