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We have enjoyed several days of calm and quiet. The wind, what there was which wasn’t much, has been out of the northeast cancelling out the highway noise. Wish it were that way most of the time. We could use some of that rain other parts of the state have been getting. I say some because we don’t need no stinkin’ deluges around here.
Joyce and I took at tour of the McBride “ranch house” Satuday. The naturalist group sent an email that, among other activities, listed the tour and we thought we’d check it out. As it turned out, we were the only people to meet Gigi our guide at the rock house. She’s with the Alibates Flint Quary National Monument and she is a park ranger, I guess. At least she had the Smokey the Bear hat so she had to be one. We circumnavigated the house as she told us about the McBrides, etc. I didn’t mention our connection until she had finished, not wanting to put her off her stride. She said the McBride boys — that would have been Robert, Dave, Amos and Teant, I guess — stayed in a bunkhouse across the creek from the rock house. I’d never heard that. She also mentioned a school house, probably of the one-room type, north down past the mouth of the canyon, another tidbit I’d never heard. Mostly her facts were correct as far as I know. I told her I had never heard of the bunk house or the school house but that didn’t mean they hadn’t existed. I did correct her when she said David moved to Needles, CA and died a short time later. She said he was an adventurer and that’s why he went to Needles. I think he was born in 1852 and died in 1928, which would have made him a pretty old adventurer. Kathryn told me she thinks he moved out there because his son Robert was living there. I speculate his health was failing and he needed care which Robert was able to provide than Dave or Amos could. Teant wasn’t right after getting kicked in the head by a horse so he wasn’t an option, and Jennie and Montie must not have been a position to take him. Anyway, Gigi did a nice job and we exchanged emails so we could share information going forward.
It was a really nice day out at the river. It was a little warm in the sun but any shade was very pleasant. The area was lush and green. They’ve had a good deal more moisture out that way than we’ve had. The bugs weren’t bad either. We saw lots of wine cups, a plant I’ve never noticed before. We tried digging one up to transplant but couldn’t get much of the tap root and I doubt it will live. Seems, though, they aren’t hard to start from seed.
The dove Li’l r found last weekend recuperated well enough to be released, rehabber Stephanie told us. She released it at Wildcat Bluff and we were wishing it could have been returned to SA. Joyce speculated it was one of a pair that is usually sitting on the chicken yard fence when I let the chickens out in the morning so they can participate in the grain I throw out for the chickens. There has only been one since the injured one was found. Next time we’ll know to ask for any critters we submit back.