Letter to the Editor: Why Did Three Peacocks Cross the Road?

— from Sharon Abreu —

I’m not crazy. Well, at least I wasn’t hallucinating. Mike is my witness. He was in the car with me, and he saw them, too. Yes, it was early in the morning, the sun was still coming up, and I hadn’t gotten quite enough sleep. But there they were, three male peacocks, tails closed, yet unmistakable in their proud shimmery teal splendor. Their long tails trailed along the asphalt as they strutted calmly beyond the double yellow line.

If we weren’t heading to make a ferry, we would have stopped to take a photo. But alas, the moment passed, quickly, as the peacocks were already 3/4 of the way across the road as our car approached. You don’t leave the house thinking “I’d better have the camera out in case three peacocks cross the highway.”

So many questions. Why peacocks? Why Orcas? Why now? Do we need a “Peacock Crossing” sign near Uff Da Hill Road? We’ve got a “Guinea Hen Crossing” sign along the main road and a sign with a picture of a duck with ducklings on Terrill Beach Road. So it seems only fair that our island peacocks have a sign, too.

There are so many thrilling sites on Orcas Island, so many different views of this unique landscape in the Salish Sea. And then there are even more surprises!

Time for a new Orcas bumper sticker: “I Brake for Peacocks.”