It's Closing Time

 

Goodbye Ugly Biscuits 

This year's theme is "It's Closing Time" because we closed our business after 4 plus successful years. It was always the plan for it to be a short-term endeavor, but it is still bittersweet. Bitter because we will miss some things about it like meeting interesting people and being our own bosses. Sweet because we will have more free time to explore other fun things to do. We will do our best to focus on the new fun things to come our way. As Semi Sonic's lyrics suggest... 

        "Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end"

This year has been a full-on roller coaster with some great times, and the worst heartbreak of our lives. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I like to write our year in review in chronological order. I always write it in Nov/Dec, and the previous year's end gets missed a little. So, a short recap on that. Last December Connie and I traveled to Phoenix for 7 days and then hopped over to Texas for 7 days. Why would we do this kind of trip you ask? For the birds of course! Plus we got to spend a few days with Mitch and Sandy in Arizona, which is always fun. I wrote blogs about that trip if you care to go back in time to read them.

YourDalyHug: Southwest Bird-Nerding Part 1

YourDalyHug: Southwest Bird-Nerding Part 2

A snowy owl we were fortunate to see in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Speaking of birds, January got off to a great start. There were reports of a snowy owl hanging out in New Glarus, Wisconsin. That is just a little over an hour from us, so Judy and I drove down for a day to see for ourselves. We both love owls, and had never seen a snowy owl in the wild. We were not disappointed. We sat in our car, from a distance, and watched the snowy owl entertain its guests for hours. I got a few decent photos of her I feel. Not only did I have fun watching her, but I also had a fun day with Judy. A double good whammy. 

Sunflowers are Jan's and Jamie's favorite.

In February, our Aunt Jan came to town for a visit. It was the first time we could all be together since Jan's daughter Jamie died. We had a few fun days of visiting, eating, playing pinochle, and laughing. Connie got us all matching Sunflower attire, which is also fun.

Judy, Connie and Katie watch as they start our burn in the back prairie

The start of it all. It is so fascinating to watch the process

Katie looks on as they burn the front prairie

Most of February and March, per usual, were low key. We walked our property with the dogs when weather allowed and stayed as warm as we could. Things started to heat up in April, literally... We did another prairie burn to help restore our native flowers and grasses. Plus, at the end of April I was able to do a clown trip. It would be my first clown trip in over 5 years. I hadn't seen Maria, Anya, Pluk and several more Russian friends since my last trip to Beslan. It truly did my heart good to see my old friends, make some new ones, and play with children and adults in need. We went to Georgia and Armenia, which were 2 new countries for me. It is always a good reminder for me to see how other people in the world live. I have so many blessings in my life that I still take for granted. But playing with kids in a refugee camp in Armenia will change your perspective on life, as it did mine. These people had to flee for their lives, due to war. They now live in tiny make shift shacks in small groups as they try to eek out a living. If that doesn't make you appreciate everything good in your own life, I don't know what will. I wrote some great blogs about my trip, if I do say so myself. I would highly recommend you read them, especially if you are looking for inspiration. 

A flight attendant, Veronica, put on a clown nose for a selfie. 

Maria and I wearing matching scarves. Thanks Katie! 

There are too many stories and photos to share from that trip to put here. But that is why I wrote 3 different blogs about it. So, revisit them at your leisure. I know I do. While I was off gallivanting as a clown, Connie took her own vacation. She and Dixie went on a road trip to Missouri. She rented a cabin on 80 acres of private land with a pond. Her and Dixie seemed to have a great time together from what I was told. She even squeezed in a nice hike with our friend Gail, who lives in Arkansas. We don't typically take separate vacations, but I feel we both had fun trips in our own way. Another fun thing that happened in April was our great horned owls had a baby. Connie and I spent every day for a while walking the back prairie to where we could watch the baby in the nest without disturbing them. It finally fledged in early June, and we continued to watch it grow as it flew around our pines. May and June are typically all about the birds. We get a lot of fun migraters through our property, and you are all invited to come see them for yourselves.

Our first bit of sad news for the year came in April. Oldie Yim, Susan's beloved dad, died. He was 99, at home and surrounded by family, but it is still sad to see a wonderful soul leave us. 

