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Borrego Springs, CA

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Guess I’m a big spender!

After my encounter with Mr. BIG Bear yesterday morning, I got a refuge vehicle and headed out to fill all the pamphlet holders around the refuge.  Some needed refilling, and others didn’t.

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I drove down most of the entrance roads just to see why they were there, and what they had to offer to the public.  Along the way, I found a few interesting, to me, things to photograph.  These flowers are just beginning to bloom along one of the canals leading to Roanoke Sound.  I also saw a belted kingfisher and a green heron along this road, but they weren’t interested in posing for me.  That’s what I like about flowers.  They don’t fly away!

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This looks like an ordinary grass seed head, but I have to tell you that it was a foot and a half long.  I’ve never seen anything like it before.  Don’t know what it is, but it sure was interesting.

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After several hours, I returned to once again exchange vehicles.  Another storm was blowing in and the skies were really darkening.  These cattle egrets decided to hunker down beside a corn field and have a good preen before the skies opened up.  They’ve really been chowing down on all the grasshoppers and crickets that are so abundant in the fields right now.

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Today, it was off to another nine hour stint at the Gateway VC.  I got everything up and running without a glitch, I thought.  After a while, I noticed that the movies that are supposed to come on when you walk into the airplane cockpit weren’t working.  This happens when the electric goes out, and apparently it did overnight.  The solution?  Crawling up onto the top of the wings of the aircraft to reset things.  With my present hip problem, I’m no wing walker, so I was in a quandary what to do.  Luckily, a youthful mother with her young son asked what the problem was.  I explained it, and she said, “ I’m a nurse, and there is no way I’m letting you try to crawl up there!”  There isn’t a ladder available, and you have to balance on the top of the backrest of a chair to get up there.  Instead, she stood on the seat of the chair and lifted her little son on top, and with my direction he was able to push the right button to get things working again.  Turns out she and her family are visiting here for a week before her husband gets deployed overseas.  Our military heroes to the rescue once again!  I’ll tell you that barely a day goes by working in these Visitor Centers that an unusual story doesn’t play out.

We had a real torrential downpour storm roll through in the afternoon, and about ten people were trapped inside until it subsided.  It lasted over an hour, and people just milled around waiting for it to subside.  They weren’t interested in buying anything, so I thought I’d grab this chance to do a little shopping in the nature store.  I have a granddaughter with a birthday coming up in eight days so I was on a mission.

One of the perks of volunteering at this refuge is that you can choose one day while you are here to receive a 40% discount on everything you buy.  I decided this was my day. 

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I know both Phoebe and Avery like the two books I sent them about the sea turtle and the pelican by Suzanne Tate, so I decided with my one day discount I’d send them almost the whole collection of books.  These are all about the creatures of the sea surrounding the Outer Banks, and each tale teaches a lesson that’s transferable to children’s lives, as well as very factual material about their life styles.  “Helpful Humans” are also a part of many of the books, and I’m hoping this will foster a true caring attitude for the natural world in these young lives.  If you have young children in your lives, I heartily recommend these books.

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There will also be a few other surprises in that box that I send off on Monday to Indiana.  Winking smile Couldn’t have a big shopping day without getting a little item for myself either.  I chose this tee shirt to commemorate my encounters with the bears of Alligator River NWR.  But it was what was on the back of the shirt that really caught my eye…

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It seemed to fit the fulltimer lifestyle.  However, I just wished I didn’t get lost as many times as I seem to do.  So then it was time to total up the bill, and I scanned each item into the computerized cash register.  My total with a 40% discount?  A whopping $30,647,862.32!  WOW!  I must admit that it was the 32 cents that really blew my mind!  Talk about being the last of the big spenders!  Can you guess how fast I hit the delete button?  A little later, I was able to try again, and the computer was much more reasonable this time.Confused smile

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

30 comments:

  1. I'd have hated to see the total before the discount!

    I'm sure your heart skipped a couple of beats when that total came up, I know mine would have. :cO

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  2. The "all who wander" phrase is one of my favs...p.s. they should give all volunteers a 40% of discount day once a month...I mean really!!

