Happy Birdy Holiday

[FoxersArtist]

For those of you who did not get to the end of the post with videos of Wanda's flock, we started to discuss the idea of having a Happy Birdy Weekend Holiday in Rio Rancho (Albuquerque) New Mexico this summer. I think it would be a wonderful oppertunity for our Happy family to come together and get to know each other face to face.

Here is what I propose:
Those who want to go should agree on a weekend in either July or August. I have spoken with my mother and father, who own a nice home about two minutes away from my house and they agreed that housing you all for a weekend sounds like it could be a great time. They can house 7 couples, 1 single, and anyone who has an RV. They have a pool house on their property complete with a hotel sized heated pool, hot tub, bar, and lots of Carribean music! The environment would be perfect for this roudy crowd! Birdies would be welcome also, but they would have to stay at my house, as mom and dad are not to fond of birdy cement poo.

So for those who are interested in coming, lets get together and make plans! What do you all think?
-Anna

[bonnie]

I'm all in! I'll get out the calendar!

[FoxersArtist]

You going to bring Chicken too? We would love to see him. :)
-Anna

[00andy]

I'll come...but I've got dibs on the master bedroom...

[FoxersArtist]

We're going to make you sleep on the sofa.:p
-Anna

[Dot]

I claim the room for the single person. Let the record show I was the first to sign up for it. Give me a date so I can record it.

[too&me]

Want to be there let me check Hubbys schedule. Just can't wait to meeet you all!

[Evelyn]

I'm in, too. I will be flying in, so probably won't bring any birds.

It will be just me, so you can bunk me up with another single.

Wowee!!!!

Evelyn

[TikiTalks]

Ooooh! I'm so exited how cool! Let me know when so I can take time off work!!

[Julie]

I'm working on hubby about the idea. I would love to come, but may end up just comming myself! When we decide on a weekend I will let you know for sure.

[birdie]

Well, since I just love to travel so much, NOT, let me think on it & talk to hubby.

[bonnie]

You going to bring Chicken too? We would love to see him. :)
-Anna
Oh yea, the Chicken is coming:yeah:

[FoxersArtist]

How does July 18th-20th sound? Or we could do it a week earlier, July 11th-13th. Lets take a vote. Does anyone have anything going either of those weekends? Let me know everyone and we'll mark it down!
-Anna

[TikiTalks]

How does July 18th-20th sound? Or we could do it a week earlier, July 11th-13th. Lets take a vote. Does anyone have anything going either of those weekends? Let me know everyone and we'll mark it down!
-Anna
I'm looking into purchasing a home in Belen about a half hour from Albuquerque, if I end up getting it someone and their birdies could bunk with us for the weekend! :)

[FoxersArtist]

Someone was thinking about staying longer than a weekend (i'm sure if some of you wanted to stay from Friday to monday to have an extra day, that would be perfectly fine with my parents). Anyhow, someone was asking about visiting some of the sites around the state. I thought the rest of you might be insterested, so I'm going to post part of my reply here.

There are mountains in NM. Albuquerque is a city that is actually at the base of one these mountain ranges, the Sandia Mountains. If you are not afraid of heights, we have the longest tram in the world (40 minutes from our house in RR). A train cart suspends you from a cable and slowly climbs to the top of the mountain where you can see a fantastic view of the city down below and dine at a fine restaurant. It looks like you can see the whole world from up there! You can also hike up or back down the mountain if you wish, instead of riding the tram (this might be fun for all of us to do.)

We are also near the Jamez (pronounced hey-mez) mountains (40 mins from Rio Rancho) and those are much prettier, with lots of trees and streams. I love the summer air up there and my parents used to take us hiking and camping up there every year. You can stop on the way up the mountain and buy fry-bread from the local indians and believe me, it's worth the stop! Andy and I still try to camp up there once a year.

Also, if you wanted to spend a little longer than a weekend, we could take you down south (2 1/2 hours from here) to Eliphant Butte Lake where my parents have waterfront property (though the beach is a little ways away because the water has receeded.) They are currently building a huge house down there (the same size as their house here) and it will be done before July. My parents own a speed boat and a sail boat, plus 4 jet skiis and like to have a good time on the water. It is a desert beach so don't expect palm trees, but going down there is really a lot of fun and that's usually where we have our family parties.

