No not the parrots of Telegraph Hill...............It's the crows of the Polo fields..

A few days back, in between seeing clients, I set out to Golden Gate park to do a little tempo work around the paved oval at the Polo Fields. There are few people there midmorning during the week so it's a great place to be able to pick up the speed without cars, stop signs and the lot. It's sort of a paved velodrome without the banking.

Usually during the week there is a handful of elderly Asian folks practicing Tai chi as well as going through a plethora of stretches contortions and exercise rituals. Sometimes a few brave souls will be walking around the track (why they don't enjoy the beautiful dirt trails and roads instead baffle me) but nonetheless they walk. Occasionally there are a few lowkey knee sock wearing recreational cyclists riding in circles as well.

So on this particular day, I have started my 1st interval and as I round turn 1, I see a woman on a bike holding a large dog coming in my direction. I immediately go wide around them and hope that they will be gone when I return to that spot. Sure enough they were just passing through but then I notice a nice pile of dog @#%$. Fortunately she curbed him next to the inside fence so every lap I knew to stay clear...

A few laps later, I am on the straightaway to turn 3 I see a large man with a dog. He is holding one of those tennis ball throwing tools that look like a long ice cream scooper. I think "Oh jeeze- hope he throws that ball thing out to the grass". As I come up to them, I can't help but notice this man who is probably in his late 60's cause he has a big Santa like belly, white beard and long ponytail pulled back. Besides the ice cream scoop looking thing he has a satchel around his buddha belly. Then I look up to the fence and see about 40-50 big black crows watching his every move. "This is going to fun" I think.
Sure enough every lap, between throwing the ball to the dog he's hand feeding these burly looking birds and they'd dive bomb down to the pavement in search of every missed crumb. At this point, I've got my HR up and am not going to slow down for these gnarly parrot wannabee's...It becomes a sort of bicycle shooting gallery as they seem to wait until the last minute to fly off before I approach. "Whatever" I think and proceed on my mission. Somehow, Grandpa Crow has somehow managed to move these birds methodically around the track. They are now on turn 2 and I see his dog curiously checking out poop from dog 1. I'm thinking "Is he going to do numerous laps with these big black squawking critters? Please let it be over. " My interval is done, I can slow down and ant this point can actually make eye contact and somewhat smile to Grandpa Crow. Apparently his feeding/throwing interval is over with too. I have one more but fortunately he's done...

I'm sure he was thinking equally strange thoughts about me on the pink bike pedaling circles, over and over, with a snotty nose and grimaced face aiming towards those damn crows...
to each his own, we share the Polo Fields :)