The Gopher Competition

 It's an annual springtime tradition. Every year, my dad and I compete to be the first to see a gopher. To win the competition, one of us has to send a picture of the gopher to the other. This year, I saw a gopher in mid-February and took this shot. Needless to say, my dad denied its authenticity. 

At first, he said the picture was a fake and then he changed his tune and said the picture was probably taken a few years. I developed the picture, but unfortunately I had some projects due and wasn't able to print it right away. Dad seized on this to say that I probably needed more time to find a gopher to photograph. But I had a plan. 

I printed the picture and emailed him a copy for his birthday, which is today. I also included close-ups of the picture. Then, I texted him and said, "I just emailed u a picture you might find interesting." Within one minute, he answered, "Probably a fake gopher picture." My response was, "Oh no. All the proof is in the picture."

I had included the following message in the email:

Here's the photographic proof I was telling you about. I'd like to draw your attention to the bottom left-hand corner of the first picture. There you'll see, plain as day, the gopher I photographed. I also included a close-up of the gopher. Notice that there is no snow, although there is snow in Lethbridge now. This shows I didn't need more time to get the gopher picture. Most importantly, I'd invite you to notice the Ford Ranger in the background. Again, I've provided a close-up. Do you see the freshly painted wooden box? You might recognize it as the box you helped paint at Christmas. I made sure to angle the picture in such a way that it shows the wooden box - fresh paint and all. This is proof the picture was taken this year. I rest my case. 

Happy birthday, 
Dominique

Within five minutes, Dad phoned and after some good-natured denial he conceided victory to me. But he vowed that next year he'll be the one to send a gopher picture to me - and in colour.