I opted out of a hike with the hiking club up Miller Peak to instead drive to Tombstone with Gretel for her rabies vaccine. She was the last dog that needed a current vaccine. The Tombstone Small Animal Shelter sponsored a drive-thru, cash only rabies clinic and I figured that would be perfect to my very reactive Gretel.
I walked Wolfie at 7am to the mailbox and back (two miles), had an iced coffee, and drove off at 8:20am to Tombstone with an excited Gretel. I was expecting a long line of cars, but the four cars ahead of me went surprisingly fast. The workers manning the stations were fast, efficient, and friendly. I filled out paperwork while waiting and I quickly made it to the front. The DVM gave Gretel her vaccine from the passenger side as she leaned into the car. I held Gretel's head and comforted her. And then we were off. What a deal for $20. My certificate is hand-written, though, so if I lose this original, I won't be able to retrieve proof online.
The day was early and I used my time in Tombstone to walk around with Gretel. We walked the main street up and down (a half-mile), I looked at some of the outlaw merchandise for sale, then stopped in at the Undertaker Espresso Bar. I had always wanted to try this place out.
The building indeed was once a morgue and one can request views of the backrooms when it's not busy. It was busy inside so I sat down on a velvet blue couch and chilled a bit while looking at the menu. I wanted something non-caffeinated and iced. A local recommended a refresher, a basic seltzer with flavored syrups. I had the strawberry-kiwi.
Across from me under the wall menu were two locals. One was dressed in 1880s regalia, the other was a visibly gay man who had transitioned into a woman. Her boobs were bigger than mine! She talked loudly to the unwitting customers and gave them recommendations for local gay bars. She was in a wheel chair as she was missing her right foot. She wore heavy underliner and her face was covered in tattoos. You could tell from afar she was trans. Her name is Rachel.
But transgendered people have interesting stories to tell and I enjoy hearing them. What made them want to transition? How has life been since transitioning? What made them realize they were gay? While I didn't ask her anything along those lines, I simply sat back and listened to her loud narratives. To say she was not proudly gay is an understatement.
I learned a bit about her just from what she volunteered to announce to all the customers. She served in the US Marine Corps 1970-1974 as a combat medic. She never finished high sch\ool and went right into the Marines. She retired two years ago at age 65 and settled here in Tombstone. She knows all the local gay bars. She told me Tombstone was a haven for lesbians.
"Tombstone?" I asked, dumbfounded. "It's so MAGA!" I added.
"Oh Honey, This place is full of lesbians!" And then Rachel rattled off the gay bars in the area. I didn't take note of the one in Tombstone as I don't frequent bars and definitely not gay bars. The one in Bisbee is well-known, the one in Sierra Vista is not.
I would have enjoyed a longer conversation with her. I find the lives of the LGTBQ people fascinating as it takes courage to come out, let alone transition. But I had to get back home, drop Gretel off, and then head out to Tucson for a Yelp Event. I ended up stopping at the San Pedro River and walked the mile along the trickling creek to the graffiti bridge. That's a two-mile easy jaunt that's half-shaded. This way Gretel could jump into the water when the hot sand got too much for her paws.
Water level here was low so hopefully the rain forecasted for Tuesday and Wednesday next week will help.
Gretel got to walk 2.6 miles today.
No comments:
Post a Comment