national

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s…Birdly!

/ Jodi / 62 Comments

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s… Birdly!

Hubby and I made a little visit this past weekend to the National Aviary located in our beautiful city of Pittsburgh.

It’s pretty awesome having America’s only independent indoor nonprofit zoo dedicated exclusively to birds in our own “backyard” with a diverse collection of more than 500 birds representing more than 150 species from around the world, many of them threatened or endangered in the wild.

And guess what?  We’ve never visited it before this past weekend!

Bird lovers that we have become…..  meet some of our new friends.

I wish I could remember their names and species, but maybe some of you are better at identifying.  I simply found them fascinating and beautiful.

The eagle took my breath away.

But wait….. what is this rare bird?

It’s Hubby as a virtual reality eagle flying over New York City on BIRDLY!

Have you ever dreamed of flying like a bird?  BIRDLY has made that possible, and we were able to experience it on our recent visit.

The exhilarating flight simulation experience allows you to fly like a bird while lying on the simulator chest down, flapping your arms using hinged wings, and controlling  your direction and speed while a fan simulates headwinds. Motors and actuators tilt and dip your body in response. The sensory-motor coupling essentially tricks the brain, so between the motion, wind, sound and visuals, you are effectively flying!

For me it was exciting and terrifying at the same time.  Biggest ninny poo poo of all time, I am deathly afraid of heights.  But I wasn’t going to let that stop me.  It is clearly safe, and oh what a feeling of freedom it was!

So yep – got to experience flying like a bird this past weekend!  I’d say that’s a check off the ole’ bucket list for sure!  Hubby was so busy telling me how to flap my wings, he didn’t think to take a picture.  Does that surprise anyone that knows him!?!?

He really was trying to help me as I was…. [ahem]… let’s say the “most vocal” of all the flyers that afternoon…

If you get a chance, do visit the National Aviary and take a flight on Birdly where you can “Fly Like an Eagle.”

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Happy National “Sorry Charlie” Day

/ Jodi / 70 Comments
Charlie Dog Impressionistic Watercolor Jodi McKinney

Charlie Dog Impressionistic Watercolor by Jodi McKinney

Happy National Sorry Charlie Day!

What???  You didn’t know?

Are you kidding me?

According to the National Day Calendar #CelebrateEveryDay, National Sorry Charlie Day is observed each year on April 6.  This day is designated to encourage us to think about the times we have been rejected.  Whether we’ve been rejected by a sweetheart or a college or a prospective employer or by the bank for a loan, we have all been rejected.  National Sorry Charlie Day also gives us an opportunity to reflect on how we survived the rejection and what we learned from it.

Sounds like a day to celebrate – eh?

This day also gives me an opportunity to celebrate some of the very special Charlies in my life.

First – there’s Charlie, our favorite guest blogger.  Charlie is my favorite furry son.

Second – my Grandpap’s name was Charlie, and he was the most awesome Grandpap ever.   (You can read a post I wrote a year and a half ago about him by clicking here.)

Third – is my son Nick, whose middle name is Charles (named after my Grandpap).  Formally Nicholas Charles, we sometimes call him “Nick Chuck.”  (You can see him as a “chuck”ling King of Spades with his Queen Liz and their court of friends last Halloween by clicking here.)

And last, but not least, is one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Charlie O at Doodlewash, who is celebrating his birthday month with a #Doodlewashaday challenge to celebrate daily National and International holidays.  Here is my #NationalSorryCharlieDay painting for you, Charlie.  If I ever get brave enough  good enough, I’ll give your charming Charlie portrait a try!

The other Charlie I think about when I hear “Sorry Charlie,” is the silly cartoon tuna fish, who just wasn’t good enough for Starkist.  “Sorry Charlie!  Only good-tasting tuna gets to be Staaaahhkist!”  (I know – way too much television in the 70’s as a kiddo!)

Seems it’s an all-around “Charlie” kind of day!  How are you celebrating?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi