Tag Archives: Christmas

A Biltmore Christmas

December 15, 2023North Carolina, OUTSIDE FLORIDAarchitecture, Asheville, Biltmore, Christmas, decoration, Great Smoky Mountains, house, santaEd Rosack

This Thanksgiving we decided to meet in Asheville with MK, Art and Michele for a long weekend. Located in North Carolina close to the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Asheville views can be spectacular!

Looking toward the Great Smoky Mountains

However there were several wildfires in the area, including this one that MK hit on the Tennessee / North Carolina border on her drive east along I-40 from Nashville.

Heading into town (photo by MK, used with permission)

This changed our plans. We’d hoped to do some scenic drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but due to the wildfires we opted for other activities. We were also at the end of the fall foliage color. We saw a (very) few trees with some nice color, but if we’d gone a few weeks earlier, there would have been many more.

Our highlight of the long weekend was visiting Biltmore Estate. Started in the late 1880s by George Vanderbilt (brother of Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of Vanderbilt University), this extravagant estate is elaborate by today’s standards – let alone the late 1800s!

The Biltmore House: an early morning view (before the crowds)

Complete with a pool, billiards room and bowling alley, it has all the modern features with the feel of Downton Abbey. Set aside time to walk room to room with the guided audio tour. If stairs are a challenge, there’s also a great film about the estate that you can watch in a room on the main floor.

Entrance hall decorations

Billiards Room

You can purchase tickets in advance (suggested at least a week ahead) and we chose the earliest ones available. Our 9:30 am entry time was the second tour of the day and it wasn’t crowded. But by the time we left in the early afternoon, the entire 8,000-acre estate was filled with visitors.

Also the Biltmore “house”: This giant gingerbread replica was on display in the kitchen

Parking is easy and there’s even a shuttle to get you to the estate. Save some time for after you visit the mansion. When you’re done, you’ll want to drive around and explore the beautiful grounds, gardens and winery – including driving straight through the main gates and past the iconic mansion.

>One of the Biltmore Christmas Lions that guard the entrance

The whole place was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season. We highly recommend visiting this time of year to see all the lights, ornaments, trees, foliage, manger scenes, Santas, and gingerbread houses.

Library: Christmas by the fireplace

More Christmas by another fireplace

Festive grand banquet room

The Biltmore Estate allows non-flash photography, but prohibits video. I suppose they don’t want anyone competing with the Hallmark Channel’s “A Biltmore Christmas” movie! MK got some good photos with her cell phone, but I opted for a dedicated camera with a wide angle lens for interior shots – I used a 20mm focal length. And the light inside can be dim, so a wide aperture, higher ISOs, and some in camera stabilization will help. I made many of my photos at f/1.8 with ISOs at or above 500.

Nativity Scene

We did the Asheville Trolley Tour on another day, although it wasn’t our favorite. The pacing was slow and we thought the commentary should’ve included more info about the beauty of the architecture and quaint Asheville neighborhoods. You can purchase “hop on / hop off” tickets but take into account the time between shuttles so you can explore and not wait too long for the next one.

Around Asheville

We also enjoyed many marvelous meals. Our favorite was at Jettie Rae’s Oyster House – amazing service, laid back but elegant atmosphere, and delicious food and drinks. MK said the oysters were the best she’s had in the Southeast United States.

We’ll leave you with this final photo of Father Christmas. He seems pleased watching over all of us enjoying this fine start to the holiday season.

Father Christmas

If you’re interested, you can see higher res versions of these (and a few more) North Carolina photos in this album on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72177720313134519/

Thanks MK for helping me write this post!

And thanks to everyone for stopping by and reading it. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. Enjoy your time with family and friends. And if you can, make some memories (and some photos!).

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2021Miscellanious, Ponce InletChristmasEd Rosack

Just a short post this week to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Santa passing through Ponce Inlet

I’m not planning to publish next weekend, so I’ll go ahead and wish you a prosperous and healthy new year now too!

Thank you so much for following my blog again this year. Please be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you’re lucky enough to be be with family – enjoy your precious time together! See you soon in 2022!

Merritt Island NWR – December 2020

December 26, 2020Merritt Island NWRBelted Kingfisher, birds, black and white, Black Crowned Night Heron, blue hour, BPWD, Christmas, clouds, Common Yellowthroat, Great Horned Owl, landscape, monochrome, northern cardinal, Northern Shoveler, panorama, red-bellied woodpecker, Reddish Egret, reflection, Spoonbill, sunrise, White Pelican, wildlife, Wood StorkEd Rosack

‘Twas the night after Christmas*

‘Twas the night after Christmas and I sat at my desk,
trying to decide which photos were best.

