Time flies, and so did the Scott's Oriole

Has it really been over a month since I last posted? Getting married sure messes up a woman's routine, let me tell you. Of course, the wedding ceremony itself was just about the shortest piece of the whole deal - I think the ceremony took all of 20 minutes, maybe. One minute I'm walking down the aisle and the next minute I'm married. Our bachelorette party, on the other hand, lasted way longer than it should have. I managed to talk Melody out of a crazy bar night in exchange for our own version of Birds and Beers: five of us went birding one afternoon, and the deal was you had to take a big swig of beer for each lifer you saw. Since my girlfriends aren't birders, it didn't take long for them to swill enough beer to float an armada; I now know that even a Canada goose can be a 'find' for a new birder. Unfortunately, I didn't see a single bird I didn't already have on my life list, but that was a good thing since I was doing the driving. Okay, so I sort of had my bachelorette party rigged, but I think I got some new birders out of it, which is always worth it.

And now my most recent lifer - the Scott's Oriole I saw in Flagstaff back in August - has apparently shown up in Duluth! If it really is a Scott's, then it's only the fourth one seen in the state. I guess it's another example of just when you think you know what to expect, you get surprised - both by birds and life. Take marriage, for example. I thought I knew what being married to Bob would be like, but I was wrong. It's WAY better. He even lets me wear his fuzzy Loon slippers....

Almost There...

At this point, I’m just going to be glad when it’s over. Less than a week now.

I’m talking about the wedding, not the fall migration. I wish that would go on for a few more months.

Hawk Ridge

So, I lied. Despite everything else going on in our hectic lives, Bobby and I managed to get up to Hawk Ridge in Duluth over Labor Day to catch the fall migration. While we were there we got to see a few birds being banded, including a magnificent immature bald eagle. Thanks to our buddy Erik Bruhnke (www.naturallyavian.blogspot.com) for the photos he shared with me!

You can see the band around the eagle's talon as it takes flight. It reminds me of the band that I'll be wearing in a few weeks, except mine will be gold with a sapphire inset.

The Countdown Begins!

The countdown is on! With 22 days until Bob and I get married, just about everything has been taken care of. The church has been reserved, the RSVPs are coming in, and no, we will not have bird-shaped ice sculptures at the reception, as we will be seeing way too much of the real thing in a few months. Ice, I mean, not sculptures. This is Minnesota after all. That leaves just a few little details that still need to be worked out.

1. The wedding dress. I know, with the wedding in three weeks, I should have done this by now. It just hadn’t made it to the top of my priorities what with everything else going on: Lily’s Wedding of the Century earlier this summer, our impromptu trip to Flagstaff, training the new salad chef at Maple Leaf, and going through the White and Nilsson family trees to shake out who should be invited. I have an appointment tomorrow at The Wedding Shoppe in Saint Paul, and I WILL choose my dress. No fuss, no excuses. 

 2. Go talk to Betsy, our reception caterer, about making the switch from lobster rolls to tuna rolls in the appetizer platter. The last thing I want is for Great-aunt Mabel to swell like a balloon and have to be rushed to the ER during the first dance. That happened at Cousin Stanley’s wedding and, believe me, one medical emergency at a wedding reception was one too many.

  

           3. Birding is on the back burner for right now. I’d love to get out and catch the fall migrants, but I just don’t know how I can fit it in. 

     4. Check when Melody, my favorite cousin, is arriving on her flight. As my maid of honor, she is coming in early for a bachelorette party. According to Melody there will be naked men, fountains of chocolate, and ten rounds of Cuervo, not necessarily in that order. I’m planning to talk her out of that, except for the part about the chocolate. 

  

            5. Check on flight time for Bridgitte. Bridgitte and I roomed together the year I spent in Paris at culinary school; her wedding gift to us is our wedding cake. That reminds me: there is one more item on this list of things I have yet to do…

  

            6. Tell my boss, Mitch, at Maple Leaf that Bridgitte’s going to be using the kitchen the week of my wedding.  If he has a problem with that, I’ll tell him that Bridgitte makes a coq au vin to die for- Mitch is such a sucker for French cooking. 

Well, that’s it. I’m done for the night. A girl can only stress about her wedding day so much. I do have other fish to fry… and sauté, and bake, and broil, and steam…