The first stop on our tour of the Yates family is a brief stroll through our most recent Halloweens. Because, as Confucious wrote, "You can never really begin to know someone until you've walked a mile in their Pac-Man head." (This, of course, is a loose translation: the Chinese character that I'm reading as Pac-Man can alternately mean "yak cart.")
Vital stats: as of today, we're hauling six people in our minivan.
Me -- I'm 37 and swarthy.
Heidi -- the woman I conned into marrying me. She remains 25 as a portrait of her ages in our attic.
Ian -- He's nine, and owns the patent for the sabor squid (Saboris squidititus).
Lora -- She's five, and recently told me, "Dad, did you know that a long time ago, when people were poor, they didn't have computers? They had typewriters." Ouch, said I, as I adjusted my Depends man-diaper.
Isabel -- Bel is three, and tonight, she had me tie a hooded towel on her so she could transform into Super Hood Man.
Tess -- Little Tess can shake her 364-day-old head just like Stevie Wonder. 'Nuff said.
You'll see some or all of us in these Halloweenie pix. You can date the photos by my costume: In 2008, I was Pac-Man; in 2007, I was a hammer; in 2006 I was a mailbox.
Trick-or-treat.
NEXT STOP: More Halloween Pix
