Great Time With Peregrine
I'm back. Sorry to disappear for several days but I had a very fun week since Peregrine visited me. Before I get to that want to show the final touches that were made to the Jurassic Park bathroom.
I got the decal for the mirror and it's perfect. Hardest thing was lining it up. I don't see why the other two companies I tried to commission failed at something so simple, but at least this person that did it did a great job.
Sauropod toilet paper dispenser. This is not his permanent place but I put him on the sink for this photo op. He's made of iron and front heavy. I'm going to have to add a weight to his tail because he tips over when you pull on the paper. He's on the floor in front of the toilet. I also put him on a Styrofoam pad because I didn't want him to stain the tiles. I think he fits in well with the JP theme.
So Peregrine was to arrive the night of the 4th. Our anniversary. We were pretty much ready having cleaned everything up and readied the bathrooms.
I washed the jeep in the side yard that morning because it was in shade. It was too hot to do it in the driveway in full sun. I always enjoy driving the jeep in the yard.
The day before our AC unit broke. It wasn't putting out cold air like it used to. Such a worse time. So the night of the 3rd we rushed out to Lowes after Chris got home. We had half an hour til closing time and we found a unit that seemed right and got it. Oh man that majorly set me back financially. I'm still rather disappointed about it as I had saved up a good chunk of change and now it's gone. BUT, it had to be done. Not only did our guest need AC but we need it to live. It's way too hot to survive down here without one. The old one did last a long time. We don't remember when we got it it's been so long. So Mike came over that night. Chris got off early from work so they could install the new unit. The old unit still works just for short amount of time. So we decided to put it in the master bedroom window since it's a smaller room than the living room. Peregrine arrived while they were installing everything. I showed her around. I introduced her to the birds and showed her her room and how the fold out couch bed works.
The next day was Wednesday so it was a day off for Chris and I. But Chis had been working a lot so he needed some rest. We did out normal rounds of feeding our birds, going to the dump and then going to breakfast. It's too bad there weren't many birds at the dump but I think Peregrine still enjoyed watching the ones that were there. Perhaps because we had a late start.
We regrouped back at the house then her and I took off in the jeep to do a loop around Tampa Bay. We drove over the Howard Franklin Bridge and the highlight was the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. I told her about the history of the bridge and the accident in 1980 that I still remember quite well on the news. It was a stressful drive for me not because of the bridges. I love driving over bridges. It was the unknown. I'd never done this so I didn't know what lanes to be in, where exits were etc. But I managed to find everything. The only annoying thing was when we got to the Bradenton side we were going to go to the rest stop and the pier. But it was closed. We should have gone to the one on the St. Pete side but there was no way to know it was closed. It's never closed so that was annoying. We stopped for gas and drinks then headed home. We listened to metal on the way home and had a lot of fun. At home we looked at birds and watched some videos.
The next day I wasn't sure if I could do the drive. I felt pretty tired as the driving phobia really takes it out of me. But luckily by breakfast I had recovered enough. That day was a much simpler drive to Tarpon Springs area. We went to Key Vista park. I wanted to show her that little beach not many know about. We saw lots of cool birds and fish. The only bad thing was the tide was in so hardly no beach but we still walked it and went to the tower. We found a cormorant skeleton which was pretty cool but no skull.
After that we went to the Sponge docks. Parking was automated and I got ripped off on it. I know a better place to park next time. But we had a great time and I think Peregrine loved this because of all the restaurants and the neat shops that sold shells and preserved animals. I finally bought a white nautilus shell I have been wanting for years. They are expensive which is why I had never gotten around to getting one. But I was told by the lady they were getting harder to come by so I decided to get it as so much had changed. I've been going to the sponge docks since the 80s and it's actually sad so many stores and some merchandise is gone and no longer available. So now I have the normal one and the white one. I only have to get a normal and a white half shell and my collection will be complete. We walked to the end of the street and went to the little aquarium that's been there for years. We watched the shark feeding show.
Here is the diver putting one of the nurse sharks to sleep. We found out they are moving out. Again kind of sad because they have been here forever. But in the long run it will be better. That tank is getting dirty glass and because it's made with several panes of glass the algae has gotten between the panels. There's no way to fix it without taking everything apart. The new location will cost them less so yes in the long run it's better for them. I love that it's a small aquarium too. I love big aquariums but this one has that personal feel which is rare. They've been in business for about 30 years and would be a shame to see another place go.
Then we went home and I showed her a bunch of old Wonderful World of Disney movies about birds.
The next day was a day to stay home and take it easy. There's plenty to do at my house since my house is an attraction unto itself. We walked around my gardens and played with my birds. Though Nautica and Minion were acting out of character and not happy Peregrine was in their room. They had to be moved in and out each night because the bed can't open all the way with them there. We went to Publix to get groceries for the day and also to Hobby Lobby. It was her first time there and she picked up some little animal figures from the science section. We worked on art too. I showed her my new computer and she brought her tablet.
I got lots of cute gift art. Here's Nautica.
