By Cheryl (Poncer)
Back a few months ago, while Mary (kilchurn) and I were hot and heavy into the final stages of planning and organizing the Cruise for PBS Members, we had an email exchange that went something like this:
Cheryl to Mary: Don’t we need some pink plastic blow-up flamingos for the cruise?
Mary: No.
Cheryl: They could be prizes for some of the contests.
Mary: No.
Cheryl: But they are cute.
Mary: No.
Cheryl: And they are inexpensive and will travel easily. and there is free priority shipping.
Mary: NO. NO. NO.
So of course, what choice had I? I ordered a dozen of them. They were inexpensive and with free priority shipping, they arrived within days. And they were really really cute! I tossed them into my suitcase and giggled maniacally for a few minutes and promptly forgot all about them.
Fast forward to our arrival in Jacksonville. I unpacked the suitcase and Yay! Pink plastic blow-up flamingos! 12 of them! More giggles ensued, both from myself and my wonderfully funny cabin-mate, Angela (Halti4). As we settled into our cabin, and tried to get our sea legs under us, we blew up a few flamingos. More giggles. One wouldn’t or couldn’t hold his air, so we taped him to the outside of our cabin door so we could find our way back on that huge ship. Off to dinner we went, happy as, well, pink flamingos.
Later that evening, a Bon Voyage and Welcome Aboard Party was planned in Cozy (CozSnShine) and Margaret’s (Yellowdogs1) cabin. Mary was to attend, and it was surely time to release some flamingo fun. Back to the cabin to blow up another flamingo. This one held its air just fine! Angela and I traversed the huge ship and finally came to the party cabin. We knew we were getting close when all we heard was uproarious laughter leaking all over the quiet corridor. Angela knocked and we both stepped aside, like ATF officers serving a warrant at midnight. And as flamingo luck would have it, Mary was the one to answer the door! “There’s a flamingo at the door!”, she shrieked, and peels of laughter rang out from the cabin. Surely they heard us in the bridge. Not a dry, um, eye in the cabin!
And the fun flam-doubled and flam-tripled from there!
Flamingos were everywhere….
They came to dinner…
They went on picnics… 
They went to bars…
There were flamingos on the beach,
There were flamingos on pirate ships…
Some flamingos preferred quiet mediation, others joined the PBS Team and Tour Guides.
One flamingo even helped Lori (Ethelsmom) win Jeopardy – PBS Style!
Before long folks were even dressing like flamingos!
And so, like all good stories end, happily, Mary and the flamingos finally came to an understanding and learned to get along!
Some flamingo books for your reading pleasure:
Flamingo Fatale by Jimmie Ruth Evans
The Flamingo Rising by Larry Baker
Neon Flamingo by Matt & Bonnie Taylor
Tags: Book Suggestions, Members
One of the pink dozen made it to the whine country…
so well written and what a flaming uh flaming-o story!! makes me wish I was there and at the same time transports me to the cruise as htough I were there!!
What a great story!!
Any chance these and similar pics can be tagged / named? Would love to know who’s who ~
So fun to read, you made me smile, thanks for brightening the day up further!
I will be having pink nightmares for weeks. The flamingos in the last picture are tortur…err…kissing me.
It was great!
For your listening pleasure check out Pink Flamingos by Tracy Bryd. Great song, still trying to figure out how to set it as Mary’s ring tone:
I was a rebel in my younger years
I’d…..drink with the devil if he bought THE beer
Wore out two pick-ups just running around
Mamma thought I never would settle down
That was before I met sweet Irma Jean
She made a new man outta me
Chorus:
We got pink flamingos in the front yard
Picture window with a view of Wal-mart
Blue collar heaven…domestic bliss
It just doesn’t get better than this
We got pink flamingos, pink flamingos, pink
flamingos
Sweet Irma Jean is a den mother now
With a station wagon and an charge account
Bubba Junior pitches for his baseball team
Little sister’s running for Rose Bud Queen
And me I’m doing good at the used car lot
Is this a great country or what
Repeat Chours
People slow down when they drive by
They wave and smile but there’s envy in their eyes
We ain’t rich and won’t be for a while
But no doubt about it we got style
Repeat Chours
Oh and by the way, I was proud to be the bearing of the first flamingo. Had to haul him all over that ship searching Mary out!
Ok, supposed to be bearer not bearing.
I managed to get hold of a flamingo at the end of the cruise to keep me company till I see all of you again!
Pink has been growing on me over the years and now it is extra special!
Well, I need to tell you about what Myrtle has been up to. Within 4 days of getting back, I had to fly to Colorado on business. Grumpy wasn’t home and I think Myrtle as a little worried about staying in a strange house by herself so she stowed away. I found her circling around the luggage carrousel with my bag. Since, she was already there, I just took her with me to the hotelf. I mean, whatelse could I do…..abandon her at the airport or send her packing on the next plane home? While I was out busting my butt earning a living, she was lounging in the hotel room….reading, watching TV, and napping. I have photos of all it…..just as evidence! I was staying over the weekend with friends and she went with me. She was very jealous of the birds getting cool “snacks” from the bird feeder and the next thing I knew….there she was wrapped around the bird feeder!
When we got home, all she would talk about was the dang trip. So, when I left for Washington, DC 2 days later, I took her along. This time, I actually bought her a ticket she she could ride in the plane instead of the cargo bay. She was very well behaved on the flight there so I let her travel with me on business….never with the clients….but into Starbucks, etc.
Well, on the way home…..she insisted on having one of those drinks she saw me have on the cruise……the flamingo simply couldn’t hold her Jack…..and had to take a nap to sleep it off. Don’t know if she will make other trips with me…..but i have a pretty strong feeling, she will.
Gail, my flamingo Mable is living a very similar life. Mabel does not like to be left out of the fun. Cheryl & I took our 2 girls out for a carrousel ride last Saturday while she was visiting. Then later that night at Guy’s surprise birthday party, Mabel got into the liquor cabinet and all kinds of misbehaving began on her part…she attacked my friend Linda the crabby lady, then she drank a bunch of George’s Seagram’s, then after we found her passed out on the bar with the bottle as evidence,we put her to bed only to go back later and find her getting her freak on with the octopus towel animal that Cheryl had so lovingly made for Guy’s turn down service that night! She had to go to an AA meeting later that week to pick up a chip, that’s how bad she was!! I was afraid to leave her alone with easy access to the liquor cabinet, so she slept in the truck seat all day while I worked one day, then she went to work with me on Friday. She tried to pump gas today, but I think the fumes got to her and she passed out and is sleeping it off in the back of my truck right now….will she be able to maintain her sobriety or will she fall off the wagon again…only the flamingo gods know for sure….
Boy, you guys really made me laugh! But, I’m so jealous. I never did get a flamingo!!!!!!!
Is another cruise being planned???? Joyce