I love visiting my aunt’s house. She lives on what used to be a farm by a river. There’s still some old buildings on the land, along with a massive six acre field for the dogs to run in.
The house is old and was previously owned by an author and artist. It has a small wooden dock, along with some gravel trails and a wooden bridge. The water is sourced from a well on the land. The wiring in the house is starting to go, but its still a warm place to visit with good food.
This year, my aunt hosted in the annual family Christmas party. Knowing how beautiful her home is, I decided to bring my camera, and my new toy lens: a Fotasy N35. It’s a fully manual 35mm lens with an aperture that opens to 1.7. I love the style of photos it produces, and at roughly $30 I’d highly recommend it.
It’s still early November, and personally, I like to acknowledge Thanksgiving before Christmas, but we schedule the Christmas Party for when the most people can make it. A few years ago, we had it in February, and a few years before that, we did Christmas in July.
A man was fixing the water pump to the well when we arrived. It was worrisome, but things turned out fine. Gas and Electricity still worked, so dinner was already in progress. In the smoker below, my cousin was making a dry rubbed pork shoulder. He had been smoking it since that morning, and he served it with they call “Swamp Water,” a mixture of Vinegar, Sugar, and spices.
It was potluck style. I helped my mom make Panna Cotta and Purple Sweet Potato Pie. We topped the Panna Cotta with a warm caramel sauce. I did not expect something so easy to make would taste so good.
After eating, we did the gift exchange (the Game of Greed or White Elephant). This Christmas party was with my American side of the family, so the gifts weren’t too outrageous or inappropriate. I wound up receiving a canister of Old Bay seasoning and a seasoning shaker. Something nice and small for the flight back, and a something to remind me of the east coast (they put Old Bay on everything).
My top 5 highlights were
- Playing with the dogs.
- Game of Greed (Christmas Gift Exchange) with my family.
- The food. Fresh cooked collard greens and chili. Homemade Pannacotta and Sweet Potato Pies. Try some Old Bay on Kettle Corn for a life changing experience.
- My photo walk. There’s so much to see.
- Time with family. We’re so spread out, it’s nice for everyone to fly in and get back together.