There are other things in the state, if you all want to visit those. There is Carlsbad Caverns (4 hours from here) which is the deepest limestone cave in the USA (1,600 feet down). You can walk all the way down into the cave and back up, but be sure to bring a coat because it gets COLD that far below the surface of the earth. It's amazing to see all of the stilagtites and stilagmites that have formed over billions of years. The cave is also home to billions of bats and every evening they do a bat show, where the bats leave the cave to go searching for food. The sky becomes black with them as they swirl out of the opening of the cave. It's really a sight to see! If you want to go to Carlsbad, you could stop in Roswell, NM (Home of the aliens!) on the way. It's a cute town (my sis lives there) and they have a little alien musieum. Kind of cheesy but fun to stop on your way to somewhere else. There are a variety of rock formations throughout the state that are kind of fun to go see as well, but the above mentioned are the biggest things.
-Anna

[bonnie]

How does July 18th-20th sound? Or we could do it a week earlier, July 11th-13th. Lets take a vote. Does anyone have anything going either of those weekends? Let me know everyone and we'll mark it down!
-Anna
I vote 11th-13th! But I'll come any time if I'm the only one that votes on this weekend. It's the weekend hubby can come with me.

[birdie]

Sounds like hubby and I will be attending:dancered:

[FoxersArtist]

Awesome! I'm totally excited. I went ahead and told my parents to mark their calendar for the 11-13th of July. Are you driving? Do you think you'll take any of the fids with? Those who are flying, just let us know when your planes arrive and we'll pick you up!
-Anna

[too&me]

You are such a sweetie! I'm hoping we can come see you. Let you know as soon as we can.

[Dot]

I suggest we not bring our birds with us. Any thoughts?

[bonnie]

I suggest we not bring our birds with us. Any thoughts?

Are you thinking because it would be a long trip for them or is there another reason you don't wish to bring them?

[Dot]

Are you thinking because it would be a long trip for them or is there another reason you don't wish to bring them?

Long trip. Too much excitement. (I promise you, you do not need my Scarlet or one of my zons that excited.) Too much trouble for us. Lack of time for us to visit. What if one of our babies is sick and we don't know it?

[bonnie]

Long trip. Too much excitement. (I promise you, you do not need my Scarlet or one of my zons that excited.) Too much trouble for us. Lack of time for us to visit. What if one of our babies is sick and we don't know it?
I can't speak for them being sick, but I think it's up to each of us. Anna has said they are welcome. I have taken Chicken on a long trip before and he did well. I think that if he were not a good traveler, I'd come without him. I really don't have anyone that I trust to take care of him for a few days.

[Wanda and Flock]

Well, I am sure gonna figure out how I can come! I have two weeks vacation and I have my son's graduation and the rest is wide open. I might have Dave come too. It might be good for him to see everyone and how we are with our birds... or no? Here's what happened: I said something about going to the sanctuary with Jill to get a fix and he actually offered to go or take me himself...hmmm. I don't get it. But isn't that a good sign??? And, I know he would come with me to NM. And I should let him, right?

[bonnie]

Then by all means, bring chicken butt along. LOL Just for future thought, is there anyone at your vet's you could "train" to take care of them in an emergency. There are two people at my vet's that I have used and both are wonderful.
:rofl:I call him chicken butt all the time! How funny!

You mean train a vet here in town to take care of him in an emergency? I have a vet that will help me trim him and stuff, but the closest avian vet is 2 hours away. I worry about that sometimes, but I have decided that if there is something wrong with Chicken that 2 hour drive will take 5 minutes and I'll probably end up in the city with a police escort! Plus, I know my regular vet here in town very well and if there was something he could do to help me, he'd go with me! LOL

OH!!! You mean incase I have to leave! DUH!!!
Ok, so there is one person here I have trained, but as far as I know she is planning to come with me. SO... if I had an emergency and had to leave she would jump in to take care of him! I'm sorry... that was such a blonde moment!

[FoxersArtist]

Long trip. Too much excitement. (I promise you, you do not need my Scarlet or one of my zons that excited.) Too much trouble for us. Lack of time for us to visit. What if one of our babies is sick and we don't know it?

