Christmas in Quayludia.

Stefan, my personal tech Santa, was kind enough to let me borrow his Canon 20D while I continue to geek & obsess over which dSLR to buy.  I picked up the amazing (and cheap-$80) Canon 50mm lens that can bust out indoor shots at f1.8 with no flash.  The pictures pretty much kick ass over my little Canon SD600 point & shoot-I'm totally sold. Anyway, here's a few pics I shot during Christmas week while fooling around with the new toy.  

Hope you're having a killer holiday!

Finn & Jake were cranky xmas morning, but Finn warmed up a bit when he got some stylin' clothes on.

Christmas at the Beels', pimped out with some bubbly and Mrs. Beel's groovy decor.

Then on to visiting with friends in I.B. & Coronado, where Auntie Anto fixed Finn a nice spread in her garden.

Ebony was grabbing some rays, while Finn was flirting with his new hottie, Casey.

Leucadia wildlife.

El Skunko.

He's getting pissed!

Cooper's Hawk.

Leucadia Reindeer.

Our street has been pretty stinky lately, with a gang of skunks marauding around the 'hood.  Finn and I were eating breakfast at about 5:00 am when we heard some kind of ruckus outside.  Looking closer, we saw 2 skunks in the driveway. One had its head stuck between 2 slats on our gate, apparently oblivious that he had just dug a huge hole under the gate the previous night.  His buddy was freaking out and running around in circles in our driveway.  I went out (in my boxers) to see if I could free the stuck dude, when the panicked one charged me and ran up the kitchen deck.  Finally...Mr. Smartypants somehow removed his noggin from the gate and both skunks ran under the hole through our yard to the neighbor's, while leaving a yummy musky scent in the area where the action took place. Thanks skunks.

We also have a Cooper's Hawk that has been sizing up the baby and Jake.  He picks off Mourning Doves in the avocado tree and de-feathers and eviscerates them in our yard.  What a freakshow.

The Holidays in Leucadia & Encinitas

Just a few of our favorite holiday sights we've observed in the 'hood.

Finn's new favorite activity.

While taking advantage of these last few sunny weekends, Finn has been hanging out at the beach and catching some rays.  One of our favorite activities is to try to find couples who look like they hooked up using eHarmony or match.com.  Not that there's anything wrong with those sites, but the commercials are so cheeseball.  We can spot them a mile away-rolled up jeans, walking half pace in ankle deep water, way too much laughing, usually in the middle of a piggyback ride...