To the refuge I’d been three times in December.
I was writing a blog post to help me remember.

All of these pictures I selected with care.
In hopes that they’d make you feel like you’re there.

This light on the Fish Camp made me pause for a bit.
When the pandemic’s over, we’ll stop in and sit.

Early morning at the Fish Camp Bar & Grill. On SR 46 at the St. Johns River.

Going into the refuge the river’s reflection,
painted this scene approaching perfection.

Clouds on the Indian River. Just south of Veterans Memorial Park.

Kingfishers on Black Point are loud and brash.
But I managed to catch one, heading off in a flash.

Male Belted Kingfisher in flight

A Common Yellowthroat posed in the brush.
Then he flew away in a very big rush.

Male Common Yellowthroat

Storks in formation soared by above,
A wonderful subject to make photos of.

Three Wood Storks in flight

And what to my wondering eyes should appear?
A pretty pink spoonbill, preening quite near.

Preening Roseate Spoonbill

Other birds to the refuge, they also came.
It’s wonderful to see them and call them by name.

Now Ospreys, Shovelers, Pelicans and all,

Northern Shoveler drake

White Pelican

Now egrets and herons, with all of your calls,

Reddish Egret

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Now woodpeckers, cardinals, eagles, owls and more,
So many birds along the shore!

Red-bellied Woodpecker. “I know I saw a bug in there…”

Male Cardinal in the Mangroves

Nesting Great Horned Owl

Large birds, small birds, short birds and tall,
stay for a while, don’t dash away all!

Ibises and Spoonbills

Ibises and Egrets

And I exclaimed as I turned out the light:
“HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL,
AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!”

Calm Harbor – Titusville Marina

Note: I ended up visiting Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge three times this month and I had so many unused images from these trips that I decided to re-do a post from December 2019 with updated words to fit the new photos. MINWR is a truly wonderful place – especially at this time of year. I’m very grateful that I live close by!

Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope this holiday season brings each and every one of you and your loved ones peace and joy. I know the pandemic has been extra challenging and not being with family is especially hard at Christmas time. Stay safe and take care of each other so we can all enjoy the better times that are on the way for 2021!

This is my last post of 2020, but I’ll be back next Sunday with another one. Until then, have a happy and safe New Year!

*With sincere apologies to Clement Clarke Moore.

MINWR – 12/26/19

December 28, 2019Merritt Island NWRAlligator, Belted Kingfisher, birds, blue hour, BPWD, Christmas, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Hooded Merganser, landscape, Northern Shoveler, panorama, Spoonbill, sunrise, White Pelican, wildlifeEd Rosack

Twas the morning after Christmas*

Twas the morning after Christmas, as I left the house – I tried to be quiet and not wake my spouse.

I drove to the refuge through the long winter’s night. To get there and catch the first morning light.

On the pier by the causeway, it was all blue and gold. Lovely start to the day with colors so bold.

Dawn by the causeway and the pier

To Black Point next – a wonderful place. Drive slow or you’ll miss things with too fast a pace.

Dawn on Black Point Wildlife Drive

Kingfishers dodged my camera with ease, not stopping for long even when I said please!

Male Belted Kingfisher

A lady Merganser was flapping her wings. Shaking off water and other things.

Female Hooded Merganser wing flap

An unblinking gator watched me draw nigh. I almost saw myself in his eye.

Eye of the gator

And what to my wondering eyes should appear? A pretty pink spoonbill wading quite near.

Roseate Spoonbill

Other birds to the refuge, they also came. It’s wonderful to see them and call them by name.

Now Ospreys, Shovelers, Pelicans and all,

Northern Shoveler

White Pelican Pod

Now egrets and herons, with all of your calls.

Great Egret in flight

Great Blue Heron portrait

Now Terns, teals, willets, eagles and more, so many birds along the shore.

Large birds, small birds, short birds and tall – stay for a while, don’t fly away all!

As I left the refuge and it left my sight, I thought “HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!”

Merritt Island morning

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. I hope each and every one of you are having a wonderful holiday season. Cherish your time with friends and family and don’t forget to make some photos with them!

And have a very Happy New year too!!

