Today was a lovely gray, foggy, rainy
day on the Outer Banks.
I love weather like this
This is the view off my back deck,
looking down the canal.
Didn't cook anything much to speak of today,
but Mr. Hawthorne and I did meet
with Xmaskatie for an adequate lunch.
Thank you Xmaskatie for treating.
Your generosity is most touching.
Now onto the subject of this post -
the occasional odd Christmas gift,
which generally will come from the same
person year after year after year.
It's the kind of gift that when you open it,
your head tilts a bit,
your jaw drops slightly,
your lips part,
your teeth clinch,
your nose develops a slight crinkle,
your brow furrows,
and your brain scrambles to process.
And don't worry about this particular gifter
ever reading this post.
No way. No how.
Drum roll, please.
May I present to you last year's Christmas gift -
a Lego-inspired plastic clock.
OK, people.
Please comment with your first impressions
upon seeing this.
Exquisite, isn't it?
Well, once you get something like this,
you know it's an ominous foreshadowing
of THINGS-TO-COME.
And now,
I give you this past Christmas's gift.
Ahh ...
A nautical gift.
Very a propos for the Hawthornes,
considering we do live on the Outer Banks of North Carolina -
the CITY OF LIGHTHOUSES.
And yes, it lights up...
in the wrong place.
Check out this intricate, clever, and inventive construction.
The beads are held in place by safety pins.
Lights off.
Lights on.
I discovered that the light inside
needed a bit of adjusting
in order to illuminate properly
through the fresnel screen.
Close up of masterful engineering.
Sometimes, Rosie is just speechless.
To enlighten you as to the
provenance of these gifts,
let me just say
they came from
someone who has widely and wildly
different "tastes" than I.
This particular person
has a neighbor who apparently
has a WHOLE LOT OF TIME
on her hands,
and she actually makes these things.
Wouldn't you just love to see her house?
Now, if any of my dear readers
have unconventional, idiosyncratic, quirky,
dare I say outre,
little presents they'd like to share with us,
please do.
I'd love to hear from you.
