Tag Archives: animals

Short Takes

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Yesterday was a beautiful day. I’m pretty sure we hit 70 degrees. Amazing for November in New England and even more amazing when you think we had a snow storm only a week ago.

I wish I could say I was outside enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and gaining experiences to share but unfortunately I spent the whole day inside catching up on housework and laundry. I couldn’t put it off for a day(although I was tempted) because I already agreed to work an extra shift and then it will be back to my own schedule…no other day to take care of the chores.

As I sit here writing this I have the TV on watching Operation Wild. I really enjoy this show. I guess you’d call it a reality show along the lines of Cops but it focused on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The officers they feature are very personable and a lot of the stories are laced with humor. I also like the show because it’s set in Florida. It’s not Miami Vice it’s more about the animals and the Everglades or the Florida Keys.

I am planning to go to Orlando in January but I don’t know if I’ll get anywhere near the Everglades. I think it’s at least a 4 hour drive from Orlando to the Everglades but there are other parks and recreation areas to explore this trip.

The things I’ve learned while writing this blog occasionally come in handy. Tonight I got a call from the marketing department of my time share. They were promoting a new Resort in Orlando and offering a discounted 3 day trip. I explained that I wasn’t interested this time but the rep went on to ask where I lived in Ma. Seems he was coming out to Cambridge  for a few days and wondered what he should see. I immediately encouraged him to take the time to spend a day in Boston. I recommended he take the Old Town Trolley tour because he will be able to get on and off as well as enjoy a narrated tour.

I told him about the Old North Church, The Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall and the Boston Gardens! And it all just poured out without a thought! I’m so glad he called. I was getting in a rut for material but after answering his questions I realized that what I take for granted because it’s right here in my back yard is interesting to folks that don’t live here!

And my last bit to share is that Costa Rica is giving away hundreds of trips. It’s called Costa Rica’s Million Dollar Gift of Happiness. To enter go to: www.facebook.com/visitcostarica

Lions and Tigers and Ligers????

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I wandered around the grounds At King Richard’s Faire to get familiar with the layout working my way back toward the Tournament Field. Right next to the field was the Tiger Stage. I love this show. They have had it every year that I’ve been to King Richard’s Faire and to me it is the highlight. I love the animals.

Since it was the first show of the day it wasn’t too crowded yet and I was able to get a seat fairly close to the stage. I’ve almost always been in the back before  so this was a treat.

The show is put on by a conservation group. They have been featured on all sorts of shows and provide animals for the movies like Dr. Doolittle and Ace Ventura to name just a couple of fairly well known movies. I’ve seen documentaries  about them on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

This year’s show really pushed the conservation angle more than it has in the past. Although I thought it bordered on being “preachy” I happen to agree with what they had to say.

The name of the organization is T.I.G.E.R.S (The Institute of Greatly Endangered  and Rare Species.). They have a web page www.tigerfriends.com and they offer opportunities to get up close and personal with their animals at their facility in Myrtle Beach. www.myrtlebeachsafari.com. I had never heard of this being allowed any place except Tiger Island in Australia so to have a place in the US is awesome!

The show started with film clips on a big screen TV which was very interesting and enjoyable. It centered on a heartwarming story about a 6-year-old orangutan and an old hound dog named Roscoe.

Then out came the parade of cats. Bengal tigers, Royal White Tigers, Snowy White Tigers and a couple of very rare tigers that (shame on me) I forget what they are called.

 You can see the difference in their markings and coat color.

They had a lively little cat that I think was some kind of rare lynx.

It was easy to see why small children are banned from the first 3 rows.

This little cat was really alert and fascinated by any movement from the audience.

Finally the last big cat was introduced.

It was Hercules a world record size cat. He is a Liger. A liger is a hybrid between a Lion and a Tiger. The father is a Lion and the mother a Tiger. If it was the other way around he would have been much smaller and called a tigon. Ligers, unlike many hybrids, are not sterile so Hercules could father a bunch of little ligers.

He is really huge. 900 pounds and eleven feet tall. All the cats have their claws and teeth so must be treated with utmost respect. One swipe with a paw and those handlers would be toast. These are wild animals.

