Posts Tagged ‘Childfree’

When I visited Sylvan Heights Bird Park last weekend, I noticed right away that the park was surprisingly free of children. I only saw one or two small kids amidst the throngs of people, most of whom were lugging some serious photography equipment. In fact, I felt a bit like a Spring chicken; the average visitor to the park appeared to be at least 60! Perhaps it’s true; we all turn into old men and women who just want to feed the pigeons…or, in this case, photograph them. Then again, maybe I just got very lucky and attended on a perfect Fall Saturday when people with children weren’t interested in going to the bird park. Either way, I’ll take it!

Here are some more of the adorable little feather puffs you can see at Sylvan Heights Bird Park:

Javan Pond Heron :: "WAIT! This isn't my best side!"

This little Javan Pond Heron kindly gave me a different angle.

"Does this angle make me look fat?!"

If you’re looking for a fun childfree getaway and are within reasonable driving distance of Scotland Neck, NC, you should consider visiting Sylvan Heights Bird Park. In addition to getting to view a large variety of gorgeous birds from around the world (many of which are endangered), you’ll also be supporting a sanctuary which takes in abandoned, neglected, and abused birds commonly kept as pets. They have habitats filled with Macaws, Cockatoos, Parrots, and Conures. Some of these birds easily outlive their owners because they have lifespans of over 100 years, and many find themselves with nowhere else to go besides the Bird Park. So, not only will you get to spend a fun day walking around a beautifully wooded park, your admission and donations go to help support their rescue efforts.

When I was young, one of the defining movies of my generation was Pretty in Pink by John Hughes. In fact, most of John Hughes’ movies provided the backdrop and soundtracks to our teenaged lives in the 1980s: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful, The Breakfast Club. Most of my female peers identified with the lead females in those movies. Practically every girl dreamed of being Andie (Molly Ringwald) in Pretty in Pink, the poor girl who made good by snagging “richie” Blane. (“Blane?! His name is Blane?! That’s not a name. That’s a major appliance!”)

I, on the other hand, was completely fascinated by Iona, Andie’s older friend who worked with her at the record store. While we never got her exact age in the movie, at one point she claimed to be “old enough to be the Duck Man’s mother.” Thus, I think they were trying to portray Iona as 40 even though I’m pretty sure Annie Potts (who played the role) was nowhere near 40 at the time the movie was made (1986). At any rate, I thought Iona was fabulous. She didn’t have kids, and she was 40! Because she didn’t have kids, she was able to work at a record store, even though she probably hated the job. Record stores were cool places to hang out in the 80s! Plus, Iona had a fantastic wardrobe. She had punk looks:

Iona's Punk Look - Pretty in Pink

She had fantastic retro looks reminiscent of the 40s:

Iona's Retro 40s Look - Pretty in Pink

She even had a funky-fabulous apartment for someone who scraped by with a job at a record store!

Iona from Pretty in Pink

To my 15-year-old self, this was my ideal. I always knew I didn’t want kids, and the thought of growing up to be someone cool like Iona who still rocked an edgy wardrobe at the unimaginably ancient age of 40 was something that appealed to me. “Normal” 15-year-old girls wanted to snag the rich, dreamy boyfriend. I just wanted to be Iona and have a fun, interesting life – without turning into a Mom.

Sadly, the movie makers put a little damper on my dreams near the end of the movie when they turned Iona into a fucking PTA Mom because she was dating a divorced doctor with kids. *sigh*

Iona's PTA Mom Look - Pretty in Pink

Since the movie didn’t show her marrying the guy, I told myself it never worked out and Iona went back to being her rocking self with no kids, the bad-ass wardrobe, and cool apartment. The End! I never particularly cared about what happened to Andie and Blane, but I also imagined that Duckie never stuck with that boring-ass vanilla chick (Kristy Swanson) who picked him up at the prom. I imagined he hooked up with Iona even though she was much older than he. (Hey, he planted a kiss on her that “made her toes curl.” It was fate…)