Wordzzle 50

Welcome to the Wordzzle and Happy Valentines Day lovebirds.

Go by the Raven's Nest and get all the scoop. If you feel like it, check out this weeks offering of the ongoing series "Laughlin."

This Week's Ten (9 really) (Let's face it, we're writers and math isn't our strong suite) Word Challenge: ubiquitous, do you see what I see, getting a word in edgewise, wild goose chase, grandmother of five, Freemasons, Pacific Paradise, everything and nothing, insanity prevails

Mini Challenge: shortening the distance, it’s all about bloggers, the Fortress at Pigeon Falls, finding Pam, a raven’s nest

This Weeks Episode: In the Desert

Dan and Carla had taken the Bronco as far as they could into the Mohave Desert. Dan parked the Bronco under a Palo Verde tree and locked it up. They would hike another 8 miles through the desert amid the ubiquitous sagebrush and creosote bushes. Dan whispered softly to Carla "Do you see what I see?" He pointed up the hill towards the top of the ridge. A coyote was trotting away and had stopped to look back. "I see it" she stated, "must be the welcome committee" she joked.

Dan shouldered his pack and waited while Carla did the same. They headed up the trail towards a campsite many hills away. Each dodged rocks, cacti and the occasional lizard that scampered off the trail as they approached. Dan used his compass and a dog-eared trail map to keep the hike from becoming a wild goose chase rather than a measured trek to a welcome resting place.

The couple spoke as one or the other spotted a plant or animal or vista of interest. It was a paced conversation, more about the hike than the words. There was never a worry about getting a word in edgewise. Often they would go for an hour without a word. The expanse of the desert made it hard to believe that just a few hundred miles over the Sierra Nevadas was the Pacific Paradise of southern California. The hike gave them good exercise and the ability to speak of everything and nothing.

Carla told Dan about a couple she'd meet on the Casino floor. They were from Phoenix and had just moved back to Arizona. They were in their early sixties and retired, but only due to circumstances and not desire. They'd saved some money, sold a house and were celebrating their 22nd anniversary. The husband was in the process of writing a book about the Freemasons in early Arizona history and the wife was involved with developmentally disabled adults. In addition she was a grandmother of five. "Insanity prevails when the grandkids visit" the woman had told her.

After making a steady pace till lunch it was obvious to Dan they were shortening the distance to their objective. By his reckoning and the trail map they would make it to the campsite well before dark, leaving plenty of time to set up camp and gather firewood. Dan and Carla took their time over lunch and leisurely took up the hike after a meal of tortillas with meat and vegetable fillings.

Both noted the increase in rock formations as they neared their destination. Carla noted that a group of large upturned boulders looked like "the Fortress at Pigeon Falls" as she called it. "Where's Pigeon Falls?" Dan asked. "Oh, it's in the basement of the author of this blog I read" she replied. "Well, I guess it's all about bloggers" he laughed as they worked their way through the boulders. "You would be surprised what you can learn from blogs Dan" she said. "I read a couple more you'd like." "One is called Finding Pam and the other is a Raven's Nest." "Both add to my knowledge and keep me interested" Carla finished.

"They keep you interesting too" Dan added. "Thanks Sugar, but I know what keeps you interested and it ain't on the internet" she quipped. "Surely you know that I love your mind as much as your body" Dan replied. They smiled at each other and continued along the trail. Dan noted a circle of buzzards high in the sky in the distance. Maybe they'd investigate tomorrow if they felt like it, though it could be farther away than they wished to walk.

RT