On 5th March, Jonathan and Corinna Downes, the Director and Administrator of the Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] the world's largest mystery animal research organisation, fly to Texas. Together with their friends and colleagues Richie and Naomi West who very generously financed the expedition, they will spend two weeks continuing the research into the Texas blue dogs, first carried out by Jonathan Downes in November 2004..

Wednesday 10 March 2010

Pit stops and exploding salads

CORINNA'S DIARY:

It was drizzling on Monday morning when we set off on our journey to the south of Texas, where Jon had a last minute gig arranged for members of MUFON, Houston. We had a couple of scheduled stops to make on the way, as well as a necessary pit stop for body fuel and liquid, followed a bit later on with an equally necessary one to get rid of the fluid!

However, both stop-offs produced something unexpected; firstly, after a display of schoolboy toilet humour, in which Jon guffawed loudly at some purile joke while poor Richie was trying to order the food, our sustenance was delivered to our vehicle by a young lady on roller skates who even performed a somersault for us (after unloading the food, I hasten to add, just in case you were shuddering at the thought of items of food and drink being thrown across the car park due to an over-zealous display of acrobatics).

Secondly, there was the stop to answer the excess fluid problem at a petrol station, where we all piled out of the vehicle and trouped in expectantly and urgently, only to discover that the establishment didn’t have the necessary facilities, so we all piled back into the car, extremely disappointed and somewhat distressed, to go and find another suitable facility.

This one had the unwelcoming OUT OF ORDER sign to greet us, only to be told by the chap at the checkout that it was really working (go figure). There was also the priceless statement written on a piece of paper Sellotaped to the wall : IF YOU MAKE A MESS IN THE BATHROOM, CLEAN IT UP, which left me pondering quite what that meant. A mess can mean anything after all, from spilling a tub of cotton buds over the floor to festooning the whole room in unrolled toilet paper. I bet you were all expecting me to write something slightly more gross and detailed there. I did, but changed it!

Anyway, we reached our hotel only around 10 minutes later than expected and those attending the gig were very understanding and did not slap Jon too much for being late. I was on hand for the administering of arnica and gauze, so all bases were covered.

We then enjoyed a satisfying meal at a nearby Mexican restaurant where Jon had a dish called a salad explosion (of what exactly I can't remember). Unfortunately they did not have waiters and waitresses on roller skates performing a similar display as that mentioned above, which was a shame as I could have done a Flying Burrito Brothers joke. Jon and I then went for a walk in the drizzle to get some Diet Dr Pepper at a nearby supermarket that was open until 1 am.

I was exhausted by the time my head hit the pillow and it didn't take me long to pass off into sleep.

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