[GaryO]

"Nah, the experience would kill me. Besides, it would take the undertaker and hour to get the smile off my face."

Excellent. LG
(And thanks for the enlarged font)

[GaryO]

Y’ever been outside of a too early morn when the birds wake up?
It settles ya some.
Did that just now, openin’ doors at work, getting’ ready for the humans to appear.

I’m not talkin’ big birds.
Seems crows wake up later, like they were playin’ cards all night,
and eagles must stay in their aeries sittin’ there hunched from the wind till light,
and owls of course are just punchin’ out from a long night-shift of hooting and looting.
No, I’m talking’ little guys, sparrows, wrens, finches, maybe a robin or two.
Those sounds sweeten the morn like none other.
I don’t recall a bad day after doin’ that………

Cheers

[axe11154]

I know
the brisk cool air just seems to keep you in a way of suspense
I remember a long time ago doing that at my grandmothers
It was magical indeed
One night I had to get up
I dont know why I just did
Upon going to the front porch I soon saw a owl starring at me with intent and eagerness
I was young and thought for a minute I was staring at god
Soon it starting flapping its great long white wings toward me
All I saw then was a flash as it darted at a bird flying past
Truly Beauty is this world is only shown when few are watching.

[GaryO]

Well put, axe.

Reminds me of a time a year or so ago.

My lady and I decided to take a jaunt up to a little outta the way lake up near Mt Hood.
Took an old loggin’ road that I’d hoped still was negotiable.
You have a better chance of seein’ things.

Around the corner, up ahead, looked like a large lab or small horse at a pretty good gallop.
My woman and I both look at each other at the same time.
Bear!
That little blackie took to the woods, and the only thing I saw of him after that was the rustling of some bushes down in the swale.
Those guys can travel when they want to.

Then, on the way back, a couple hawks, one a red tail, few within a couple feet of the Jeep.
We had the doors off, and the red tail was within arm’s reach of my Lady.
Then that magnificent creature turned his head and looked at us, like ‘What kinda mileage do you get with that thing?’

It was mouth hangin’ open awesome.

Here’s a blurry pic a friend of mine from Idaho sent me after we talked about close encounters with hawks and eagles.
Lotsa baldies in his area.




Thanks for the memories, axe.

Keep a fire

[M0rd3kaI]

That picture is from the Bald eagles behind... no?? I'm tempted to say the white part is his head, but judging the angle and look of his wings and back it seems like he's travelling towards the top right corner of the photograph...

Reminds me of Flame, the beautiful red eagle my aunt 'adopted' for a while to heal him and care for him until we set him free. It fell from its nest when it was small and my aunt took it into care, gave it food and water and some times I was there, take a piece of meat, on a skewer stick, through the cage grid and feed it... elegant creature, calm and the look it gives you. Birds of prey have binocular vision, thus not that fcuked up 'side-of-head' type thing that a pigeon will give you, full on stare... dead in the eyes... feels like he's staring into your soul

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Can remember that day we let it go, just went up and sat on the neighbors' windowsill or other neighbors' chimney, We went in to prepare some food, when we remembered to see if its ok again... well, never seen it since, can only mean it was strong enough to go out and fend for itself... such incredible animals, so intelligent, so sharp at the slightest of noise or movement.

[GaryO]

Yeah, that’s the south end.
Nice memories, M0rd.
Nice pics.

Getting to know a bird of prey is a special experience.

Years ago I used to frequent the banks of the Clackamas River.
The big runs of steelhead started around Nov and continued thru Jan/Feb, so fishing was more miserable than recreational….unless you enjoyed the elements, of which I do.
But, fishing buddies can be scarce in that season, except for the occasional Heron.

