Almost Heaven...but not quite. And then finding my way Home

This weekend will go down in my personal history book as one of the longest, hardest of my life.
I had some programs scheduled way over on the other side of Ohio, in Portsmouth. Being so close to West Virginia, I thought I would sneak over the border and see some birds...and recapture the magic I found there at the New River Bird and Nature Festival. That week in WV changed me in a very visceral way and I wanted to feel it again, that thrill of the mountains.

But it wasn't the same. I missed my people.
I wanted Lynne beside me, crying for joy at her first sight of a Cerulean Warbler.
I wanted Mary and Nina there to get fantastic photos and share them with me.
I wanted Kathi to ID the birds singing outside and sit back with me to open a bottle of wine.
I wanted Kathie to light up at the sight of yet another eastern US lifer.
I wanted Jane there to give me that sweet smile and tell me to Embrace My Inner Sheep.
I wanted Tim to entice me to join him in the hot tub.
I wanted to look at Beth and cause her to break into fits of helpless laughter.
I wanted to sit out on the porch swing with Laura and whisper secrets into the night air.

I was a lonely member of a Flock who had not made the journey with me. NOT the same...

It was raining as I got into Fayetteville. Big surprise.
I got a picture of the bridge I had been so afraid of...



...and smiled at the rhododendron in bloom:


Found a tiny perfect pink mushroom.

The birds were quieter than they had been in late April. Breeding is slowing, and the migrants have passed. Oh, well.

Before I left for the trip, I emailed Geoff Heeter (check this post...Geoff is the one shouting, "I like to DANCE!") and asked if he and his family would like a private raptor show, since I was in the area. He loved the idea, so I was welcomed into his lovely home and did a program for him, his charming wife, his kids, the neighborhood kids, the parents of the neighborhood kids....right in Geoff's kitchen. It was fun and relaxed, and the kids loved it.

I was able to meet Geoff's chickens...one of them here being held by Geoff's daughter:



And I don't know what Geoff is feeding these chickens, but they have reached gigantic proportions:

Look out, little girl! That chicken looks hungry!


The impromptu program for Geoff's family was the highlight of the trip. I spent all day today driving back home. Five hours in the car.

Unhappy birds in the back (they had been living in their carriers for 2 days, and that just makes them cranky...and Lucy wouldn't eat at all...I was a wreck) and a sore neck and the melancholy of leaving West Virginia somehow unclaimed.
I went there looking for something, and I couldn't find it. I left with a special sadness in my heart.


After stopping at the house to pick up my family to go get the other car from the shop, I then drove the birds back to RAPTOR.
Then it was off to Indiana, to my niece's graduation party.


I miss Indiana and the parties that are to be had.
Some things you can find there:

Manly games of Cornhole, played here on a "Breast Cancer Awareness" board:

You have to live west of Vine Street (that's the dividing line in Cincinnati that tells you if you are a "West Sider" or one of those uppity "East Siders") to play Cornhole.
I think some uppity East Siders are picking up the game, I guess when they want to come off their high horses and try to act like common folk.

(I live on the East side of Cincinnati, but since I grew up in Indiana, I am forgiven and allowed to cross the state line)

The food at a party in southeastern Indiana is delicious and truly horrible for you, hence the appeal:

Side dishes like Skyline Dip, Seven-Layer Salad, Fritos with everything, and the most Heavenly Bar-B-Que Chicken Dip you have ever tasted. It comes with a HazMat warning.
Who the Hell brought vegetables?????



And the only way to cook your food is with large...no, make that massive....amounts of OIL (lard if you are feeling extra naughty):

Everything has to be deep-fried. (Look, Laura! A cooking barrel!)


Fried chicken...and French Fries and also fried pickles and fried Twinkies. Seriously.
For those of you who aren't privy to the ways of Indiana...like I said to someone this weekend, "We may be part of the North, but we ain't YANKEES."

You need something cold and delicious to wash down all that grease, and that's where this contraption comes in:
An invention of my brother's....a refrigerator that has a beer tap right on the side:


You need to have this Oh-So-Cool fridge, because you need to be able to put your HALF-BARREL somewhere:

Yes. A half-barrel. Not a KEG...a HALF-BARREL.
There were three half-barrels at the party today...and when I left, they were down to one.
Boo-Yah!!!!!

