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Going on a bear hunt…. Remember that little childhood game? This is the phrase that kept running through my head as the countdown to my first bird show began. I spend the first part of the week grocery shopping for easy meals so that my sweet hubby won’t starve while I’m traveling. This is always in hopes that the kitchen will still be as clean when I return as when I left it. It never happens. I also plan to do the weekly house cleaning before I leave for the same reason. Actually, I want to come home to a clean house after being away, that never happens either. The second half of the week prior to the show was spent packing handfeeding formula, cleaning cages, packing all the syringes, pipettes, paper towels and anything else that might be necessary while I was gone. At last, the day before the trip is here! I spend the morning finishing laundry and packing my clothes, laptop, bird supplies and books for the hotel room. Needless to say, I’m ready for bathe and bed the night before. Sleep? Not! Departure day was so busy! No, it was hectic. But finally, I’m in the driver’s seat of the truck and ready to roll. Raleigh is an all day drive so I planned to eat on the road and make frequent pit stops to refill the “To-go” cup. One of my stops was a quaint little convenience store/diner in South Carolina on this particular trip. The place was packed! It turns out this establishment is the local hub for the locals. So not only do I have the lines paying for soft drinks, chips and gas, but the locals are having a high old time as well. As I walked through the door, an overalled gentleman stuck his foot out in front of me. Whether deliberate or not, he was a true gentleman and grabbed my arm to keep me from falling flat of my face in the middle of the store! He smiled his toothless grin and winked! The clerk serving the lunch buffet must have seen it all or maybe this is a regular method for this gentleman to meet women. As I passed by her heading for the ladies room, she laughed and said, “Nothing like being swept off your feet is it?” Check-in, renting show boxes, and collecting my show tags was not as scary or difficult as I had imagined. I was so afraid that I would fill out the forms wrong or mis-tag one of my birds. The show secretary and coordinator were just super! I felt right at home in a matter of seconds! The bird club had setup a beautiful buffet dinner for all of us coming in on Friday evening so I even got to eat something besides fast food! Saturday morning was an up and at ‘em morning. The birds had to be checked in by 9:00 am; judging started at 10:00 am! Once the birds were checked in with their tags (one category had to be changed) then I was free to browse the vendors, chat with other breeders and try to just absorb everything about the show! Cockatiels were not the only birds being shown. There were parrots, finches, parrotlets, and lovebirds as well. When the clock struck 10, I was sitting in my seat, anxiously waiting for the judge to begin. There was a slight delay due to some category mix-ups but soon the judging began. Thankfully, I was sitting close to a couple of show veterans who answered my questions very patiently. The day ended as we met for dinner and more “tiel” talk! After dinner, the raffle drawing started. I won a pair of Spectacle Parrotlets donated by The Parrotlet Ranch. They are just adorable! One of the conditions of winning the pair was they had to be shown the following day! More excitement! I now had four birds entered! Sunday was another early day but since the show was actually in the conference room in the hotel, it felt more relaxed. Besides, I was a one-day show veteran now! I checked my birds in and started mingling with the other breeders. I floated between the parrotlet show and the cockatiel show since I had birds in both. The friendly chatter among bird people is just awesome! Someone is always there to answer a question. If you can’t already tell, I’m hooked! I know I can’t go to every bird show but I will be there if my leg isn’t broken and it is driving distance!
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