In early June I drove to Ohio to spend some time with Natalie after her graduation. On my way to Ohio I stopped in Urbana, Illinois to see my friend Justin, as he was visiting Patch. Justin, if you remember, is my "spy" friend from Russia. I have seen him more times in America than I have in Russia I think, ha. Last year he just happened to be in California the exact same time I was, and we got to spend a day together. This year he just happened to be in Illinois on the weekend I was driving through Urbana. So, we were able to spend another day together. I am starting to wonder if it is coincidence, or if I am being spied on somehow? Ha Ha Ha. I just can't wait to see where I catch up with him next year. Anyway, we had a fun evening together and were able to share a meal with Patch and his wife Susan. 

Then I drove along to my destination of Ohio. In Ohio I was able to visit a few friends. I stayed with my friend Karen, which is always a treat. It is nice to catch up with her, my friend Nikki and their families. I also was able to enjoy a nice dinner with some old high school buddies Mark, Kevin, Dave and Mike. We spent a few hours catching up and laughing about old times as we razzed each other like old friends do. It was a short visit to Ohio, and I was not able to see everyone I would like to. So please forgive me if I wasn't able to visit you while in Ohio. With the business closed, there should be more visits to Ohio, and you are always invited to Wisconsin to visit me there. 

Natalie and Nevin

A beautiful day together at the zoo.

The main reason I went to Ohio, however, was to spend time with Natalie. I put in the wrong weekend to be able to see her graduation ceremony, but it might have been serendipitous in the end because I was able to spend a full day with her and her boyfriend Nevin instead. That might not have happened if I went on her actual graduation weekend, and that day was a true blessing through and through. That blessing was emphasized even more 4 months later when they both died in a car accident together. Sadly, it was the only day I would ever get to spend with Nevin. And the last day I would get to spend with Natalie. I revisit that day over and over in my head to relive some great memories. My heart hurts, but the memories do help.

Nevin and Natalie were together about 4 years, but had been friends a little longer than that even. According to his family, Nevin showed them a picture of her shortly after they became friends and said "Isn't she the most beautiful girl in the world?". His love for her was evident on the day I spent with them. I wrote a tribute blog about them if you care to read that. 

https://yourdalyhug.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-special-butterfly-and-her-gem.html

Connie and I in Southport, NC

At the end of June, Connie and I traveled to the coast of North Carolina. We just missed seeing a painted bunting in Texas last December and both of us were hankering to see it. It is a beautiful bird (maybe the most beautiful we have seen yet) and was worthy of a special trip. Connie searched "Where to see a painted bunting in June". Up popped Bald Head Island. So, we did a quick 2-day/3-night trip to go see a painted bunting. Once again, we were not disappointed. Our first morning as we stood outside our hotel room, we were treated to a song and sighting of a painted bunting. We couldn't tell if it was female or a juvenile, but it was not a male bunting. No offense to the females or juveniles, but the male was the grand prize for this trip as it has the most colors. I believe it has all the colors of a rainbow actually. Maybe not purple, but still. After enjoying the female, we took our ferry ride out to the island. We went to a hiking trail where buntings had been sighted recently and it didn't take us long to find our grand prize. He was as beautiful in person as we could imagine. We were treated to multiple sightings of him throughout the day. We also got a view of a male and female together on the same branch. AND if that wasn't enough... as we were leaving the trail we came upon a conservation group who were just about to release a female painted bunting back into the wild after rehabilitating her. We only got a glimpse of her, as she was quick to get back to nature (and who can blame her?). But it was still a fun experience. 

A male and female painted bunting together.

The grand prize. A male painted bunting

Connie jokes around that no matter where we go, I know someone there. True to form, my dear friends Colleen and Laine live just 15 minutes away from Bald Head Island. I hadn't seen them in almost 20 years. So, we drove down to spend a day with them and see their beautiful home. They treated us to a fun boat ride to a nice restaurant on the water. We had a lovely meal as we chatted and caught up on old times. It felt like little time had passed to be honest. Connie and they became instant friends, and so we are hoping to see them more often than once every 20 years. 

