3/26/08 Mud Fish and an Owl

Remember....you can double click pictures to make them bigger.

I start this post out with this picture so that you know what I'm talking about. Above is a picture of the retention pond here in this park. Of course it isn't filled with water right now because we haven't had rain in quite a while now. But when we do, it does fill.

The story goes that about ten years ago two winter residents, who evidently were quite the jokesters, played a trick on quite a few here in the park. The retention pond was quite full and these two fellows went into Casa Grande and bought a half dozen, intact, fish from the seafood department of one of the grocery stores. They brought these dead fish home and put them on a stringer. While no one was looking they gathered their lawn chairs, fishing poles and the stringer of dead fish and set up at the retention pond. They put the stringer in the water and sat down with the fishing poles in hand and waited. It wasn't long before winter residents strolled by, probably snickering at these two fishing in the retention pond. When asked if they caught anything they replied yes and brought up the stringer of fish. Well, everyone was amazed and asked what kind they were. They were told they were Mud Fish. They further explained that Mud Fish burrow down into the mud and when the retention pond fills again they make their way up into the water to swim. Word spread quickly around the park about the Mud Fish. Soon the retention was surrounded with men standing shoulder to shoulder, fishing rods in hand, all waiting to catch their share of the Mud Fish.

The reason I went to the retention pond was to get a picture of this little owl.

He sits here quite often and I've heard there is a baby somewhere close by. I guess he's standing guard. He doesn't seem to very afraid at all as one of the fella's here in the park has gotten close enough to pet him. Someone walking their dog came by when I trying to get closer and it flew up to this perch on top of a brick enclosure.

Evening time brought a birthday party for Darlene.

We had a sing along and just listened to the three guitarists, Wilf, Pat and Bill Turner and Don on harmonica. Pat let everyone know that Nashville has one of the songs Bill wrote and we're all hoping that it gets into the right hands and gets picked up by one of the superstars. We'll be able to say we knew Bill Turner back when.... We've heard a couple of the songs Bill has written now and I'm surprised he hasn't been discovered long before now.

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This was a fun night.