Here is Nautica posing while being drawn.
It seems Nautica approved of her drawing. She looked at it curiously. I love it when birds interact and look when you point and not just look at the finger. Only special birds react this way.
Bullet art! One of the best drawings of Bullet out there. Actually I'm looking at all the gift art now and this is officially the best now.
As is this lovely drawing of Fear. I'm happy this is now the best art of Scary Fear. It used to be one of the drawings by gammera, but she always screwed up a few parts on him. This is far superior.
I showed her my Fear outfit too and we had a blast doing photo ops.
Fear with his coffee.
Scary Fear going "Well you know..."
Scary Boy ready for a fight.
Gaming Fear.
We also experimented with a new fabric to redo his eyes. Though it looks great from the outside visibility isn't so good. This new one has better visibility but doesn't look as good. But it's something we'll experiment with. You still can't see the eyes with either and both still have the pink glow.
Like the pic we did game also. We played Subnatica, Red Dead 2, and GTA Vice City. Oh and Spiderman. We watched Megamind and analyzed Minion. We came to the conclusion he's ISTJ and not ISFJ since I had for some reason focused just on the parts where he was using a lot of feelings. That usually happened when he messed up and was freaking out. But her and Chris were right that really he was logical and by the book most of the time. So yes ISTJ.
The next day was a half day also to take it easy. Another trip to Publix to get supplies and we mostly gamed and watched stuff again. We did almost everything that we had planned on. That was great. The other great thing was that Chris got home early. I was so glad he was able to say good bye in person. Then Peregrine drove back to the airport to drop off her rental car. We're already talking about the next time. There's always so much to do here.
So we had a very fun time.
Then yesterday, Sunday was another day off. Chris and I had a good time. We were both beat for different reasons. Though I enjoyed the company even positive socializing takes it out of me as an introvert. Plus all the crazy driving I did. We spent the first half of the day dead on the couch just watching videos about Myers Briggs. We found a cool new channel to watch called NT Support. We finally went out for lunch. We went to Earth Fare and I bought some sesame and chia seeds as treats for Nautica and Minion. I want to start officially trying to train them to do tricks. Easy cute stuff like spin on the perch and flip around. We ate at Longhorn after that and bought some cool heirloom tomatoes at Earth Fare. That night we watched Gremlins 2 and that was so fun. I like that one better than Gremlins 1.
So yes I have been busy. I'm so tired still. Today if I have energy I need to clean up my room and try to get back into the swing of things. I need to have Alex look at my computer because it's having issues where it shuts down. It's new. This should not be happening. I hope nothing major has to be done to it. It's been a pain installing all my programs.
.
I got the decal for the mirror and it's perfect. Hardest thing was lining it up. I don't see why the other two companies I tried to commission failed at something so simple, but at least this person that did it did a great job.
Sauropod toilet paper dispenser. This is not his permanent place but I put him on the sink for this photo op. He's made of iron and front heavy. I'm going to have to add a weight to his tail because he tips over when you pull on the paper. He's on the floor in front of the toilet. I also put him on a Styrofoam pad because I didn't want him to stain the tiles. I think he fits in well with the JP theme.
So Peregrine was to arrive the night of the 4th. Our anniversary. We were pretty much ready having cleaned everything up and readied the bathrooms.
I washed the jeep in the side yard that morning because it was in shade. It was too hot to do it in the driveway in full sun. I always enjoy driving the jeep in the yard.
The day before our AC unit broke. It wasn't putting out cold air like it used to. Such a worse time. So the night of the 3rd we rushed out to Lowes after Chris got home. We had half an hour til closing time and we found a unit that seemed right and got it. Oh man that majorly set me back financially. I'm still rather disappointed about it as I had saved up a good chunk of change and now it's gone. BUT, it had to be done. Not only did our guest need AC but we need it to live. It's way too hot to survive down here without one. The old one did last a long time. We don't remember when we got it it's been so long. So Mike came over that night. Chris got off early from work so they could install the new unit. The old unit still works just for short amount of time. So we decided to put it in the master bedroom window since it's a smaller room than the living room. Peregrine arrived while they were installing everything. I showed her around. I introduced her to the birds and showed her her room and how the fold out couch bed works.
The next day was Wednesday so it was a day off for Chris and I. But Chis had been working a lot so he needed some rest. We did out normal rounds of feeding our birds, going to the dump and then going to breakfast. It's too bad there weren't many birds at the dump but I think Peregrine still enjoyed watching the ones that were there. Perhaps because we had a late start.
We regrouped back at the house then her and I took off in the jeep to do a loop around Tampa Bay. We drove over the Howard Franklin Bridge and the highlight was the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. I told her about the history of the bridge and the accident in 1980 that I still remember quite well on the news. It was a stressful drive for me not because of the bridges. I love driving over bridges. It was the unknown. I'd never done this so I didn't know what lanes to be in, where exits were etc. But I managed to find everything. The only annoying thing was when we got to the Bradenton side we were going to go to the rest stop and the pier. But it was closed. We should have gone to the one on the St. Pete side but there was no way to know it was closed. It's never closed so that was annoying. We stopped for gas and drinks then headed home. We listened to metal on the way home and had a lot of fun. At home we looked at birds and watched some videos.