In early July we were treated to a visit from another friend I hadn't seen in about 20 years. My friend Deb does a big road trip with her daughters every summer. They visit National parks and other sites along their way. They left their home in Maine and were headed to Alaska. Along the way they dipped down a couple of hours out of their way to visit us and meet Connie and Katie. We had a fun afternoon of exploring our property and eating homemade pizza. We talked about old times, including our friend Sean from camp at Eagle Lake. We caught up on current events, and it was fun to finally meet 4 of her 5 daughters. Again, it felt like little time had passed. Connie and Deb also became instant friends, and we hope to see them more often as well. 

They make cute clowns, don't they?! 

Our friend Susan had been feeling down since her dad died in April. So we brought her out to Wisconsin for a visit at the end of July. We had such a great time. We explored our property on our new pink golf cart. We spent many hours in our hammocks listening to and watching birds as we enjoyed some peace in our pines. We sat on the front porch as hummingbirds flew all around Susan. We even spent a day in our inflatable pool as we cooked out on the grills. The perfect summer days. We ate some delicious food prepared specially by Katie. Susan is a foodie and loves to eat. Katie made some great dishes, but our favorite was probably the Spumoni Waffles she made for Susan's last breakfast here. 

Spumoni Waffles. YUM!

Connie was looking for something extra fun and special to surprise Susan with. She found a drive through safari in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin of all places. Susan really wants to do a safari in Africa someday, but this was going to have to suffice for now. As we drove up to the Park, Susan's eyes lit up and she let out a great sound of excitement. We had such a fun few hours driving around as large animals stuck their heads inside the window and slobbered all over Susan. She loved every minute of it. The bison might have been the best, but the giraffe was pretty great too. We weren't allowed to feed the giraffe, but it got really close for a cameo. The ostrich bouncing its head up and down in the cup in Susan's lap was also great. 

Up Close and Personal with a Giraffe

The Bison was HUGE!

Th

The Ostrich was funny

In August we drove down to Rockford to spend a couple of days with Mitch and Sandy. We went to Klehm Arboretum and Anderson Japanese Gardens. Both are beautiful, peaceful grounds to walk around and enjoy a sunny day. We also took a trolley ride along the Rock River. It was short but still fun. We always enjoy spending time with Sandy and Mitch. Plus Rockford has a lot more to offer than you might think. I know they have some decent restaurants with good vegan options as well. So head on down to see for yourself.

Connie and I at Anderson Japanese Gardens

Klehm Arboretum

We also received some sad news in August. My Aunt Mary died. She was my dad's sister. She was in her mid 90s and surrounded by family. Like Oldie Yim, she lived a good long life, yet it is still sad to say goodbye. In September there was more sad news. Our friends Lori and Jerry said goodbye to Lori's mom Edna Mae. She was a delightful soul with a contagious laugh. She suffered from Alzheimer's the last couple of years of her life, and we hope she is now resting peacefully with her beloved Jim. Yet another wonderful soul that left us. In early October the hits kept coming as we learned one of our favorite guest Sue Gromme had died. We affectionately knew her as Aunt Susie, as that was how she was introduced to us. She lived an extraordinary life as well. She was married to Roy Gromme who was a involved in conservation. Roy's dad Owen Gromme was a superb painter and knew Aldo Leopold personally. The stories I imagine they could tell. At the age of 95 Aunt Susie left us also.

The day before Aunt Susie died, we received the most horrible, tragic, awful news of our lives. Our niece Natalie and her boyfriend Nevin died in a car accident in Ohio. They were both 18 years old. Devastation and Despair don't even begin to describe the pain we have endured over the past few weeks. And we are sure it will continue. Seeing old friends, reminiscing about fun memories, and laughing when we can has helped. I wish nobody on Earth would have to feel the pain we have felt, but we know that just isn't true. In fact, I know people who have dealt with a lot more loss and pain than we have even. Now I wonder how they got through what they did, as we try to navigate through this. We sure don't know exactly what to do as we move forward, but we have decided to do our best to honor Natalie and Nevin by being as kind to everyone as we can. Just like they were.

Connie and Nathan at mini golf

Nathan and I taking a moment, as I do my best Al Bundy impression.

