Do you ever have those times when one day you have a conversation about
something completely random that you've never talked about before? And
then a few days later that same random and unheard of topic arises
again? And then a week later you see a TV show about that topic? And
finally over the course of a couple of weeks you've seen or talked about
this random thing several times?
It's one of those odd coincidences in life that happens often. And just
recently it happened to me. It started with a conversation about Bigfoots. Or is it Bigfeet?
My friend told me all about a website for an organization called the
Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, which compiles evidence on the
existence of the legendary Bigfoot. Some of this evidence is dubious at
best, while some of it is downright disconcerting. There are, of course,
the sightings and the footprints and the hair samples and the loud crashes in the forest. But what I found
most haunting and hair-raising were the hooting calls that have been
recorded and not easily attributed to other sources, along with a 911 call
that started off with the guy just thinking there was some kind of
intruder in his backyard and then getting the bejeezus scared out of
him by an unidentified hairy object, all dutifully recorded by the 911 operator for posterity.
A few days after this conversation – and bearing in mind I have never,
ever discussed Bigfeet nor watched the numerable shows and documentaries
about them – I was with another friend at the movies, who just
happened to mention Sasquatch (aka Bigfoot). And, in the process,
revealed that in this area Bigfoot-like creatures are also known as Wood
Boogers. (By the way, being an inveterate lover of language, I
particularly love all the different names that one thing can have – see
my post on hellbenders for some doozies.)
My next Bigfoot encounter was in an exchange of emails after working on
promotional material with the local TV station. After embarrassing
myself several times trying to get a take right for a local commercial,
we joked that I was now a local celebrity and would have to disguise
myself to avoid the paparazzi lest I end up in the National Enquirer.
Being a girl of discerning reading taste, I asked whether the National
Enquirer was the one that had alien babies and Bigfeet in it, and said
that I quite liked the idea of being celeb-spotted with Bigfoot. Look below and you'll get an idea of what THAT cover would look like –
and the best ringing endorsement of Believe in Bristol I've ever seen!
If a mythical creature can Believe in Bristol, so should you!
Finally, a few days ago I actually heard of someone who used Sasquatch
as their nickname. And so I took all these conversations and mentions of
this hairy man-beast as a sign from the blogging gods that Bigfoot was
meant to be my next blog post. Lucky you, dear reader!
And so my next question is: Have any of ever you had an encounter with the the unexplained, the supernatural, the mythical, or the cryptozoological? Have you been baffled by the Beast of Bodmin, or startled by the Loch Ness Monster? Have you seen an unrecognizable something out of the corner of your eye, or heard the plaintive wail of a bansee in the night? Or perhaps you just have a second cousin, once-removed from Hickory Tree?
*A footnote:
In Mongolia, a Bigfoot is known as a Yeren; in the Himalyas, it is known
as a Yeti; and in Australia, a Yowie! I also quite like the moniker of Bad
Smelling Tree Men – you really can't get much more descriptive than that...
Photo 1: A still of Bigfoot from the infamous Patterson-Gimlin footage.
Photo 2: A mock National Enquirer cover – if only it was true! [Travis Wyatt]