It was about a year ago that I came to Bend on business and spent most of an entire week here. It was cold and drizzly for the first several days, and I looked out at the Deschutes River and marvel at the changing vistas brought about the rain, clouds, fog, wind and sunshine. While I fed all manner of waterfowl with the pita and bread I smuggled back from the restaurant, I got used to seeing one particular "couple" who came every day and knew to wait for me in particular. I called them George and Gracie.
Today I made it into Bend around mid-afternoon, and after taking a little time to catch my breath and unwind from the drive from Vancouver, I went to a restaurant in downtown specializing in middle eastern food. I ordered a couple extra pitas, and then decided on the way back to stop at Safeway and pick up a bag of them under the rationale that they'd be cheaper that way (and they were).
Once back in my room, it took a little fiddling to remember how to do this disbursement: first of all, the pieces had to be small enough for the ducks to eat...too big and they could choke or just give up. Then once a group appeared it made more sense to rip up many pieces at once instead of by ones or twos. Well it worked, and for a little while I had four pairs of ducks to feed, and it was as enjoyable as I remembered it to be...but then after I went back in to eat my dinner and then came back outside afterwards, I noticed that one pair remained...and I wondered if it was the same couple from last year. With ducks it is virtually impossible to tell one male from another, let alone females with their less vibrant plumage, but something made me think that just perhaps this could be the same pair that I shared so much wondrous quiet time with, and the thought pleased me very much.
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