Mar 09 2008
Some Assembly Required . . .
. . . are the three most dreaded words in the English language.
Who in this era of instant gratification has time and patience to build something from scratch? Well, yesterday was just that day when I was recruited to assemble a raptor flight cage for Pacific Wildlife Care, an organization dedicated to the rescue of injured and sick birds and mammals. The facilities are located in Morro Bay, just a stone’s throw from our rv park next to the tall power plant chimmneys.
Harvey Cohon, a retired wood shop teacher, who volunteers a good portion of his time to PWC and offers his skill as a builder and carpenter to construct various needed facilites, recruited me and a few of his other friends and fellow volunteers to assemble a large (10′x20′x10′) cage to house recovering raptors. Being a boid-hugger and part-time resident of Morro Bay, I thought this would be a good opportunity to do my civic duty and volunteer some time to a good cause. Especially one right down my alley.
So yesterday morning, I hopped on my bike, rode over to PWC and joined 7 other volunteers to erect a huge cage formed from steel pipes and plywood. In over 7 hours, we sawed, hammered, bolted and screwed the bugger together and got the basic frame work, entry doors, and walls completed. It was like putting a giant tinker toy set together. The final phase is to encapsulate the entire steel structure with a nylon mesh covering.
I can’t remember the last time I did such physical labor. This was real W-W-W-WORK. But what satisfaction seeing this project go up piece by piece, taking shape and seeing the cage come to fruition. It’s not exactly precision work by any measure, but what do you expect from a bunch of retired over-the hill desk jockeys?
I actually had fun working with this group and learned a few new carpentry tricks, not that I will ever put any of it to actual use. Credit and kudos go to Harvey and Bill, the two professionals who guided us through the project. It was pure luck that the rest of us made it through without getting hurt or losing some body part.
Here are a few pics showing the evolution of the raptor cage.
Oh my! . . where do we start? Are the parts numbered?!
Cage on its side — we’re erecting the two end walls
Tinker toy cage coming together, now we have to move it to its permanent location
Kathy holds the ladder while Bill bolts roof rods into place
The construction crew: L-R, Dave, Harvey, Terry, Bill and Geno . . . still have my 10 fingers . . .
Kathy Cohon’s taking the pic; Jay and Cathy Okada also helped out
Project nearing completion
Final panel installed . . . let’s call it a day. Next phase, cover the framework with nylon mesh.
The large bird cage at the Center houses rehabbing turkey vultures, pelicans and smaller birds
Ruby the Redtail, blind in one eye and with broken wing, is housed in another Harvey-built cage.
Ruby’s menu for the week . . . looks delish!!