Summer sidewalk saunter simmers

La Conner, Salish seaside town, little, short and sweet, perfect for a Summer Sidewalk Saunter, just keep a sharp eye out for that silly Sloughmander clown. It mostly stays hidden in the minds of those that remember when it more frequently slithered around. It learned how to dance to darn near any music that came, with its own sound. It was sparkly green and blue, with an orange belly, and big bulging yellow eyes! There was no missing it, until it was gone, then the Summer Sidewalk Saunter simmered down.

It was thought it might be lonely, the way it’d stand on the boardwalk, and peer into the slough longingly. Sometimes it’d be everywhere, seemingly all at once. Bellingham, Burlington, Woolley, Mount Vernon, it miraculously got around, joined a band, even learned how to play harmonica. It was just about to make this little Salish seaside town even more famous than it already was.

If it wasn’t for the COVID-19 pandemic it might still be entertaining the folks that come for a Summer Sidewalk Saunter. Yeah, he or it was a piece of moving art, making our town real cool.

It’s not been seen in quite a spell, some of us wonder if’n the virus took it out. It looked sorta like a cross between a reptile and a man, so who knows? Could it be a short blip in history, or could it be once again enticed to arise like a phoenix, from the famous Swinomish Channel, to enchant the casual summer sidewalk saunterer?

It’s been rumored that a local yokel has learned how to lure it from its lair, but the noise he has to make would scare a chair, curl the straightest of hair! So, he daren’t dare to, unless the town signed a waiver: He doesn’t want to be held liable. Suffice it to say, when he calls out for that creature to appear, you’ll want to be on that Summer Sidewalk Saunter, walking along with only a slight amount of trepidation and fear.

Glen Johnson

Skagit Valley