Took some family on a ride on some streets in another county that were said to have good displays. One house stood out for me. It was the house that was made to look like Grinch. (I took the photo with my phone).
This Grinch House light display came complete with his dog. The windows are his eyes. The attic window is his hat. The door appears to be his nose. They are making him smile. Have you seen any unique decorations on your travels this year?
Would the American Coot still be here on Christmas? Yes, it was. Before heading out Christmas morning I stopped by the river to feed some ducks and the lone American Coot was still there.
This time it fuly came out of the water to where the corn was. He was actually one of the first to come up on land. I actually got a better view of the coot’s legs than during the summer. They are still greenish and very lizard looking.
He has come close to shore many times, but this is the first time I have seen him go after the corn I leave out. I am guessing this means there is less for it to eat in the water. I am surprised this bird is hanging around.
I hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a healthy New Year!
These were taken on the NY – Connecticut border. I personally like the two darker colours, but that is just preference.
It seems as if I am seeing less decorations this year. The houses with children ten to have the blow up decorations. Some houses have wreaths, but to me it seems there are less. Maybe it is the sign of the economy, things costing more, and people having less money. How is it in your neck of the woods? Are there more, the same amount or less decorations than before COVID?
Planning some Elf on the Shelf Ideas for the future? Here are two more.
Having the Yeti/ Abominable Snowman along with Rudolph can make the set up more interesting. For this one I made pirate patches for their eyes and covered the elves head with cloth to make it look like a pirate. The treasure chest I believe I got at Hobby Lobby and the gold coins (Chocolate) are sold at many places before the holidays.
I had this larger tub already to hold washcloths in my bathroom. It was a good size for an elf. This one is larger than soap size. These bathtubs are popular in soap size, so even a good size for some smaller elves or other characters. Merry Christmas!
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to display these at two different galleries.
The photo on top was displayed in metal print at a gallery about 2 hours north of the city for a month. Only one piece or artwork could be submitted. The same image was also displayed in print form at another gallery.
The image from on top and the image under were both on display in a small gallery in Manhattan for a short period of time this month. I submitted the prints for the show and someone else framed them. Not a big deal, but a big deal for me.
This duck was drinking out of the Hudson River. Not the best lighting conditions, but I will take it. Bad weather is predicted for here tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Are you running low on ideas for elf on a shelf? Are you looking for ideas for next year? Below are a few I came up with on one of our rainy New York weekends.
The stick was a wooden skewer. They sell mini pinatas at Walmart. The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is from Rudolph. He works well for this scene with his enthusiastic, almost I’m hungry look. I think I got the yeti at the Dollar General.
Not sure where I picked up these little popcorn cups , but they are a great size for kids. Elf is the perfect movie for an elf.
I believe these mini cups are from Hobby Lobby. There is nothing better on a cold snowy day than hot cocoa.
These owls are Christmas ornaments. They were obtained I believe at Hobby Lobby. I do not like breakable ones. I am too much of a butterfingers.
Mini mailboxes are a great prop for letters to Santa. Thank you to the US Post Office for putting out elf stamps this year. Nice touch!
They sold a box with multiple bags of mini pop tarts at one of our local Dollar General this year. It is elf sized.
With the Elf on a Shelf assortment this year I believe at Walmart they had Alphabet Cookies that went with Elf on a Shelf. Any alphabet cookies would do.
I picked up the stones to make the fire pit from the shore of the Hudson River. Many large grocery stores sell mini marshmallows.
Did the elf sleighjack Santa’s sleigh? Vintage stores and garage sales are great places to pick up some items for your future Elf endeavours. I believe this Rudolph was from the Dollar General.
I’ve had this doll for years. They used to sell Barbie dolls in the traditional dress of other countries. This one is Mexican Barbie. I wish they would start making these again.
I used a white fleece blanket to make snow. It was something I already had.
Begging and borrowing is also a great way to get items to use for a day in the life of Elf on a Shelf. I looked through a relative’s toy bin and found elf sized sports balls. I am trying to see how to come up with a setting for some of those.
Have you done Elf on a Shelf with your family? What ideas have you come up with? Incorporate the older kids into idea production. They may actually get into the holiday spirit.
The following were on display in Manhattan this summer/ early fall. I was on my way south from Grand Central and it was nice to see this on little strips of land between north and south board lanes. These are all phone photos.
There were others to see. I love the art that is viewable to all. Enjoy the rest of your week!
I do not have the lens for this, but I thought I would try anyways. I made a quick trip up to Ontario, Canada during the Thanksgiving holiday. This is one little town I like to stop in. It is on the lake and has a river that goes downhill emptying into it.
In the late summer or early fall there is a salmon run going up the river. Fishermen line the river hoping to snag one. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Here’s hoping the coming one is too!
This bird seems to be a big deal in my area. Some have acted like it was a major tick on your bird watching list. We do not seem to be in its breeding or non breeding range, however, there are maps that show in huge swathes of areas that are breeding and non-breeding areas. I am told this is a loggerhead shrike, although it was far away and I could not get a clear picture.
I did see the tell tale signs along the trail. I saw low bushes with pointy branches with impaled insects on them. Oddly this reminds me of the shish kebab I ate last night.
I do not think I would have spotted this bird on my own. I have issues spotting the smaller birds at long distances. Luckily a few others spotted it in the general vicinity of the bushes I found, although not close, and closer to another taller bush with an insect impaled on it. It was quite a distance and I’m not sure my lens is working so great in the past coupl of months.
Regardless of the poor quality of the image I was happy to get the chance to see this bird. Is this bird really that rare to find? I’m sure other bird watchers have seen it.