All of these cats  are raised with humans from birth (they are also are well fed) so they have no need to have a human snack, still they have the instincts of a predator so again, small children are not allowed in the front rows where a child’s  quick actions could trigger an attack. You will also see that they are being given a bottle when they are on stage. That is milk and the animals consider it a treat. It keeps their attention centered on the trainers.

The show was narrated by none other than my friend the Falconer.

To raise money for their organization, they had books, stuffed animals and DVD’s for sale after the show. As I was considering the DVD they told me about another option, one I couldn’t refuse. Around to the side of the stage they were bringing out the hawk I’d seen earlier and a European Eagle Owl.

For a fee you could have your picture taken with one of the birds.

It was a hard choice but I decided on the hawk. The Falconer told me it is a Harris’s Hawk. He said it is the only hawk that actually enjoys human company.

As I held out my forearm for the hawk to step on she let out a loud sound similar to a caw. Then hopped on my arm. It was almost like she was saying hello. This was definitely the high point of the day for me. After the picture I was allowed to pet her and she calmly accepted my gentle strokes before the falconer took her back to her post.

I missed most of the Challenge of the Champions that was going on at the Tournament Field but I really didn’t care. This opportunity was well worth it.

Tomorrow’s post will be a little break from King Richard’s Faire but I’ll have the rest of that experience for you next week.

Turkey Vultures!

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I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I had heard of turkey vultures but they certainly weren’t a bird that commanded much thought from me. Certainly not like Bald Eagles or Osprey or Red Tailed Hawks. Vultures are just kind of….spooky.

I think one almost hit us as we were driving through Hot Springs S.D. I know it scared me half to death (I was the driver ) and it was one ugly bird. By the time I was able to pull over for a look it was long gone. It happened so fast.

My next encounter was on the RiverQuest cruise in Connecticut. We were looking for bald eagles and we spotted a huge bird soaring on the thermals. Everyone got very excited. Cameras came out and then the bombshell…turkey vulture no eagle.

That brings us up to the present. Amid my distractions over the Alaska Cruise info I have been keeping my eyes open for chances to grab pictures of the fall foliage especially the cranberry bogs with their bright red berries.

 Sis sent me a link to the Yankee Magazine and suggested I enter one of my pictures of Rocky in the Cutest Cat in New England Photo Contest. While I was doing that I saw the  Fall Foliage Photo Contest. Although the leaves are only just starting to “pink” here in southern MA, the cranberry bogs are in full color and some are already harvesting.

In my search for the “perfect” bog picture I found what appears to be an abandoned cranberry bog.

There’s plenty of cranberries but it is filled with stumps and old dead trees. Even though it looks like it’s neglected there was something attractive about the way it was going back to the wild. As I was taking pictures of the bog I happened to look up at the tops of the dead trees and what to my wondering eyes did appear…not 8 tiny reindeer but about 15 – 20 big , big birds!

Just like the river cruise my first reaction was EAGLES! My heart began to pound and I tried to get a better look. They all had their heads tucked under their wings and against the cloudy sky I could only make out the silhouettes, not plumage or details. Then as I watched the one at the very top raised its head. As if on signal so did most of the others and they were clearly Not Eagles. They were Turkey Vultures and I couldn’t help but think of that old Saturday morning cartoon with the 3 vultures on the dead tree.

I remember the slow talking Beaky Buzzard from LooneyToons (Nope..nope…nope)

 and I think there was a buzzard in Jungle Book

and of course Vultures are prominent this time of year along with Ravens and black cats and witches.

In any case I didn’t realize that vultures roost in large flocks like that or that they resemble their cartoon caricatures so closely!

 I’m told that the flocks of vultures will stay pretty close to their roost so I may have a chance to try again to capture this in pictures.

 I need a little better light and a little longer lens.  I can see a great Halloween shot in my future!

Alaska Cruise Planning up-date

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I’m not sure if AAA has a Horizon’s publication throughout the country but here in New England they put out a monthly newsletter called Horizons AAA Southern New England. I really enjoy this newsletter and try to read it as soon as it comes in. Sometimes I’m not too successful but I managed to get right to the September issue this time.

In this issue I found out  that one of the new AAA discounts is at Friendly’s Ice Cream. You can get a AAA breakfast for just $3.00 or a AAA Triple Scoop Sundae for $3.00. All you have to do is show your membership card.

