the middle

My eyes teared up with emotion a few times today as we walked through 'Bird Kingdom'. Blue and Gold Macaws, African Grey's, and other parrots were peppered throughout the building. I thought of our old friends and tried not to wonder where they were.

There were lots of other birds of course. Small finches and other small birds flitted through the plants in one exhibit. Reptiles, skunks, bats, and other non-bird kingdom creatures were tucked away through the exhibit. The best is the huge atrium with trees and countless plants. The path winds it's way down from the third floor tree tops to ground floor waterways. Birds fly everywhere.

Yesterday was another sweltering day (today is hot but not overly so). We all felt like we might melt into the pavement as the dogs and I walked around the campground. It really was too hot for such a walk, but Spike, being a little pita, insisted. If he wasn't such a ‘son-of-a-b’ he would get out more, but he doesn't react well to other dogs. They've spent a large amount of time locked in the air-conditioned bedroom with the tv static as background noise. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but the tv will no longer change channels so music is no longer an option.

I've been making it out to campfires, staying until the mosquitos drive me back to the camper. Plus I like to take the dogs out for a bedtime walk before it gets dark.

We've been going to the path behind the houses on the other side of the tracks for our morning walk. We can hear the train coming from a long way, and yesterday had to wait for it to pass. What a rumble! Most mornings we get up really early - between 6 and 7 - getting the important walk out of the way before traffic gets too bad. Then I go back to bed!

Carm played golf yesterday (Monday); I think it was a hot day for them.

Tonight (Tuesday) we went out for supper with a big group. The food was fun and company better. We sat with John & Judy, and Joan & Vance. It was our first time spending much time with Joan and Vance - I love the opportunities to get to know others.

Long pants were required at the campfire tonight. Temps have dropped significantly over the past few days - the cool air makes for good sleeping!

scorcher

The little rotter started fussing to go outside at 6am this morning. I contemplated throttling him and then decided that it might be easier to walk them early as there'd be less traffic (dog, bike and vehicle). We walked along the ditch again - despite clouds of mosquitos it wasn't too bad. There were very few trucks going by and the dogs have had a few more days to figure out how to walk on a leash without enraging me.

After our 'little' walk I was happy to climb back into bed for a few more hours sleep, a clear benefit of going out so early. The heat and humidity were already high that early in the morning, and by 9am it was stifling, not sure how the dogs will fair on the pavement for our late afternoon walk.

We were slow to get going, but fast enough to catch breakfast in the 'barn', too slow to meet up with others though. On our way back we stopped to talk to Real and Ginette, but I couldn't handle standing in the heat so escaped to the cool of a shower and the camper. I lay around for much of the afternoon, listening to music and feeling exhausted. I did force myself to go out for a while and of course had a lovely time with John & Judy. Marilyn and Mark joined the conversation for a while, and then it was time for Carm and I to take the dogs for their afternoon walk.

I don't think I mentioned yet how hot it was. The sun blazed down and humidity created a haze. The only escape was the cool, air-conditioned interior of the trailer. The dogs dragged their feet and their tongues hung out of their mouths every time we ventured outside. It was a scorcher!

When it came time to go to the campfire, I stayed back with the music playing again. I felt exhausted, mentally and physically, but I didn't want to miss out on visiting with people. Plus I wanted to see the rest of Marilyn's photos of their trip on the Amazon. I shooed the dogs into the bedroom, grabbed a chair, and went to the campfire. There was already a good group of people there, but still room for my chair. The Amazon looked amazing and then it was getting dark and time for me to come home to take the dogs out.

Another banner day.

first and second days

We are just winding up to experience the Ti Rally week and what a windup so far. Yesterday was the first official day of the rally and the trailers kept pouring in. Talk of supper at a nearby Thai place circulated, and since a) Thai is one of my favorites, and b) we wanted to spend time with everyone, cooking plans were shelved.

We had a great supper (Pad Thai) and then raced back to the campground for the opening campfire. With a pen in one hand and the schedule in the other I swatted the odd mosquito while figuring out what we are doing this week. I left the campfire before dusk as I wanted to walk the dogs before dark.

Speaking of dogs… it is a bit of a pain to get to somewhere to potty them away from campsites, but we are managing. HOWEVER, I picked a TICK off Spike this afternoon so somewhere that we are going is not a good place to be. The dogs have flea/tick collars on but I wonder if they are working? I'm not sure if the ticks are supposed to fall off right away or bite and die. We still have over a full week here so I'll have to be on alert. (shudder at thought of Spike on bed…)

Spike's eyes are all cleared up and he only has 2 more days of drops. He has been such a good dog about the whole thing. I tell him that 'it's time to do your eyes', and he comes over for me and stands exactly where I need him to make picking him up easier. Then I lift him onto the table which has a mat on it; he he stands quietly while I put drops in each eye, waiting for his little treat.

Today the little rotter (aka Spike) got me out of bed at 7am. He heard another dog bark and that was it - he wasn't going back to sleep no matter what. So we went for our walk and got back to gulp coffee. Carm got up not long after and we decided to go for breakfast again. Oh my. The excuse was a trip to Lowe's and some groceries.

This afternoon we had some people over to our place and spent a lovely afternoon visiting outside. Judy and John joined us first, then our neighbors Orvel and Ellen squeezed into the shade. Christine and Peter came for a short while, and Ken sat with us for a few minutes. It was warm, but the breeze cooled things down perfectly.

I cooked!!! supper and then we joined the campfire. I sat next to Dottie and Dewy who are long time full-timers from Arizona. Dottie showed me their new trailer (not a Titanium) that has a neat balcony off the main room. Sliding glass patio doors let in plenty of light when the deck is down.

Darkness has fallen but instead of going back to the campfire, I'll get an early night to bed. I can tell how tired I am by the struggle I'm having trying to make coherent sentences.