Chickpea's Excellent Adventure

And now for something completely different. I haven't really done one of these "story" posts, yet. I'm also going to break my own unwritten "no people" rule...

My dear, sweet Aunt Liz recently moved out west and couldn't take both of her beloved cats with her, so she left Chickpea in the capable care of her sister (my mom) for a couple of weeks. Today, Chickpea became one of the first pets to fly on Pet Airways, and I had the awesome responsibility of helping Mom get her safely to B.W.I. Airport. She is now on her way to be reunited with Aunt Liz somewhere out past the Louisiana Purchase.

"I'm done with the Metro Section and this coffee is cold. Who is this guy and what is with the camera?"

"Is it me or is there a vibe? I thought I felt a vibe. It was a 'time to put Chickpea in her crate' kind of vibe. I'm pretty sure..."

"What? I know I haven't been under any beds - or under any furniture, for that matter - the whole time I've been here. I thought I'd try it now. Go away, please."

"She's coming to get me, isn't she? I don't feel safe ANYwhere, anymore."

"I told you there was a %$#&^* VIBE!"

"What's so funny? I'm in a CAGE! My keeper has betrayed me."

"Well, this isn't so bad. Maybe I'm going home."

"What is that noise - JET ENGINES??? Put me down. You are not cool. Hey - a bird..."

Okay, so the real adventure took place after we dropped the poor thing off with the very nice pet-friendly people at Pet Airways' BWI terminal, but we don't get to be a part of that. We're picturing a Learjet 60 with a cat or dog in every seat and in-flight movies featuring birds and squirrels. Chickpea, despite her one attempt to flee to the farthest corner underneath a bed, was actually very blasé about the whole thing and is a very sweet little cat.

Bon Voyage, little one. Say Hi to Aunt Liz for us!

Critters!

I have always found animals to be much easier to photograph than people. Before we move into my extensive collection of bird pics and my ludicrous volumes of panda shots, here are a few other furry (and some not so furry) friends. Above, three sheep in a row - somewhere along Route 15 (or maybe Route 11) in Virginia, 1998.

El Ray ("The King") - St. Thomas, USVI - 1986

Shorty, the cat who came with the house - St. Thomas, USVI - 1986

Elizabeth atop the curtains (and just look at those groovy curtains, too!) - Rockville, MD - 1983 (another rare surviving photo from the instamatic years)

Bubba The Party Snake - Rockville, MD - 2000 (Bubba could sleep for days, but as soon as I got the camera out, he was all over the place)

Sunning Crocodile - Everglades National Park, FL - 1999

M A N T I S !! - Germantown, MD 1995

Pygmy Goat - Point of Rocks, MD - 1998

Um, Grasshopper - Lancaster, VA - 2001

Yep, that's a squirrel. Lake Needwood, MD - 1991

The Southernmost Beach Cat, possibly one of Hemingway's. Either way, the world is his sandbox. Key West - 2002

This is as close as I've ever seen a cat get to actually looking embarrassed. Molly - Rockville, MD - 1997

Finally (for now), Molly fills my old windowsill with her great bulk - Rockville, MD - 1993