Bright, Indiana has its own gang sign.
I could tell you what it means, but then I'd hafta kill ya.

Portraits

I don't take many "portraits", thinking that candid shots can be so much more fun. The Flock's trip to West Virginia taught me that portraits or posed shots are very valuable.
Yesterday, my niece graduated from college...what? Wait a minute! She's just a baby!


She graduated a whole year early. Smarty-pants.
I do love that kid. She was born on my 15th birthday, and has been a pain in my &%$ every since. : )



My Mom and Heather.
I noticed a glaring void in the festivities yesterday. Dad should have been there. He would have been so proud of Heather. He never went to college, and I think he regretted that about his life. His buttons woulda burst, seeing his granddaughter walk up and accept a Bachelor's degree.

And now, Happy Mother's Day!

Isabelle, Mom and Lorelei



(I had to hold them down to get this picture. They are entirely too wiggly.)



Mom and me....sigh. If anyone ever wonders why I am the way I am, I point my finger at this woman. She of course would be proud of any good things you had to say about me, (if you could think of anything) and totally blame me for the rest.

I need to see some birds before I lose it.

My best bird sighting for weeks was this morning. A brown creeper creeping along the sycamores at Lake Isabella. My camera was in a bag, at home, where I left it. I NEVER go anywhere without my camera. Made me feel like I left the house without pants.


If you ever wanted to know what it's like to be tackled by Hooper, the 80 pound "German Malusky", as Kathi calls him (German Shepherd, Malamute, Husky), this is the last thing you see before the tackle:


Thank you for the love, Hoopie. Now could you please get off my chest?


Hooper is prone to staring vacantly. I wonder what he's thinking about?

"That bacon-grease-soaked paper towel that I ate earlier was really good. I haven't smelled anyone's heiny for like an hour. Trrrreeeeeeeats.....I like trrrreeeeeeats.....I need to pee."

Last weekend, the whole family went to the Cincinnati Museum Center to see a new exhibit "Dinosaurs Alive", and to see the affiliated iMax movie. Meh. It was okay. Not really worth the money we paid (and we are members, even).

I wandered off at one point and went into the John Ruthven Gallery.
They have original Federal Duck Stamps going all the way back to 1936:


Above each stamp was the original artwork.


This one reminded me of Laura, because of the soulful-eyed Lab, and the duck in the mouth (she has a thing for ducks):



Here's the Williams family about to be eaten (by a plant-eating dinosaur):

Hams. That's what they are.


Last one....


Lucy, wrapped in a Birdie Burrito:


Officially, it's called "toweling", but that's no fun. (She was getting her beak coped, hence the towel, the hood and the pen).

With this ring, and seventy-mile an hour winds, I thee wed

Well, halleluia, the power came back on today.

I have a few hundred pictures from this weekend and the four days we were in the dark.
Let's start with the coolest wedding I have ever been to.

I have to say, Rachel (My new Sister-in-law) has class. And good taste.

The Wilds is a conservation organization of grand scope. Being an animal advocate (and birder...she knows the difference between an indigo bunting and a blue grosbeak, know what I'm sayin?), the Wilds was a perfect place for her and Kevin to begin their lives together.


The wind was unbelievable. From what I heard, the gusts were at 70 mph. I'm surprised we all didn't end up in West Virginia.




The flower girls were beautiful, of course:







And the best man was pretty hot:


Rachel was aglow:

The groom was grinning from ear to ear:

(I kept seeing a turkey vulture over the pastor's shoulder and tried to get a photo, but it was too windy...wouldn't that have been perfect?)





Next...a visit with JZ.

Art isn't just paint on canvas

Art comes in many forms. It might be a delicate watercolor, a photo of a desert sunset, beautiful words on a page or computer monitor.