Connie and I drove to Ohio in mid-October for the funeral. The week was busy and a little chaotic as you can imagine. However, we were fortunate enough to spend a full day with Nathan. We played mini golf at Young's Jersey Dairy, which is always fun. We hiked through our favorite nature preserve Glen Helen in Yellow Springs. We had a delicious home cooked meal at my friend Karen's house with her, Nikki, and Toby. Then we finished the day off with some delicious ice cream at Graeter's Ice Cream Shop in Centerville, Ohio. It was really nice to see Nathan relieve some stress. It was fun to introduce him to some wonderful friends we have and vice versa. We hope that helps him with his healing as he goes through this awful journey. It sure helped with our healing to spend the day with him. We promised to do more trips to Ohio to see him more often. 

After the funeral, we had to get back to Wisconsin because we still had over a week of being open with the Bed and Breakfast. However, after sending home our final guest, getting things around the house somewhat organized, and helping Judy move her stuff in, Connie and I did another trip to Ohio. This was 3 weeks after the funeral and our heads were a little less foggy. We brought Dixie with us for a few reasons, but mostly because we didn't want to leave her home for another week so soon. We stayed with our friend Nikki, who was gracious to let us stay at her condo with Dixie in hand. We took Dixie for some nice walks and the local dog park during the day as we continued to clear our heads a little. We were able to spend some time in the evenings with our friends Nikki, Karen and Toby. Connie was able to have a girl's night out with Nikki and 2 of her friends while I spent an evening with Karen and her daughters and grandkids. Spending time with those families always does my heart good and my heart really needed some good at this time. 

With Dixie in tow, we weren't able to visit many friends while in town. But again, we plan to do multiple trips a year now to Ohio. Especially since Connie and I will have the same work schedule, which will leave us with every Monday through Friday off together. That is one of the biggest perks from closing the business, our schedules are loosened up and match well. The main reason we came back to Ohio so soon was we wanted to spend some time with Nathan and Jess. We wanted to be there to show our continuing support and make sure they have what they need moving forward. We had a lovely dinner together at The Last Queen in Enon, Ohio. It is the restaurant that Nevin worked for before his death. His best friend was our waiter, and it was nice to meet him. He seems to be a wonderful young man like Nevin was. We spent a couple of hours catching up with Nathan and Jess and they both seem to be doing as good as could be expected. 

We drove back home the next day and got back into normal life stuff. Connie and I work our weekend schedules and spend quality time together during the week. This now includes taking Dixie to the Dog Park. We discovered in Ohio that she likes being around dogs as long as there is open space and nobody is on leash. Judy continues to settle into her space after moving in to help us with such a big house and the dogs. Katie is finishing up her requirements to become a teacher, which includes observation hours and student teaching, etc. She may have an internship job starting in January, which sounds like a great opportunity and a steppingstone to the start of her teaching career next September. She also helps us with the house and dogs to allow us to travel more. Louie loves being able to roam free without guests around, as his favorite spot has become his comfy bed in front of the fireplace. Looking back, our year was quite full. Full of love and laughter and extreme heartache. Such is life. We continue to adjust to what life will be like now without the business, while dealing with the losses from the year. In spite of it all we think the future looks bright and we do have many things to be thankful for. In December Connie and I will be going to Maui for 8 fun days of sun, relaxation, birds, ocean, hiking and whatever else we can get into trouble with. Look for my blog on that trip to come in late December or January. I really do feel like they lyrics from "Its Closing Time" are appropriate at this time.

                 "Closing time, open all the doors and let you out into the world"              

Now Go Out Into The World and Hug Someone Today!!!

A Special Butterfly and Her Gem

Nevin and Natalie in a Butterfly Garden

Enjoying each other's company on a beautiful day.

Well, this is the most difficult blog post I have ever had to write. I hope I can convey my thoughts and emotions about the 2 beautiful people it is supposed to honor, Natalie Daly and Nevin Vince. Natalie is our niece and Nevin is her longtime boyfriend. They lived an extraordinary few years together, and they died together. Our hearts continues to ache, even a few weeks later. I am sure they will hurt to some degree forever. But I want to talk about the incredible people they were and what they represented in their short time on Earth.

When Natalie was a young girl, her dad told her she was a social butterfly. She was happy to have that moniker. She excitedly told her mom that her dad told her she was a special butterfly. She was cute and funny from an early age, even when she wasn't trying to be. AND she is indeed a special butterfly! 

