Bird mart and new friends

[Graehstone]

I am a very happy camper today, a tired and sore camper, but happy a happy one.
Yesterday was one of the most, as we in California would say, Gnarly days I have had in a long time and both Katrin and I had a blast.
We got to meet Jen and her daughters and Immonoboy and his wife, and you all didn’t, so there, neener, neener, neener.
Both of us having gone to sleep the night before with some trepidation about the upcoming event and the folks that we would meet and the money we would be spending. The bird mart was smaller than in the last few years and many things very disappointing such as large outdoor aviaries for sale (homemade) that were covered in rust, and just generally all kinds of people with their birds there and Joe touching Sam’s bird and Sam petting Bills bird who was busy scratching Eddies bird that didn’t look to perky today, you know just a viral free for all. I am maybe too overly concerned with health issues but I just do not know enough about anything to be able to say I feel safe for my birds to be out and about like that. I understand the need for socialization (for our birds and ourselves for that matter) and both Katrin and I hope that in the near future we will be able to do something along the lines of “hanging out” with newly acquired friends, even if it’s just once in a blue moon. Needless to say that we will not be going to any “club” meetings after having picked up some of the written material from the local aviculturist club pertaining to safe and not safe plants. On one side they had the common name for a plant under the safe heading and on the other side under the dangerous heading they had the very same plant just with its botanical name. This was just the very first discrepancy that I found at first glance, there were others as well.
What a bunch of Maroons, he he he.
Katrin and I tried to get there just around the time that it opened in the hopes that we could plop ourselves somewhere near the “entrance” to make it easier to spot the folks that we had made “dates” with. Well, it didn’t work out that way, we had lots of plants to water and rooms to clean and windows to wash and, and, and, lots of stuff to do just in case we brought someone home to meet Ruby and the gang.
We ended up a tad late but still the first ones to arrive (kind of helped that we both didn’t sleep the night before).
Having made a round or two and looked at this and peeked at that we ran into Immunoboy and his remarkably pretty wife Cherie, and I immediately got a crick in my neck, them folks is tall I’sa tellin ya, well, taller than I am and a very handsome couple to boot. Katrin and I very much enjoyed our meeting them and I was relieved and pleased and just tickled pink I didn’t pass out or make a total fool of myself during the entire time.
We chitted a bit and then chatted some and just for “Viva le difference” we mixed it up some and chitchatted. Parted our ways to give everyone a chance to take in the show and with a nod agreed to meet up again in a little bit, it was not a very big bird mart but there are many other things to see and do there because it was held at a Winery with craft and gift shops, so if you got bored you could go and get sloshed too.
During our wanderings Katrin and I headed towards the area where they would be imparting wisdom and knowledge to the general public, and on our way to the “lectures”, we passed a little golf cart (belonging to the winery) with adorable kitties on the backseat area in the most unusual positions, making one look twice at just how many are there and where’s the head of this one or foot of that one.
Standing next to the kitties, enjoying their playfulness and willingness to be scratched, was a lady and two younger women/girls oo’ing and ah’ing at them. Myself not really being a cat person kept on towards the staging area to grab some brochures and had Katrin in tow, when after passing them by, the little hairs on the back of my neck started tingle and I ignored it.
Reaching the table with reams of (mis) information stacked upon it, the tingling got worse, to the point where I had to turn around and look, and I commented to Katrin that something was going on, when in the same breath as I was saying that my eyes made contact with Jennifer and her daughters and the next thing out of my mouth (all in one breath here mind you) was “Oh my gosh, there she is”.
Now I am not one to ignore my wife, but even as I was still speaking with her I started to walk towards this very pretty lady. “You must be Jennifer?” I asked as I approached her and preceded to give her a great big hug, (did I mention that I’m a hugger, besides, hey, she was very pretty and I’d be stupid not to take the chance to hug a pretty lady. I may not be 100% healthy, but I’m Not dead)
And just for good measure, her daughters got hugs too. (Yep, you got it, they too, very pretty, (well look at the mom for Pete’s sake))
I think the most remarkable thing about our Jennifer are her eyes, they are something special to behold, and her soft spoken voice was very soothing after hearing nothing but our neighbors trying to massacre the English language in a phillipino accent.
Taken totally aback and by surprise, she gifted us with something that I in all honesty shall cherish forever and display very proudly and predominantly in my home for all time.

