Monday, September 23, 2013

Baxter on his first Buggy Ride

 

Blairsville, Georgia  (high 78, low 54)

Yesterday was one of those picture perfect days with the most beautiful blue sky I’ve seen in a long time.  I guess the rain on Saturday cleared the air, because it was absolutely gorgeous yesterday.

So what did Al do on this beautiful day?  He played poker….INSIDE!   Not only did he miss the beautiful day, but he lost $3.00.

I sat outside on the deck, camera in hand and watched the hummingbirds frolic.  It seems that the rain brought more to our feeders and I’m sure we had at least 10-12 yesterday.

I got my first ever shot of hummingbird tongue and feet and maybe even a little butt!

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The black thing the hummer was sitting on was one of those small plastic zip ties.  Only a hummer could sit on one of those and not have it bend!

He sat there for the longest time and preened. 

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At one point I saw a gnat flying around and actually saw the hummer grab it.  Unfortunately, I didn’t catch it with the camera.  I keep wanting to say “on film.”

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See his little feet?

hummingbird feet

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Can you see his little tongue on the next picture?  It’s actually quite long, but this photo only shows a part of it.

hummingbird tongue

I think this little drop on his beak is a droplet of the sugar water.

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I sat outside all afternoon, with Baxter and Chatty beside me, in their cage.  They enjoyed it and I tried to read, but the hummingbird antics kept interrupting me.  They were so noisy kept buzzing right in front of me.  I should have taken a picture of that beautiful blue sky.

Around 4pm, I realized we had some DVD’s to return and since Al was playing poker, I decided to attempt to find the video store all by myself.   I am extremely “directionally challenged” and had NO CLUE where the video store was, even though I had been there with Al several times.   I have a terrible sense of direction, and unless I actually do the driving, I pay no attention.  Over the years, with the invention of GPS, I have managed to get around.  Of course, getting back home is a whole other problem.   :)    Jeanne, I know you can relate!

I didn’t even remember the name of the video store and of course it wasn’t on the dvd label.  I searched my phone for video stores and found two, one of which I thought was the right one.  Long story short, I went to about 5 places before I stumbled on the correct video store.   I was pretty proud of myself for finding it though, even if it was by accident.  

When I got home from town, Al was home, so we decided to take Baxter for his first ever buggy ride.

I wasn’t sure how he would react, so we went real slow until he got used to it.

His cage fits perfectly on the back of the golf cart, with even a little room to spare for some trash.

Baxter on golf cart

He’s such a calm natured cat and not really afraid of things, so I felt sure he would enjoy the ride.

He did.

At first, we stayed on the campground road, but once we felt he was comfortable, we ventured out on the back roads, where there were a lot of interesting sights and smells. 

The river is pretty loud and he was a bit nervous when he first heard it.

Baxter on golf cart

Baxter on golf cart

His nose was sure working overtime.  Lots of new smells.

Soon, he met a couple of friends.

Bo and Pepper and their chauffeur

Meet Pepper (grey kitty) and Bo, on the right.  Their chauffeurs take them for a ride every night.   They only have on a collar and a leash and apparently do not attempt to jump down. 

Okay…I have to confess.  I’m not sure of Bo and Peppers chauffeurs names.   We think he is Duane, but we’re not sure of hers.  Too many people….too many names to remember.  :)   I know their last name is Lipp because their license plate on their car is “tulip”   You know  2 Lips.  Cute, huh?

We drove around for over an hour and Baxter did fine.  He met a lot of new friends along the way.  There seem to be more cats here than dogs, which is very unusual at a campground.

 

Al and I have decided to purchase another lot here at Rivers Edge, for investment purposes.   We got a good deal on a site near ours, so we will be renting it out, cheaply, to our friends, so if you’re going to be in this area, let us know and we’ll leave the light on for you!  I’ll post some pictures of the site later, but it’s similar to this one.

 

the end

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11 comments:

  1. You got some really great hummingbird pictures. I can see why reading had to take a back seat. Think Baxter will ever reach the point of trusting him out of the crate?

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  2. Great hummingbird shots! I'd have been right out there with you... very nice! Baxter makes me smile... I've had lots of cats, but don't think any one them would have wanted to ride like that. What an adventuresome kitty!

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  3. Love love love the Baxter ride, and the other cats look great on the back of the no name folks as well. Amazing bird photos. Remind me again of what camera you are using for these, Karen.

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  4. really awesome photography of the hummer. . .aren't they just the most magnificent little creatures. . .

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  5. Great Hummer pictures. I could watch them for hours. It's amazing how they are able to migrate hundreds of miles over the Gulf of Mexico with such tiny wings.

    And to think we need GPSs to get around town (and it's not just you!). :cD

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  6. First of all, what fantastic hummer photos! Second, I sure can relate to getting around town the circuitous route. I'm still trying to learn how to get around Sarasota and Bradenton on my own. I take notes on my phone now when we go somewhere so I can go later by myself but still get turned around in parking lots and headed out the wrong direction! If you get a lot, hope it will have a little cabin on it and maybe we can come visit! Or do they have cabins for rent in the park?

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  7. What terrific pictures of the hummers! It is hard to get good shots of them since they never sit still :) Glad Baxter is getting accustomed to the ride! We may have to take you up on your offer someday..it looks like a great place.

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  8. We are back in the land of the living. Going to try to catch up on everyone's posts.

    Love the hummingbird photos. Besides waterfalls, I could watch hummingbirds all day. They are so cute.

    I am sure Baxter was thrilled to go for a ride. He looks like he was acting like a little gentleman.

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  9. All the photos are great, but the hummingbird ones are spectacular.

    Fun to see Baxter enjoying the sights.

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  10. Great hummer pics
    We will certainly rent from you- maybe next September.

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