a tip and a test

This is a John Calypso essay.

My late blogger pal had a distinct writing style. He would take two seemingly unrelated topics and attempt to combine them into a single tapestry. He usually succeeded. Just like that James Burke chap.

So here they are. Two topics seeking a theme.

This is topic one.

Whenever you go to a target-rich environment (oh, let's say a beach-side restaurant), take along your good camera. If you don't, this will inevitably happen.

The south west end of our bay is defined by a series of rocks that terminate in what some think is a rhinoceros (they drink deeply at the Dali well) and others see it as a somewhat-tumescent sleeping giant (they tend to be treated by strict Freudians). The rocks are spaced just so that passing ships play an ongoing game of peekaboo with us landlubbers.

Throw in one of those violet-hemorrhaging sunsets, and you have a perfect shot for any photographer worth his salt. That is, of course, if he has remembered to bring his Sony NEX-6 DSLR to dinner rather than his telephone camera.

As you may imagine, it did happen. And the shot on my Samsung is pathetic enough to remind me that I will publicly embarrass myself again if I do not staple my DSLR to my left hand.

So, that is my tip for the day. Never leave your good camera behind. If you are out of bed, it should be within an easy grab.

That is the tip. Now for the test.

This is topic two.

Our little village of Barra de Navidad has very few traditions. Almost everyone living here is from somewhere else. What traditions exist are often a bit on the young side.

But I have noticed that Christmas takes a while to die out. Here we are in March and the nativity background on the jardin stage is still running strong.

I walked by the other day and something struck me as odd. Something was missing. Something very important.

So, here is your test. Take a good look at the nativity scene, and tell us what you think is missing.

There will be no clues. Other than this. If one object had been painted by a Pentecostal, nothing would be missing.

Let the comments begin.

And, the unifying theme?

That was Calypso's shtick, not mine. To me, this is just a tip and a test stuck together because neither one was long enough for a full essay.

And that is good enough for me today.