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From: shan lung <shanlung9@y...> Date: Thu Dec 11, 2003 Subject: continuation of 'Bird whisperer of TsaoLing'. Hi folks. So sorry again that it took me so long to respond until you probably forgot what you wrote or asked me about. Its one of those things that work can bury you beyond your eyeballs that you have so little energy left that one can only lurk. I kind of suspected it which was why the last report I made was a day after those events at Tsaoling instead of my usual 4-5 days after. I wrote about the key events hoping to continue the rest (which was an embarassment to me that you will see later) a couple of days later which stretches to 3 weeks now. But first, I thank all who wrote nice things about my articles and I am sorry I am unable to reply individually as I wanted to. Tana went one stage beyond expressing her opinion that I should be paid. That is a wonder to me as I am thankful enough that the owners of the three lists I subscribed to have been rather patient and not thrown me out yet. I have been a bit paranoid about being chucked out ever since a guy demanded to be un-subbed just after I send a long rambling letter much earlier on. Roberta in CA wondered if I am not worried about raptors. For those not in freeflight, I can say a high percentage of the mails will be on raptors giving us warning enough. In addition, in Taiwan, the jungle crows are enormous and big eagles and kites are often seen drifting high above and there have been times I decided Tink go back into the travelling cage instead of riding on the handlebar. Not only that, I am even paranoid of pigeons and pigeon size birds as will be clearer in next few paragraph. Jim Dawson wondered why I not dispense with the harness altogether and let Tink fly free. In Tinks home page in my signature, you will find accounts of how Tink got to fly, and semi free fly in big building and finally getting to the vast open to fly. Have you seen your fid flying off to become a grey speck before disappearing in the haze? I have, and that feeling is undescripable. During that free flight, Tink joined up with what I suspect to be some pigeons after an initial spook and one of those pigeon size bird nearly pecked out Tinkerbell's eye. Tink flew off in panic. The world from that point became a surrealistic matrix where in intense inner pain, I did not have the luxury to feel miserable but have to struggle to marshall all I knew to hunt Tink back and where I aged ten years in that couple of days. I wrote half jokingly that Tinkerbell will fly free only if she can tell me in one hundred words why I should let her that my wife read. My wife planted herself firmly in front of that barn door now and insist she will decide if those hundred words are sincere and trusted enough before that harness can be removed. Taiwan is also a hauntingly beautiful country with so many nooks and corner to immerse yourself in. I love to explore and I never will be in a place sufficiently often enough for Tinkerbell to be accustomed to. That is a prime requisite for free flying that will never be met and that provided she can convince my wife. (I will take that harness off if she tells me ' Daddy, please let me free fly' even if that is less than 100 words). With that harness on, Tink joins us in almost all our explorations. She is constantly exposed to new environment and people and is gaining the confidence and self-assurance that may prevent her from badly spooking in the future. More important, that harness will continue to keep Tinkerbell safe, especially from my stupidity as you can see! But back to the continuation of 'Bird whisperer of TsaoLing'. http://community.webshots.com/album/100497513NiNwYM If you look at the first photo and at about 10 oclock from that Zen temple, you can see faintly a bridge near the floor of the gorge. For an idea of scale, that bridge is about 400 meters long. The next morning, we decided to continue with as much exploration as is possible with half tank petrol, no petrol station, and a re-climb out over the mountain passes. As we went down to that bridge, I saw a bypass little road that lead under that bridge to the floor of that gorge. It opened out into such a wide vista that I thought I try to induce Tink to do a harnessed flyabout. That road lead to a track which lead to this shack in the middle of a big nowhere selling drinks to people who come along that way to yet more sights. I wasn't interested in the sights, and much more fascinated that without trees and in such a big area, I can finally try that 'fly fly fly' with Tink in the open. Stopping that bike, I took out that sawned off fishing rod I talked about, fitted the reel of line and walked to check out the area with Tink on my shoulder. A small little 2 year old toddler came and stick to