Chittering Fox

I was up ahead of 7am on what was another gorgeous morning. It was supposed to be near 80 and sunny all day. Mindy and I made tentative plans to visit/hike Yellow Springs. I made coffee and enjoyed an hour or so of solace before heading out for my run.

I curbed my run to just three miles treating the day off much like a weekend day. It was trash day. Our can was emptied by the time I left the house. Great run in ideal conditions. I was surprised to find Mindy up and on the deck when I got back from my run. I’m guessing it was near 9am. Mindy & I took Eiknarf on a walk running in to Leslie Dent, who was out for her morning run. We talked for about 10 minutes before she headed off again. We also talked to Joyce, the women who live cattycorner to us and just put her house on the market. Said it sold after just 4 days, though she took an offer 20K less than her asking price. She told me on Sunday that she didn’t plan to budge on her asking price. Not sure why she caved so soon.

Mindy and I showered before we headed off to Yellow Springs. We packed some water, nuts, and personal electronics. I’m thinking that we left the house around 1030am in the Accord. Haven’t been back to YS since Glenn’s visit last October. We planned to hike John Bryan State Park. The drive went fast. It’s about 50 miles driveway to parking spot, and about 99% freeway/highway.

We parked in the same general vicinity that we did on our two prior visits to John Bryan. Just as we were starting off on the trail, Mindy got a call from Darwin after leaving him a VM earlier. We made plans to have a cookout at our house Sunday afternoon where we could formulate more specific vacation plans. We also asked about bringing Kaileigh along. As expected, he didn’t see that as an issue. As it was, Bella wouldn’t have anyone to hang out with.

We headed east on the north side of the river/creek staying pretty close to the waters edge as much as possible. There are a few options: rim trail, a middle trail, and the water’s edge trail. For a 1/8 mile stretch we spotted a strange looking plant that neither of us had seen before. At first glance, it looked like bamboo though without any leaves. Instead, just a narrow stem emerging directly from the ground. It was everywhere, too. I took a couple photos so I could research it later. And then, just like that, it was no more. We’ve hiked along the river numerous times (at least five) so many of the landmarks were familiar, but we still found some new and interesting cave-like rock formations. We hiked for about an hour, or about a mile and a half to the Clifton’s Gorge sign. We then crossed the river taking the southern trail back. It was refreshing to spend some quality time outdoors getting in touch with nature. And the weather was splendid -warm and sunny, but not at all humid.

I’m thinking it was close to 230pm when we got back to the car. We drove into town, but only after taking a detour down a somewhat secluded drive with 5 or 6 newer looking, large homes. We pulled into Yellow Springs still before 3pm parking across the street and just south of Ye Old Tavern. We stopped in a couple store fronts then headed inside the tavern for lunch. After a pee break, we seated ourselves on the north patio where we met our server, Maryllis, or Mo. I ordered a West Coast IPA. Mindy surprised me and ordered their only double IPA on the menu. Can’t recall its name, but it was strong. We ordered some fried green beans to snack on too.

Like a lot of folks in Yellow Springs, Mo had a few piercings as well as a number of tattoos. In fact, she blended well with the YS fabric. We eventually struck up a conversation asking about her tattoos, which only prompted more questions. We learned she loved to sing, and hoped someday to have a band with her fiancé. We also learned about a prior relationship she deemed as bad and the impetus for one of her tattoos. I asked if she cared to sing for us since she aspired to be a singing star. Said she would but had to take care of another table first. She returned a few minutes later sharing that she was going to sing, Oh Darling by the Beatles. Just like that she started belting out the tune acappella. She sang loud and proud, and had a really beautiful voice.

We were as much moved by her determination as we were by her voice. We talked more afterwards, her sharing much more about her life. We learned that she’s 23 and has ½ a psychology degree (?). Shared that she’s lived in Colorado as well as Cincinnati. She then proudly declared that she has a split personality. And if that wasn’t enough, she went on to tell us that the other personality wasn’t human. Before we could ask, she shared that it was a fox, which explained the still in progress fox tattoo running up the length of her left arm. There was more. She shared that sometimes when she’s the fox she will ‘chitter’. It was all either of us could do to keep a straight face. We very much enjoyed our chat.

We ordered sandwiches at some point, me their reuben, Mindy their fish sandwich. We each ate only half of our sandwich. Before we settled our tab a guy showed up with a guitar. He immediately engaged us in conversation sharing stories about his past history in YS. One story had something to do with beating a ground hog with a shovel at a work site only to find himself amongst several protestors holding up progress on their work. Said he owns 17 acres in town and wants to someday build a home there. Plays his music for no charge. Much of his banter wasn’t comprehendible.

We left Mo a sizeable tip, and one that she thanked us for profusely. She was more than a bit out there, but left a lasting mark on the two of us by singing to us during our lunch. Ask for Mo when you visit the Ye Old Tavern. I knew weren’t going to get out of town without stopping in a few more storefronts. I’m thinking we stopped in two more, but bought nothing. All the shop keepers were setting up for a big festival on Saturday.

We left town around 415pm heading for home north on route 68 then east on 70. I was more than a little tired on the drive home but got my second wind as we neared town. We touched on our potential evening plans, which we both agreed staying in and relaxing on the deck sounded as good as anything. Once at home I walked the dog and then took a brief nap.

We headed out on the deck around 7pm with the pug. We talked about Friday and the possibility of going boating. For me that would depend on how quickly I could get the boat home and make it water worthy. Hasn’t been started in two years. We sat on the deck enjoying the outdoors for the rest of the evening, heading inside around 930pm. Mindy headed to bed while I stayed up watching Lebron James completely dominate a basketball game. The won game 6 of their series against the Boston Celtics. Not sure the time when I finally joined Mindy in bed.