The next day I wasn't sure if I could do the drive. I felt pretty tired as the driving phobia really takes it out of me. But luckily by breakfast I had recovered enough. That day was a much simpler drive to Tarpon Springs area. We went to Key Vista park. I wanted to show her that little beach not many know about. We saw lots of cool birds and fish. The only bad thing was the tide was in so hardly no beach but we still walked it and went to the tower. We found a cormorant skeleton which was pretty cool but no skull.
After that we went to the Sponge docks. Parking was automated and I got ripped off on it. I know a better place to park next time. But we had a great time and I think Peregrine loved this because of all the restaurants and the neat shops that sold shells and preserved animals. I finally bought a white nautilus shell I have been wanting for years. They are expensive which is why I had never gotten around to getting one. But I was told by the lady they were getting harder to come by so I decided to get it as so much had changed. I've been going to the sponge docks since the 80s and it's actually sad so many stores and some merchandise is gone and no longer available. So now I have the normal one and the white one. I only have to get a normal and a white half shell and my collection will be complete. We walked to the end of the street and went to the little aquarium that's been there for years. We watched the shark feeding show.
Here is the diver putting one of the nurse sharks to sleep. We found out they are moving out. Again kind of sad because they have been here forever. But in the long run it will be better. That tank is getting dirty glass and because it's made with several panes of glass the algae has gotten between the panels. There's no way to fix it without taking everything apart. The new location will cost them less so yes in the long run it's better for them. I love that it's a small aquarium too. I love big aquariums but this one has that personal feel which is rare. They've been in business for about 30 years and would be a shame to see another place go.
Then we went home and I showed her a bunch of old Wonderful World of Disney movies about birds.
The next day was a day to stay home and take it easy. There's plenty to do at my house since my house is an attraction unto itself. We walked around my gardens and played with my birds. Though Nautica and Minion were acting out of character and not happy Peregrine was in their room. They had to be moved in and out each night because the bed can't open all the way with them there. We went to Publix to get groceries for the day and also to Hobby Lobby. It was her first time there and she picked up some little animal figures from the science section. We worked on art too. I showed her my new computer and she brought her tablet.
I got lots of cute gift art. Here's Nautica.
Here is Nautica posing while being drawn.
It seems Nautica approved of her drawing. She looked at it curiously. I love it when birds interact and look when you point and not just look at the finger. Only special birds react this way.
Bullet art! One of the best drawings of Bullet out there. Actually I'm looking at all the gift art now and this is officially the best now.
As is this lovely drawing of Fear. I'm happy this is now the best art of Scary Fear. It used to be one of the drawings by gammera, but she always screwed up a few parts on him. This is far superior.
I showed her my Fear outfit too and we had a blast doing photo ops.
Fear with his coffee.
Scary Fear going "Well you know..."
Scary Boy ready for a fight.
Gaming Fear.
We also experimented with a new fabric to redo his eyes. Though it looks great from the outside visibility isn't so good. This new one has better visibility but doesn't look as good. But it's something we'll experiment with. You still can't see the eyes with either and both still have the pink glow.
Like the pic we did game also. We played Subnatica, Red Dead 2, and GTA Vice City. Oh and Spiderman. We watched Megamind and analyzed Minion. We came to the conclusion he's ISTJ and not ISFJ since I had for some reason focused just on the parts where he was using a lot of feelings. That usually happened when he messed up and was freaking out. But her and Chris were right that really he was logical and by the book most of the time. So yes ISTJ.
The next day was a half day also to take it easy. Another trip to Publix to get supplies and we mostly gamed and watched stuff again. We did almost everything that we had planned on. That was great. The other great thing was that Chris got home early. I was so glad he was able to say good bye in person. Then Peregrine drove back to the airport to drop off her rental car. We're already talking about the next time. There's always so much to do here.
So we had a very fun time.
Then yesterday, Sunday was another day off. Chris and I had a good time. We were both beat for different reasons. Though I enjoyed the company even positive socializing takes it out of me as an introvert. Plus all the crazy driving I did. We spent the first half of the day dead on the couch just watching videos about Myers Briggs. We found a cool new channel to watch called NT Support. We finally went out for lunch. We went to Earth Fare and I bought some sesame and chia seeds as treats for Nautica and Minion. I want to start officially trying to train them to do tricks. Easy cute stuff like spin on the perch and flip around. We ate at Longhorn after that and bought some cool heirloom tomatoes at Earth Fare. That night we watched Gremlins 2 and that was so fun. I like that one better than Gremlins 1.
So yes I have been busy. I'm so tired still. Today if I have energy I need to clean up my room and try to get back into the swing of things. I need to have Alex look at my computer because it's having issues where it shuts down. It's new. This should not be happening. I hope nothing major has to be done to it. It's been a pain installing all my programs.
.