Christmas Eve in Louisiana

We drove along the Mississippi river from New Orleans to Baton Rouge expecting that, off the beaten path, we were sure to find something interesting. Here the river is nothing like up in the state of Mississippi but is lined with refineries and various factories, all with giant conveyer belts carrying materials to and from river-borne barges. The river itself you can't see from the road because of the levee. Somewhere around Gramercy, LA we started seeing these strange towers built up on the levee. Finally we drove up on the levee to get a closer look, and ask a passing jogger what they were all about. "Are these bonfires?" I asked. Sure thing. They all get set ablaze on Christmas Eve to celebrate the arrival of "Papa Noel." There were dozens of these pyres set upon the levee. Further up the river they were spaced only a few yards apart. The pictured pyre is only half complete; there is a serious amount of wood in these things.

Christmas Day in Southern California

Pacific ocean sunset over Catalina Island, viewed from Crystal Cove State Park. Dec 25, 2006.