December 24, 2011

Season's Greetings

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Season's greetings from O Dock.

Once again, it's time to slow down a bit, take stock, and uncork the good stuff.

Before you accuse me of uncorking a bit too much of the good stuff, I should explain that the photo above is another of our alternative Christmas trees, which I described in a similar post last year.

Briefly, my wife and I decided some time back that traditional Christmas trees are boring and that you don't really need to start with a tree at all to get into the holiday spirit.

So, we started with the driftwood remnants of what must have been a tree at some time, and took a minimalist approach. I like to think that this is a Festivus Pole done right. If you're wondering, that's our Norwegian Blue Parrot (beautiful plumage) perched just above the star, completing the theme of natural, renewable elements.

Despite what you may think, he's just sleeping.

While it is my habit to wax philosophical at this time of year, this is one year I'd prefer to see just leave with as little notice as possible. Things have been something of a mess at work, family obligations have been difficult, and there's been very little time for sailing or blogging. We're hoping that will improve next year.

I hope things have been better for you.

I'll leave you with this impressive rendition of some Tchaikovsky that should be familiar to anyone who's been in an elevator over the past few weeks.

This particular performance is by two folks who have uncorked quite a bit of the good stuff. I'll let you decide if their glasses are half empty or half full.





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25 comments:

  1. Geeze, kinda makes my Vince Guaraldi sound like peanuts.

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  2. I don't know, Baydog.

    There are jazz classics that are now 50 years old and yet sound fresh today. I think some of them will still be being played in elevators 100 years from now.

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  3. Oh wauw... that's fantastic... :-)

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  4. Try playing that after drinking 56 snifters of brandy - remarkable!

    Happy holidays, O Docker. May 2012 be less dramatic for us all.

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  5. What does "Season's Greetings" mean? The apostrophe indicates a possessive so apparently some season owns some greetings. But what season? Winter? What greetings does Wwinter own? How can something as abstract as a season own anything?

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  6. I see that you've spelled winter with two w's - probably your subconscious reminding you just how c-c-c-cold and forbidding it can be this time of year.

    I think the greetings belong not to that season of chills and shivering dealt us by an accident of nature, but to a season that was born in the hearts of men, as an act of defiance against nature's cruel indifference.

    The season happens to coincide with Christmas, but was here even before Christmas came along. It is greater than Christmas. It includes people whom Christmas forgot.

    I don't know that the season even has a name, but there's no mistaking its presence.

    Season's greetings, Tillerman.

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  7. That is very pretty though the hint of festivas pole slightly chiiling. However I'm sure that could be fixed with a nice mulled wine.

    Merry Christmas!!

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  8. Merry Christmas to you. Richard

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  9. JP, I notice that you've spelled festivus with an a - probably your subconscious reminding you just how a-a-awful and pathetic jokes in blog comments can be at this time of year.

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  10. What do I know?

    I thought that was the Br-Br-British spelling of Festivus.

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  11. Richard, thanks for stopping by O Dock.

    I've just visited your site and must admit your subject is one I never thought would be documented in a blog.

    I grew up in Philadelphia, not far from the Amish communities near Lancaster, and remember that people from the city thought it a quaint reminder of simpler times to visit at this time of year.

    Merry Christmas, and good luck with the blog.

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  12. Richard has (perhaps inadvertently) followed the advice often given to people starting blogs: Find a niche subject about which you are enthusiastic but which is not covered by many other blogs. That is the secret of success in blogdom.

    Similarly I chose to write the only blog on the planet about an old geezer trying to kill himself on a Laser. And O Docker chose to write a sailing blog about not sailing.

    Good luck with the blog Richard.

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  13. I'm always late to these Christmas parties. Happy Boxing Day!

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  14. Wait. It's Christmas already? How did it creep up on me so fast? Is it too late to do my Christmas shopping?

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  15. It can't be a Festivus pole (with or without the a), as there should be no decorations, it should be aluminum, and it should look a lot like a Sunfish mast.

    Happy Christmas and season's eatings!

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  16. Maybe that's why I stopped observing Festivus, my2fish. It just started getting too commercial.

    If you can't afford an aluminum pole, why should that mean you can't celebrate the holiday?

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  17. Well don't try buying one! Just borrow a Sunfish mast from a friend. Or if you find a spare Sunfish mast, cut it in half to make 2 Festivus poles.

    Winner winner chicken dinner.

    No commercialism required.

    Cheers.

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  18. Quite right my2fish. Look around any dingy park and borrow a Sunfish mast. Saw it in half so you and a friend can celebrate Festivus. Be sure to glue the two halves back together and return the mast to the boat after Festivus. The owner will never know what happened... until he or she goes sailing.

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  19. your photograph is beautiful!
    the glass performance is amazing! we just listened to it again!
    I love Vince Guaraldi! so funny, Baydog!
    and you all nitttpiccking at each other made me gufffaww heartily.

    i'm early for next christmas! happy new year everyone at ODock! it's like the kitchen at the party here.

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  20. You're welcome to hang out here until next Christmas, Bowsprite - this comments thread might still be going then. And we've got plenty to eat.

    But my wife says the tree's got to come down by next week.

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  21. At what point do you stop watering the tree, O Docker?

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  22. We've decided to go low maintenance this year, Baydog.

    We only have to water the parrot.

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