We had stopped for a minute for me to pick up the dog’s by-product. I heard the chickens before I saw them. and thought, “WTF is that?” The sound was simultaneously very familiar and utterly strange.

We live in an ordinary Southern California suburb, not farm country by any means. By SoCal standards, we live in the city. I have heard people keep chickens around here, but have not encountered it in person for 15 years or so.

Auto-generated description: A large carved wooden bear sits on its haunches with its head tilted back, positioned near a blue trash bin and a green leafy plant. Auto-generated description: A vintage beige car is parked on the driveway of a suburban house with a gray exterior.

When you see an El Camino, you are required to photograph it and share the photo. Those are the rules.