Monday I went to work with Seth and Bonnie and Laurie. First we saw a video about reducing stress. Then Seth and I took a National Forest Service sedan (painted that peculiar shade of gree) up into the mountains to Little Molass Lake.

We did a survey, although I didn't really know what to look for. I did find a piece of brown earthenware, which Seth classified as "historic," meaning older than 50 years, but not "prehistoric," meaning before the white man came. Seth found two pieces of historic glass as well as a FLAKE. Flakes are what it's all about. These are little chips of obsidian or chirt, pieces of hand-chipped tools used by the Native Americans.

We were pestered by an aged Texan with a well-oiled jaw. I now understand that the stereotyped notion of the "cantankerous old coot" has a firm basis in reality.

We also found a rock drawing. It looked like this:

Actually I drew it myself as a prank, in a place where I knew Seth would see it.

About this time I was feeling pretty awful: sore throat, painful cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, etc. Nevertheless we stopped for about an hour at Cascades Creek so Seth could do some fishing. He caught a couple trout but didn't think they were big enough to keep.

I went to take a crap in the woods, and after some difficulty I found a suitable spot and grunted it out. This proved to be even more difficult. Afterwards I looked at the turd. It was knobby and looked more like an exotic fruit than anything I'd expect to see floating in a toilet bowl. I made a mental note to increase my fiber intake.

We drove back to Durango, and Seth dropped me off at Mercy Medical Center. After some waiting, the doctor examined me and took a throat culture, prescribed some penicillin and said it was either strep throat or a bad cold. If it was the latter, the antibiotics would do more harm than good.

I walked to Seth's house, the government car no longer being at his disposal. It was a long walk. I ate some lettuce and bread and napped for a good hour. So did Seth. Afterward he and Laurie and I walked into town to get my prescription. The pharmacist had already gone home, but the store clerk phoned his house, and he came back in just to fill my prescription. We were all quite surprised.

The penicillin only cost about $6.00. The hospital visit had cost $58.00.

We ate at some Irish place. Laurie and I had apple pie (strange cravings again) and Seth had chili. By this time I'd gotten to like Laurie quite a bit. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, especially for an 18-year-old. She didn't shave her body, which always seems to be a good sign.

I decided to hitch back to Indiana, starting the next day, and rest there until I felt better.