You could tell Murray was new to town even if you were new, yourself. He had his cellphone out and was taking blurry pictures of Old Joe hobbling across the road.

See, here’s the thing about being new to town and trying to take pictures of bigfeet. First time you see one, you’re so excited you’re going to screw it up. I don’t care if you were a combat photographer in ‘Nam (just ask Dave Morgan next time you see him at Tom’s Hardware).

So you take your blurry pic and you send it to the AP or whoever and they laugh at you. You get so upset by this, you screw up your second and your third photo ops.

By the time you’re so used to seeing bigfeet you can take a decent photo, your credibility’s so badly shot outside Terkinville you don’t even reach for your camera anymore. Unless maybe you’ve picked one as a personal mascot and want something for your mantle. I know two or three folks like that.

But don’t tell a newcomer that. They won’t believe it. Some things, you just have to figure out yourself.