I only spent one day with Nevin, and I was completely impressed. His employer posted a touching tribute on FB after his death. In the post they said, "he was simply a gem". I love that description and they were not wrong! One day with him verified to me that he indeed was a gem. Now I will always remember them as A Special Butterfly and Her Gem. 

A Special Butterfly and Her Gem

From a young age Natalie was fun, sweet, and giggly. She was an artist who loved to laugh and play. We spent many hours in our front yard, or hers, just tumbling around the ground and laughing together with her brother Nathan. She would even humor me by sporting a clown nose at times. I am truly blessed to have spent as much time with her as I did. I will miss her kind nature, her laugh, her smile, her adventurous spirit, and her hugs.  

Her playful spirit was easily shared with others like me.

I think this photo makes her look like an angel looking up to heaven. 

As she grew up, she became more fun and adventurous. We shared many walks through nature preserves. We both thoroughly enjoyed that time together. We played together, we laughed together, and we even cried together on the sad occasions. Life is full of emotions, and she showed them all very well. I will miss those walks, talks, and her inquisitive questions she inevitably came up with. 

Adventure abounds

Water is not a boundary, but an opportunity

She would even laugh at herself and her own silliness

She loved her family, friends, and Nevin immensely. I lived 500 miles away, but she still stayed in touch via text. I don't know many teenagers who text frequently with an aunt or uncle. I was always honored when she would message me. She would tell me about an upcoming dance with Nevin. Road trips to places like Chicago with her friend Shila. Family vacations with her mom and brother or with her dad and brother. She traveled to Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach, North Fort Myers and a few other places. She went on vacations with Nevin's family as well, which told me they also loved her very much. For such a short life, she lived it well and loved others completely! We even got to share a rare celestial event together. The total eclipse of 2024. Connie, Judy and I traveled to Ohio to see it with her and Nathan. We chatted and laughed at a park on a sunny day while we waited for the big event. As it got close we all put on our special eclipse glasses and watched. It was quite the extraordinary thing to witness as the Earth went dark, coyotes howled and owls hooted... at 4pm! It was made even more extraordinary to witness it with Her and Nathan. I believe they were both surprised by the spectacle as they oohed and awed. It filled my heart to be with them in that moment. Those are the memories I will cling to as we learn to live without her physical presence. 

Always willing to be silly with her Uncle Rodney, even as a teenager

She had one of the most beautiful smiles in the entire world

I was so happy that Connie and Judy were able to share that day with Her and Nathan. Her and Connie had a loving bond. They also texted with each other from 500 miles away. One Christmas Connie elicited Natalie's help to trick me into taking a color blind test. Connie wanted to get me special color correcting glasses for Christmas, but needed me to take the test without being suspicious. In steps Natalie... Natalie texted me one day in November and told me about a school project on color blindness. She asked if I would take a test to see what kind of color blindness I had. I was so happy to help her with a school project! I sent in the test and she thanked me. A week later she sent me the results of the school project and some statistics they learned in class. I texted her some facts/theories I had read about color blindness along the way and she said she would share that with the class. Alas, it was all a ruse. Fast forward to Christmas day when I opened my present. I was completely surprised. Connie printed up their text messages to each other. It was such a cute exchange and I couldn't help but cry to know they had that kind of relationship. One of Connie's text messages said "Why is it so much fun to trick your Uncle Rodney?". Natalie responded with "I don't know, it just is!". I know I had fun in those moments for sure! 

She was giving and would lend a hand whenever and wherever she could. Even on the saddest day of her life, the day we buried her dad, she was helping others. She lent a hand to an elderly woman entering a building. She helped with a wheelchair. She quietly listened to others as they poured out their own sadness. All while going through her own grief. She was wise beyond her 18 years of life, that is for certain. She was a teacher without even knowing. She was a friend that a friend could count on. She was a daughter/niece that loved with her whole heart. She was a unique, wonderful butterfly and will be missed by so many! 