me like a bloody limpet. When I placed Tink on a rock to do a simple recall, she walked over to Tink upsetting me. I got Tink to step up and tried another area to be followed by that little girl. I then got up on the bike to ride another 50 meters away but still the girl came. I looked in the distant to see what I saw as little brooks winding among cobble stones with a vast area of pampas grass before the mountain start to rise again. Tinkerbell was on my left arm with my right hand holding the reel holder. With the beauty and the euphoria of that place, I felt certain in my mind that it was time to try that flyabout. With that conviction, I look into the distant visualising Tinkerbell flight will take her in a long loop before descending back to me to give me a loving nibble on the ear. I rolled my left hand and told Tink ' fly fly fly'. I was gratified to see her take off and wing away with powerful beats. That reel holder worked like a charm and the reel just unrolled itself paying out the line. I transfered the holder to my left hand. Tink was getting smaller and smaller and I looked with alarm that the 100 M line was considerably diminished. I thought I better give some drag and decided to hold the line with my right hand. It was with some disquiet that Tink did not even noticed my holding the line continue to fly away. Then I felt something burning. The pain which hit my finger was so intense that I looked first to the ground expecting to see my finger joint to be there twitching away like a dropped off lizard tail. I then looked at my hand surprised to see that joint still attached to my finger. The scream I gave may have scared away everything that can fly. That was followed by the richest most colorful words of many languages in my vocabulary. But apparently that did not frighten that little girl who looked at me with eyes opened in astonishment. Tink may have been turning back, but in that confusion and pain, I grapped the reel, walked a step and stumble on a stone. My last view of Tink was that she was turning, line caught in a pampas grass, and disappeared. I thought suddenly of wild cats, monitor lizards, T Rexs and all other carnivourous creatures real and imagined making their way to sweet succulent Tink. The brooks I saw turn out to be bloody rivers and small cobble stones turn out to be head size rocks I got to clamber and twist my feet and ankle on running and hopping to poor Tink in the middle of thick overhead pampas grass following the line. With Tink safely back on my shoulder and the line wound up, a much sorrier me went back to the bike and left that field of unmitigated disaster. Again with my infallible hindsight, I knew I did everything wrong. 'Fly fly fly' as a cue was tried once only at home unsucessfully. Tink flew straight to her tower instead of circling the room that time. Even in normal routine flights at the school or anywhere, I always tested Tink with treat and short 2-5 meters recalls first. Before that, I always give her 5-10 minutes of checking around and getting use to that place. I forgot all of that! In my bloody euphoria at seeing that huge plain, I forgot Tink may have different impressions. I never realised a 400 gram girl can pull a line that hard. I let myself be spooked by a two year old toddler to the extent I forgot all the stuff I had been pontificating over here to pay a price of a burned finger and free education of that little girl of all the swear and curse words of at least 3 languages. Luckily, Tink was on harness and will remain to be as a reminder of my own inate stupidity. 'Fly fly fly' will not be attempted again in the open until I get Tink to do that flyabout at home. On that note, I still continued with that 'fly fly fly' which Tink interpret as doing more and more fantastic flying aerobics at home. She does anything from two twisty circuit of the room, flying a round, reversing her direction to fly another round, zooming me and winging me softly, flying to corner to dart up and dived down as if drawing a twisted Klien bottle to circle the room. Her cued 'fly fly fly' from my hand still have her going in a bloody straight line to the stupid parrot tower. I thought I finish that episode for the record. This coming weekend is lenghtened by time off on Monday and Tuesday and should see us in a hotspring complex at ChiPeng on the East coast of Taiwan. Provided that place still exist after the 6.6 Richter earthquake that struck that area yesterday at noon. Enough of that energy went through the massive mountain range to hit Chiayi with a 4 Richter. No lack of excitment in Taiwan :-) With warmest regards Shanlung Joy - wife, Tinkerbell - CAG & surrogate daughter earlier emails and photo links on Tink - http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9 |
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