Ok, it’s October, sun is setting around 6:15 and I’m having a lot more trouble getting out for a quick walk. I was roasting chicken, it should have given me at least a half hour, didn’t take Appa so it was nice and quick. Turns out it was REALLY quick.
I popped out the driveway, crossed the road and within 10 steps I was hearing really loud footsteps in the woods to my left, towards Culver’s. I never did see what caused it, but whatever it was was not scared of me or of much else. It quieted down, so I continued towards the hill.
Not 10 steps up the hill I hear similar noise from the right side, towards Iseult’s house. I’m thinking “squirrel” at this point…when the “Wide Tire Bike Guy” who rides up and down Sawnee Bean all the time comes sailing out Iseult’s driveway! I saw him duck under the chain across the driveway and head right…I don’t believe he saw me at all as he then had to strain to get up the steepest part of the hill towards Miller Pond Rd. What was he doing up there? Perhaps he thought her cabin owns the land for sale on the pond? Who knows? I figured I’d take a peek once I got to the driveway…but that never happened!
I start walking again and a damn squirrel drops out of a tree not 20 feet from me, and makes more noise than a bear! Scared the shit out of me, as I thought I had the solution to the noise and eliminated “squirrel” only to be surprised. I’d make a terrible detective. Anyway…
As WTBG is going up the hill, a big pickup truck turns onto Sawnee Bean from Vershire direction and just stops at the top of the hill with his brights on. I’m now maybe halfway up the hill, near Iseult’s driveway, standing off the road so the truck can pass me. He just sits there for a minute or two waiting for Wide Tire Bike Guy to pass him by…then he just sits some more…finally I meandered to the other side of the road and once he saw me, he SLOWLY passed down the hill and eventually around the curve towards the beaver pond. (Tom speculates that he was looking for deer in Culver’s field…but there are a million “posting” signs, it’s hardly likely he could have missed them).
So, I’m now thinking, walk up to Miller Pond, look at the pond, go back home, as it’s getting dark. I look up and Wide Tire Bike Guy is just standing at the top of the hill looking down at me. At that point, I was done…just turned around (I was already on the correct side of the road) and came home. Very weird walk.
Tom's Walks 