Spiders - hairy ones!

This morning Mike and the dogs went for their hike especially early. Two reasons really. First, Slugger woke up really early because he was sick. Mike got up and took him out and then he just wanted to sit and watch the world. I don't know what he could really see in the dark at 5:00 in the morning but that's what he wanted to do. Since it was supposed to get into the 90's today, Mike thought it would be best if they hiked early.

Usually I'm really sad that I don't get to go along but today I was really glad to be home in bed sleeping. Upon their return, Mike told me all about their wonderful hike. But when he said he came across spiders that even scared him I was really happy not to have been along. You'd probably have heard my scream all the way back in the PNW if I'd have seen those hairy spiders.

I could totally believe what he was telling me about them as my mom and I lost a tennis ball to a spider in Florida. We were in Miami playing tennis when my mom hit a ball just long - as I recall it. I ran back to the fence to get the ball and just as I reached down I noticed a spider as big around as my palm with long hairy legs. Needless to say I screamed and ran. We left the tennis ball there with no second thoughts about it.

Enough about spiders!! How hot was it today? Debbie wore shorts!! Everybody in the park had to pull out their sunglasses to avoid getting blinded!

After lunch I took Wazzu for a little walk around this beautiful RV park. But it was just too hot for her. So we left the dogs in the RV with the air conditioners on and went for a human only trip. The dogs were stuned and shocked! How could we leave them!

Wazzu would have been really upset if she knew where we were going. We went to a place called The Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary. The thing about it though was that it was right next to the little park with all the squirrels!

As it turned out, the squirrel park was a much better attraction than the Pelican place. When we paid they then gave us a spiel about how they were in a financial crisis and donations were appreciated. As we started going through the place we could tell they indeed were in a crisis. It looked as though they had been in a crisis for quite a long time. We felt as though our entrance fee was a donation as there was no way we should have been charged for what was there.

The main reason we went is I really wanted a good picture of a pelican since we've seen so many but I haven't been able to get close enough to get a good picture. They had only a few cages to begin with and most of them had birds other than pelican. There was a Great Egret that was loose for some reason and followed us around.



We saw an owl - just like the ones that lived in the silo outside our room back at Argus Ranch that made so much noise all the time.



I did get one picture of a pelican but I think he was sick.



The coolest picture I actually got there was a lizard - not in captivity of course! Every time it would breath this huge orange thing would stick out of his neck.



I do have to pass along a funny story. As you know, there has been a lot of snow and ice in the PNW. My parents have a REALLY steep driveway off a road that is a hill so it is hard to get in and out of their garage when it is at all slippery. So my dad went to the store to get some rock salt. Seems like everyone beat him to it as all the stores were out. Later that day when my mom found the salt shaker in the laundry room she knew what my dad had been doing. Of course it did no good but it did give my mom a good laugh. Mostly she was just hoping none of the neighbors saw him!

Hope you are all warming up!
Debbie 11/28/06