Christmas With Mercury and Sodium by Chipka
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Description
For once, Chicago had decent snow for Christmas: a white Christmas for those who care about such things. The snow arrived at night. It was white, but in keeping with the normal urban mood, it touched one’s eyes in the nocturnal color of sodium vapor light. As it fell, it clung to trees, it clung to bushes. It settled on cars, giving them the common shape of ill-formed muffins. In a parking lot, lit with the ghostly, acid-and-absinth color of pressurized and electrified mercury vapor, I saw a tree. This tree.
I spent Christmas Eve Night with Corey; we drank wine. We watched The Silence of the Lambs, laughed and drank red wine. On Christmas Day, we visited with Kate and Steve, and the official face-licker, Molly. We ate. We listened to music. We watched movies. Molly, in typical dog fashion sniffed and licked nearly every centimeter of human flesh in sight. It was a good Christmas: an excellent end to a lackluster (though eventful) year.
I took this picture on Christmas Eve Night. Snow fell, as it falls now, blanketing the city in a strange, fog-like silence. I wandered, as always, with my camera, in an attempt to capture the mood as it settled. On Christmas Eve Night, the snow was a mood, and in response to gravity, it settled. Quietly. Gracefully.
It is gray and cloudy today: Christmas has passed and the city waits in strange anticipation for the arrival of the New Year. It will come, as all new years come, and in time, it will pass. But until then, there is anticipation.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a happy Post-Christmas time of relaxation. I’m off to move dental equipment tomorrow, but the day—as I understand—will not be as long and hectic as those I’d endured for the past two weeks. I’m sure to make pictures, and I can rest assured that few—if any of them—will involve dental office inventory. That is a good thing.
Comments (25)
Sylvia
~Beautifully Evocative~ Thanks for sharing... FABULOUS!!! Happy Holidays
jmb007
belle photo!
jocko500
wonderful shot of snow. we do not get snow much here in south Louisiana so what you showing here is something i never see. Even photos of snow wonderlands as they are taken in the sun light most the time. here the lights from the shops signs as a angle of lightings to make it more surreal
sandra46
wonderful! superb image!
Season's Greetings Cards
More New Year Scraps
RodS
When I saw the title to this, I figured street lights would be involved in one form or another. And so they are. This is excellent with the contrast in color - perfect for the season - and the lone tree all in mercury vapor green. This is delightful! Well seen, and well captured, Chip! Have fun moving dental equipment, my friend. I'll 'enjoy' fixing digital presses! LOL!
Sea_Dog
A unique perspective.
MrsRatbag
It does look like a very alien landscape under those lights; beautifully captured!
danapommet
Wonderful lighting that almost turns the cold, white snow into the look of green leaves. Beautiful capture Chip. Dana
Orinoor
The city has it's own set of paint brushes and it touches everything with it's orange and green. What a great photo, rather surreal, which fits with that feeling you get with a first snow.
kgb224
Outstanding capture my friend.
bmac62
You've evoked the feel of your big city for me...and the silence is delightful. Fine image Chip...postworked to perfection.
auntietk
Surreal! I must go out and see what sort of lamps light our neighborhood. I'm afraid they're scarce to begin with, but it seems to me they're just white, which is no fun. This is outstanding!
Meisiekind
Oh so beautiful! I was just commenting on Kate's pic and saying that I longed for a white Christmas... with soaring temps in the mid 30's C it was no fun! Love the cool and warm colored light combined in this art piece Chip!
Sepiasiren
You know I have a thing for trees and this one is amazing! Love the lighting and treatment--this old soul looks stately beneath its coverage--a wondrous capture my friend.
durleybeachbum
Very eerie!!
lick.a.witch
I love your narrative. It lends an even more scary slant on this shot! I like the way a couple of colours can change the entire meaning and feel of an image. Fabulous shot! ^=^
KateBlack10
Great shot Chip! Love the way the tree turned out so green with the vapor and the feel of silence. Really nice :) Have fun with the dental equipment :( and yes, a good time is always determined by how well Molly enjoyed herself and after eating ham all day on Xmas, her body is beginning to resemble her big noggin head with a big noggin body ha!
flavia49
fantastic image and text!!
beachzz
The green is very Christmasty--nice touch!! There is an element of silence here as well, and that's just perfect.
KatesFriend
"acid-and-absinth color", I've so got to remember that expression. I think about how those right proper consumers of absinthe from centuries gone by would view our sodium lit night world. Perhaps, being on an absinthe high, they might take no notice. But this scene makes me think of one of the two trees of Valinor, Laurelin perhaps. Maybe it is the uncanny and all pervasive gold light around it even as it sleeps for the winter. The great and eternal halls of the Valinor, surrounding it. Though the tree being clad in the silver white of snow makes its physical appearance more like Telperion. What Tolkien might have said of such a scene as this. Very enchanting for Christmas Eve and well met Dúnedain.
helanker
WOW! It seem you had a great Christmas time. Wonderful :-) I am glad my internet works again, so I could see this odd but fantastic image. BEAUTIFUL!!!
praep
Well done shot with cool colors.
Danny_G
Very nice
Jean-Luc_Ajrarn
What a fun and colorful snow photo! :)
evielouise
lovely green I saw many lovely ones like this on my lastest travel: I have to admit I don't have alot of time to read all you type but I do print them out for later tks!