Wednesday, September 01, 2021

A fun weekend

 We had a fabulous time this past weekend.  Ok, we always do!   But this weekend we went to visit some places and just got out and spent time together (ok, that's the normal for our weekends also) and we had a great time.  So what did we do???

Bird Store

On Saturday we were looking for something to do.  It was so super hot and the humidity was sky high.   We wimped out and decided to not go hiking or biking.  Instead we hopped in the car and headed to a bird store about an hour and a half away.  We were looking for one or two things for Kiwi.  I was looking for extra bowls for his food and Jason was looking for Hemp seed (still in the shells).   We set off ready for a grand adventure!

On the way down, we stopped at an REI and both made a few purchases but we were soon parking at the bird store.  We walked in and WOW....it was loud!  Much louder than I remembered.  This store has birds everywhere.  On this visit a Military Mccaw greeted us at the door with a cheery Hello. 

We visited with this pretty boy.....who also said Hello, but not until I was not looking as he apparently does not like women (he was owned by a woman for 22 years and apparently she didn't treat him well)

We saw cockatoos, green cheek conures, budgies, lovebirds, miniature mccaws, cockatoos and so many more!  I even got to pet the scarlet mccaw babies!  (soooo cute)

We did some shopping at this bird store that is the closest bird store to us (a store that actually specializes in birds).  Ironically enough, we got nothing that we went looking for.  But no worries, Kiwi still got some goodies!!!

Sunday Afternoon and more Heat

On Sunday we decided to brave the heat with a little bit of outdoor activity.  We drove up to Thurmont, MD and visited the Catoctin Furnace.   It was rather fitting after we hiked the Charcoal trail last week.   We had stumbled upon this furnace a few months back but the museum was closed at that point.  This time, the museum was open!  

The museum is small but it was quite informative and neat.  It is housed in a beautifully restored ironworkers house.  The Ironworks in this area was in operation from about the time of the Revolutionary War (this iron works supplied munitions to George Washington and his troops) and operated until 1903.
There are multiple buildings and ruins in the area to explore along with a few trails that are marked with waysides to give more history!
When we had finished our exploration of the Catoctin Iron Furnace and surrounding area, we headed a short distance up the road to the Catoctin Zoo.  We have an annual membership and find that it is a nice place to go for an easy walk...especially on hot days. 
And seriously......baby sloths!  

We had a fabulous time, even though it was so super hot and humid!  It got us out and moving and that is just what we needed!