Dot,
I think taking our birds anywhere is a risk. Even when taking them outside, we are risking exposing them to the outside birds and whatever illnesses they may be carrying. Stress brings out illnesses in birds even more. On the flip side of the coin, it is very important for our birds to get socialization. In my personal opinion, taking them places can enrich their lives by givng them wonderful eperiences they would not otherwise have had. I think that it is important for each of us to weigh the risks and benefits in our own minds and make decisions about our birds that we are comfortable with.

My offer to have the birds come along still stands. I will usually not allow visiting birds into my aviary unless I have a paper of health signed by the birds avian vet, or if I am certain that the bird has been well taken care of and has had little exposure to outside contamination and therefore has less chance of passing an illness to my flock. Is this a risk? Absolutely. It would be foolish to assume that we can control the spread of illness by 100%, especially when we are allowing birds to visit. (If you cannot prove that your bird is healthy, they are welcome to stay in the house, in a quarantined area.) What I can say is that all of our birds have had a well birdy checkup in the past year and have been healthy. If anyone is not comfortable mingling birds or is not sure that their bird is healthy, they should probably leave their babies at home.
-Anna

[Dot]

:rofl:I call him chicken butt all the time! How funny!

You mean train a vet here in town to take care of him in an emergency? I have a vet that will help me trim him and stuff, but the closest avian vet is 2 hours away. I worry about that sometimes, but I have decided that if there is something wrong with Chicken that 2 hour drive will take 5 minutes and I'll probably end up in the city with a police escort! Plus, I know my regular vet here in town very well and if there was something he could do to help me, he'd go with me! LOL

OH!!! You mean incase I have to leave! DUH!!!
Ok, so there is one person here I have trained, but as far as I know she is planning to come with me. SO... if I had an emergency and had to leave she would jump in to take care of him! I'm sorry... that was such a blonde moment!

Who assists your vet? That is who I pay to come over twice a day when I leave town.

[FoxersArtist]

I wish we had someone steady to care for the animals when we go out of town. I usually have at least 2 different people checking in on them when we go away to insure that they are still being czred for, should one fall through.
-Anna

[too&me]

Some of these are all out of sequence, Wanda you have a ride if you wish you have my number! It is official Anna hubby blocked off that portion of his callendar.

[bonnie]

I wish we had someone steady to care for the animals when we go out of town. I usually have at least 2 different people checking in on them when we go away to insure that they are still being czred for, should one fall through.
-Anna

I used to worry about it, but now I just call Ashley and tell her what's up and she takes over! I'm SO glad to have someone who wants to know how to properly care for him!

[Evelyn]

Anna -

Either of those weekends is fine with me.

Since this is the only time I will probably ever get to New Mexico, I'm for seeing anything anybody else wants to see.

Evelyn

[bonnie]

Anna -

Either of those weekends is fine with me.

Since this is the only time I will probably ever get to New Mexico, I'm for seeing anything anybody else wants to see.

Evelyn
YAY!!! Evelyn is in too!!!

[Gracie's Mommy]

Holy Cow!! A Happy Birdy Family get together, how exciting. I am going to talk to the hubby when he gets home. It would be sooooooooo neat to meet all of you in person :)

[too&me]

We have marked off the calendar we are looking forward to meeting face to face!

[FoxersArtist]

Holy Cow!! A Happy Birdy Family get together, how exciting. I am going to talk to the hubby when he gets home. It would be sooooooooo neat to meet all of you in person :)

Hurray! I was wondering when you would find out!!! Otherwise I was going to have to e-mail you!
-Anna

[FoxersArtist]

Some of these are all out of sequence, Wanda you have a ride if you wish you have my number! It is official Anna hubby blocked off that portion of his callendar.

I'm so thrilled! This is going to be a fantastic memory!
-Anna

[FoxersArtist]

Just so everyone knows, I want to announce that there are only 2 spots left for those who want to either stay at my house or my parents house. Anyone is welcome to come, but once those spots fill up, I can't promise anyone that they can stay with us, unless you don't mind sleeping on the couch. Here's a list of those coming so far, in order of who signed up first:
1) Bonnie - double
2) Dot - single
3) Evelyn - single
4) Brenda - double
5) Jill - double
6) Wanda - double
7) ?
8) ?

