Fourth Day - Back at Caprock

I have to make a confession here--I didn't make enough notes at the time and I think I got the record of our suppers out of order. No matter--you'll never know the difference. But I just wanted to remember it right.

It was a lovely morning. The sun was shining, the winds calm, and all signs right for a spot of fishing.  We loaded up our wagon with fishing gear (instead of an aging little dog), and down we headed to Lake Theo.  Ed went down the trail first while I lagged behind to prevent an annoying encounter between my dogs and some kids, so I was last down the trail behind Ed and a handful of assorted grownups and kids.  Just over their heads, within a stone's throw of us all, sat a pair of Mississippi Kites.  Paying no more attention to us than (most of) us did to them.

They were so close and so still that I sat down on the path and tried the zoom lens on them. The picture wasn't great, though.













So after my long bout of photography, the dogs and I arrived at Lake Theo.

The dogs had their own appreciation of the lake--fresh drinking water!

I fished, but didn't enjoy it too much--I kept catching tiny, beautiful catfish that were hard to take off the hook.
Eventually I quit and just enjoyed the kettle of hawks--more Mississippi Kites--soaring over the water. Also the medium-sized tern who would dive in headfirst and often emerge with a fish in his beak. A real bird watcher would have figured out what species of tern it was.

The lake was very low--you could walk right under the fishing pier.

Ed's a more dedicated fisherman than I, and got his reward.

I had one chance to see a lot of birds--when I walked up to use the bathroom, I encountered a campground host and had a lovely long chat with her. While her husband cleaned the bathrooms. As we stood there under cottonwood trees, amid mesquite and yucca, three or four extremely noisy little birds kept trying to break into our conversation. I hated to be so rude as to stop talking and look away--

And then they were gone. Stupid birds.

Our long anticipated Korean barbeque?  I enjoyed immensely; Ed not so much. I think he was tired from the long day. I'm not sure if Korean barbeque is a real thing or just something they invented for tourists, but here's the basic idea: you pile up a plate with pork belly, chicken, marinaded pork, thinly-sliced beef, shrimp and onions; the waiter fires up a gas grill at your table; you cook the food yourself and eat it in baby lettuce leaves with rice and kimchi, dipping them into a spicy sauce. Our version included other vegetables and skipped the lettuce, but it was basically the same flavors.

Using charcoal for the heat source worked for my cooking technique--I cooked one batch, removed it to my rice bowl, then started the next batch immediately. Ed was taking a more leisurely approach--only cooking a little at a time, eating it, then starting the next round. That worked at the restaurant in Pyeongtaek , but not with a charcoal grill--the coals were cooling down long before he was done cooking.

The flavor was good, though, and I think we should try again. Maybe using an "all at once" cooking technique next time.