.

Here, gathered in our beloved South Dakota, are a few members of our Williamson / Mattson Clan. Charles and Luella are to be blamed (be kind, they didn't know what they were doing). We're generally a happy bunch and somewhat intelligent (notwithstanding our tenuous grasp on reality). I'm also proud to say that most of us still have our teeth.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Christmas Through the Eyes of a Cheap(er) Camera

The Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
I spent good American money on a nice video recorder a few years back. The batteries required removal for charging and the device needed miniature tapes for recording. That camera is now one of my home's designated dust receptacles. It sits in the closet waiting to be used. I regret buying it every time I see it in the closet. It is another electronic device I thought I needed - and did, until something else came along.

Last year I bought this handy palm sized video recorder with USB connection. It charges while attached to the computer and recordes to a flash drive - no video tape needed. It's quick and easy. Mind you, its recordings are inferior to my other device, but its ease of use and in and out of the pocket functionality trumps everything.

You wonder why I'm boring you with these details. I'm building up to an apology. The video shot this Christmas was done on my newer recorder (which doubles as a camera). This year I was lazy and proud fully admit it. You see, if I felt I had to record a few Christmas memories with my old camera, I wouldn't do it. My choice was simple, use my new camera with substandard video quality and record a few precious memories to keep me company in my old age, or record nothing at all and live a life of regret. Spending my last Christmases sitting in front of a fire, eating a bit of broth and an undercooked potato, with one candle to lite the room and waiting for a ghost weighed by heavy chains to knock upon my bedroom door.

With that said, today you get to see the few shots I took this Christmas. The video begins with the family Christmas Eve Gathering. The video progresses to Christmas Day at the Bodily Home. From there, we travel to the DelGrosso home in Highland. The video ends with still shots taken at the Mattson Christmas Party Thursday last and shots of people who couldn't (or wouldn't ) spend a moment or two of their Holiday with us. The pictures were mined from their Facebook accounts.

It is Christmas Memory Amateur Hour.
And a Happy New Year to Us All.

Simply,
Victor