Irish eyes are smiling...

Today's pictures come to you hot off the press, as they were taken within the past... (*tries to calculate how long the writing will take*) three hours or so.

There's a couple here in town, Wayne and Tara, who host what they call Pub Night nearly every Friday of the year—anyone's welcome, food contributions are appreciated but not mandatory, and folks can come and go as they please. It's all very casual, and always a good time. In fact, the only times they don't host Pub Night are when they're out of town or if there's a holiday coming up. Then the party is usually on the closest Saturday.

Tara is definitely not one to stint on decorating for the holidays; I'm told it takes at least a week for her to finish getting their home ready for Christmas, and it's not even their biggest holiday. That honor would fall to St. Patrick's Day, and to say that they enjoy celebrating it—and their Irish heritage—is an understatement akin to noting that New Orleans holds a small party on Fat Tuesday. They've visited Ireland several times, and their home is a visual love letter to the Emerald Isle. Observe:







Yes, this is part of a thatched roof. Did I mention they really like Ireland?



For Christmas this year Wayne got a Guinness tap of his very own, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that it produces a mighty fine pint of beer. Usually it's housed inside, but for the evening it was moved onto a small porch to help prevent traffic jams in the house:



These signs are on the wall where the tap normally lives:



They also enjoy their Irish whisky, most of which is kept downstairs:



Also downstairs is their bumper pool table, site of many a heated battle over the years:



I suppose I should be surprised that Tara's managed to find not just one St. Patrick's-themed nutcracker, but two; in truth, I'm only surprised she doesn't have more:





No St. Patrick's Day party would be complete without live music, of course. In addition to the usual singing and such, tonight's gathering featured a terrific performance from some up and coming fiddlers:



I'm pretty sure there's a theme to this outfit, but I can't quite put my finger on it...



My mom, making her blog debut as she keeps an eye on a young lady who's definitely enjoying the festivities:



And finally, a father and daughter who clearly know how to get into the St. Patrick's Day spirit: