Happy Winter Solstice, Everybody!

December 22, 2007 By: erik Category: Partying, Photos, Spain 610 views

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Today the sun is at it’s lowest arc in the southern sky, something our ancestors have been celebrating for many millennia. We are headed to the in-laws to celebrate the solstice in the typical Spanish way, with food, wine, and merriment.

Our meager little tree with our modest collection of gifts. The big one is for me! This photo was taken with no flash nor any lights on in the room other than those of the tree.

The star at the top of the tree is a little evil-looking. It would make Charlie Brown flinch, anyway.

The following are some videos of the kinds of festivities we will hopefully be partaking in this year.

A Christmas procession in Mondragon, Spain Basque Country. Those crazy Baaaa-sques and their anthropomorphized sheep!

Marga’s family and a dumbfounded me singing typical Christmas Eve songs with typical instruments.

Golfing Santa and I wish you a wonderful penultimate weekend of 2007.

	Winter Hairspray Wonderland
	I took some pictures when I walked around town doing some Christmas shopping today. Over the past few weeks, I’ve smiled every time I passed this hair salon that is on a common grocery route. Little wood nymphs have taken over this log in the forest and are celebrating the winter season. They don’t seem [...]
	Happy Cowboy
	On Sunday, we had dinner in a restaurant with Marga’s aunt and grandfather. The meal was good, but unremarkable. As we were leaving the restaurant, I spotted the most horrible porrón ever, sitting up on a shelf. It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing. Warning, what you’re about to see may [...]
	Happy July Fourth!
	As in previousyears, we had hamburgers to celebrate the Fourth of July again this year. I couldn’t find any hamburger buns in the local stores, so I took a risk and baked my own. They came out a little dense and crunchy, but I ate my burger on it. It was too much for Marga’s [...]

http://simonlitton.wordpress.com simon

Can you tell me any more about those weird “stick in a bucket” instruments they’re playing?
http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/ Erik R.

Good question, Simon! Those are called zambombas or friction drums. You wet your hands in a bowl of water and slide them up and down the stick of bamboo to generate a vibration, which is magnified by the drum below. It’s quite tiring to play.
http://simonlitton.wordpress.com simon

“You wet your hands and slide them up and down the stick”…
No, sorry, I can’t think of anything to say about that.
http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/ Erik R.

It really is a horribly vulgar instrument to play. But somehow there’s never even the slightest snicker, even by the teenage cousins.

Mini Erik

Whitby Harbour, UK

05/21/13

Fantastic.

05/19/13

Four year olds are pure id.

“Daddy, after I finish this dessert, I want another bowl filled to the top with nothing but [whipped] cream. Okay?”

05/19/13

Convinced my daughter to watch Star Wars with me by promising that it had a princess.

05/18/13

George Catlin, Prairie Meadows Burning, 1832

From the Smithsonian American Art Museum:

George Catlin painted ominous, swirling clouds of black smoke that loom out of the distance and drive the Indians before them. The artist was an eyewitness to such terrifying events, and described the fire’s “thunder rumbling as it goes.” But he also wrote that prairie fires made for “some of the most beautiful scenes that are to be witnessed in this country, and also some of the most sublime.”

05/16/13

American in Spain