As we say farewell to 2022...

 

...just a friendly reminder to keep your hiking sandals in tip-top condition.

Bonus - How long after an earthquake is it okay to open a soda again?

Bonus 2 - 

Posing By The Creek

 

Joyce and Gavin, having some fun beside the creek / stream / river / whatever.

And Gavin demonstrating that you're never too old for a boob-grab.

Bonus - 

Music - Meh.
Images - Yeah.
Buckethead - Spokes for the Wheel of Torment

Reunion of the Bonetti Brothers

 

Despite their disagreements and ...troubles... over the years, the Bonetti Brothers still meet up for a Christmas Reunion. And for that one event, Guiseppi relaxes his guard a little, and slips his "Witness Protection" escort,, tho' he retains his alternative personality / disguise.

Paulo and Leonardo aren't sure about the "Witness Protection ID" story, but ... family is family. 

Bonus - 

Hope You Had A Very Addams Christmas.

A Woodland Idyll

 

In this gap between the chaos of Christmas and New Year, why not take some time off and have a wonder in a local wood or forest.

Reconnect with nature, and  ....  relax.

Bonus - Website that GPS-tracks sharks and stuff.

https://www.ocearch.org/tracker/

Bronners Christmas Decorations - Again

 

After the extraordinary frenzy after the first Bronner's Christmas Decorations Slide, this was an easy decision.

Oh, the fun and laughter at this event. Must have been a joy to behold...

Bonus - Derby sceptic-turned-psychic saw spirit of hamster rising from its body

Bonus 2 - 

...and this one is for Mummy

 

What?  MORE Christmas Day Slides?

Yes.   Blame the Americans of the 1950's for taking so many Christmas Day pictures.

Bonus : 

Have Yourself A Creepy Old Christmas

 

Been another weird year, so... have a great Chrimbo.

Bonus - 

T'was the Night Before Christmas...

 

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

etcetera.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

BY CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE

The Night Before The Night Before Christmas

 

'twas The Night Before The Night Before Christmas,

and all through the flat,

The clinking of cocktail glasses,

and a hairball from the cat.

An image from the grand old days before reams and reams of tinsel. The days when nothing appeared under the Christmas Tree until Christmas Morning.

Bonus -  Merry Christmas to Minnesota Stan at TYWKIWDBI, and excellent blog and source of much that I offer as bonuses.

Bonus 2 - 

The Shortest Day

 

Yes, today is the Winter Solstice, so time to check your chakras, and collate your crystals ... and maybe visit StoneHenge.

Today's slide might have been taken on the Winter Solstice...or maybe not ... but almost certainly was not taken on the summer solstice.

Bonus - 

Composition Number 35 : With Drums

 

A fine attempt by a vintage photographer to get away from the usual slide subjects.

He must have seen a bunch of oil / chemical drums and thought : Yeah. That's worth a shot.

Nice.

Bonus - I posted the wrong TMBG song yesterday. So, here's We Want A Rock.

Ummmm... Some sort of bird ... in a patch of earth?

 

Why?

Why did the photographer take ... and keep... this?

It could be anything. 

Bonus - 

Hello Kitty

 

Although this looks nothing like him, this kitty slide commemorates the passing of Teddy, faithful feline fur-ball to N & C. 

Farewell Ted, I'll miss you.

Bonus And a Happy Hannukah to all the Blog Reader of the Jewish Faith. Image Info.

Click for Bigger

You Gotta Look FABULOUS for the Parade.

 

Don't know the event, tho other slides should loads of guys in pastiche foreign fancy dress, but ... whatever the reason, American just love to parade,

And if you're on the horse, you gotta make an exytra-special effort. So, if you end up looking like Zorro's Camp Side-Kick, so be it.

Bonus - NSFK

Sporrans Akimbo !

 

Not the first time that I've posted a slide from this parade , so I know that this is at 919 Jefferson Ave, Toledo, OH.

Oh, indeed.  Just spotted that I've previously posted this. 

Bonus - How to Download Everything Amazon Knows About You (It's a Lot)    

Anya's Christmas Outfit

 

All ready for the big day.  A new Christmassy Outfit, a big tree, and a shit-load of presents under it's boughs.

Lucky Girl.

Bonus - YouTuber Accused of Crashing a Plane for Views. Now the Feds Are Investigating.

Result...

Christmas Decorations are Up

 

No, not mine.  I'm not in the mood.

I was referring to these ... things .... from 1974.

Bonus - 

.

Off to the Winter Prom

 

My understanding of American Teenage Culture of the Sixties, is that everyone was heading off to Proms, Summer Proms, Homecoming Proms, and Weenie-Roasts.

And, even weirder, Proms weren't just an excuse for young ladies to dress up as trainee Porn Stars. How Strange !

