Double PhotoBlog - Handel's Messiah and Benedict Castle

Last Sunday I made it to not one but two events. First stop was a concert at the Richard Nixon Library with selections from Handel's Messiah. Immediately following was a trip to Benedict Castle to enjoy the Christmas lights. Eager to try out my new Canon, I got pictures of both! Here they are for your general amusement. First up is the concert

Here's the fountain out at the front of the Nixon Library.


And here's the entrance, beautifully decorated for the season.


And finally, here's the beautiful ballroom which the concert was held in.


I like the angle here.


My sister insisted on my shooting the chandelier.


This mirror goes into infinity.




I like the way this shot turned out. Looks like the Haunted Mansion.


And here's one last wide shot.

So after the concert we made a quick stop over to Baja Fresh (tasty!) then drove to Riverside for a visit to Benedict Castle, a small Hispanic-style castle that has currently decked its halls. I was able to get a ton of great shots, so let's begin!

When we entered the foyer, we were delighted by a choir singing from above.


As soon as the choir had finished, we went upstairs...


...and saw this lovely ballroom. I think it's a ballroom, anyway.


Turning around, we have this radiant chandelier.


I wanted to try this angle with the lamp to see how it turned out.



Off to the side was a doorway that beckoned to us. Here's a shot from the inside.


Up we go. This spiral staircase was crazy high!


Here's a peek out the window.


Ah, the top at last! Here's the tower we climbed up.


In the middle of the rooftop was a shining star for all to see.


Here's a shot from above.



Dang. Both of these are a little blurry.


This shot was taken looking straight down. I only got one, and for good reasons.

So after that last shot, my group started heading back down the stairs. I was at the tail end and got hung up in all the foot traffic coming back up. When I finally reached the bottom, the group had disappeared. Instead of panicking, I took pictures.


Here's a shot from the courtyard area.



By this time I was reunited with my group, but I kept falling behind because I was trying to take pictures. Fortunately I didn't get separated again.



At this point, we went back inside and happened upon this lovely duet playing Christmas carols.


I took the opportunity to get more decoration shots.


Long shot.


Here's the beautiful nativity scene.


I was trying to do something fancy with this shot, but I'm not sure if it worked or not.


Me n' my camera.


Almost time to go... here's a shot of the entryway and balcony.


And here's a final close-up.

Okay, that'll do for now. I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my Sunday afternoon and evening and seeing what my new camera is capable of. Remember, tomorrow I go to Disneyland, so new pics will be on the way soon.

So long
T.H. Excellence