Thursday, July 06, 2006

Domestic Tom Turkey or "I and the Really Big Bird"

June 17 - Bowen Island. We went to the butcher shop. Now this is not your ordinary city-type butcher shop.

It's up a steep hill in a clearing in the woods. It's a beautiful building and the inside is welcoming with nary a butcher-shop look to it. The shelves and bins are filled with organic jams, jellies, honeys and all kinds of tempting treats. The people that own it are a warm and friendly couple, and the meat and fish they butcher and sell is top quality.

It's there that I met Al. Al is part of the family. He used to wander around the grounds, but he became too friendly with visiting folks, so he had to be fenced in.

When S. and I came up to the fence, Al spread his tail and puffed out his wings with a slow, low "whoomph" sound. Each time we approached him - "Whoomph! - Whoomph! Whoomph!" S. and Y.T., who live on Bowen Island, are close friends with the owners. S. asked if I could go into the enclosure with Al. Although I've spent time on farms in England, I've never been close to a tom turkey, and I was frankly a bit nervous.

But I decided it would be a great experience, so in I went.

S. took some photos of me - so here's the proof. I won't say it was love at first sight, but I really enjoyed my encounter with Al and he seemed to enjoy the attention and stroking.

Photos 1-6 taken by Pam in Tucson. Photos 7 and 8 taken by S. of Bowen Island. All photos taken with a Canon SD700 IS.

3 comments:

Cyn Bagley said...

You were able to get that close to a turkey? You are either brave or the turkey is nice. I have dealt with them before and they are not usually so nice.

:-)

robin andrea said...

What a great bird, and so accommodating. Nice story, Pam.

Pam in Tucson said...

cynthia - The turkey is nice. In fact, he's so nice that he wants to be loved and petted by everyone that shows up at the shop and he ends up being quite annoying. That's why they have to cage him during the day.

r.a. - Thinking of Al still makes me smile. I think we would become great friends if I lived on Bowen Island. He's obviously a very contented bird.