One of you will be staying at my house and the rest in my parents house or in their motor home on their property. If you need special accomidations, let me know so I can room you where you will be most comfortable.

-Anna

[Gracie's Mommy]

Anna,

I talked to my hubby. He says he doesn't mind. Since we have 2 little girls and a house full of animals I would have to come by myself though. I am super excited. :yeah::dancered::yeah: I can't wait to meet all of you in person!!!!! It is incredibly generous of both you and your parents to open your homes to us!! :D

Liza

[FoxersArtist]

Anna,

I talked to my hubby. He says he doesn't mind. Since we have 2 little girls and a house full of animals I would have to come by myself though. I am super excited. :yeah::dancered::yeah: I can't wait to meet all of you in person!!!!! It is incredibly generous of both you and your parents to open your homes to us!! :D

Liza


I can't believe how many of you are actually coming...to New Mexico!!! I feel SO honored!!! We're going to have a great time!!!
-Anna

[MoluccanZoey]

Thanks for giving me the link! Sign me up to go too (and my ZoeyBird). It will be great fun. Are there any rooms left? (I don't mind bunking with someone).

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

I can't believe how many of you are actually coming...to New Mexico!!! I feel SO honored!!! We're going to have a great time!!!
-Anna

Put them to work, Anna. Give them each a cage to clean and go take a bubble bath while sipping a frozen Strawberry Margarita or pina colata . . . or both. Grab Andy and sneak out the back door and go see a movie. The kids and fids will be fine with all those mommas to tend to them. Lord knows you deserve it!:bowdown::bowdown:

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

I can't believe how many of you are actually coming...to New Mexico!!! I feel SO honored!!! We're going to have a great time!!!
-Anna

Put them to work, Anna. Give them each a cage to clean and go take a bubble bath while sipping a frozen Strawberry Margarita or pina colata . . . or both. Grab Andy and sneak out the back door and go see a movie. The kids and fids will be fine with all those mommas to tend to them. Lord knows you deserve it!:bowdown::bowdown:

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

I think we overloaded the thread. We're experiencing another time warp. Look at the dates and times of the posts.

:beam:

Everybody check your birds. One of them has gotten to a computer and is reformatting the program.

[lcarle]

That sounds like so much fun!!!! I would love to join in as well. I will need to talk with hubby as well, but since I teach it should be doable. I would have to fly and the birds would have to stay home. By the way, where would we fly in? If this was already posted, I apologize. I am trying to skim everything quickly since I am swamped with grading, taxes, etc.

[Anne-Samantha's Mom]

ohhhhhhhhhhh wi would love to come....rats...well sorry we cant make it but it would cost us a fortune and with hubby being on disability it is just not doable...soooo...when you do get together will you think a but us??

[lcarle]

Thanks Anna for the extra info on your state. I do plan on coming now and am very excited. I would like to see some sites either before or after the weekend. What is everyone planning to do? It would be fun for those of us who can stay a few days longer to see sites together. As long as we do not wear out our welcome. You all are so sweet for allowing us to stay with you. This will be so fun.

[Bambam]

Anna..what a wonderful idea..you have such a generous heart...wish I could say yes; but I help another sister with our disabled sister..I would also have to fly..can't trust anyone with my babies.
If you take lots of pics..of course you will..I would love to see them..hope all of you going have a great time.:dancered::yeah::rofl:plus all the stories they will tell.
Freida

[Dot]

I can't speak for them being sick, but I think it's up to each of us. Anna has said they are welcome. I have taken Chicken on a long trip before and he did well. I think that if he were not a good traveler, I'd come without him. I really don't have anyone that I trust to take care of him for a few days.

Then by all means, bring chicken butt along. LOL Just for future thought, is there anyone at your vet's you could "train" to take care of them in an emergency. There are two people at my vet's that I have used and both are wonderful.

[bonnie]

Somehow our posts are all out of order... I posted an answer to this one a few up Dot! LOL

[bonnie]

Who assists your vet? That is who I pay to come over twice a day when I leave town.

My friend who I am leaving Chicken to if I die takes care of him when I have to go out of town. She pretty much camps out at my house all day lol.