Is now over...
Loren and I have had a really nice time with friends and family. Don's place Friday night was fun. It's the only time that those of us left on my fathers side of the family get to gether. Donald is my father's brother's son. It means a lot to him that we make it to his place during the holiday and keep on, with what he probably sees, as his only tradition. He's now off to see his mother and his aunt in Florida for a few days.
Dinner at Pop's was also quite wonderful. It was our first time there as a family since Nan passed away. Uncle Mike from Toronto was missing, as well as Virginio. So it was pretty much the usual gang.
On a selfish note, it would have been nice if Mike and Nino had been there for the picture taking (ok it would have been nice just to have them there). If I get around to doing something special with the photos, I'm sure their absence will be obvious.
I did feel like a photographer again. It's been a long time that I hadn't used the Rolleiflex. Using a medium format camera is a blast, this one, an sl66, has this grand honkin ker-klunk when the shutter is released. It's a rewarding sound made even more exciting when used with a flash (I rented a powerpack for the Metz).
We'll see if I didn't make any obvious goofs with my exposure or composition or anything else...I might have to set up a temporary darkroom to make enlargments if I like the results. Then I'll really feel like a photographer again. Once the films are processed I'll also see if I can get my hands on a 120 film scanner to digitize the photos and perhaps post them here.
Now...we have to see about going to North Bay. Loren's parents are a bit overwhelmed with holiday goings-on and aren't sure if they can handle more visitors just yet. I like visiting them, but it is a long drive (which I do not like) so we'll see how it goes. Might just end up with some time to sit and chill right here at home. I would welcome the prospect.
Then all we'd have to do is figure out what we'll be doing for the new-year. I'd like Loren and me to just sit with a fire and maybe a glass of bubbly...just the two of us.
We'll see...