Day 3642

Santa has left the building. Another year of Santa Paws events is complete. I think Dalmatian Rescue did pretty well this year. All our customers are happy and we managed to add an extra event to our schedule this year. I'm always tired after these events, but this is nothing new. I'm almost always tired anyway.

We photographed a lot of animals today. Most were dogs, but we did take Christmas pictures of two cats and one rabbit. There was also one young baby and several families. Whenever we photograph families, they say that the experience is much better than going to a shopping mall Santa. I think our team is great. A lot of people say we do the best Santa photos in town, but I wouldn't want to compete with anyone. We're not a high volume operation like a shopping mall Santa. We don't ask the dogs what they want for Christmas either. It probably helps a lot that we mostly photograph dogs. Children are much more difficult.

Every year we do these events, I think it might be my last year. My knees are getting bad and a day of constant kneeling and getting up and down is punishing. This year I felt a little better than last year though. Maybe my daily five mile walks are helping me stay in shape. I hope so. When I got home today and finished unpacking my equipment, the first thing I did was take a five mile walk.

I used to live in the area of town where we had our event today. So much has changed. I hardly recognized the place. Dallas has grown enormously since I moved here in 1976. I'm glad we moved to the lake. I don't think I could live in a high density, urban environment anymore. The streets were so crowded in my old neighborhood that it took forever to get back on the freeway and head for home. Even the relatively peaceful streets of our lakeside neighborhood seem too crowded for me these days. I'm envious of the remote desolation of Fort Davis. A town with less than 2,000 people and no traffic lights seems perfect.

All the photo equipment is still piled in the hallway. Over the next few days, it will go back to the storage warehouse. Everything worked this year and the new backdrop was a good investment. I think we'll throw it in the washing machine and clean it before storing it away. We've never had that option before. All our other backdrops have a strong doggie smell. I hope that the next time I need this equipment that it all still works. Actually, it probably will. Professional photo gear is designed to be used day in and day out in a studio environment. I basically use mine once a year.

Tomorrow, I'll start thinking about the article I'm going to write about the Artemis program. If I knew the magazine was going to ask for an article, I might have arranged a few interviews while I was in New Orleans. I should be fine though. My brain is still filled with random information about rockets. I just need to start writing things down before I forget everything. Developing a reputation as a space journalist seems like a daunting task. Will I ever get there? Launches and newsworthy events don't happen that often and I don't get invited to all of them. It's good to have a goal though. I think you live longer if you have a goal.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day