chautauqua

..using the term in the same way as Robert M. Pirsig did, a journey where one is hoping to learn from the travelling....

- at the time of the dude split, I offered to do any deliveries or collections that the rehab centre needed, no matter how far away. In the past, when I have been confused about things, I used to go driving, so that I could think while I did it. Sometimes I'd drive 3 or 4 hundred kilometres, then turn around and go back home. It didn't always give any clarity, but occasionally it produced some enlightenment. I haven't done that for ages, but when rehab boss-lady sent an email asking for assistance with long trips, I figured that maybe it would help.

- then the dude-split kind of unhappened, although I certainly still need some serious thinking to be done about all of it, but the need for long trips was still there. Mostly, it's been a question of waiting for permits to be issued at state level - for us to send things to other areas, for them to recieve them, for us to fetch things and the current carers to give them up. Eventually, all of the bits came together, and I could schedule a trip. It worked out that I'd do a big loop. Five hundred and sixty km's south-west, to deliver three meerkats to another centre that is building a tribe, as well as to drop off five region-specific tortoises close to there. Another five hundred odd in an east-south-east direction to fetch four baby black-backed jackals needing to be raised and released, and then about five hundred and eighty northerly to get them to the rehab centre, and me to my home.

- that was a lot of driving/thinking time in two days. Didn't seem to have accomplished much in the thinking way, other than to miss having the dude there to share what I was seeing, but at least all the critters got to their new homes. And I also saw some awesome scenery, lots of really special raptors, and tired myself out completely.

- arrived home to find that the dogs had mislaid their brains again, which is a regular occurence. Read them a few paragraphs from 'Marley & Me' by John Grogan where he talks about the definition of good dogs or bad dogs. My collie has mellowed as he has aged, although he still dreams of eating the cats. The Labbie and the rescue mutt are both showing signs of being bad dogs till they drop, in the same kind of way as Marley....drive you insane at the time, but hell, love them just the way they are in spite of that!

- oh yeah, and in spite of having found new batteries for the camera, and taking it all over the country, I didn't remember to actually use it at all. So no pics to share...bummer!