Chasing The Painted Bunting

 

In our golf cart on Bald Head Island looking for the painted bunting!

Connie and I have taken our bird nerding to the next level! As you know we went to Arizona and Texas this past December to see as many birds during migration as we could. We saw a lot of beautiful birds, but the one that eluded us was the painted bunting. We really really wanted to see it too. We knew our chances of seeing it then were low since migration season was ending while we were there. But don't fret. Connie looked up "Where to see a painted bunting in June". Up popped Bald Head Island, NC. Somehow neither of us had heard of Bald Head, but we were intrigued. After some more research we found out that painted buntings migrate to Bald Head Island every year. They arrive as early as April and stay as late as October. However, June seems to be the best time to see them. As luck would have it, we had 2 days of no guests at the B&B, so we booked our trip to the island. We flew 1134 miles JUST to see a painted bunting. Like I said, next level bird nerding. It was a small gamble to spend so much time and money on this endeavor, but we felt a strong urge to do it. Either way we knew we would be on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in June, and that is never a bad thing. Plus, I have friends who live in Oak Island, NC that I hadn't seen in 18 years. All of the possibilities were exciting to us. So we took off on a Monday afternoon from Milwaukee Airport, landing in Myrtle Beach International Airport. 

We arrived to this beautiful scene off the pier at The River Hotel in Southport. 

The first 2 nights we stayed in a quaint hotel in Southport, NC. We arrived at our hotel around 7:30pm and decided to walk out to the pier by our hotel. The scene was gorgeous! We enjoyed the view and the birds for a while before we had to go grab dinner and do a grocery run for breakfast. The following day would be a big one as we would be searching high and low for our prize bird the painted bunting. 

The Sunrise from our pier before our chase.

Lo and behold, a painted bunting greeted us at our hotel. 
We aren't sure if it was a female or a juvenile? It was greenish in color.

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise off the pier as we prepared for the day. As we were heading out to go to the ferry, we had our merlin apps running. Wouldn't you know, a painted bunting was being picked up by our app. We stood and listened for a bit and then it flew in out of nowhere! A painted bunting landed on a tree within a 100 feet of us or so. We couldn't believe it! What an amazing way to start our day. We aren't 100% sure if it was a female or a juvenile? It was greenish in color, so it definitely wasn't an adult male. We watched it for a little while until we had to go to the ferry port. We had a 7am ferry ride to catch to Bald Head Island. As much as we loved seeing our first painted bunting, we still wanted... no, we NEEDED to see the adult male painted bunting for all his colors! 

Greetings from Bald Head Island

We ferried over to the island. On the way we were treated to some bird sightings of course. We saw pelicans, white ibis and my personal favorite the laughing gull. Our ferry arrived at 7:30am and we couldn't get our golf cart until 8am. So we walked around the shoreline taking in the scenes and viewing the local birds. At 8 o'clock we strolled over to the golf cart company and saw a sign that said hours 8:30-4:30. Oh no, we had another half hour wait before we could begin our chase. But wait... an older gentleman showed up at the rental company and so we asked about the golf cart hours. He said they did indeed open at 8:30, but he could get us out early. The customer service on the island, and in NC in general, was exceptional. 

So at 8:05 we were on our way to see our painted bunting. We headed to Kent Mitchell Nature Trail because that is where the most recent sightings had been posted on e-bird. We got out and walked the beautiful nature trail towards a brushy tree area. With our merlin apps out and running, we picked up several birds including a Carolina wren and a northern cardinal. Then, we heard it! The painted bunting showed up on our app. We could easily hear it singing. Knowing the males will perch on a tree and sing for their mate, we kept a close eye on the tree lines. It didn't take long before we had our first sighting! He was in the shade inside the trees and was a little tricky to find. Once we had our eyes on him though, he was easy to pick out. We were thrilled beyond words to see our first adult male painted bunting! He was even more beautiful in person than either of us would have imagined. We watched him for a good 15 minutes, as I took a few photos. We decided to keep walking the trail as we were hearing buntings in a couple of locations. Within just a few minutes we were treated to our second sighting. This time he was in full sun with all of his colors blazing. He sat on a lower branch in the open and sang for his mate. My photos will never do them justice, but I did get a few decent ones in my humble opinion. 

Our first sighting. His colors are just incredible!

Our second sighting. He was totally in the sun. I wish I had gotten a little better photo of him to be honest. But the thrill was truly in seeing him and enjoying his presence.

