May 2010
Dear Humans and, of course, Birds and Elephants who can read,
We got our car back today! For those of you who voraciously read our newsletter and know we took a trip to California last month, I just want to tell you that we got our car back today. Confused? I'll explain. Judy Braun, Jackie and I went to an animal sanctuary in California last month. The sanctuary was fantastic. There were nine elephants, over 30 tigers, bears, lions, monkeys and other animals that had gone from a basically torturous existence to finding true and lasting sanctuary at PAWS in San Andreas. PAWS stands for Performing Animal Welfare Society. The place comprises over 2000 acres and the areas are well used for the animals. Jackie took some interesting pictures that I will include in this newsletter for you to get some idea of what we saw.
Unfortunately, the weekend started off rather miserably as my dog, Shirley, the one I inherited from my daughter, died the night after we left from cancer of the spleen. She did not suffer long and that is good, but she is terribly missed.
She was a great dog and she was with the people she loved best, my grandsons, during her last hours.
The sanctuary, where our visit began on Saturday morning, could not have been better. If animals must live in captivity, then this is the way to do it. They are loved and cared for so well, and their quarters are very spacious and comfortable. I could live there in the middle of the nine elephants and be a very happy boy. Thoughts of moving there are constantly running through my brain.
But then, the end of the trip was catastrophic. On Sunday evening, as Judy, Jackie and I were leaving Kennedy airport in Queens and entering the belt parkway to come home, a speeding, lunatic driver piled into the back of our car. He hit us with such force that the car spun completely around to where we were facing on-coming traffic. It was so scary and so horrible that I still get nightmares about the impact. Luckily, by some God is watching you sentiment, we were not badly hurt. The car, however, had to be towed upstate from Queens and we had to hire a rental car and did not get home until 4:30 in the morning. It has taken a full month, but we got our car back today.
On to bird matters.....Aristophanes, Emma and Zeke are doing fine and so are all my chickens. Through the kindness of Debbie Napolitano, they were fed and cared for while we were gone. She is the best and we owe her a thousand thanks.....(I even locked Wally, my murderous rooster up for there).....
Later in May we are planning to do a bird program in my grandson, Matthew's school in New Paltz. I am bringing
Aristophanes, Matt is, hopefully, bringing Lenny or Mecca and Robin and maybe Judy are bringing Sammy and Zodiac. We are going to talk about Parrots in the wild, parrots as pets and basically, what parrots are all about.
Anyone wanting to join us can feel free to do so and bring your own bird along. Just let me know.
Tonight we have our own club member James Richardson presenting a talk on pigeons. I personally, find pigeons very beautiful and very interesting birds. Next month we have the Companion Bird Club of Connecticut coming to do a talk on Loro Park in the Canary Islands....This is the place where Rosemay Low directs a phenomenal parrot breeding center with species from all over the world and not for the pet industry.
We will be having our 24th anniversary dinner and meeting in July. The arrangements and information for that will be
forthcoming. Have a wonderful meeting tonight.........I hope I said everything I wanted to say......Fritha sends her
love and didn't mind that I visited some other elephants.
With love.......Richie
We got our car back today! For those of you who voraciously read our newsletter and know we took a trip to California last month, I just want to tell you that we got our car back today. Confused? I'll explain. Judy Braun, Jackie and I went to an animal sanctuary in California last month. The sanctuary was fantastic. There were nine elephants, over 30 tigers, bears, lions, monkeys and other animals that had gone from a basically torturous existence to finding true and lasting sanctuary at PAWS in San Andreas. PAWS stands for Performing Animal Welfare Society. The place comprises over 2000 acres and the areas are well used for the animals. Jackie took some interesting pictures that I will include in this newsletter for you to get some idea of what we saw.
Unfortunately, the weekend started off rather miserably as my dog, Shirley, the one I inherited from my daughter, died the night after we left from cancer of the spleen. She did not suffer long and that is good, but she is terribly missed.
She was a great dog and she was with the people she loved best, my grandsons, during her last hours.
The sanctuary, where our visit began on Saturday morning, could not have been better. If animals must live in captivity, then this is the way to do it. They are loved and cared for so well, and their quarters are very spacious and comfortable. I could live there in the middle of the nine elephants and be a very happy boy. Thoughts of moving there are constantly running through my brain.
But then, the end of the trip was catastrophic. On Sunday evening, as Judy, Jackie and I were leaving Kennedy airport in Queens and entering the belt parkway to come home, a speeding, lunatic driver piled into the back of our car. He hit us with such force that the car spun completely around to where we were facing on-coming traffic. It was so scary and so horrible that I still get nightmares about the impact. Luckily, by some God is watching you sentiment, we were not badly hurt. The car, however, had to be towed upstate from Queens and we had to hire a rental car and did not get home until 4:30 in the morning. It has taken a full month, but we got our car back today.
On to bird matters.....Aristophanes, Emma and Zeke are doing fine and so are all my chickens. Through the kindness of Debbie Napolitano, they were fed and cared for while we were gone. She is the best and we owe her a thousand thanks.....(I even locked Wally, my murderous rooster up for there).....
Later in May we are planning to do a bird program in my grandson, Matthew's school in New Paltz. I am bringing
Aristophanes, Matt is, hopefully, bringing Lenny or Mecca and Robin and maybe Judy are bringing Sammy and Zodiac. We are going to talk about Parrots in the wild, parrots as pets and basically, what parrots are all about.
Anyone wanting to join us can feel free to do so and bring your own bird along. Just let me know.
Tonight we have our own club member James Richardson presenting a talk on pigeons. I personally, find pigeons very beautiful and very interesting birds. Next month we have the Companion Bird Club of Connecticut coming to do a talk on Loro Park in the Canary Islands....This is the place where Rosemay Low directs a phenomenal parrot breeding center with species from all over the world and not for the pet industry.
We will be having our 24th anniversary dinner and meeting in July. The arrangements and information for that will be
forthcoming. Have a wonderful meeting tonight.........I hope I said everything I wanted to say......Fritha sends her
love and didn't mind that I visited some other elephants.
With love.......Richie