seasonal
[OT from cottage renovations]
There are some holidays for which the Grove is particularly well suited: 4th of July, anything with snow in it, and of course Halloween. There's nothing like walking down the walkways in the dark with fallen leaves rustling about one's feet to set the evening's mood. Some Grovers like to spook up their places, a few of whom to an extreme. My own preference is for something understated, at least as far as appearance is concerned.
This year the outbound flows of consumer goods from China have included miniature paper lanterns, in the mode of wrappers for those little Christmas lights. Paper lanterns were popular in the Victorian era, though for strict adherence to the original these should have been larger, fewer in number and powered by little candles ... and would likely have caused at least one call to the fire brigade.
After the ritual distribution of treats ("you have to make a choice: there are little boxes of raisins for those who absolutely promise to eat them; the rest of you will have to settle for chocolate") I took a few moments to try capture the scene for prosperity. These things aren't weatherproof, or anythingproof for that matter, so it's not like there was going to be another chance.
The above really doesn't do it justice: the paper softens the light without losing surface detail (the reflections seen in the upper window actually provide a better rendering than the direct view of the same lanterns).
The one below has its own shortcomings: the time lapse gives the impression of ambient light whereas the actual effect was that of pools of light scattered in a region more shadowy than lit. On the other hand the conical regions of light under each of the paper lanterns are an interesting artifact of the time exposure.
Ephemeral moments are like that: you had to have been there.
This entry was originally posted at http://15-the-circle.dreamwidth.org/320891.html. Please comment there using OpenID.