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Borrego Springs, CA

Saturday, July 4, 2015

The Bugman cometh

My good friend Bugman Jack rolled into town Thursday afternoon.  After he got set up at a private campground in town, he headed over to Harris Beach State Park to deliver his surprise gift to me.  My heart was aflutter!  What could it be?  Knowing Jack, I knew it had to be something very special.  Well, here it is:

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Surprised smileDisappointed smileConfused smile  I was surprised, but what the heck is it?  I can’t remember its official name, but I’m going to call it my poop wrench.  Now isn’t that just something every woman dreams about?  (kind of reminds me of when I got an iron for Christmas one year from my ex)  Anyway, it’s designed to help me disconnect sections of my dump hose more easily.  I’m sure I’ll be thrilled to have it when I go to disconnect.  Winking smile  If nothing else, Jack is a practical fellow.

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I started out yesterday morning setting up the scope and stuff at the secondary place to meet the junior ranger candidates.  Had a nice group of them, too.  However, shortly before their arrival, the ocean fog rolled in.  That makes the presentation a bit of a challenge, but we did get a small window of ten minutes of the fog clearing so they could actually briefly look through the scope to see the birds.

After that, I headed down to the overlook where Jack met me and helped me set things up.  The fog had once again returned, so Jack headed off to investigate the tide pools while I manned the overlook.  The above photo is the only one I’ve gotten of Jack so far.  The fog eventually cleared, and I’ve got a story about what happened then, but I’ll save that for the end of the post.

We didn’t get to go out for dinner yesterday, as I had a full schedule for the day which included getting ready for my first power point program for campers on the breeding seabirds of the Oregon coast.  That presentation takes place at the state park amphitheater at 8:30 at night.  I’m pretty worn out by that time of the day, but it needs to be close to sunset so the slides show up on the screen.  It went pretty well for a first presentation, but I forgot a few things since I didn’t want to just read from a script.  I’m sure I’ll get better as the season progresses. 

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This morning, I was back to the overlook.  It was a gorgeous sunny day, until I noticed another fog bank rolling in about 9:30.  What follows is a sequence of photos taken over only four minutes in time to give you an idea of how fast this fog rolls in.

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It just amazes me how quickly things change on the coast.  Jack was supposed to meet me again this morning, but I think he looked at that fog, and maybe went back to bed.

Now, for the rest of the story.  After the fog cleared yesterday, I ended up with a total of thirty visitors for the day.  Jack was with me at the overlook, and certainly can not be described as shy.  He’s a talker by nature.  Just before time to close things down, two ladies were looking at the banner with the pictures of Bird/Goat Island with all the species that can be seen.  I approached them and asked if they would like to see the birds.  One of them looked at my pockets and asked if I had them with me.  Laughing out loud  Okay, not exactly, but if you’d like to look through the scope over there, I’d be happy to show them to you… 

We had quite a chat with these ladies, and Jack related how he and I had met 6 years ago in New Mexico.  (the 6 is important, I think)  He then went on to say that in his travels we had crossed paths 6 more times in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Minnesota, and Georgia where we had gotten to hold wild baby alligators.  The ‘pocket’ lady appeared to be quite fascinated by this. 

Eventually they went on their way, and we packed up the equipment and brought it up to my car.  Jack and I bid adieu, and I started to head off to work on my presentation.  As I backed out of the parking spot, the ‘pocket’ lady came over to my car.  She said she just had to ask me one more question… “Is that how you two have stayed married for 60 years by only letting him visit you six times???”  I swear, I nearly bust a gut!  As composed as I could manage I replied, “Good Lord, he’s just a friend.  We’re not married.”  She seemed satisfied with that answer.  I’m thinking that has to go down in the annals of most unusual questions asked a volunteer!  Sometimes, fact is stranger than fiction.

Haven’t heard from Jack at all today.  I’m thinking he’s just chilling… but then again, he’s a Navy man down by the port of Brookings, and you know what they say about Navy men in every port…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

 

24 comments:

  1. A delightful read indeed! Put a smile on my face Judy!
    The sequence of pictures that show the fog rolling in are pretty neat. So glad you are having a great time at Harris Beach SP😊.

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  2. ...kind of reminds me of when I got an iron for Christmas one year from my ex.

