LONG SHADOWS

2014 casts long shadows. The Dog and TWT visit Ocean Shores. Photo taken on Sunday 29 December 2014.

BUBBLES

Where the sea meets shore bubbles are birthed. The Dog loves to chase the bubbles as the waves deposit them upon the sand. There is much barking. Monday 30 December 2014. Ocean Shores.

THE SEA

The sea is relatively quiet. Waves but very little wind. No clouds in the sky. Chilly temperatures in the mid-30s. Sunday 29 December 2014. Ocean Shores.

SALT AND SPICES

Beneath the thermometer is a salt crust. Beneath the salt crust is a prime rib. Awaiting to accompany the prime rib is a bottle of Anchor Brewing Company's 2013 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Ale.

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (Our Special Ale), a Winter Ale by Anchor Brewing Company.

12 ounce taster bottle served in a shaker glass.

5.5% alcohol by volume.

The pour is an intensely deep ruby red with a half-finger of tan head.

The nose is primarily spices: cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon.

The tongue is scrumptious wood bark, lightly roasted malts, and light spices. Dark fruits undergird the forward flavors.

The finish is woodsy and then lingering spices. The latter increase for some time.

As it warms, light chocolate and cocoa notes sneak into the background.

This is an excellent winter ale.

THE SEA

The sun makes its presence known, even approaching sunset, even amongst the brooding clouds. Saturday 28 December 2014. Ocean Shores.

FOLLOW THE STAR

On the third day of Christmas. Follow the star. Ocean Shores.

ZOOLIGHTS OCTOPUS

Giant Pacific Octopus in Christmas Lights. Friday 26 December 2014. Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Tacoma.

FREESTYLE CHRISTMAS COOKIE

Freestyle Christmas cookie by The Child. "Santa with his sleigh and bag of toys."

Created with cut cookies joined together—two candy canes, two ornaments, and one Santa hat

LONGEST NIGHT REPRISE

I'm up because it's the longest night. It happens this way each year. I'm sure that it is mostly self-fulfilling prophecy, but "it is what it is."

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So I read.

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Online poems by local poets (Tacoma, Olympia) and those farther afield (Pittsburgh, Tallahassee) because the internet does not distinguish the distances.

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The songs of Hannah (1 Samuel 2) and Mary (Luke 1). Similar songs of the Lord lifting up the lowly and poor, while sending the wealthy away from the table.

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The final book in The Southern Reach trilogy, Acceptance, by Jeff VanderMeer. I'm drawing out this latter reading because I don't want the story to end.

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I hope that sleep will soon arrive. I hope that I will not dream.

JULE BRØD

TWT enjoys some Jule brød on this longest night.

BLOOMING LIGHT (LONGEST NIGHT)

Winter solstice.

Darkest day.

Longest night.

Welcome back
to the blooming light.

Copyright © 2014 by Troy's Work Table 

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Longest night 2007.

Longest night 2012.

Longest night 2013.

GOOD MORNING

Sunrise on North Hill. Thursday 18 December 2014. A good morning, even though only about one-third of the day will see sunlight. (I'm enjoying it while I can.)

CONTROL

"Control" by Troy's Work Table. Carport chalking for Friday 12 December 2014.

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This is a self-portrait inspired by Control, the protagonist of Authority byJeff VanderMeer.

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View more pictures of "Control" HERE.

SUNRISE

Sunrise on North Hill. Sunday 07 December 2014. Sunlight filtered through wood smoke, fog, and clouds. Alder fingers reaching for the heavens.

LUNCHBOX FRIDAY: INK CLOUD

"Ink Cloud" by Troy's Work Table. Crayon and walnut ink wash.

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This morning, TWT taught art to third and fourth graders this morning and had a blast.

First, I talked them through the process of turning walnut rinds into walnut ink. Then we talked a teeny bit about Leonardo da Vinci (who used walnut ink in many of his sketches, drawings, and paintings). Each sketched out some leaves and selected his or her favorite. Then we selected a "leaf color" crayon and drew the outline of the favorite leaf on some heavier stock paper. Next we drew the veins of the leaves in with white crayon, which was a challenge because we could barely see the lines. Next came a wash of my homemade walnut ink on each piece. It was fun because all of the kids were "oohing" and "aahing" when the veins "appeared" in the wash. Then everyone signed her or his name in walnut ink with a dip stylus-and-nib pen to give it the final "da Vinci" touch.

I may have had more fun than the kids!

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In preparation for the class, I wanted to see how different color crayons would work with the walnut ink. The Child received the fruits of one such "non-leaf" experiment as this week's Lunchbox Friday drawing.

GINGERBREAD PRIME

"The Head of Optimus Prime" by Troy's Work Table. Graham crackers, sugar frosting, assorted candies.

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Tonight, this happened. I was at a gingerbread house event.

Instead of making the recommended house, I used the limited resources I had to make Gingerbread Prime for my five-year-old friend. He wasn't there, but he loves Optimus Prime.

(Unfortunately, Gingerbread Prime didn't survive the move to the car or home. This was his second iteration, the first being more sculptural and crumbling due to too much weight and too little frosting mortar.)

"Autobots, roll out!"

TERROIR

"Terroir's direct translation is 'a sense of place,' and what it means is the sum of the effects of a localized environment, inasmuch as they impact the qualities of a particular product. Yes, that can mean wine, but what if you applied these criteria to thinking about Area X?"

—page 131, Authority by Jeff VanderMeer.