So we were just sittin' there. In those chairs. You know the ones. Cost about $80.00 a couple of years ago. Now they’re $9.99. Can’t quite get low enough to rest your head so you can take a nap, but too comfortable to get up for anything but another beer.
So my brother gets up, looks at me, and gives me one of those little head flicks.
I tilt my bottle and return the nod.
He comes back a minute later with 2 more coronas, sans limes, and a fishing pole.
He reaches down, picks up a piece of broken bottle and ties it to the line.
“ We gonna go for a sunset ride later?” I ask
“ Ya prolly” he says.
Saturday afternoon in the desert. Doesn’t get much better.
So he starts flippin the fishing pole and goin for little targets. We sit there a while not sayin anthing, just soaking it all in. Flip, Wind, Drink, Flip, Wind, Drink, when the BLM drives by and gets an eyeful of this activity and gets on the brakes hard. Full lock left turn, drives up and gets out.
“You need a license to do that,” he says.
No response.
“ You need a license to catch reptiles up here”
Still no response. .
“You got one?”
“One what?” my brother answers.
Now what you have to understand is that our general way to deal with the BLM is as little acknowledgement as possible. Bordering on flat out ignoring them.
“LICENSE?” he says.
“License?” my brother says.
“ Yes, a license for catching reptiles” says Mr. BLM
“Who’s catching reptiles?”
“OK “says Mr..BLM, with a funny little vane pulsing on his fore head ”If I come back later and you’ve got any reptiles I’m citing you. Horny toads are an endangered species”
Uncomfortably long pause,
“You aren’t going to be driving any more today are you?” says Mr. BLM
“Driving what?” says my brother.
Mr. BLM just stares at him blankly for a second and turns and gets back in his truck and drives away.
So now I guess it’s my turn so I get up, give him the head nod and he polishes off the rest of his beer and nods.
As I turn and start to walk away my brother says, “ Still got that Boomerang in your camper?….”