Christmas Parade Debut

Well, we're official now at Wyldswood. The 1960 Willys appeared in the Perry Christmas Parade, with our logo slapped on the side.

That's Judson in the passenger seat. The old man typing this is a bit more weathered. City miles and not highway miles.

The Willys arrived the day before the parade, and two days before I could make it to the farm. Instead, I spent the evening at the law firm's Christmas party, one county in the wrong direction and scheduled on a workday evening for some reason.

[Just got off the second call before 8 in the morning, one of which was to say an extended settlement discussion just died because of intransigence on our side, and I need to make most of January available for depositions around the southeast. This will be a fun conversation with P if I can't find some help and have to cancel taking a vacation, or cut it very short. I love my job.]

Anyway, I digress.

On Friday I'm told the crew arrived after lunch to take the truck into town for the parade. I was a little concerned about all this because USAA doesn't insure antique pickups, and there's an extended underwriting process with the insurer who does. Hence, the truck would be bare for its first road trip. Judson and Dio brought a friend who was said to know how to handle all those shifters, but according to a reliable witness, George, the curtilage was filled with the sound of grinding gears when she attempted to pull it out of the barn--I'm wondering if the fifth shifter, a rare overdrive option for this model of truck, threw them off. Thankfully, George was on the scene and his background driving fire trucks gave him the knowledge to provide an impromptu tutorial. Soon the truck was on its way.

Of course, one can't have a pickup in a Christmas parade without kids and a Christmas tree, and maybe a wreath.

Not sure who they are, but they certainly are cute little buggers.

The prop children loaded and secured, the crew and the old truck folded into the parade and down the main street of Perry.

I'm told Old Blue (not sure if that'll be the name, but it'll do for now) was well received by the revelers. And now we're really underway, advertising and feverishly working on expanding the barn and getting ready for what we hope will be a busy 2023 out on the farm.

Now Peg says we need to name the new pole barn. Of course.