This one Blue Heron became my buddy.
First I saw him was across the water. Next I knew he’d slipped up from behind and parked himself about 8 feet to my right.
There we were.
About every 5-10 minutes he’d look my way, like ‘Hey, can I borrow yer hemostats?’
Or he’d occasionally crane his neck way out to survey the close water. But mostly he’d just sit there hunched…like the ol’ man of the bank…... and most old fishing buddies………..
He stayed there for more than two hours, then stretched those massive prehistoric wings and neck and flapped across the water….my signal to pack it up myself.
Several days in succession, after work, I’d stop there…and he’d show up….same spot, 8 feet to my right.
Two hours, and he'd flap away.
Don’t know if I was takin’ his water, or he mine, but neither of us seemed to mind the company…and neither of us minded being skunked.


Not my pics, but that’s what my buddy looked like;

[spypengen]

I wish I was older, and had memories like that. but hey maybe in the future I can tell the next generation how we had to type on a keyboard and couldn't send words directly from our mind to the web page.
and had to listen to music from speakers instead of it directly uploaded to our brain.

but I wish I wasn't so impatient just like all the other kids in my generation. cause my generation are the kids of the internet we never learned to slow down and just watch the world move slowly around them *sigh*

[GaryO]

Great thoughts, spy.
And, yeah, from the last book I read, that’s pretty much how it’ll be within 100 years.
But never wish you were older.
Just listen to those older, much older, and you’ll learn to enjoy, and revel in your youth.
I remember over hearing old folk say, ‘man life is short’, and I’d think, geez, what geezers, and I don’t care if I’m dead by the time it’s 2000, ‘cause I’ll be 50 years old anyway.
Man, I’d love to be 50 now.

I truly love your exuberance, spy, and the fellows here are demonstrating great patience with you.
I admire them for that, and look keenly toward the maturation of a noob…not a noob here at Motifake, but a noob from Texas that’s just getting fitted with his spurs.

Keep a fire, laddie, but don’t be in a hurry in building it. Nurture those first sparks.

[Hawamleh]

this thread would make a great book in my opinion.

[M0rd3kaI]

Awesome bird Gary, seems to be a nice fishing partner. Calm and collected, just sitting around keeping you company. Reminds me...

I remember one day way back when. few months maybe a year or so after my father's incident. I was playing Crash Bandicoot on my playstation, sitting on the floor leaning up against my bed, kicking arse every step of the way... I heard an odd sound but thought it was the game, so I ignored it, few minutes later there was an ungodly noise coming from behind me... keep in mind I still firmly believed zombies and the boogeyman lived under my bed back then and was too scared to let my hand hang over the edge at night...

So obviously I almost s*** myself and jump forward. Curtains were closed, and the room was dark. the noise came again then stopped, I'm staring in under the bed to see what ghoul or ghost is going to eat me now, but couldn't see anything. I had 3 large boxes filled with lego (Still do mind you) under my bed so I crawl in closer and pull out the first box..... slowly and scared. Then go to the next box I pull it out slowly and see something that should not be there... heart rate going through the roof, but I move around to get a better vantage point to see behind that last box... Turns out there was something living there... so I crawl under the bed (knowing what it is now) and get it, gently holding it while crawling out from the bed again.

When my mother came to the room after I called her she immediately asks where I got it... "Under my bed" I answered. It was a Dove as white as snow and as calm as anything, not sure if there were any damage done to him, so we kept him in a box until the neighbor came home, went over to them and gave them the dove (They had a large birdcage outside for keeping pigeons in it.) so we leave, the guy told us the next day that he let the dove go, but the dove came back, so he put him back in the cage, but left enough room for it to go and come as it pleases, one day it didn't return. So that's the story of the white dove under my bed...

that is... until he showed up under my bed again... We speculate that he flew in through the window, but having many pigeons come into the house already and them flying around like maniacs most of the time it seems odd that they go to the ground and in a corned under my bed... twice... we gave the dove to the neighbor again the dove stayed there for a few days and then left, never to be seen again. The thing that is still very very interesting is that in all that time no one put an ad in the paper concerning a lost dove and second: in our area I have never before, nor since seen a white dove flying around, sitting, in captivity or otherwise, I don't believe they are from this area. Yes it might have been an albino, but I wouldn't know for certain.

And Hammy, totally Agreed with you