Not even a broken hip...

Remember when I said those Texan grandparents were crazy? Well, maybe I should have thrown in daring into the description of them as well.

They soon grew bored of sledding down our little driveway and insisted that we take them to a "real" hill. So, we swallowed a courage pill and drove them out to Wanoga Sno-Park.



Given the fact that they rarely experience snow, I thought that they'd exhibit some sort of caution, apprehension, fear, you know, something other than complete delight.



I was completely prepared for this, Mike and Sarah launching themselves down the hill without fear.



What I was definitely not prepared for was Mimi launching herself down the hill without fear.



I guarantee you that she was the only grandmother sliding down that hill on that day. She is perhaps the only grandmother to slide down that hill, ever. At the end of this clip, notice that she doesn't say, "Oh, my hip!" or "Get me some Geritol!" or "I've fallen and I can't get up!". No. She says, "That was fun!".



Yeah, that Mimi and Grandpa Fife are something else. They just fit right into the scene.



I don't want to lead you to believe that it was a day without incidents. Something strange did happen on that day. I'm not sure if it was the lack of oxygen due to the altitude or some Christmas magic left lingering in the air, but Grandpa Fife changed a little. He became more and more dwarflike as the day wore on - skittish, giggly, mumbling of treasures and digging for Middle Earth. By that evening, the fact couldn't be denied. The transformation was complete. He was a gnome! See the resemblance.



After all of this, I'm only left wondering. Is Texas suitable for gnomes?