Like I said, I only spent one day with Nevin. I am so thankful I did. From the moment he got out of the car, looked me in the eye as he shook my hand and said, "It is so nice to meet you finally", I knew he was worthy of Natalie's love. In that one day I learned that he was compassionate, caring, kind and funny. I could see why He and Natalie had such a strong bond. Not only did he tell me about himself and his interests, but he also listened to my stories and was genuinely interested in what I liked to do. At 18 he seemed to know how to live a good and loving life. The 3 of us went to a zoo and enjoyed a beautiful day together. We chatted and laughed and learned things along the way. Towards the end of the day, Nevin showed me his true colors. Of course, they were the same colors he showed me from the beginning. I don't think he was one to put on airs or try to be something he wasn't. He was a genuinely kind, caring, and loving young man. I could not have been prouder of someone if he was my own flesh and blood. 

Such a nice day to watch and learn about animals 

Watching a lemur together

We walked into an indoor exhibit. It was dark inside, and after a few steps in Natalie noticed Nevin wasn't with us. I brushed it off, but Natalie was a little concerned. After a few minutes Nevin caught up with us. When we exited the exhibit, Natalie asked him what happened. He nonchalantly told us that he was worried about a little girl at the entrance who was alone on a bench. He stayed behind to make sure she was safe and found her family OK. Luckily, she did, and all was well. He told us the story just to answer Natalie's question. I don't believe he would have told us otherwise. In other words, he wasn't trying to sound or be heroic, he was just looking out for a child who may have needed help. He wasn't looking for a pat on the back, but I did tell him how proud I was of him to look out for her like he did. He just kinda shrugged and thanked me as we went about the rest of our day. I knew in that moment that he was an incredible young man. I didn't know that just 4 short months later he would be gone. Although, his memory is etched in my heart forever. 

Eating a yummy Indian meal after our zoo excursion

Another thing that impressed me about Nevin was his love for Natalie. It was evident when I asked where they wanted to eat dinner. Natalie said, "I love Indian food". Nevin said "I have never had Indian food, but if Natalie loves it then I am willing to try it." Even though the food was delicious, I don't know if Nevin thoroughly enjoyed it. He did say he liked it, but I am not sure he loved it like Natalie. I am convinced that he thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with Natalie and watching her be so happy and excited about the zoo and the meal. 

The world is a much better place for having Natalie and Nevin in it. Countless lives were touched by their kindness. As I stumble forward with my life, I will keep them both close to my heart and mind. I will try to honor them by doing my best to treat every person and animal with kindness and love. That is what they did for 18 years, and so now I will try to carry that torch forward. I encourage each of you who read this to do the same. Believe me, they are worthy of that honor! Thank You Natalie and Nevin for showing us that are left behind how to be good humans!

Butterfly Kisses ❤🧡💛💚💙💜💕

                  Now Go Out and Hug Someone Today!!!

Old Friends

 

Our friends Laine and Colleen at their house

We started Day 2 of our painted bunting chase in Southport. We drove to Fort Anderson which is an old historic site. On e-bird someone posted they saw a blue grosbeak there, and that was another bird on our target list. We pulled into the parking lot and immediately picked up a blue grosbeak on our Merlin app. We walked around trying to see it. You would think a bright blue bird amongst all the green would be easy to see, but NO! However, we did pick up the painted bunting again here. We kept looking for the blue grosbeak and the painted bunting. Eventually we saw the grosbeak fly away from where we were hearing it. It wasn't a great view, but there was no doubt it was a blue grosbeak. Meanwhile, the painted bunting was singing his heart out and we got to watch him for a good 15 minutes or more. Watching him never got old. We walked around and saw some beautiful scenery along the Cape Fear river and a couple of other birds including the great crested flycatcher. After an hour or so of walking around here we headed towards Oak Island to spend the afternoon with our friends Colleen and Laine.

Painted Bunting at Fort Anderson waiting for his mate

We ate a quick lunch with an ocean view before heading over to Colleen and Laine's house. There is nothing like enjoying an ocean view while eating on vacation. It always elicits total relaxation for me and Connie. We took a short walk on the pier to watch a young man struggle to pull in a large fish and then we were on our way. Our friends have a beautiful home on a canal that leads into the intracoastal waterway. They took us on a beautiful 2 hour boat ride to Calabash for a yummy dinner at Oyster Rock. The food, atmosphere and scenery was truly delightful. We definitely felt vacationed! Our boat ride home was supposed to be leisurely. We even talked about checking out the ocean a bit. However, a big storm was blowing in and we had to nix that idea. Instead we had a seriously fun ride back to their place. We weren't storm chasers, we were storm escapers! I think I might have preferred the fast boat ride home over the leisure one, but who knows. We will have to go back next year to take the leisure one I guess, so we can compare.

