You just never know who's gonna get on the bus, and today's ride was no exception. When I stepped into the blue van, the driver (Ed) asked, "You moved from New york, right? And were you guys downtown the other day? I thought I saw you guys." That was after two weeks of NOT riding the bus, and before that two weeks, I had only ridden twice. But this driver knows every rider and waves at the people who don't ride the bus. As we hurtled around the curves and past the red rocks, Ed said, "you know, I used to see a lot of deer around here. I don't see them anymore." Just then, a gigantic mule deer materialized in the road ahead. Ed stopped the van, and waited a while after the deer ran into the brush. "That's a doe. There's probably a buck coming after her." Sure enough, five more deer ran across the road. Ed explained that the males send the females out first. Not because they want to watch them walk. Not because they are guarding them from the rear. It is because the males want to protect themselves. I guess the doe is like the spybooy for the Mardi Gras Indians... When the old man boarded the bus, looking like Father Time with his wispy beard and beat up barn coat and muddy boots...Ed greeted him like an old friend. "Hey Don." Here are a few quotes from Don/ Father Time: "I raised my daughter in the woods, no electricity, and we carried our own water, did everything by candlelight..." "People out here live their religion." "I wanted to be a firefighter, but when I took the physical, the EKG indicated that my religious experience was actually a heart attack." And here's a snippet of conversation between Ed and Don: Ed: You know I worked up on the hill in the labs [Los Alamos] for 35 years...in the plutonium section. That's why I glow in the dark. Don: And retired to hard labor driving the bus? Ever wear a dosimeter? Ed: Wore one every day for 35 years. Don: Ever max it out? Ed: No, if anything ever happened, it was always on the other side, not on ours. (??) Let's see what happens tomorrow! I am going to wear a lead suit from now on.