~ Please Note ~

Unless otherwise noted, all photographic images in this blog are the sole property of Kim L Branson and therefore may not be copied or used in any way without expressed permission by the owner. Thank you.

Welcome to CLIQUE!

I can trace my love of photography back three generations, to the early 1900s and my paternal great-grandfather, Henry Mattson. I have a really cool photo that he took of the old family homestead in Minnesota, sometime before 1910. According to family history, Grampa Mattson frequently took photos of his world - the people and places that he loved.

It warms my heart to know that this love of photography didn't skip any generations as it passed down to me! I am blessed to have such a legacy and I hope to pass it on to my own children and grandchildren some day.

I experience a physical and spiritual thrill whenever the Lord shows Himself in His marvelous creation around us and in the people I meet. My dream vacation would be to spend a year or two just traveling around the US, stopping at little out of the way places and photographing the interesting characters and the beauty of nature to be found along the way - those things that draw me closer to GOD and help point others to Him, too.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

P*S*B ~ My Town

I'm a bit late with last week's challenge - My Town - and I don't have a lot of "town" type of shots to post... However, I do have a lot of scenics (surprise, surprise) taken in our community, along with several shots of the interior of the Chugiak Senior Center which, although 9 miles away from us here in Eagle River, is still part of our community. The photos have captions, but I don't have the technical details handy; if you have a question about the settings or what-not of any of the photos, just ask and I'll look it up for you :)
TFL - kimB


"Mountains in the Mist"


Actually, this is fog, but "mist" sounded better - took this while riding through Eagle River in my friend's car on our way to the Chugiak Senior Center.

Inside the Christmas section at the Eagle River Fred Meyer



Eagle River Fred Meyer Christmas section


"Christmas Stocking Quilt"

Chugiak Senior Center


"Tony, the Tour Guide"

One of our friends and paper-crafting "students," Tony, took us on a little tour of the assisted living part of the center. He wanted us to see all the various Christmas decorations put up by the residents.


Residents' Stockings hanging in the Hallway


A happy Tony, posing with the cards he made during our paper-crafting session

The decorated door of the Day-Service unit (where we hold our paper-crafting sessions)

Close up of the Day Service's Christmas Tree

Rhonda and several of our paper-crafters working on Christmas cards


"Elf - Robert"

He was actually pretty happy this day, even though you can't tell it by this photo!



Majestic Eagle, taken in - guess where? - Eagle River!

"Lone Eagle on Eagle River Road"


Nativity scene outside the First Baptist Church of Eagle River

Sign outside the First Baptist Church of Eagle River


Decorated pavilion at the Eagle River Town Square. I didn't adjust the color - the yellow tint comes from the surrounding streetlight.


Eagle River Town Square and the "People Mover" bus stop in the background


"Moonrise over the Alaska Range"

Taken from Beach Lake Rd in Chugiak

"Beach Lake"


"Moose Tracks"

Beach Lake, Chugiak

"Sunset Glow on the Alaska Range"

Beach Lake, Chugiak

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Chanukah Arts Festival Family Expo ~ Dec 9, 2007

Last Sunday, I attended my first ever Chanukah celebration with my friend, Rhonda. It was held in Anchorage at the Egan Convention Center and was open to the public. Rhonda had never attended one of these festivals before either, but had wanted to for a long time, so she called me up and we went together.
I admit that at times, I felt like a party-crasher, as everything was foreign to me and other than Rhonda, I knew no one else there. However, no one made us feel unwelcomed and we were even able to share a table with a Hebrew family. The event was free, but food, games and activities took tickets ($1 per ticket) and I spent $10 on refreshments for Rhonda and myself. We both had potato latkes with applesauce - my first time - and they were very tasty!


Hope you enjoy these photos -- kimB

One of many antique menorahs on display - some were hundreds of years old!



Display table of Antique Menorahs


Giant dreidel pinata and a net full of balloons. The pinata was broken at the end of the event (we left before then) and the balloons were dropped at the end of a skit put on by the children



"Jerusalem of Gold" - menorah under glass

Cups, Mugs & Goblets under glass


Menorahs for sale - there was such a wide variety!


Dude!

Groovy little VW Menorah for sale! Faaaaar Out :) ! Shalom, y'all!

" Synogogues of the World"


Egan Center ballroom - all decked out for Festival & Family Expo


Food Line

Hebrew Youth Club, Gan Yeladim Preshool and Toddler Program students at the end of the Chanukah Light Parade


Jack and Jordan Green give the Menorah Blessings (yes, in Hebrew!)


Rabbi Yosef Greenberg and Jerry Green (father of the two little boys) kindle the Ice Menorah

Larry Tallman and David Grashin light the antique menorah - it's more than 400 years old! - as Rabbi Greenberg looks on

~ Basking in the Light of GOD's Love ~

This beautiful young lady was one of our table mates, along with her family, who kept speaking to one another in - I think, Yiddish. Lovely :)


Musical performance by Alex Zlatovski and Jack & Jordan Green


A portion of the menorah on our table.

Love the glow from this - was surprised it turned out so well! I used macro mode; no flash

The menorah at our table was crafted by children at the festival



A Reflection of the Lord's Provision

"My Giant Birthday Latke" - a theatrical performance by the Talmud Torah After-School students. Very cute play :)


Yarmulkes and programs on our table at the festival

Carved Ice Menorah - This was sooooo much prettier IRL!


Ice Menorah Detail

The original of this photo had a yellowish tinge, so I added the "cool 1" filter to give it a more natural appearance.


Native Alaskan artwork in the lobby of the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage

Christmas Village

This amazing Christmas Village belongs to my dear friend, Rhonda. She has been collecting pieces for several years. Photos taken Dec 11, 2007 with my Fuji S6000fd - all handheld, no flash. I used macro mode, also.

TFL - kim