You can't fake those smiles! Look at that storm front behind us!

We made it back to their place just in time. We could see the rain falling behind us as we pulled into their canal. We hung out in their beautiful home for the evening and played games. It always does my heart good to see old friends and get reacquainted. I hadn't seen them in about 17 years, but it seemed no time had passed. Of course they became instant friends with Connie as we all got along splendidly from the get go. In the morning we enjoyed some coffee on their back patio. Connie got to enjoy their two lovely dogs one last time. In the meantime, we were also treated to sightings of an eastern bluebird, which is my favorite bird, and a red headed woodpecker which is Connie's favorite bird. Seems like it was all meant to be in the end. We said goodbye to our friends with promises to come back soon. I am certainly looking forward to exploring that area again, seeing my friends and chasing the painted bunting some more. 

Say goodbye Connie, we have to leave the dogs at their home! :0)

                 Now Go Out and Hug an Old Friend Today!!!

Chasing The Painted Bunting

 

In our golf cart on Bald Head Island looking for the painted bunting!

Connie and I have taken our bird nerding to the next level! As you know we went to Arizona and Texas this past December to see as many birds during migration as we could. We saw a lot of beautiful birds, but the one that eluded us was the painted bunting. We really really wanted to see it too. We knew our chances of seeing it then were low since migration season was ending while we were there. But don't fret. Connie looked up "Where to see a painted bunting in June". Up popped Bald Head Island, NC. Somehow neither of us had heard of Bald Head, but we were intrigued. After some more research we found out that painted buntings migrate to Bald Head Island every year. They arrive as early as April and stay as late as October. However, June seems to be the best time to see them. As luck would have it, we had 2 days of no guests at the B&B, so we booked our trip to the island. We flew 1134 miles JUST to see a painted bunting. Like I said, next level bird nerding. It was a small gamble to spend so much time and money on this endeavor, but we felt a strong urge to do it. Either way we knew we would be on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in June, and that is never a bad thing. Plus, I have friends who live in Oak Island, NC that I hadn't seen in 18 years. All of the possibilities were exciting to us. So we took off on a Monday afternoon from Milwaukee Airport, landing in Myrtle Beach International Airport. 

We arrived to this beautiful scene off the pier at The River Hotel in Southport. 

The first 2 nights we stayed in a quaint hotel in Southport, NC. We arrived at our hotel around 7:30pm and decided to walk out to the pier by our hotel. The scene was gorgeous! We enjoyed the view and the birds for a while before we had to go grab dinner and do a grocery run for breakfast. The following day would be a big one as we would be searching high and low for our prize bird the painted bunting. 

The Sunrise from our pier before our chase.

Lo and behold, a painted bunting greeted us at our hotel. 
We aren't sure if it was a female or a juvenile? It was greenish in color.

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise off the pier as we prepared for the day. As we were heading out to go to the ferry, we had our merlin apps running. Wouldn't you know, a painted bunting was being picked up by our app. We stood and listened for a bit and then it flew in out of nowhere! A painted bunting landed on a tree within a 100 feet of us or so. We couldn't believe it! What an amazing way to start our day. We aren't 100% sure if it was a female or a juvenile? It was greenish in color, so it definitely wasn't an adult male. We watched it for a little while until we had to go to the ferry port. We had a 7am ferry ride to catch to Bald Head Island. As much as we loved seeing our first painted bunting, we still wanted... no, we NEEDED to see the adult male painted bunting for all his colors! 

Greetings from Bald Head Island

We ferried over to the island. On the way we were treated to some bird sightings of course. We saw pelicans, white ibis and my personal favorite the laughing gull. Our ferry arrived at 7:30am and we couldn't get our golf cart until 8am. So we walked around the shoreline taking in the scenes and viewing the local birds. At 8 o'clock we strolled over to the golf cart company and saw a sign that said hours 8:30-4:30. Oh no, we had another half hour wait before we could begin our chase. But wait... an older gentleman showed up at the rental company and so we asked about the golf cart hours. He said they did indeed open at 8:30, but he could get us out early. The customer service on the island, and in NC in general, was exceptional. 

