Quiet Moment

The winter solstice is tonight at 10:27 p.m. EST.  It's a quiet a moment in time when the sun is tilted as far away from the earth as it can be providing the least amount of daylight.  And as soon as that moment is over....the sun's tilt shifts...the days get longer...and the light starts to return. 

Sunset was at 4:07 today.....and tomorrow it will set at 4:08.

photo take a little after sunset

I'm choosing a quiet Christmas Moment for Day 21 in honor of the solstice...and in memory of my brother Rich....who loved Christmas.

After my parents died....my eight siblings and all our children had to be intentional about gathering....so we started celebrating Christmas in July. Most often we would gather on the farm where we grew up which had become the home of my younger brother Rich....and later on his wife Carol and their two boys Henry and Charles. 

Rich loved hosting family gatherings.  He would put up an outdoor movie screen to show family montage videos he would make...set up a swimming pool for the kids and welcomed the festive chaos with open arms. We played lots of games, exchanged gifts, and sat around bonfires late into the evenings.  It was family magic.

Before we started exchanging white elephant gifts....there was a time when we drew names for gift giving. Back in 1989 Rich drew Paul's name and made him this spalted maple popcorn bowl that he turned on his lathe.

Spalted maple is wood that has started to decay adding color variation and texture. It's a beautiful bowl!

MERRY CHRISTMAS Paul

1989

Love Rich

Popcorn Bowl - Spalted Maple

I had a Quiet Christmas Moment #21 

with Rich's bowl filled with popcorn this afternoon.  Rich passed away back in 2012....way too soon for this amazing and talented man who loved Christmas.

I'm pretty sure this is a photo from last Christmas in July of 2010 when the nine siblings were all together on the farm.  

Angie, Becky, LaVonn

Rich, Marilyn, MaryAnn

Nancy, Ed and Doug

Angie, Becky, Rich and Ed are no long with us. They are missed.

I've posted this view of the farm off in the distance several times... 

which I took I took during that same Christmas in July in 2010.

This is the view up the road....with the farm is to the left.  I have such 

fond memories of riding my bike up and down this quiet country road. 

And this is the view up the driveway that same day

I loved growing up on a farm.