In the continuing saga of Where In The World Is Piper?, there is one car ride in particular that has become an annual tradition for him.
My husband and I support local fire departments by purchasing ham and chicken dinners from multiple fire companies in the area, whenever they are held. We have been impressed by the ingenuity of these organizations in using the layout of the firehouse to create a drive-though pickup system on the day of the sale.
The fire department chicken dinner that Piper attends consists of lanes created with orange cones in the large parking lot. Before the fundraiser starts, personnel from the fire company will load cars into a lane until it is full, starting over again in the next lane and so on. Vehicles line up for miles out in the road, waiting their turn to be funneled into the queue.
When the clock strikes “we’re open,” four cars at a time are directed into the firehouse, its giant garage doors open on both sides. Once your vehicle is inside, someone will approach your car, asking how many meals you would like. Taking your money, they walk a few steps to an adjacent table loaded with meals already packaged. After all four vehicles within the building are done their transactions, they all pull out and the next set of four is brought in.
Arriving early, we were positioned in the fifth lane of the parking lot, where we sat watching the continual influx of cars. By “we” I mean Mister Rain in the driver’s seat, me in the back directly behind him and Piper in the front passenger seat, his travel cage seatbelted atop the milk crate my husband had installed so Piper could see out the windshield. We had turned the car off, the windows were down and the aroma of grilled chicken filled the air. I am sure Piper couldn’t figure out what was going on, but I also know that he loved it.
When it was finally time for us to pull into the firehouse bay, the woman who came to our car said to Piper, “Well, hello, you. Aren’t you pretty?” At the same time, we heard a young girl who was standing behind one of the tables exclaim, “There’s a bird in that car! That is SO cool!”
On the drive home, Piper continued to look around, dance a little and ring the single toy bell we keep in the small cage used only for transport.
As I unlocked the front door of our home while Mister Rain held Piper in his carrier, I made out the sticker we have on the front storm door, as well as several of our windows, a notification to emergency personnel that there is a Bird Inside.
This trip is always a win-win for everyone. A fire department makes some money, Piper enjoys fresh air, sun and a change of scenery. The only losers are the chickens.
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