*With sincere apologies to Clement Clarke Moore

Fort Christmas Historical Park, December 2019

December 22, 2019Fort Christmasbuildings, Christmas, people, soldiersEd Rosack

I hope you had a chance to attend the annual Cracker Christmas at Fort Christmas Historical Park a couple weeks ago. It’s a fun activity with a lot to see and a lot of vendors selling unique items. If you couldn’t make it this year, keep it in mind for 2020. And don’t forget that you can visit Fort Christmas throughout the year.

Christmas Post Office

This park in east Orange County includes a reproduction of the 1837 Fort built near this spot. It also has 7 restored historical homes that preserve the ‘Cracker’ architecture of the area. The park gives us a glimpse into Florida pioneer life. It’s a little like traveling back in time and photo ops abound.

NO Chickens Allowed

Volunteers often dress up in period costumes and demonstrate what life was like back then.

Getting ready

During the festival, there are even more folks showing us aspects of other times.

Civil War Re-enactors

Here’s a photo hint that helped me when I was there: Scan your frame to check the composition for distracting or out of place items that might spoil your image. In this photo of the two soldiers, I noticed Airstream trailers behind their tent so I shifted my viewpoint so they weren’t visible in the final image.

In the kitchen

And in this photo of the kitchen, there was initially a modern Yeti cup on the stove. I was glad I was able to re-make my photo when it was removed. Much easier than removing it in Photoshop!

Many of the homes are decorated for the season and you can photograph things in December that don’t exist the rest of the year. A fabulous time to go!

Merry Christmas to all!

Anyway, a fun short photowalk. You can read more of my Fort Christmas posts here. And you can see more photos from there in this album on Flickr.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Merry Christmas to everyone and enjoy spending time with family and friends. And don’t forget to make some photos with them!

Santa sighting!

December 23, 2017Cruise Ships, VARIOUSChristmas, holiday, people, santaEd Rosack

While on our cruise a couple of weeks ago, we spotted Santa testing out some alternate transportation. I really like the color scheme, but I’m worried he’ll get tired pedaling this all around the world. Hopefully the elves can talk him into using his sleigh and reindeer.

Santa Sighting!!

I hope all of you have a joyous and happy holiday season and a wonderful new year! I really appreciate you following my blog again this year.

Thanks for stopping by. Now – go enjoy spending time with family and friends. And make some photos!

Home for the Holidays

December 17, 2017Must do list, VARIOUSblack and white, Christmas, family, holiday, peopleEd Rosack

It’s getting chilly outside, presents are starting to show up, and we’re hearing carols on the radio. Family and friends are arriving soon and before we know it, It’s a Wonderful Life will be on TV around the clock. Whether you celebrate Christmas or another winter holiday, family gatherings are the greatest photo-op of the year!

Mom, me, Dad – Christmas, 1955

Gather folks up and make photos and maybe even some video. Include everyone and make sure you get yourself into a few. Don’t put it off and don’t take no for an answer. Technical perfection isn’t even required. You and people you love will cherish the photos anyway.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some family photos! And share them – someone will be very glad you did!

Merry Christmas, 2016!!!

December 18, 2016VARIOUSChristmas, landscape, manger, sunriseEd Rosack

I hope that all of you have a wonderful holiday and enjoy spending time with your family and friends!

To get you in the mood, here are a few seasonal photos from my archives – I hope you enjoy them.

Santa’s Workshop – In Barberville, Florida

Merry Christmas to all – Santa inbound through Ponce Inlet

Seasons Greetings!

Nativity Scene – Cincinnati, Ohio

Our Lladro Manger Scene

For those of you from other faiths, I sincerely hope that all of you are having a blessed time too. We have so much to be thankful for.

I very much appreciate you stopping by my blog. Enjoy the holidays!

Santa's Workshop

December 24, 2014Barberville, INSIDE FLORIDAChristmas, santa, toys, workshopEd Rosack

Santa’s Workshop – Santa and his elves took a break and I was able to sneak in and make a photograph of his workshop. It looks like he’s just about ready for Christmas!

I hope all of you have a joyous and happy holiday season and a wonderful new year! Thank you so much for following my blog again this year. Now – get back to your family and enjoy the holidays!

Ho, ho, ho – Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2013INSIDE FLORIDA, Ponce Inlet, VARIOUSChristmas, landscape, reflection, sunriseEd Rosack

I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas holiday and a joyful and prosperous New Year!

Santa inbound through the inlet

Thank you so much for reading my blog this year. Now – get back to your family and enjoy the holidays!

Central Florida Photo Ops

What and where they are and how to photograph them.