Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
December, 2009

The second half of my Edinburgh photos are my night shots. Anyone who has read my blog knows that I love twilight skies, so I was excited to walk around the city at night with my Canon 5DMkII and a 35mm f1.4 lens. The combination of a high ISO camera and a huge aperture enabled me to take these photos without a tripod, even in really dark locations. Mike was so kind to walk around in the cold with me while I had some fun.

( More photos of Edinburgh by night )

Edinburgh, Scotland
December, 2009

Earlier this week, Mike and I spent a day in Edinburgh. Mike went to grad school there at the University of Edinburgh, and he wanted to show me around the city that he loved. It's a labyrinth of narrow paths and hilly streets with spectacular medieval architecture. We spent our time walking around, enjoying the views, and sampling the pubs.

Here's a random collection of photos from Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. I usually blog chronologically, but these pictures are in no particular order. Check back tomorrow for photos of Edinburgh in the nighttime!

( More photos of Edinburgh in the daytime )

Carol singing in the village green
Easton, Somerset, England
December, 2009

Merry Christmas from Mike's family's village in England! We're having a great Christmas here with his parents, brother, and sister-in-law. This afternoon we're enjoying our new toys, eating chocolate, and relaxing in the sunny, mild weather. I hope your Christmas is great, too.

I'm so grateful for you, my friends! I wish health and happiness for you and your loved ones today and always.

Tomorrow I'll post photos from Edinburgh!

( A few more photos of Christmas carols with the people of Easton )

( but it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world )

"now as i look around, it's mighty plain to see
this world is such a great and a funny place to be
oh the gamblin man is rich and the workin man is poor
and i ain't got no home in this world anymore"

fuck this noise

Easton, Somerset
December 18, 2009

Mike and I are in England right now, visiting his parents for Christmas. Today we had beautifully sunny weather, so I spent the afternoon walking around Easton, the village where Mike grew up. It's a small town of only a couple hundred people, near the city of Wells in southwest England. I walked around today and took pictures of all the cool-looking old stuff in the village. Of course the people here are just as contemporary as everyone else, but I'm American and therefore I love English old stuff. After six years of visiting England together, Mike is learning to accept that about me. ;-)

( More photos of Mike's hometown )

Manitou Springs, Colorado
December 12, 2009

We live in an adorable Victorian town just west of Colorado Springs. Manitou Springs sits at the base of Pikes Peak and is filled with cute cafes and art galleries. Every year I look forward to Christmas shopping at the local artist co-ops. This time I brought a camera... why didn't I think to do that sooner?

All these photos were taken with my Canon 5DMkII and a Canon 35mm 1.4L that I rented for the holidays.

( More photos of Manitou )