And so...

...I'm feeling a bit grumpy and peevish -- that is, normal -- this morning. Heck, I even took this quiz and scored a nice, round 22 on it. Thought I'd do better. Must practice....

But last night was a different story. I have a neighbor who is a superb photographer; I suggested a holiday-themed nighttime photo safari to her and, after a couple of false starts (weather and schedule problems) we finally went off to give it a try last night.

It was cold. I mean boo-coo cold. I broke out my second-warmest parka and boots I acquired for a trip to Alaska many years ago, and she bundled up as well. And off we went.

She rejected my suggested locations as being "too far away" (understandably) and proposed someplace closer. Though not even 15 miles from here, it was an area I simply don't know, she couldn't remember exactly where our destination was, and we wandered around for a bit before getting there.

PARENTHETICAL SO-MUCH-FOR-STEREOTYPES NOTE: I think I shocked her a bit when I actually asked directions of a native. I'm a pro at getting lost, and long ago learned both to ask and not rely totally on people who might/should know where a given place is and how to get there.

I never quite trust people who tell me what they think is worth photography. If I haven't seen it, I reserve judgment. She was right; oh, boy, was she right! We ditched the car, grabbed our cameras and set out on foot.

Despite the fact that my camera decided to play silly-buggers, (a) using up one set of batteries and (b) claiming my back-up batteries were no good, I managed to squeeze off a bunch of images before we packed it in.

After some clean-up work on them, I will be posting quite a few pictures over the next couple of days.

It was a beautiful evening, to say the least. The pictures won't do it justice, but I'm hoping you'll like 'em.

Later, we hung out on the roof of my building with a six-pack of Tsingtao. It was cold and clear, but somehow warm.

Altogether, a good evening, thanks in large part to H., who is an excellent companion.

I almost started feeling a little Christmas spirit...



Now, if I can just up my score on that quiz a bit....