A little after noon, the wife points out to me that today would be a perfect opportunity for a family photograph. And that it has been years since we had one taken.

She's not counting the Olde-Tyme style photo we had taken in Jackson Hole last year. The one where the photographer went crazy trying to get all three heelers to sit still at the same time. (Yes, the heelers are included in family photos.)

So she got us an appointment after hours. Gave me time to get an envelope in the mail that one of you will receive.

The roads were just starting to freeze with the new, melted layer of snow as we headed into town. Wife spotted two parking places directly in front of the store that also houses the digital portrait place, but someone else took the front 1¹/₃ spaces before she could get us turned around. Instead of simply parking around the corner, wife spent five minutes (literally) trying to maneuver us into the remaining ²/₃rds of a parking space.

With several inches of new snow on the pavement. She had to put it into 4-wheel drive to do it.

Heelers were quite surprised to be able to enter a store. Never done that before. Especially one that also sells Hickory Farms cheeses and meats.

Gal was quite adept at getting everyone set up, including the heelers (especially the recuperating masked heeler, who had to stay low and keep her good (unshaven) side towards the camera). Helped that we included the wife's godson in the first photo, so there was one boy holding each heeler.

She thought we were kidding when we told her to say "squirrel" when she wanted the heelers to look at the lens, but after several failed attempts at "p'sh"ing with her lips and even stomping her feet up and down, she tried "squirrel."

Worked like a charm. Gorgeous views of heelers with their pointed ears directed straight at the camera. Big grins on the boys, too.

Expensive photos, especially since there are two prints, one of just family and one with godson. If we want the digital images on cd, that is another $12.50 each.

Ouch.

May just scan one of the prints.

Eldest son wanted to hit his coffee shop afterwards, which shocked the girl at the counter. Bet their income dropped by ten percent or more when he went away to college.

Then had to dodge around the Christmas Parade to get out of downtown. Pointed out to wife that this was her first chance to actually see the parade. (In previous years she had been working in the background, running the Parade of Trees in the community center. She saw the parades assemble, but that was it.) So we found a good spot to park near the end and waited.

Fire truck was the lead vehicle, with Santa Claus on top. Masked heeler just stared and stared at him.

Maybe she saw The Transformation.

Heelers see different than we do, you know.

Does your town have Santa's helpers following along on ATVs? Our does.

Any cowgirls in your Christmas parade? She looked cold, but she was there, hat and all.

As usual, the county snowplow was the most decorated of all. Lights everywhere. Even on the wheels. Looked cool, but how do you get a power source to those? Batteries on the wheel itself?

They had an American flag design out of lights on the side. Wife pointed out it was backwards. (There are rules of etiquette for that, too. Blue star field always goes in the upper left.) Lots of other flags on other parts of the parade as well.

Now this is really gonna piss some folks off, but I do not think a Christmas Parade is the place for expansive showing of the flag. Nationalism is fine, well and good, especially under the current circumstances, but this holiday season is about all mankind, not just our country.

Came home to more turkey and oysters. And a card fest.

We opened a box of Magic the Gathering Odyssey boosters and passed it around, each person taking and opening one pack at a time. Gives us seven passes around the room (leaving one booster which I save unopened...have at least one unopened booster of each edition and expansion back to 4^th Edition). Naturally I missed out on most of the foils, and other people got the good angels.

Godson got the "naked chick," and would not let me confiscate it. Wife got one too, with the same response. So now I gotta start checking ebay.