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  3. Beautiful photos, Judy! amazing how fast things add up, isn't it? :-)

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  4. See you weren't lost, you were wandering.

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  5. What a thoughtful grandma you are. Books keep giving and giving for a lifetime! I too enjoy giving and receiving books for any holiday.

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  6. Your header with the BIG bear is amazing! I can usually convince myself that our bears in the Sierra aren't really so big; nothing like Alaska for instance. But now, I'm going to have your guy in mind every time I'm out on the trail! ;)

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  7. One of my favorite years of doing Toys for Tots was the year I bought books. Your books would be good ones for that, too. Books make wonderful gifts.

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  8. I would have had a heart attack if I had seen the total purchase!

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  9. Love that T-shirt all the way around! Whew but what a price you "almost" paid! :-)) Great stories again Judy. How's Emma doing with this new change of life style and your being gone so much??

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  10. A Little help can come from so many unexpected sources:)

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  11. lol--I think I would have had more of a heart attack if the dollar amount had been so ridiculously far off. Look like great books and I love the shirt to.

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  12. How great that you found some helpful folks who were young enough to do the wing walking for you. I really love that t-shirt. I can't believe you didn't buy a couple more at that price!

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  13. Are you sure you weren't subconsciouly trying to get out of working at the visitor's center? ;) Love the tshirt, love the books!

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  14. I love all the choices you made for gifts, including the one for yourself! And I'm glad you were picking up the tab!

    Since I detest them, I am in favor of any feathered friend who munches on bugs that crunch!

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  15. Great buys. I have lots of birthday's coming up but my grands are all to old for those books. I really love the T-shirt for yourself.

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  16. great choices for the girls and for you too!

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  17. Great post. I'm going to send it to Tish, at Malheur so she can research some of those kids books to sell at Malheur.

    And I think being lost is the best thing that can happen. When you find yourself, you are often at a place you would never have seen otherwise and/or have had an exciting adventure so have build new brain cells, made lots of wonderful endorphins, and realized that once again, you can survive whatever you encounter.

    My best friend and I think no trip is a success without three u-turns and one lost.

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  18. Great idea for books! I love my G'kiddos bunches, but dang girl that's a Lot of money! Lol

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  19. Wow, you certainly are a big spender Judy! :)
    Love the t-shirt. It is definitely appropriate.

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  20. Love the t-shirt; especially the back. I can just imagine what the credit card company would have had to say had that sale gone through :-))

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  21. Holy cow! You really are a big spender. Good thing you get a 40% discount. :-)

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  22. I'm finally back on-line after a few problems... but want to add that I think your new header is fantastic! I'd like to come across that big bruin... as long as I was in a vehicle ;-) Love the selection of books... that's always my gift of choice.

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  23. Just got caught up on the post this morning. Delete buttons are great. Love your big bear pic.

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  24. And John complains about me spending $14.95 on a t-shirt! Geeessshhhh! Ann

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  25. Glad the computer was more reasonable the second time around. The delete button is a good thing :)

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  26. Inflation hits Alligator River NWR!! Nice choice on the books. Start them young loving books and they never outgrow it.

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  27. I have a long sleeve T and a refrig magnet with that saying "All who wander....."....It is one of my favorites, as is the author..I loved his book The Lord Of The Rings. Maybe in a former life I was a Hobbit. Good thing you didn't do the fix on that plane, that could have ended up as a 911 call :-(

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  28. My grandaughters should be so lucky to have a grandmom that spends THAT kind of money on them.

    On your question to me - yea,we leave the Escapade Friday morning and head to NY hoping to arrive sometime early Monday. 970 miles! Don't like to travel that fast but wanted to attend both rallys so will give it a shot.

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  29. I love your two t-shirts. The books look great. I have quite a few great nephews and a great niece now and we are always looking for fun and unusual books at the visitor centers. Yours sounded a little pricey??? Computers you can't live without them but boy can they screw up.

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