Sunday we were to meet Barb and Joe in the nearby village of
Patagonia at 11:30. I made cheddar garlic biscuits in the Air Fryer for dinner
then Marv and I left early so we could buy a few groceries, fill a propane
tank, buy gas, and do some internet work. To our dismay the gas/propane station
in town was closed down and up for sale. We couldn’t find an internet signal
nor LTE, even outside of the (closed) library. At a small convenience store we
bought only the two essential items of sausage (for tonight’s Jambalaya) and
more tissues. We both have head colds and are going through tons of tissues!
The clerk there told us we could find free WiFi at The Gathering Grounds, a
small coffee shop across the park from the store. The place was packed with
bikers and motorcyclists, out enjoying the pleasant Sunday. As we helped
ourselves to coffee a grizzled, bald fellow, noting our MSU t-shirts, asked if
we were from Michigan. When we told him yes, he told us that he grew up in
Ludington. We stood and chatted a bit then he asked if we’d like to join him at
the table with his partner, Patra. We spent about an hour in pleasant
conversation with the pair who had lived separately and together in Oregon, New
York City, Idaho, Washington, and I forget where else, before settling in
Patagonia. Jon had been a Special Ed. Administrator, truck driver, poet,
writer, and many other things. Patra didn’t mention if she had had a career of
any sort. Partway through, I mentioned that we had seen very little wildlife.
Patra and Jon sort of exchanged a glance and he said, “Well, now you’re really
gonna think I’m crazy” and he handed me his card, which had his name, email,
and as occupation, “Bigfoot/Sasquatch, Research/Author”, along with a photo of
a Sasquatch. He told us he saw his first pair when he was 9 years old at the
edge of his family’s farm fields in Ludington. Since then he has searched for
them and researched them in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, but the best place to
find them was right here in Arizona, where he frequently sees them sitting on
the hillsides, watching traffic go by on the highway. He was absolutely sincere
and pretty convincing, and we talked about that and branched out to include the
mountain lions in Michigan that some people don’t believe in either. So, who’s
to say? We never did get on the WiFi there.
When it was 11:25 we thanked them
for the conversation and sharing their table and headed back across the park to
The Velvet Elvis for lunch, where Barb and Joe were just parking. The
restaurant had WiFi so as we ate lunch, Marv kept track of the MSU/Purdue game
for us, which sadly MSU lost, their first B1G loss of the year. Afterwards, we
all went to the Paton Audubon House in town, where a couple had fed birds for
thirty years, and welcomed visitors to watch the birds. Since their deaths, the
Audubon had taken over the house and feeders and continued the practice. It’s
an especially good place to see hummingbirds. Then Barb and Joe followed us to
the State Park, where we relaxed in the sunshine and walked the Bird Trail. I
made Jambalaya while Marv made a fruit salad and, after the sun set and it
cooled off, we crowded around the dinette table and enjoyed dinner. Then they
drove back to Green Valley and we did the dishes.
 |
| Anna's Hummingbird |
 |
| Ladderback Woodpecker |
 |
| Violet Crested Hummingbird (if you can zoom in, you'll see the violet better) |
 |
| Sonoito Creek along the Bird Trail in the low sun |
 |
| Joe, Peggy (cooking Jambalaya) & Barb outside our trailer |
 |
| Joe, Marv & Barb outside our trailer |
No comments:
Post a Comment