Ahoy! New photos have surfaced from our New Year’s Eve adventures
in the Texas Hill Country, from Mr. Chip Warren, esteemed gentleman
and fantastic photographer. Following are a handful of my favorites,
but the full set can be seen here: Hill Country New Years 2009

I love the shots he captured of our exploits with fireworks.
Dazzling! It was the first year in a while that we’d had some
rain, so the burn ban was lifted. How delightful to make our
own hanabi fireflowers – the green goblins were the best!

There were fears of a sparkler shortage, but in the end we prevailed,
and many fizzing wands were lit. You can’t have New Year’s without
sparklers! I don’t know who this tripled ghost is, perhaps it’s me?
I especially love the twilight trees along the horizon. So spectral!

One unhappy side effect of shooting off so many fireworks,
is that a few members of the canine party were terrified.
Our dear blind Thelonius wandered off into the thorny
wilderness in fright, and was missing for hours. The
land is riddled with cacti, rocky ridges, barb wire and
freaks with guns. A desperate search turned up not
hide nor hair, but much later in the night he found his
way back to camp from wherever he’d been hiding.
Oh, we were so relieved! Losing your dog in the
country is pretty scary, especially when he’s totally blind.

My Grampy Grover was a mechanic, and many of his project
cars decorate the field. I’m always envisioning alternate futures
for them – what if they could be transformed into sleeping bunks?
Or mini-parlours? Or I suppose we could try and get them running
again. They are so wonderful, these rusted hulks – mostly Morris
Minors and old Datsuns, and then of course there’s my sweet ride
Miss Gertie. One day we must get her up and running again!

Flip and Wolfie walking into a winter wonderland of tanglewoods.

Miss Amelia brought mint-scented bubbles!
Tonka not only tries to eat bubbles, but also
seems to have a taste for lit fireworks, sparklers
and any whizzing, flying thing. I’ve never seen
a dog try to eat colored fire like that- no fear at all!
Related posts:
✶ Corazones quebrados y perros ciegos
✶ Emergence
✶ Take a walk with me..