As we retrace our route from east to west (toward home), Jimmy and I returned to Tallahassee and our friends there. It's always fun with Diane and Tom and their kwazy pets! Seems as if Cricket, the Ring-necked Parakeet remembers me from year to year, though it's a long dry spell between visits. He starts calling out and loves to have me interact with him while he's in his cage.
When I lived in Southern California and Matt was a little guy, I used to have a green parakeet (budgerigar). He had a cage, but I left his cage door open. I clipped his wings so he wouldn't fly far, but he was free to come and go. His name was Teedaweet, and he was as much a pet as a dog or cat. I used to put a plastic bowl of water by a tomato cage in my veggie garden and he'd flail away in the water, get soaking wet, climb up on the cage to preen and dry amid the tomato leaves. I was reminded of this story when I watched Cricket bathe in their kitchen sink!
A nice stream of warm/ish water and the bath begins.
How many contortions can a bird get into!
This is my favorite. He gets a good soaking and when he's finished at the sink, Diane carries the ladder (and him) back into his humongous cage so he can finish his grooming. He doesn't need privacy, which is a plus, because he had four adults watching him bathe!
Cricket's cage is located in the finished (closed-in) back porch. With the door to the house interior shut, I like to open his cage door -- it only takes a few seconds for him to fly free! And then he flies to the floor where he ... I'm not sure what he's doing, but it's like he's talking to my toes. He carries on quite a happy squawking at my red toenails. He'll climb up my pants leg, check out my watch and sometimes tap-tap on my earrings. I even get kisses! It's fun for me and it must be fun for him, too. He's doesn't bite me or hurt me, tho his claws (I call them fingernails) are pretty long and sharp.
Check out that leather, baby! Funny, isn't it?
Meanwhile, Jimmy was in the living room bonding with ol' buddy, Oliver ... woo-hoo, both of them sporting new buzz cuts!
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Over the years, we four developed a fondness for playing Mexican Train Dominoes and Hand-and-Foot, a card game. Usually accompanied by a moldy oldies station on Pandora (or the like) and a lot of laughter, we always have a lively time. Sunday night our playing was interrupted by a continual tornado alert blaring from the TV and our phones. Lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and rain began in earnest. We suspended the game till the warning stopped. Sadly, the next morning we learned that 23 people lost their lives in Alabama as the result of a horrific tornado from the same system. Don't take those warnings lightly!
That system ushered in a cold front. Our plan had been to hike around St Marks National Wildlife Refuge (a favorite old stomping ground) on Monday, but a bitter wind and chill temps put the kibosh on that idea. Yup, we did go, just Jimmy and I, but we didn't hike. In the photo above, Stoney Bayou is brimful. We've seen it all-but-empty. In fact, all the waterways were higher than we'd ever seen.
Florida Spiderwort flower, blowin' in the wind.
I saw a Snowy Egret in a scrub tree at Headquarters Pond. When I stepped out of Smartie to take its photo, it flew to the reeds. I clicked the shutter anyway, and to my utmost surprise, it was only when I uploaded the pics to my computer that I saw the alligator!
When we lived in Tallahassee, Jimmy and I spent many carefree hours at St Marks NWR, kayaking its waters, hiking the grassy trails, biking the Lighthouse road from the VC to the lighthouse, even running the distance when we trained for half marathons. We've participated in the annual "cleanup trash" day. Lucky us, we've seen Monarch Butterflies being tagged (amazing), and animals of all types. I was almost hit by a deer while on my bike, nearly crashed into a feral pig and I even spied a mama black bear with cubs crossing a trail. Raccoons, snakes, alligators, turtles, and the list goes on. Birds? Lots of birds, shorebirds, ducks, raptors. Sorry to say, two giant Bald Eagle nests were ruined by Hurricane Michael last October. Well, today we saw few birds, which was unusual, although Brown Pelicans offshore were very much present. This NWR is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon or to catch an evening sunset. A refuge to lift the spirits, ease a weary heart, and create some smiles. Always something to see. Being here again made us happy.
Alligators had emerged and were sunning themselves on the banks.
Smiley!
When we'd had enough of being in the cold wind and our tummies felt empty, Jimmy drove us to Riverside Cafe on the St Marks River. We sat outside, out of the wind, and shared a delicious shrimp po'boy.
Haha, one time when we cruising through St Marks' trails on our bicycles, we had a map that showed the trail we were on continued across the St Marks River. But when we got to the river's edge, on the opposite bank above, we were greeted with a small sign that read: HAIL A BOAT. We waved to the cheerful folk across the river in the restaurant ... and they waved back! But nobody hopped in a boat ....
Not exactly an "upscale" restaurant, either.
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Finally, on Monday evening, we went to dinner at Lemongrass in Tallahassee, each of us ordering a different, yummy Asian dish. Thanks, Diane and Tom for everything -- we had a terrific time -- come see us! Or, let's go to Hawaii again! Or both!
After a brief visit with Mickey and Nancy, on Tuesday morning we said goodbye to Florida and all our dear friends and pointed Tergel west, aiming for Mobile. We are soooo appreciative of the people in our lives, and we've loved spending time with everyone. Thanks y'all!
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