Silvester

New Year's Eve in Germany is known as Silvester, after the feast day of Saint Sylvester, though the celebrations actually go back to the pagen Rauhnächte, and it is a noisy, raucous night of celebration.

I tend not to go for raucous or noisy, though I hear fireworks outside as I type this, so obviously even in Seattle there are those that do.

This year, my celebration is inspired by a brochure that appeared today on the German website devoted to preserving and sharing scans of materials related to Ankerstein. Apparently the product promoted in this brochure never came to market, but I looked at the picture (at right), and said, "I can build that - with Ankerstein."

So I did.

I imagine this fountain in a quiet square in a small German town. You may imagine it surrounded by revelers & illuminated by fireworks.

Good Block Play & a very happy new year to each of you.

[And a very special raise of a Silvester glass to Claudia Haase, with whom I was to attend a Silvester party in Bad Helmstedt, Silvester, 1971, had my U.S. Army superiors not intervened egregiously, sending me to Bremerhaven mere hours before.]

Happy Holidays

Christmas Greetings to all those that celebrate the day.

The gold foil paper may or may not provide a 'Christmassy look," and doesn't succeed pictorially, to my eye.

The stereo pair, best of several first Blockplay efforts with a very special Christmas present 3D camera, doesn't entirely succeed either, from an esthetic point of view, but there you are.

It more-or-less succeeds as stereo, and I am celebrating the day in my own way. ;)

Somehow I didn't post a Happy Holidays or do any Blockplay as part of Hanukkah, though I did post daily Hanukkah "Light" pictures in another blog. Perhaps you can find something there to like.

As always, however the pictures turned out, returning to Ankerstein after an absence was a special treat of scent, touch, heft, and accomplishment.

Very special Block Play.

Best wishes to every one.