Christmas at Talleyrand / Red Hearts

In which I am a recipient of grace.

It was Christmas day, and we didn't have any special plans. My husband wanted to drive to Bellefonte to try a Christmas meal at one of the local churches. So we decided he would do that, and get takeout meals to bring home, and make a donation. On the way there, he would drop me off at Talleyrand Park for a half-hour photo shoot, then pick me up after.

The weather forecast called for partly sunny skies but the sunny part never materialized. It was a fine visit and photo shoot anyway. I absolutely adore Talleyrand Park. It is just gorgeous, like a small Victorian village. Bellefonte is a beautiful town, with much to admire. Its little park by the big spring is just one of those things.

There were only a handful of people there, and I noted that most of them included at least one person with a camera. There wasn't much snow left on the ground, just a bit of slippery, semi-icy slush here and there, including on the swinging bridge over Spring Creek, which was bedecked with wreaths and big red bows.

There is a pretty little gazebo in Talleyrand, and it has a Christmas tree in it. The lights weren't on at this time, but I imagine it is something to see when darkness falls. If it snows, it looks like a snow globe, a little slice of the world that has stepped outside of time.

I had my tunes box with me, and had been looking forward to my soundtrack, but I was so absorbed in what I was doing, and trying to get as far and as fast as I could with my camera, and then back again, that I forgot to even turn it on!

There is sometimes an ice skating rink in front of the gazebo, when the temperature is right, but not now. I imagine that is fun to see. I love to ice skate but have not done that in a while. There was also a a display of Christmassy stuff in a little white structure not far from the gazebo; in it, I found reindeer, and red Christmas heart ornaments (you may see those in the extra photo).

And then suddenly, my time was up, and my husband had arrived, with the car smelling of good food. We hopped in and went home and feasted on a delicious Christmas meal prepared by the Methodists, and were grateful for the sacrifices of others, who spent their time on Christmas day, away from home and family, making meals for others.

By the evening's end, I was parked in the bedroom watching Mamma Mia on DVD while my husband watched sporting events on the living room TV. My movie was fun, and delightful, and even much better than I remembered! So it was a very nice day indeed!

I've got two photos, and so here are some songs. I was looking for a song with Bell or Belle in it, for Bellefonte. And so here is Garth Brooks, with Belleau Wood. For the hearts in the extras, I've got a Miley Cyrus/Stevie Nicks tune from Plastic Hearts, called Midnight Sky. And just for fun, I'm tossing in a link to Dancing Queen, from Mamma Mia.