, October 15, 2005 JEFFERSON – When Bigfoot enthusiasts have lunch in East Texas, they still talk about football.

But they also swap stories of sightings, compare notes on vocalizations and strange stenches and discuss primate anatomy. In fact, sometimes they're so busy eating up the conversation, their food goes untouched.

Friday at Licea's Mexican Restaurant in Jefferson, Daryl Colyer's lunch got cold while he talked about Sasquatch. His wife, Dalinda, watched with fond amusement.

"He gets so animated when he tells his stories," she said.

Colyer is a field investigator with Dallas-based Texas Bigfoot Research Center. The center's fifth annual Texas Bigfoot Conference began Friday with a catered dinner and video presentation. The organizers and many of the speakers met up at Licea's before things got under way.