Continuing on our trip -- Part 4

Saving the “best” for last, easily the most intriguing people we visited on our trip were Cynthia’s cousin, James Harvey Brewer and his wife Betty. Because of their backgrounds in the Orient we found them so interesting. The moment we walked in the door, he asked if we had been watching the sumo wrestling tournament. He had recorded 14 hours and said it would come on later than night and he was planning to record more, because it came on at 4 a.m. or something like that. Cynthia and I looked at each other, a little puzzled, I’m sure. James Harvey gets a Japanese channel on his TV, you see.

He is very knowledgeable and began explaining the yokozuna (grand champion) to us. He spent time in Japan during his military days and Betty was an assistant to the CEO of a Japanese electronics firm for seven years.

Then he introduced us to his family – of birds, that is. One by one, he introduced us to Warrior (top left) Levi (top, 2nd photo) Mochi (top, 3rd photo) and Tiki (second row, 4th photo). Warrior was actually just visiting while his owner was bird-sitting in Georgia . The birds were absolutely beautiful, even to someone not really into in the fine-feathered things. Over the next evening and morning, the birds played, talked, sang and even danced for us. Very entertaining. Mochi is a white Goffin’s Cockatoo, nine years old and domestically hatched. In fact they have a shadowbox display that includes his actual age. He was named for a Japanese rice dish. Tiki, a Panama Yellow Amazon, was caught in the wild and is over 28 years old. His favorite phrase appears to be “Hi, sugar”. Levi, a blue and gold McCaw is 17 and Warrior, a green-winged McCaw. is 16. All these birds are a commitment for life and beyond. Betty explained how McCaws often outlive their owners, requiring provisions for their care to be included in wills. We didn’t even begin to guess how much they might be in “bird years”.

James Harvey and Betty have a back room they’ve turned into an aviary so their little family can “spread their wings and stretch out” each day. Betty fed each bird, things like oat meal, crackers, etc. and talked to them as they ate. The birds responded and did a little dancing at Betty’s request. They almost reminded Cynthia and I of the mynah birds at Coodrod’s old store on HYW. 59 in Heavener, but, obviously, these were much prettier and talented in their own right.