IT'LL SOON BE OVER

I need help identifying these three birds.

Common Grackle?

Brewers Sparrow?

Great Tailed Grackle?

The afternoon was a relatively warm, 65 degrees without clouds, beautiful T-shirt and shorts bicycling weather. I rode south toward the mountains on the rock strewn BLM lands south of I-10, between Quartzsite, AZ and Blythe, CA. The ride was always up and after three miles of dodging rocks and climbing I was ready for a rest. Up ahead, absolutely in the middle of nowhere, I spot a little white car pulled just off the side of the road and perched precariously close to a steep sided wash.

My experience has been people that place themselves in areas of solitude are there for just that, solitude. They haven't come to chat with stragglers or passer-byes, maybe a lizard or two, a cactus, but not people.

The man, 55 years or so, waved me over from my mountain climb, offering a Styrofoam glass of water and something he called, "Retail smoke." Next to his car was a large blue, blow-up mattress laid across the black patina’ed rocks, warm and roasting in the sun. Two tan fold-up church type chairs were open and secured to an army green duffle bag with a heavy silver chain and gold padlock.
Kieth, was tall, clean, articulate in a scrambled way, smooth hands, soft muscles with tan head and limbs.  He had not seen a hard physical day in some time though he wasn't overweight.  I sat down and listened to him talk about life in general, answering question in a manor not to excite nor placate. Cell phones entered the conversation and he informed me that he had lost his. I immediately offered mine if he should need to call someone. I dialed the number he gave me from a rumpled piece of paper and handed the phone to him. The speaker phone was clicked on for some reason and I heard the ladies voice say, "I'm sorry Mr. Kieth, the Dr. is in session and not able to come to the phone right now.”
We talked for a while longer while the sun continued to cast longer and longer shadows across the rocks and sand. When the sun begins to drop in the desert, it gets cold fast and I needed to return before dark.

He asked, as I was about to pedal off, “Has anything ever happened in your life that changes everything?” “Sure,” I reply, “Everything changes everything.  I’ve tried to do the right thing but it doesn’t always come out that way in the end.  Stupid, naive or unlucky, call it what you will. I’ve never intentionally tried to hurt anyone but sometimes it happens that way.  Hang on and enjoy the ride, it’ll soon be over.”

I hope Keith finds what he’s looking for, it's out there, I know it is, because I'm still looking too.