Also in this issue way down at the bottom (below the fold as they say) was a tiny paragraph that was titled “TRAVEL NIGHTS FOR MEMBERS”.

The one paragraph  said only “You’re invited! Learn about Alaska Cruise Tours at AAA’s Somerset office at 6pm 9/22. To RSVP call…(800) etc.

It just so happened that I had a few hours of “flex time” at work that had to be used before Oct 1 so I requested and was granted, the evening of the 22nd off.

About a dozen people were in attendance. About half of whom had actually been on a cruise before and 2 had been to Alaska so we were a “ripe” group. Most everyone looked to be nearing senior status, a lot of white hair and life lines on faces. I fit right in. There were more women than men. In fact I think there were only 2 men in the whole group.

There were about 5 AAA travel counselors and a representative from Holland America Cruise Lines.

Holland America was the line my sister had originally suggested. Then because we listened to a lot of people we kind of shied away from them and switched to Royal Caribbean. Sis took the itinerary from RC and showed it to her AAA travel rep and they said it was a good one but it was very expensive. I was feeling extremely uncomfortable because I just wasn’t really sure what we were getting for our money if we booked that. I really wanted some Face-to-face with someone.

When I arrived and they introduced the Holland America  Rep I thought we were in for a hard sell event but nothing could have been farther from that. The first thing the rep did was put on a 15 minute DVD with a sample cruise tour. This broke down the many, many offerings into 4 basic packages. This began to de-mystify the process right there.

When the DVD was finished the rep took the stage. Her first words were ” Booking a Cruise to Alaska is a very complicated process and you need to do your homework. Most people love Alaska  and say they will go back but few ever get the chance to go a 2nd time. There is no doubt about it, it is an expensive, once in a lifetime trip.”

WOW that didn’t sound like hard sell to me. It sounded more like a caution. The next thing she said was ” If you are going on a budget in 2012 and think you will be in a better place financially in 2013, wait. It’s better to go with a more flexible budget.”

That out-of-the-way she made another strong recommendation. Before you book your cruise make a list of what the trip means to you and what you want to see/ do/ experience while you are there. Cruising the Inside Passage is beautiful but what you will see is water and glaciers for 7-14 days. That is only 10% of what Alaska is all about. If all you do is cruise the shoreline  you will miss 90% of what this great land has to offer. The way to make a memorable vacation is the add the shore excursions of which Denali is the top draw.

Moving on to how the packages are built she explained:

  • Package 1: 7 day southbound cruise
  • Package 2: 7 day northbound cruise
  • Package 3: 14 day round trip cruise
  • Package 4: Expedition Cruises

She said a number of years ago the word began to spread that going “southbound” was the best way to see Alaska but in fact it didn’t matter. She said traveling northbound can save as much as $400-$500/ per person. So for the budget conscious this should be given serious consideration. She offered a map to show that all of the cruises pretty much covered the same routes;

Packages 1 and 2 allow you to add-on the 2 day Denali land tour. The transportation to and from Denali is by bus and train. Both have dome windows. Inside the park you are escorted on  school buses. They recommend 2 days in the park because mother nature is in charge. There’s no guarantee what animals will be out and about or how clear the mountain will be.

The 14 day cruise did not have an expedition to Denali and she did not go into the Expedition cruises. They could be discussed one on one as they were quite a bit pricier.

What time of year should you go? well, she said May and early June are the “Shoulder months” and less expensive. It is also the time of year you will see the most animals. Since the wildflowers and grasses are just beginning to bloom the animals come right down to the roadside. Sun set  at this time of year is around 10:30 pm.

June and July are the “High Season” It is the most expensive and the time when you experience the “Land of the Midnight Sun” as this is when the sun is up just about all night and day.

August and September is the time the season is winding down. You will probably have snow and it will definitely be cold. It’s the time of year you may see the Northern Lights. There aren’t as many animals as in the spring but you should still see many.

As for clothing..LL Bean was mentioned as were mittens and scarves and comfortable shoes and sneakers.

I’m about out of time for tonight but tomorrow I’ll fill you in what she had to say about the ships themselves.

( photos and map are taken from Travel brochures)

A Day in the Life

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Digital Photography School.com had a challenge this week. Record a “Day in the life.” It could be a friend , a pet, a stranger or in my case, I used me.