I present two additional forms:

1. Paint on a barn:


The new RAPTOR, Inc. property got a little make-over a few days ago. Marilyn, one of our board members and a seriously dedicated rehabber (of song birds and raptors), and also a retired art teacher, has been wanting to do this since the new doors went up. Charley Harper, one of the more distinctive artists of the modern age, designed RAPTOR's logo many moons ago, and the board members have always had some sort of tribute in mind since Charley's death last year.


I practically pressed my nose to the door looking at the detail. This representation is perfect.
I don't recall if she was going to use a projector, or just "eyeball it". Either way, it's a wonderful statement.


(Gratuitous inserting of my youngest child into photo...Isabelle declined.)

What the front of the barn looked like before:

I think we now have a much spiffier exterior.




2. Photo of youth in its most lovely form:


This is Heather, my niece. This photo is part of a set that was taken for her senior pictures. Heather is, among other things, a skilled karate chick. (she started karate at age four...in this photo, she's 18)
I don't know if I can even explain what it is about this photo that moves me. The obvious is the beauty of the subject. But the balance...the way she seems to be holding this pose effortlessly.
Maybe it's the unconventional essence of the photo. No color to distract from the fluid lines of a young girl on the brink of her future. Where is she now? A soon-to-be junior at a local college, a cheerleader, making disgustingly excellent grades, singing like a bird and stealing every scene she appears in during productions of the drama department.
God, I love that kid.



What art have you seen lately?

I'll have the best rack in town

It's nice to hold off posts for the weekend. Gives you lots of material.
This is random, but a fun ride. Let's begin:

If you are in the market for a good summer read, may I suggest a fresh new novel by a fellow blogger? Jess Riley's book has been released, and though I am only a handful of pages into it, I must say it's gonna be a good one. She made me snort out loud on the first page.


After the first store (B&N) didn't even have it in stock, I ordered it but they never got back to me (slackers), I went to Border's and got my furry little paws on a copy (and held back from yelling to the whole store, "I KNOW HER! SHE'S A BLOGGER!").
Available here.

Gratuitous kid photo:

Wow. I mean...wow. Anyone think I need to get her an agent?????



Ever notice that squirrels don't have thumbs? Rats don't, either. Guess it's a rodent thing.


This was waiting for us this morning:

A Giant Leopard Moth. A stunningly handsome moth...and sometimes their spots are ringed in electric blue. Know how they start out life? As a WOOLY Bear caterpillar!

I broke out into a fit of giggles when I saw Hooper looking all bored, or like he was having an existential crisis:


Reminds me of one of the Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey:

















A few RAPTOR pics:
The MOLT From HELL has begun for the red screech owl. Loyal readers of this blog might remember how this guy looks during the MOLT From HELL. (Go to the bottom of that link to see just how bad it gets)


Here is where the ear tufts are supposed to be:


I could totally make this in to a "I Can Has Cheezburger" pic.
"Ear tufts. You R doin it wrong."

This one doesn't even need a caption:

Or maybe it does...
"Well.....aren't We a little freakin' ray of sunshine."

What my car looks like when I pack it for a program:

Hard to take a deep breath in that car. And speaking of breathing...for three summers, I have suffered untold hours of driving this car with no air conditioning. And after 3 different mechanics tried to sell me *just Freon* or *a whole new AC system*, etc, FINALLY someone listened to me and figured out what the problem is. And thanks to Geoff's hard work this month, we can send it in and get it fixed. Celebrate....celebrate....dance to the music.....

On the way to Saturday's program, I spotted a posse of Black Vultures feasting on a festering deer:

"MY carcass. MINE!!!!!"
It's all Lynne's fault.

Today we got to visit with family members who we hardly ever get to see. My cousins Sue and Bruce live in Hickory, North Carolina, and Rick, another cousin, lives in Atlanta. We were all in the same room for the first time in like a zillion years:

Carolyn from Mountain Musings has pointed out that Isabelle is always so sunshiny and full of life in photos, and this one is no exception. (She's in the back, in the middle) She had just lost a tooth, so the Tooth Fairy has to scrape up some coinage tonight.
That's my Mom in the front....isn't she CUTE?


We went to Hoggy's, a BBQ place, where they have........

I totally want a T-shirt with that on it.