Let's Play Catch! As in Catch-up! From Christmas Eve to Susan's Birthday!

We got a dog

but more about Freddy later.

Our Traditional Christmas Eve Family Party was a great success.
We served homemade lasagna and baked mac & cheese,
shrimp cocktail and homemade rye bread and kielbasa,
cocktail turkey meatballs,
cheese and crackers, wine and beer.

Here is a photo of Susan and I before our guests arrived:

 On Christmas Day we went to Susan's sister-in-laws home.

Susan made her special creamy mushroom casserole:

And I made no knead cranberry walnut bread:

I got to photograph one of my favorite "model,"

My great-niece, Lauren:

We had left-over shrimp from Christmas Eve so on December 26th

I made a Thai Shrimp Stir-fry;

Gosh was it great!

On December 27th it snowed.

Snow falls
Three in the afternoon
Sparrows flutter at the feeder
Doves peck at the seeds on the ground
In summer I buried a sparrow
Injured by our cat
First I dug a hole in the earth
Placed the dying bird in it
I let the shovel fall too
Into the hole
And it was still
Quiet now
A red cardinal
Rises from the snow
Where in summer I grew
Peppers and eggplants
The sparrows rush away
Upon arrival
Of the cardinal
The BlueJay
I watch, I am
Witness

One evening we ate meatloaf;
made with ground turkey and apples and walnuts:

And on another evening
we ate Harira:

And we enjoyed a kale and mushroom pizza:

On December 31st we visited
the breeder and saw our new dog
for the first time.
And we celebrated New Year's Eve
enjoying stuffed artichokes;
stuffed with kale and garlic and Parmesan cheese:

And roast chicken, asparagus, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce:

I woke New Year's Day and gave thanks,
greeting the new year with great expectations.

Later in the day we celebrated
enjoying a roast beef dinner,
with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes with ricotta cheese,
and green beans with caramelized onions. 

On Thursday, January 3rd,
we brought Freddy home;
he was barely bigger than my shoe!

Freddy, named in honor my wonderful Dad,
 who passed away a few years ago; Alfred, aka Fred or Freddy!

Here I am on Sunday, January 6,
reading The New York Times
with Freddy; he is a smart dog!

What was cooking in Bruce's Kitchen this Sunday?

  Susan and I are made a special meal for my son, Daryl;
 he graduated in December from University of Texas Graduate School
 with a Masters in Structural Engineering
 and leaves for Houston in a few days
 to start his new job at Fluor Engineering.
 We are all so proud of him----but we are going to miss him so much.

Here is a photo of Daryl and his girlfriend, Julia,
taken on Christmas Eve at our party:

 
 So as a send-off we had cooking no-knead pear bread,
 two different sauces for pasta
 (Susan's famous tomato sauce and a Pumpkin Parmesan sauce--a Christmas gift from Daryl),
 turkey meatballs stuffed with capers (a fav),
 and ricotta cheesecake with pine nuts and raisins. We'll also enjoyed salad and wine.

Care for a piece of ricotta cheesecake cake?

Here is a photo of my daughter, Danielle, on Sunday afternoon,
 her Bella, and our Freddy.
 Both are mini labradoodles;
Bella is 35 lbs. and Freddy will be about 18 lbs.

And today, Tuesday, January 8,
is Susan's birthday.
This morning I gave here a Birthday Card
 from "The Beautiful Card Shop," an original print of this photo:

 
. Later, I'll be making her a Special Birthday Dinner!

Why not visit "The Beautiful Card Shop;" Valentine's Day is right around the corner! 

One last photo:
Susan and Freddy:

Now I must get back to work!
I have been commissioned to photograph an artist's paintings
and I have also been commissioned to photograph an e-book cover.

If you are looking for distinctive portrait, nature, or documentary photography,
or someone you know is looking
for photography that helps to create a more artful and beautiful life,
please contact me.