My friend, Nika rescues injured raptors.  She invited me to drive up to Pendleton with her on Saturday to deliver an injured kestrel to Blue Mountain Wildlife, a raptor rehabilitation center.  What a great opportunity it was!

We were fortunate enough to be given a tour of the facility by Shesh, a kind and knowledgeable Blue Mountain Volunteer.  It is inspiring to see the work they do with these animals who would otherwise never have a second chance.  There were a variety of hawks and owls native to Eastern Oregon, as well as as some non-native birds.  I enjoyed seeing the hawks up close, because, even though I see many of these animals from a distance in my every day life, I have always wanted to get a better look at them.  Each one is different and amazingly beautiful in their own way.  The eagles were large and impressive, and quite shy.  There were both Golden and Bald eagles at the facility.

A personal favorite moment of the day came when we were allowed to go into the deer pen.  There were three orphaned deer being raised to hopefully someday be re-introduced to the wild.  Two whitetails, and a little mule deer buck named “Bucky” who was looking for lunch.  These deer were very tame, curious and sweet and I just wanted to pet them all day.  Their big brown eyes will melt even the coldest heart!

Another thing that really stood out to me were the vultures and magpie that had imprinted on humans.  They were perfectly calm, and seemed drawn to us.  I was able to get some really close up shots, and observed distinct personalities in these amazing creatures.  The magpie was very sociable, whistling at us and making sounds that mimic human speech.  She brought a little stick up to her perch to show us.  It was really quite incredible!  It was a very special day and I enjoyed every moment.  Many thanks to you, Nika for sharing this wonderful place with me, and also to Shesh for taking the time to give us such an in-depth tour.  To learn more, please visit the Blue Mountain website here.

A close-up of one of the imprinted Turkey Vultures…I LOVE his face!

An injured owl:

My curious little magpie friend:

A beautiful pair of bobcats:

Darla, an orphaned whitetail:

Bucky, (mule deer) looking for a treat:

Vulture feet!

Isn’t she cute?!  I wanted to take her home.

Shesh, our guide for the facility:

Nika and me in front of one of the hawk cages:

Thank you, Nika…what a fun day!

Rochelle’s adorable daughter:

Rochelle and Dad:

Rochelle’s parents…these two are fantastic dancers!

Will and Rochelle’s beautiful son:

Kicking off my blogging drought is a post featuring an amazing, sweet and beautiful couple, Oscar and Megan, who were married in May.  Their wedding was held in my super awesome neighbors’ (Liz and George) gorgeous backyard over looking the desert on the outskirts of Adrian.  The wedding was filled with laughter and love and had many guests whom I knew personally.  It was fun to see all the locals, and I met some great new people, as well.  The weather was perfect and sunshiny which was unusual for our temperamental month of May.  After the ceremony, guests dined on an authentic Mexican feast with all kinds of delicious food.  DJ Joshua Duerkson kept things hoppin’ with fun music and lively guest interaction.  A great time was had by all.  Thank you for inviting me to share this important day with you, Megan and Oscar.  Congratulations!

Aren’t these the cutest flower girls ever?!

Watch these next few pictures, and you will see there was a cake-smashing conspiracy in the works:

This couple stayed on the dance floor the longest for the anniversary dance:

When asked about the secret to a successful and long lasting marriage, the gentleman quickly replied: “Learn to keep your mouth shut!”

Mmm..the food was SO good!

I love this lady!  Megan’s incredible mom, Denise:

George, chillaxin with a couple of cute babes:

My parent’s neighbor, Dale…maybe he spotted a huge buck on the horizon?

Lucy, striking an elegant pose:

Beautiful sisters!