Once again our very own Christmas elves, Bradley and Dan, have transformed the village into a seasonal wonderland. Clusters of giant, glowing snowflakes dance above Territory Road, lighting up the gray afternoons and punctuating the night like so many low-hanging stars. Breathtaking!
The work began yesterday morning at the north end of the street. Dan was in the man-lift high above, suspending and wiring the lights from overhanging branches, while Bradley gave directions and feedback from below. The two have their teamwork act perfected so that even this arduous, day-long task looked almost fun. Almost.
“The lights are going to hang in five groups,” Bradley told us. “Here, in front of Kepners’ and then by our house and Sue’s and…” Since we no longer have any tall trees bordering the road, our place was not among those chosen as anchor points… but never mind! We can enjoy the lights nearest us by just looking out our windows. I found myself gawking from our dining room most of last evening.
By mid-afternoon, they were working at the south end of town opposite Carol’s. The kibitzers and ‘sidewalk superintendents’ who had gathered round earlier in the day had disappeared and it was raining hard. As we headed out of town on an errand, we stopped to admire progress and I, mindful of Dan far above us, made some commiserating remark.
In a typical, laughing response Bradley said, “Oh, he’s fine. He has his raingear on. I’m the one getting soaked!” I made a mental note to give Dan an extra thank you hug when next we see him. But that may be awhile. He’s one of those keep-a-low-profile elves, happily letting Bradley stand in the spotlight. Or, in this case, in the glow of the magic snowflakes!
Thanks so much, Bradley and Dan! You’ve outdone yourselves this time!
Bradley and Dan didn’t just buy a house, they adopted a village and made it their home.
How absolutely beautiful! I’m hoping I can make a trip from Portland to the Peninsula sometime this season to see for myself ~
Love the snowflakes! I hope they are still up when we join Stephanie & Amy in Ilwaco after Christmas. Happy days!
Makes me really miss living there.
Sydney, I’ll bet I’m not the only one who don’t be down for Christmas who would love to see a shot of the street with the completed snowflakes. Think you’d be able to get that? It sounds magical!
Well, actually, maybe you already did. Sorry!
Sydney, what a fine, fine photo. You captured the snowflakes at magic hour! I can really see how they illuminate the village. Christmas in Oysterville is always glorious, but without a doubt it’s much more so with the advent of Bradley and Dan. By the way, the Bradley dialogue you posted is priceless. LOL funny. Enjoy the season…perhaps we’ll see you over the holidays! Cheers!
Thanks Sydney for posting the pics & story.
Oysterville is a special place for both Bradley & I. The snowflake project this year was challenging & fun. Glad to hear folks enjoy seeing them [best view: start driving from north heading towards south down Territory Rd].
Dan
I hope the lights will grace Oysterville through the winter months. I prefer to call them winter lights and we leave ours on until February.