Well, I just got back from Nick and Payton's wedding in North Carolina (and boy, are my arms tired? Anyone? No? K, moving on-) . I arrived in Skagway to find it wreathed in the smoke of a forest fire which is going on several hundred miles away- we must take into account that this fire encompasses about 500,000 acres. Very bad summer for fires. Also, the whole town smells like fire, which I actually rather enjoy...
The wedding was lovely- the dress was beautiful, I loved the informal rehearsal dinner, and the food all around was brilliant. Of course the crowning highlight was the groom's cake, which was red velvet and shaped like a roadkill deer. Complete with red gummy worm guts. Oh yeah. Ceremony itself was quite short. It didn't make me cry, but some of the toasts nearly did the trick! And making me cry is not easy, unless you make me furious (for whatever inconvenient reason, blind fury sets off my tear glands)
It was wonderful seeing Payton and Nick so happy, and just as wonderful seeing the other Wolf Park people involved! I did go through some stress caused by a person present, but since I didn't start a blog as to gossip or trash-talk, I'll bypass that point as quickly as I raised it. Suffice it to say that certain kinds of stress really play with my digestive system, so I think I may be the first person in history to actually lose weight in the course of wedding festivities. But despite this, I had a great time catching up with people.
A brief note about a wolf named Orca: a number of Park wolves have died recently, but I believe that Orca's funeral will draw the greatest crowd that the Park has seen in years. He was a figure of inspiration to many, many people across the world. An early alpha in the main pack, he lost the use of his back legs when he was three by slipping a disc in his spine. He regained 80% use of them for the majority of the rest of his life. The last few years, he dragged them beneath him, only using them when offered substantial rewards. But Orca never lost his enthusiasm for food and human company, or for life itself. We never had any particular sign that his days were almost done- an intern found him peacefully still in the grass one morning. He was fifteen.
Orca, I'm very sorry that I couldn't make it to your funeral. You and I had many good talks over the years, and you know that wherever I was, I was thinking of you. Indomitable, incorrigable, stubborn-ass wolf. I'll miss you. Maybe now you can visit me now and then? Much love, Irene
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