I really like the effect Mary and your first tripod shot is a success. The Christmas Candles in the windows really give it the holiday feel. I like the blue tint as well. That's a nice neighborhood you live in. Excellent photo Mary.
Successful is an understatement, my friend. I can just imagine you out in the snow with your tripod..freezing and hoping that this would turn out the way you wanted...oh..been there..done that...and then to come into the house and have your photo come out this clear and have the joy of postwork..
"I never looked for it, gave it no name; yet I knew it always, when the gift of peace came. I stood quite still for the moment that it lasted...Then the light shifted slightly and the moment passed, leaving me...with the lasting echo of its presence.." Diana Gabaldon
Tick