Bonus - "Symphony No.9, Boogie" by Matryomin ensemble "Da"

Matryomin?    Invented in 2003 by Japanese theremin player Masami Takeuchi, the matryomin combines two Russian cultural objects: a small theremin and a matryoshka doll. Matryoshka dolls are nesting wooden dolls – as you open one, another is revealed inside.

De Fragonard's Polyp

 

It's been a while since the last "medical" slide, so have this unlabeled, undated, image.

Using my unrivaled medical knowledge, I am certain that this is a Barium Enema-to-graph showing  De Fragonard's Polyp.

Named after the French Artist, obviously.

Bonus -  Awww crap.

Vocals by Julee Cruise (died 9 une 2022)

Music by Angelo Badalamenti (died 11 Dec 2022)

Ingrid and George

 

No other info.

Just ... Ingrid.   And George.

Viewing the scenery.

Bonus - Relaxation and Meditation

Bonus 2 - Today sees the arrival of Sheep-Cote Clod

The Family on the bridge

 

Let's go back to a time in the past where people were happy to pose on the cattle-transfer bridge beside Barrow-In-Furness Abattoir. A time when holidaying families would still force Father to wear a shirt and tie. A time when nobody minded extra strong winds...because "we're on 'oliday."

A time called 1972.

Bonus -"Pay for 4 tower demolitions, get the 5th one free."

If you want to get ahead...

 

...get a hat.

Straw hats are de rigeur for the event. In this case the event is "1978 Nov Dartmouth Cancer Care Fete".  In this case, I suspect this is the American Dartmouth, rather than the English one.

Bonus - The Japanese cigarette brand that was weaponised against Chinese smokers in wartime

Bonus 2 - 

Hope he's an Organ Donor...

 

I mean ... Snow on the ground and a bloke on a Motorcycle.  What could go wrong ?

This was an odd slide. Not because it was a MonoChrome Slide (Agfa used to make such film) but because this was a set of B+W Negatives, mounted in a 35mm slide mount.

Previously featured this bike and bloke.   Twice actually.

Bonus - 

Danish Nudes

 

Greetings Art-Lovers.

I'm sure you'll recognise the sculptural genius of J.A. Jerichau, especially the pair on the right Adam and Eve before the Fall.

I'll let you figure out what the other sculptures are.

Bonus -

Frightening

The Dance of the Record-Setting Tractor Production Factory No.8.

 

Written on the slide was "Sep-79 Kishinev, Trade Union Palace" but anyone who knows their Soviet Era Tractor Dances will recognise the outfits and choreography as the Dance of the Record-Setting Tractor Production Factory No.8.

With Yuri Putin (No, no relation) leading the performers. Later that year, be would tragically killed in an unfortunate slurry-pit test-facility accident.)

Bonus - Was there less lightning than usual during COVID lockdowns? Yes

Bonus 2 - Giant Black Cock.  Dare you "click for bigified"?

An American Home, I suspect.

 

Call it ... a hunch, but I think that this display might be related to the American nationality of the owner.

A strange thing to be proud of, IMHO.  (  :-D )

Bonus - Scientists Just Uncovered Fossils Of An Unknown Prehistoric Creature In A Welsh Sheep Field

Bonus 2 - 

Beware The Garage Door

 

According to the DoS, Garage Doors are the Number One cause of Garage Door-Related Accidents in the USA>

Beware.

Bonus - Meet The Real Persian Royals Behind The Viral ‘Princess Qajar’ Memes

Princess Qajar

One For The Ladies

 

Morning Ladies.

This is Colin Pigwarden. He's 49, a Tax Account Processing Supervisor, from Orpington, and enjoys Bell-Ringing, Real Ale, Mole-Hunting and Yodelling.

Quite a catch, really.  And he's stuck in 1976.

Bonus - We all have powers.

Three Weeks til Christmas.

 

I'm not feeling festive (yet) but some folk are already getting into the swing of things.

The present stockings are labelled Sandy and Denys, which makes me think of folk singer Sandy Denny. But, there's probably no connection.

Bonus - From Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Awards competition (via TYWKIWDBI)    

Furry Friends

 I'm sure that both of them would be excommunicated if their respective families knew about this, but Tibbles and Lassie had been cuddle-chums for years.

And to heck with everyone else.

Bonus - Christmas is coming...

Seagull with Attitude.

 

"You Lookin' At Me?"

"Well,   Don't!"

Bonus - Barking Mad

St Andrews Day

 

Yes, today is St Andrews Day, Patron Saint of Scotland (and Ukraine, Barbados and Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, if we're being obsessive.)

But today's slide links in with the Scotland connection.

This is the Blue-Billed Water Grouse, the back-up national bird of Scotland.  One interesting fact is that the Blue-Billed Water Grouse cannot, in fact, float.  Instead, they use their 55-inch long legs to stand on the bottom of ponds, and flex their knees to give the illusion of floating.

Bonus -