So at 8:05 we were on our way to see our painted bunting. We headed to Kent Mitchell Nature Trail because that is where the most recent sightings had been posted on e-bird. We got out and walked the beautiful nature trail towards a brushy tree area. With our merlin apps out and running, we picked up several birds including a Carolina wren and a northern cardinal. Then, we heard it! The painted bunting showed up on our app. We could easily hear it singing. Knowing the males will perch on a tree and sing for their mate, we kept a close eye on the tree lines. It didn't take long before we had our first sighting! He was in the shade inside the trees and was a little tricky to find. Once we had our eyes on him though, he was easy to pick out. We were thrilled beyond words to see our first adult male painted bunting! He was even more beautiful in person than either of us would have imagined. We watched him for a good 15 minutes, as I took a few photos. We decided to keep walking the trail as we were hearing buntings in a couple of locations. Within just a few minutes we were treated to our second sighting. This time he was in full sun with all of his colors blazing. He sat on a lower branch in the open and sang for his mate. My photos will never do them justice, but I did get a few decent ones in my humble opinion. 

Our first sighting. His colors are just incredible!

Our second sighting. He was totally in the sun. I wish I had gotten a little better photo of him to be honest. But the thrill was truly in seeing him and enjoying his presence.

We couldn't believe we had already seen 2 adult males before 9:00am. We couldn't wait to explore the island and perhaps see even more, which we did! On our way out of the trail we came upon a BHIC (Bald Head Island Conservancy) staff member. We stopped to chat with her and told her how excited we were to see the painted buntings. We told her we traveled 1134 miles just to see a painted bunting. Then she said "Well, then you might want to stick around. We are about to release a female painted bunting into the wild". Apparently they found her the day before along the roadside with an injury. Sounds like she wasn't hurt too bad, but stunned to where she couldn't fly. They kept her over night to make sure she was OK, and then they released her back into the wild. As they opened the bin to let her out, she flew out so fast! She was definitely ready to get back to the wild. We didn't get a great look at her because she was so fast, but just witnessing the moment was enough for us. Besides, later on we would see a male and female perched together near the top of a tree.

The release of a female painted bunting

Not a great photo, but this is a male and female perched together. We got great looks through our binoculars. I just couldn't get a great photo due to the distance. 

Connie and I rode the wave of excitement throughout the rest of the day. We tooled around the whole island on our golf cart. We took 2 dips in the ocean to cool off. We took a nature tour with BHIC in the middle of the day. Xander is an intern at BHIC and led us the tour. He taught us quite a bit about the conservancy and island in general. We saw an alligator, some cool oak trees, and another painted bunting on this tour. During the tour our golf cart battery was getting low. We called the cart company and they brought us out a new one, so no problem. Later when we went to return the golf cart the gentleman told us they were waiving the extra time fee for us and we could stay out on the island as long as we wanted. Again, customer service was exceptional here. This company is the only one on the island that does daily golf cart rentals and they could have easily ignored our minor inconvenience of needing a new golf cart. Yet, they gave us a nice offer without us even asking for it. And really it wasn't that big of a deal to us. This is just a nod to their customer service, especially when they have a monopoly on the island. 

We didn't stay too much later than their 4:30 closing time, but it did allow us to take another dip in the ocean and explore the full coast line up the island. We hadn't been able to do that yet. We also took one last trip to Kent Mitchell and saw a couple of more male painted buntings. We finally turned it in around 5:45 and headed to a 6 o'clock ferry ride back to the mainland. The heat and excitement wore us down and we were ready to relax back at the hotel and look at all of my photos. 

We had one more day on the coast of Carolina. We spent that with my friends Colleen and Laine. I will write another post about that day and all of the fun we had soon. In the meantime, I wish all of you the best of luck with whatever you are chasing.

Our smiles lasted throughout the whole trip!

                     Now Go Out and Hug a Bird Nerd Today!!!