Remember the Comic strip Family Circus by Bill Keane? Billy never went from A to B in a straight line.That’s kind of what my day was like.

I normally have Monday off from work but we’re really short-handed these days so I volunteered to work Monday afternoon for a few hours. I set my alarm for 8:30 am since I didn’t have to be at work until 12:30. Seemed like a good chance to grab a little extra  shut-eye.

I should have known better. 7:30 am I am being pawed and pounced on by my 2 furry tormentors. Eventually they settled down (I guess they got the hint) and I dozed back off. But minutes later the alarm went off. I hit the snooze button dislodging Smokey who was camped out on my arm. Rocky was draped over my feet so I managed not to disrupt him.

I tried again but Smokey was sure that the noise from the alarm meant I should get up and like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors demanded  “FEED ME!” There was no getting around it so I gave in.

Cats fed, kitty litter changed, bed made, showered and dressed, I sat down for a quick breakfast and a dose of the news. Following the morning newscast it was time to check my emails, confirm my blog post had linked to my Facebook page and play a little Farmville.  I am slowly selling off the farm as it has become too time consuming. Really it’s out of control. I have other things to do with my time, like write blogs and clean my house now and then! 🙂

About 11 am I headed out the door to go to work. I took the long way and left early because I am on a quest for fall pictures and the extended forecast is for rain so I may not have much chance for outdoor work.

My first stop was at a Farm Stand loaded with pumpkins and gourds, corn stalks, hay bales and fall flowers.

Scarecrows

Attractive displays

Even Halloween

Next stop was the local convenience store. My lottery ticket had won me $2.00! Can’t get far on that so I just turned it in for 2 more tickets. Maybe I’ll get lucky.

Back on the road I stopped at the Herring run.

 Not much going on there today. So I headed on to Plymouth. Maybe I’ll just have time to grab a quick snack before my shift starts at 12:30. I pulled into the Wendy’s drive through at 12:02. While I waited for the line to move I spotted a late blooming flower so I took the picture right out the car window.

Wendy’s is right down the street from work so moments later I was pulling into the parking lot for my office.

By 12:25 I had finished my snack and entered the building.

At 4:30 my shift was over and I hopped back in my car to drive to Marshfield to the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary. I thought I was prepared. I had my sweatshirt hoodie, my hiking boots, my bug spray and all my camera gear. At Daniel Webster I sprayed myself down with Deep Woods Off and put the 300-500 zoom lens on the camera. I also strapped my tripod to the back pack and headed off to hike the trails. It was the perfect time for the animals to be active. The shadows were starting to get  long as dusk approached.

I did not expect the bugs to be so bad with all the spray I used but the mosquitos were a cloud! I pulled my sweatshirt on and pulled the hood tight to keep them off me and they still they got up my sleeves and behind my glasses… but I wasn’t ready to give up. And I wasn’t disappointed.

My favorite meadow off the trail called  The Secret Path was filled with deer. I love deer. They are such beautiful creatures.

Even though I couldn’t set up the tripod without spooking them I was able to brace myself enough to get a couple of pictures. I am so glad I had already set up with the big lens! But the mosquitos were having a field day with me so as much as I would have liked to stay longer I had to get moving again or be eaten alive..

I saw more deer along the trail and finally made it to the observation platform but the bugs were terrible there too so I turned back right away. I made one last stop in one of the blinds to get some relief from the cloud of insects.

I spent about 45 minutes in the blind hoping the bugs had given up. It was quiet. I saw some reeds moving but I couldn’t see what was causing it. There were no ducks or geese today. As it began to approach evening I stuck my nose out and was rewarded with a beautiful sunset and far fewer bugs. The temperature had dropped a little and that may have been why they gave up.  I snapped the sunset as I headed back to the car.

That pretty  much wraps up my day. It’s a pretty typical day. When I get home I can count on my kitties being at the door to greet me. I feed them and pet them  and fix my dinner.Then I  settle down to process the pictures I’ve collected over the course of the day. Sometimes I prepare a post for this space.

Often I get a call from my friend  JR.  He also enjoys photography and you can check out his work at http://www.jrstjeanphotography.com/

So I’ve completed my assignment from  http://www.digital-photography-school.com and I’ve brought you along with me for the day. I hope you enjoyed the peek into my life.