In September my wife and I were surprised to find a geocache was hidden here on center, not 50 feet from where I work. So we went and we risked the bougainvilla thorns and found it. YAY! Our first cache in years.
Well today a friend came and said 'I was online and saw you found the cache hidden here, could you tell me if it's still there or if it's been muggled?'
So when he left I walked over and poked my soon-to-be-bloodied hand into the leaves. Unable to find it, the manager was outside tending to his yard and said 'Chad can I help you?"
Well I of course couldn't break the code of telling a muggle about geocaches... but this was his property.
So I said 'just poking around here, thorns you know'
'yup, sure, we got bougainvilla here'.
He's Canadien, and was giving me a look of confusion and also slightly coy. I knew bougainvilla thorn pricks to swell up pretty bad because of some juice they have or something... so I pulled my hands out... and tried to deflect the conversation.
'so Chad, you ah.... looking for something?' again his coy smile... or was the sun in his eye?
'Yeah... do YOU know what I'm looking for?' I ask
'No, not really, can I help?'
'Well I'm not sure, are you being coy? Do you know what I'm looking for?'
'I have no idea.'
at this point I realize I'm the crazy American sticking his hands into the thorn bush for no reason. So I decide to play it mysterious.
'Well, I'd like to tell you, but I can't, I'd be breaking a code.'
'oh!' he replies...but stands there staring at me still.
'okay I'll tell you, have you ever heard of geocaching?'
'nope, can't say that I have.... is it a game?'
'more like a hobby.'
'OH!' more serious of an oh this time.
So I explained the hobby to him, and explained that I was looking for something that is probably gone. He seemed to understand, but with the same sort of understanding that makes anyone wonder what kind of hobby would involve poking around in thorn bushes.
Never did find the cache, suppose it's been muggled.