    I had to laugh at that. Many years ago when we were broke, I gave Ruth a new hose for our vacuum cleaner for Christmas. She'll never let me forget that. But hey...I was being practical!

    Ever since, I do the vacuuming.

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  3. Had a smile on my face reading this to. Like the idea of the wrench. Liked the eerie fog photos.

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  4. I am glad to know about that wrench. My hand arthy right us is making twisting the hose more difficult. The header picture is really good. This blog entry seemed extra special to me.

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  5. Six visits in 60 years would be one way of staying "together" for that long! I got a real laugh out of that. I like the fog - it keeps things cool and adds a sort of mystical and other-worldly quality.

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  6. Hey Judy, We didn't make it to Jojoba Hills. I'm sorry. I had planned to take pictures of your site for you. We got as far as Williams Az but the temperatures were so high, we decided to turn back and try it another time. Again, I apologize.

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  7. Crikey ...... this Jack bloke sounds like a bit of a character. Does he like dogs????? I like a practical bloke myself. They usually carry treats but I can see you might be a bit disappointed with your gift, practical and all as it is but hey ..... if it stops accidents like that one you had before then it's a good gift, aye?? You sure had that 'pocket' lady confused. What planet did she come from??? I hope you get to go out for dinner soon.
    Mum loved those fog scenes. G'day Emma ..... you goin' ok???????????

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  8. Bugman and bird lady? What would be the issue of such a pairing? Hee-hee :-)

    The other thing that caught my eye was "power point program for campers". The thing I liked least about my years working was PowerPoint slides and presentations. Politically I want to say that if campers come to you in their vacation time, please leave them free of PowerPoint presentations. But on a practical level I know that PP can be used to communicate important things about nature and science. And I know you a bit, well enough to trust you as a teacher in such matters. Wish I could be there to learn more about Oregon nature!

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  9. Great pictures of the fog rolling in. Enjoy your visit with Jack.

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  10. Sounds like an interesting day, love the pocket lady.

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  11. I like the photo of Jack down on the beach...shows the scale...and of course the fog! Glad your presentation went well. And glad you don't keep the birds in your pocket.

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  12. It helps to have a sense of humor... and you sure don't seem to be lacking in that! (no matter whether it's a poop wrench or a crazy visitor question!!!)

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  13. Your pictures of the fog rolling in are spot on! Thanks for thinking of showing us. My husband only gave me one 'practical ' gift over the 40 years we've been together. I let him know he wasn't married to the house!

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  14. What a question for sure! Love the fog photos! No practical gifts in this household either.

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  15. Please give Jack our best. Donald and Kay, Arkansas

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  16. Gotta love those folks who put things together in their own minds. Keeps life interesting - right along with those practical gifts. Love those fog rolling in pictures. Really incredible.

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  17. Hahaha...what a thoughtful man he is. It is like the year a got a sweeper for Christmas. Oh well, our house was clean.

    Maybe the pocket lady has a good idea. We know a few people that maybe if they only saw each every other year they would be a ton happier.

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  18. One thing you can say about Jack...He is always a breath of fresh air, no matter where he shows up!! and you also know what they say about good friends..they can be quite a catch! tehee!

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  19. As hands age, tools like that wrench can come in very handy. You may be surprised at how glad you are to have it in the future.

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  20. I would love to get Craig a poop wrench for his Birthday. You must ask Jack where he got it. When we started RVing Craig wanted me to learn to dump. I'm too smart. Thats his job. I figure if I am ever on my own, I'll learn, but not before! He once gave me a chainsaw for my birthday. We couldn't afford much, and I took it as a symbol of all the firewood he would cut for me.

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  21. Thing one: I felt like I needed to rub my eyes when your header pic eased into view. Ah, never mind, it's fog. Thing two: My first thought when I saw your present from The Bugman? Whatever it was, It got broke. Thing Three: Even better than "allowing your husband to meet you six times in 60 years," is "have you got the birds in your pockets?" HAHAaaaaa That lady has bats in her belfry!

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  22. I am sure you will appreciate that poop wrench! I bet you two will be gone on some adventure on Monday:)

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  23. You gave me a great big belly laugh on this post! Maybe six visits in sixty years is a good plan for a happy marriage (not irons)? :cD

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  24. You definitely win in the the craziest question ever asked a volunteer category. You just gave me my last and best laugh of the day.

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