| From: shan lung <shanlung9@y...> Date: Tue Jul 15, 2003 3:41 pm Subject: Tinkerbell at Alishan - Ding Hu Hi folks, Events of the last weekend brought me out of lurkdom again. I was trying to finish up a report of an earlier long trip with Tink. I also had plans to write to you guys on the development of Tink Harness Ver 6 using soft lanyard and knots (using double figure-of eight loops) which may be easier and more secure than just sewing inspired by some private correspondence. My son is coming over this evening to stay with me for 2 weeks thereby cutting even more into my time. He just graduated from the uni and going to work soon and this may be the last long holidays we can share together. If I put this off, this may never be written. Last few days have been brutally hot here with 37C in the shade. I just had to go up the nearby Alishan mountain range. Riding up the mountain road on my bike with my wife behind and Tink in carrier, I came to a turning when my wife asked me where that lead to. Heck! Since I did not know, a few moments later I doubled back to get to that turn-off. With bamboo and forest on both side of that little road and continuing upward climb, I was getting to like that place even if just the road. The trees parted and we came into this tea plantation with a hamlet of 12 odd houses. There was also a big RV community with their pitched tents and RVs. I found that this place was called Ding Hu and was a collection of tea farmers who also rented out rooms and camping areas to visitors. With the elevation of near 1900 meters, that was a delightful cool place to spend some time with some wonderful freezing temperature at night. I found lodgings by the process of asking around. That the wardrobe was packed with clothings and the bathroom with toiletries added to the charm. After all, we only brought a change of Tshirts and underwear and happy enough with a room vacated by its owner when we walked in. Eventually we got to this 'liang ting' or Chinese pavilion located in a clearing next to a bamboo forest and the RV campers. You know of Tink and her harness and 3 weeks back, I wrote about the sub-millimeter thick fishing line. I had substituted the 8 inch loop in front of the harness with two loops of the fishing line. Notwithstanding the line material is used to make bullet proof vests, I was too paranoid to use single loop. Double loops will hold even if Tink bit through a line. She tried her best and I am please to report no serious noticeable damage on the line. To those loops, that reelable dog leash had been attached with the spring loaded thingy which kind of weigh Tink down. That loops were introduced so the leash attachment would have been further from Tink's capable mouth. Melinda of bird click had asked me to ask around prior to using the fishing line. I did not as I doubt others have tried and by default, I seem to be the pioneer of intense harness usage here. So sitting in the pavilion wreathed in mist looking at Tink 8 feet away on a low wall, I thought its time to check out the fishing line. The fishing line was supposed to hold 200 kg and should hold a CAG. The 50 meter long line on a hand reel was then tied to a big paper clip I pinched from the office and clipped on the harness loop. The dog leash was then removed. Tink must have felt very different as the line was much lighter and she perked up bobbing her body up and down. I cued her to fly to me. Her response in the past (if she so decided to) was to fly in a straight line from where she was to my up raised arm. With the light line, she flapped her wings to rise vertically a foot up hovering for a fraction of a second. She then flew to me a couple of feet higher, hovered to face the direction she came from and slowly lowered herself on my shoulder instead of my arm. Like she knew there was a big change and she showed me that she liked it. I was happy like a crazy coot. Small things pleases me and big things pleases me even more. We knew for sure that Tink liked the lighter fishing line very much. We did a lot of recalls captured by my wife on her camera and some on mine. I stopped even though it was clear she wanted to continue on. The next day, we went back to the same place again. Instead of recalling within the pavilion, the recall was done outside. With the fishing line hooked up, Tink was placed on the pavilion edge and I moved 15 meters (50 feet) or so away unreeling the line as I moved. There was a crowd watching us and Tink hates to perform for crowd. I , being proud of my Tink, used to love the crowd. But after Tink refused point blank to pander to my pride in her, I sorrowfully disliked crowds as well. She sat there ignoring al my cries until the crowd lessen. She then flew to me. At the last moment, she turned off to land up a big rock 10 meters above me to peer down at me. With the line attached to her, I can be very forgiving to my Tink. Without the line, my heart will go into palpitations and I would have swooned or whatever the masculine equivalent. My lovely wife watching nearby gave her usual snide remarks. I had nothing to respond to her as Tink was leering down on me from her rock. She eventually returned to me and we just hang around that place. Later in the morning, more RVs and tents moved away leaving us alone in that area. Even wife wandered off to take silly photos of flowers. The recall was set up again. The cue was given. Tink responded immediately and so gracefully I could almost cry, partly from the frustration such beauty was witnessed only by me. To those clickers, the recalls have been done so well and so successful for so long that I have long ago 'faded' out the clicker. Tink got her head rubs and seeds and I moved to her starting point leaving Tink behind. Tink came immediately to me on recall cue. I moved further away and up a flight of steps so Tink must fly upwards to me over 25 meters. That flight was just so beautiful. I cut the distance back to 12 meters and Tink came to me on cue. My wife came back eventually to witness the last two long recalls out of a series of 8 -10 recalls. Tink and I were having so much fun that I ended it reluctantly. That was it and we slowling made our way back down the mountain to Chiayi. ===== With warmest regards Shanlung Joy - wife, Tinkerbell - CAG & surrogate daughter |
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