Bird Park Saturday

Jamie & I went out to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Ladner for a relaxing Saturday afternoon picnic & walk. We enjoyed best sandwiches from Thrifty Foods in Tsawwassen (I would move there for that grocery store!) and we ate them on a picnic table, with me huddled in a blanket because it was freezing - not because I was wearing short pants and flip flops on a chilly day! I could eat their West Coast veggie sandwich every day - it's crusty cranberry nut bread, cream cheese, jalapeno havarti, dijon, cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers and red onions. SOOOO good! I am looking for lunch alternatives since I have read that pregnant ladies are not supposed to be eating any deli meats unless they are "steaming" - gross!

Anyway, sandwiches aside, the bird sanctuary walk was great. There are lovely nature paths through marsh areas and light woodsy groves. Lots of photo opportunities and cool breezes. The only problem is that Jamie & I are both pretty scared of birds ever since our trip into the deserted bird park in Playacar, Mexico, when we went into the toucan cage - which only had one entrance and exit, we found out when we were at the end of the path inside the cage, the exit door was barred, and we began to be attacked by toucans and scary Mexican vulture-like birds!! Anyway, since then we are scared of large birds - a weinery thing to be afraid of, you may think, until you're cornered by vicious birds and you're wearing flip flops!

At the bird sanctuary there are the good birds - ducks especially, and more than a few scary ones - especially those scary-aggressive Sandhill Cranes and some mighty ornery Canada geese. We were on a lookout over the marsh yesterday when five sandhill cranes flew in overhead, squawking like some kind of pterodactyls, and one cornered us. I should note there are all sorts of signs around saying they're aggressive and can hurt people, just so you know we're chickens but not out of our minds! Anyway, Jamie said 'run!' and we leaped off the lookout structure and I got my flip-flop caught on the stairs and flew, supergirl like, into a heap on the ground with a thud! As per usual, I kept the camera elevated above my head (I fall a lot apparently) and was trying to get back up with the camera and my tote bag full of water & blankets when Jamie helped me back to my feet. I couldn't help thinking when I was falling that a) that scary bird was going to get me for sure now and b) why, oh why, am I laying here on the ground like a girl in high-heels in a 50's b-movie. Seriously, I would be that person, breaking an ankle in the big chase scene when everyone runs away from the scary monster/alien/mutant vegetable! All was well in the end - we got away and enjoyed the rest of the walk! And Jamie got us some ice cream for our troubles on the way home!

We are looking forward, by the way, to having a baby carriage to stow all our junk in! And I should consider wearing better shoes sometimes!