You see, she brought Ruby some feathers, feathers that she can’t get at and pluck and they will be there always to remind her what real feathers look like and what she has to shoot for if she ever decides to grow some of them back.
We talked and shared stories and just generally had a good time, so much that my face started to hurt from smiling so much. During this time Navin (Immunoboy) and his wife had also finished with a round of the bird mart and met up with us again. We all decided to listen to the next guest speaker as it promised to be lots of fun. I was in fairly high spirits and not in too much pain but needed to sit for a spell just in case. Didn’t want to push it as there was still time before the mart closed and Katrin and I wanted to stay to the end, just once.
I am afraid that we lost Jenn and her daughters during the presentation, and to be frank with you, I don’t blame them one bit. I was too wrapped up in myself trying not to become a public spectacle by guffawing too loud or otherwise making rude noises when the guest speaker said something profound.
You see our “guest speaker” was a Pet Psychic. I’m, uh, … not going to touch this one.
Every hour there was another guest speaker; I think they had 4 all in all.
After “Mrs. Doolittle” was done regaling us with pearls of wisdom, the subject of Illigers Macaws came up and sadly enough Katrin and I were the only ones there that showed an interest, well actually not sadly enough as Katrin and I got to talk with her for the entire hour and she was more than pleased to have such an informal and rather small audience. This lady has a passion for her birds and is very knowledgeable and one of the few that breed them. She also consults and trains and is just an all round nice person.
Jane and Howard McKee, and are by appointment only. Katrin and I will be going to visit them as they live real close and are looking forward to seeing their birds and aviaries. Illigers Macaws are the only miniature Macaws that are on the Cites Appendix I list and are rapidly disappearing in the wild.
Well sometime in-between our conversation with Jane and the “Bird whisperess” we lost Navin and Cherie to the call of everyday life. It too was getting time for us to go and pick up our purchase that the vendor had so kindly put aside for us till the time we saw fit to go home and have the fun begin.
Katrin and I have saved up all year for this one day because you can get some real good deals at the bird mart that you would not otherwise have the opportunity to get at that particular price. Boings, large ones, Macaw size, that normally go for $50, $60 in the store we got for $12, and just lots of other great deals, you just have to look a bit.
We broke down and got Ruby a playground, a big playground, a really big playground, a really, really big playground, a re … BIG, I tell you, … well, just look at the pictures.
We got home with no problem at all even though we had this big mo-hunkin tree branch sticking out the back of our car and were able to manhandle (actually it was more like Womanhandle) the thing up the stairs and through the door straight to the bathtub to scrub and disinfect it.
While it was drying Katrin and I decided to organize some of the playthings that have accumulated over the years we have had Cleo and Months we have had Ruby. Never thought we had so much stuff. Again look at the pictures, lol.

We spent the rest of the evening arranging things like furniture and stuff to make room for the playground (I NEED A HOUSE) because we wanted everyone to be in sight at all times. We all had lots of fun and Cleo (our Senegal) took to her new boing like a duck to water.
Much to our surprise and great relief and pleasure, Ruby did the same, she too took to her new boing and playground and actually everything on it very, very well. Not once did my sweety freak out, there was just too much stuff lying about to be inspected and checked out to be much afraid, besides, mom and dad were just sitting right there to banish any monsters that might pop out from underneath the couch.
We are very proud of our little girl.
Well, that was my day yesterday, and I must say it was a good one, Nay, it must be said that it was a GREAT one.
Thank you Navin and Cherie, and Thank you so very, very much Jennifer and daughters for restoring in me things that I had thought lost.

http://nz.msnusers.com/GraehsStuff/b...ayandtoys.msnw << here are the pictures.

[JThw8]

Originally Posted by Graehstone

Boings, large ones, Macaw size, that normally go for $50, $60 in the store we got for $12, and just lots of other great deals, you just have to look a bit.

Man, I gotta slow down when I read, I was having a hard time figuring out why they were selling Macaw sized BONGS..... LOL

what is a boing by the way...just kinda sounds like fun for a bird

Very cool feathers for Ruby too!

[Graehstone]

Lmao, um, ah, ... I have one of "those" too, but here is a picture of the other ones, lol.

[jessicaboyer89]

Cool pics! I bet they love their new stuff!!! Ruby looks adorable as always. I think she is so pretty!!! :D I wish Tiki would let me take her pic. She always runs away from me when I get the camera out. I have lots of pictures of her backside! Oh well.

[cgrite]

Originally Posted by JThw8

Macaw sized BONGS

lol......






/18+

[Chariclo]

I'll take one of "those" 8)

[Holly]

Graehstone, you mentioned that you needed a house...well, we live in a VERY small house...what you need to learn to do is this....when a new playstand, cage, etc. comes into the house, you start looking around at the furniture. You REALLY look at it and in just a few minutes you'll start thinking 'hmmm...we don't really need that chair'....hmmm.....we really don't use the dining room table THAT much......hmmm....if we break the sectional sofa up and put the sections in various places around the living room we'll have room to put the playgym right there......hmmm...that end table over there with the lamp on it could very well hold a table top playstand. That lamp isn't that necessary....

We've been playing the 'gee, don't really need that' game for a couple of years now!

I LOVE the painted feathers you were gifted. I hardly get to this board at all, so I'm not familiar with everyone's birds, but I take it Ruby is a grey? From the picture it looks like the grey is painted right on the red grey tail feathers? Do you know where one can get one of these? A few years ago I ordered a caique painted on feathers from a B&G. It came in a nice wooden frame and had a few caique feathers next to the painted feathers. It is beautiful. The artist's last name was Stange. I lost her business info and haven't been able to find anything like it since......

We also have a grey who is a little 'feather challenged' but love her to pieces.