Corolla #28

 During the past week, 22 friends gathered for the 28th vacation together in Corolla on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We missed last year because of COVID, and this year we scheduled it for September rather than April as we usually do.  Everyone was fully vaccinated and was tested during the previous week.

 I didn’t know what to expect this year.  Twenty-eight years ago, we were in our 40s and 50s.  Now most of us are in our seventies and eighties, some with health issues.  Other years we stayed in two rental houses coming together for an evening meal.  This year we were all together in one big house. 

 We felt safe as we arrived and hugs were the norm.  The energy level was high and kept getting higher during the first evening.  I compared it to what I thought it would be like if a sorority and fraternity got together for a house party.  Everyone was talking and laughing.  It was wonderful.  And the energy level remained high throughout the week.

 A big thanks to Pam and Bill for organizing and scheduling our Corolla vacations.  Without them, none of these wonderful vacations would have happened.

 Next year we are planning to be back in April in one ocean-front house.  Aloma and I are already looking forward to it.

 Seasoned Man           

stevelem117@gmail.com

Hummingbirds

 We’ve had a few hummingbirds visit our backyard in past years.  Last year, we bought a feeder and filled it with a commercial solution that claimed to have vitamins for the hummingbirds.  Several hummingbirds used it a couple of times, but we were disappointed as we expected more.

 This year Aloma decided to make our own solution-- ½ cup of sugar and 1 cup of water.  That did the trick.  We’ve got six or more birds that hang around our feeder, fight each other for feeder rights, and ignore us even when we’re sitting four feet from the feeder.  The hummingbirds are green in color, some with black and white on their tails.  One ruby throat stops by now and then.   We even have a baby, small and without a tail, that waits until the others take their fight away and then comes in to feed.  We’ve named her Nubin.  Aloma calls another one greenback because of her bright green feathers.

 We especially enjoy the hummingbirds this time of the year because our other many birds, except for a pair of cardinals and some goldfinches, leave us in July and don’t return until late winter or spring.  We understand hummingbirds in our area begin migrating to South America or Central America in September.

 We will enjoy them until they leave on their long journey, and we’ll look forward to their return next year.

 Seasoned Man

Stevelem117@gmail.com