After we spent the morning in town, we drove up to Alta Lakes for some fishing and reading. I was deeply involved in a Nora Roberts book and the weather was perfect for some lake side sitting and reading. On the way up to the lakes, there is an abandoned mining village. Creepy, but I would love the know the history of this place.
Stunning mountain views from Alta Lakes
Now to the story of the tomato.
See this bag? It is holding something highly valuable.
A tomato. A single tomato.
What is so special about it?
It is certainly pretty. And it had a great flavor. Not like the watery washed out tomatoes we find on shelves in December.
No, the reason for all the pomp and whatnot is…
….Stephen paid $3.48 for this lonely tomato.
This all started at the market this morning. I asked him if he wanted to get a fresh tomato to go on the burgers we are grilling tonight. His eyes lit up like I had just suggested we go white water rafting in the dead heat of August. We quickly found a stall that sold tomatoes, but we didn’t see a sign, just a scale next to the register. No big deal, right? Stephen spent a good 2 minutes picking out the right one. He and the lady talked about the the farm that grew these. All was going great until she weighed the tomato and said $3.48. I thought he would pass out right there. He hesitated and asked her to repeat it. She did. He slowly peeled off the cash and waited calmly for the change. As we left the stall he said “Here, hold my prize tomato until I can find a crash cart. I know my heart has stopped beating”. Keep in mind that we have tomatoes growing in our garden. $3.48 would buy a bucket of tomatoes in Alabama. He carried that bag all over town. He would not let me put it in the pack I was carrying. He didn’t really like me holding the bag, either. He kept giving me the sketchy eyeball to make sure I didn’t hurt it. When we got in the truck to go back to the campsite, he asked if I minded riding in the back so he could buckle the tomato in the front seat. He wasn’t kidding. 
This story ended happily. The tomato was REALLY good, according to Stephen. I didn’t try it. We both stuffed ourselves silly on burgers and potatoes.
Before the sun set completely, we went riding to look for elk. The elk and deer come down from elevation to eat in the valley basin. Each year, we usually see a lot of both. Tonight, we saw 2.
But the sun setting and reflecting on the mountains was BEAUTIFUL!
