December Sweeps - Day 328

So, this is Christmas.  And what have you done?

This was a nice day, spent among family.  All of us, my sister's family included, have gotten the virus, so there was no reason to celebrate apart.  Except for my brother, who doesn't really believe he can catch the Coronavirus, so he came to my mom's house too.

I quickly grabbed my two Bossk toys to pose for a picture to post on Facebook:

There were lots and lots of toys and gifts, especially for the three year old.  As far as I can say, everybody got along, which hasn't always been the case.

I mostly got gift cards, and that's fine with me.  My cousin gave me an "Art of Mandalorian" book, my mom got me filters for the turtle tank, Big A. got me a book about early Disney animation, and my girlfriend got me a glimpse of the parallel universe in which she exists.  

This was the Christmas card my niece gave me today:

She had it custom made for me.  Isn't that rad?

My nephews got a Nintendo Switch, and that took up all of the afternoon.  As the sun was getting low in the sky, we talked about running over to the lake and taking pictures of the ice and sunset.  I was super excited about this, because I have gotten so into taking pictures this year (indeed, if I had to guess, I'd say that--just like exercise--I have taken more photos in 2020 than in ALL previous years combined.  Of course, that could be an exaggeration, but I have filled up my phone's memory three times just this week)

There was a line of vehicles to get into the lake/marina at the end of Center Street, but no attendants to take money.  We had borrowed my brother-in-law's year pass, so I just drove on through the Passholders entrance.  The other line was supposed to leave money in an envelope, or simply take the risk that no tickets would be given on Christmas day.

The lake was frozen over as far as the eye could see, but you had to find a spot without people on it.  There were a handful of fishermen, who had drilled (or chopped) holes in the ice, but the majority of visitors were there to take pictures or play on the ice.

It wasn't all that cold, surprisingly, just a degree or two below freezing, and the lake was very reflective of light, in a photogenic way.

My niece and I took turns taking pictures of each other (gosh, it is so much better to go somewhere with another person, if only for that reason), but it wasn't possible to get a photo with the sunset and a face--you had to choose one or the other.

Cathexis and I talked about going ice skating sometime, but the ice was really bumpy and rough, and would probably be impossible to skate on (without a zamboni, that is).  Maybe farther out it smooths over better.

I shot a little bit of video, but wouldn't you know it, my phone claimed it was full, despite me deleting a bunch of files last night so I could record my Scrooge bit.

My middle nephew (10) drove his newly-acquired remote control truck out on the ice, and my oldest nephew (13 now) decided to ice fish, despite me forbidding him to bring a fishing pole (of course he did it anyway).  

And the three year old ran around, chasing the car, and hitting things with a stick.  I watched him doing it after having taken the pictures, the sun now gone from the sky, and cool red light remaining:

And then I saw my nephew somehow step into a hole someone had cut in the ice and fall in.  Now, his whole body didn't enter the water, just half of him--one leg and his thigh, really--but he started screaming anyway, and I ran over there and scooped him out of the water as soon as it happened.  But it was ice-cold water and surely terrifying, and the boy wailed as I carried him back to the car and searched for something dry to change him into. 

My niece stayed in the car with him when I went back to get the other two boys.  The 13 year old had caught three fish by this point, out and flopping on the ice, and he told me the rule is that you're supposed to kill them, not put them back in the water.  I don't really understand that, but he dropped them back in the hole anyway, and we headed back to the house.

The sky was an awesome red and orange as we were leaving, but none of us thought to take pictures by that point.

The family watched Pixar's SOUL together to close out the night.  It was a lyrical, heady, philosophical film that was absolutely intended for adults, but the kids seemed enrapt with it from beginning to end, and that surprised me.  It wasn't the life-changing experience that I hoped it would be (which so few movies are, but Pixar has an unfair advantage in that arena, so I sometimes expect it from them), but it was really solid, and had Tina Fey's voice in it, which was nice.

I hope your Christmas was a good one, and you stepped in no holes.

Push-ups Today: 112 (was supposed to be one more)
Push-ups In December: 2684

Sit-ups Today: 111
Sit-ups In December: 2821

Words Today: 380
Words In December: 23,509