For Starters...

This blog was created with the intention of fostering the feelings of family unity (mothers, fathers, daughters, cousins, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles) through sarcasm and witty comments on life and the people in our lives. Names have been changed to protect the characters of our stories and it is likely that some stories have been embelished to increase the hilarity of a situation, but the basic happenings will remain true.

So to kick off the fun, I (Dayle) would like to comment on some of the local personalities recently witnessed in their natural habitat while on vacation in Durango, Colorado. After a white-water rafting adventure down part of the Piedra River and some shoping around downtown Durango, the "children" were ready to pile back into the car and head for Pagosa. Meandering slowly back in the direction of the parked car, many pitstops were made. Some good: coffee and to see our rafting guide's art work. Some not good: another music store and a lengthy stent in a touristy store. During one of the not good stops, some of us continued to wonder down the street.

Perched on a firehydrant at an intersection, I saw quite a sight like I've never seen before. Sitting on a near-by bench were a guy and girl. Probably late 20's. Dressed like...they were in a musical? And dirty. With one dirty dog. Avery thought they were married. I'm still not convinced. He had one of the most interesting hair-do's I've seen, to date. It was a combo mullet/dreadlocks. With lots of tattoos on his fingers and several missing teeth. We overheard him say they had come from Montana (or was it Minnesota?). Hitch-hikers. Which is why I was surprised when another, slightly cleaner local, came up and introduced himself and after a couple of minutes of conversation, realized they had a friend in common. Their new friend offered a couple of beers and when they positively and enthusiasticly responded, he hurried back to his big van and handed them two tall-boys. Hmm. I wonder if everyone in Durango keeps beers in the van for such occassions.

None of these comments are made out of judgement or scorn, I'm simply curious as to who they are, how they ended up in Durango, what do they feed their dog, and where to next? But strangely, I was not surprised to see them there playing their mandolin on the sidewalk. It seemed perfectly natural. Which makes me wonder. Will I turn into a roving ragamuffin once I've moved to Colorado...