We couldn't believe we had already seen 2 adult males before 9:00am. We couldn't wait to explore the island and perhaps see even more, which we did! On our way out of the trail we came upon a BHIC (Bald Head Island Conservancy) staff member. We stopped to chat with her and told her how excited we were to see the painted buntings. We told her we traveled 1134 miles just to see a painted bunting. Then she said "Well, then you might want to stick around. We are about to release a female painted bunting into the wild". Apparently they found her the day before along the roadside with an injury. Sounds like she wasn't hurt too bad, but stunned to where she couldn't fly. They kept her over night to make sure she was OK, and then they released her back into the wild. As they opened the bin to let her out, she flew out so fast! She was definitely ready to get back to the wild. We didn't get a great look at her because she was so fast, but just witnessing the moment was enough for us. Besides, later on we would see a male and female perched together near the top of a tree.

The release of a female painted bunting

Not a great photo, but this is a male and female perched together. We got great looks through our binoculars. I just couldn't get a great photo due to the distance. 

Connie and I rode the wave of excitement throughout the rest of the day. We tooled around the whole island on our golf cart. We took 2 dips in the ocean to cool off. We took a nature tour with BHIC in the middle of the day. Xander is an intern at BHIC and led us the tour. He taught us quite a bit about the conservancy and island in general. We saw an alligator, some cool oak trees, and another painted bunting on this tour. During the tour our golf cart battery was getting low. We called the cart company and they brought us out a new one, so no problem. Later when we went to return the golf cart the gentleman told us they were waiving the extra time fee for us and we could stay out on the island as long as we wanted. Again, customer service was exceptional here. This company is the only one on the island that does daily golf cart rentals and they could have easily ignored our minor inconvenience of needing a new golf cart. Yet, they gave us a nice offer without us even asking for it. And really it wasn't that big of a deal to us. This is just a nod to their customer service, especially when they have a monopoly on the island. 

We didn't stay too much later than their 4:30 closing time, but it did allow us to take another dip in the ocean and explore the full coast line up the island. We hadn't been able to do that yet. We also took one last trip to Kent Mitchell and saw a couple of more male painted buntings. We finally turned it in around 5:45 and headed to a 6 o'clock ferry ride back to the mainland. The heat and excitement wore us down and we were ready to relax back at the hotel and look at all of my photos. 

We had one more day on the coast of Carolina. We spent that with my friends Colleen and Laine. I will write another post about that day and all of the fun we had soon. In the meantime, I wish all of you the best of luck with whatever you are chasing.

Our smiles lasted throughout the whole trip!

                     Now Go Out and Hug a Bird Nerd Today!!!

Crossing Borders to Armenia

Making friends at the border

April 27th, 2025... Crossing the border to Armenia was an interesting and fun experience! There are actually 2 crossings. When we left Georgia, we had to get out of our vehicle and walk through passport control. Here we would meet other people doing the same, so we would play with them. That seemed reasonable, right? As we waited for our driver, we would hang outside and chat with folks. See photo above. Then we would get in the vehicle and drive to the 2nd crossing to enter Armenia. Here we had to get all of our luggage and again walk through passport control. Then, since we had luggage, we had to go through customs. Along the way we continued to play, chat and laugh with other folks in the same shoes. Not clown shoes, but the same situation. You know what I mean, right. The passport control folks seemed to enjoy our antics as well. I met a nice family in line who went to Georgia to have their daughter baptized. They were on their way back home to Armenia. That seemed like a lot to go through in my opinion, but the young lady who was baptized seemed really happy. The whole experience took us about an hour, and I must say, it was one of the most fun hours of the trip. 

After getting through the border, we drove to our hotel in the Caucus mountains. We spent one night in this beautiful setting. We had a little time to go for a nice walk by the river and then dinner at the hotel. I went to bed a little early, per usual and prepared for the next day.

A view of the Caucus mountains from my morning walk.

April 28th, 2025...  In the morning, I had a little time to go for a walk through a local park and up a side road into the mountains. I was treated to some fun bird watching on this road. I felt rested and at peace. I was ready for the next few days of adventure. After breakfast we visited an ancient monastery in the mountains. Our trips aren't all about clowning. We try to learn some of the local history, and monasteries are part of that history. We visited Makaravank. It was built between 1000 and 1300 A.D. We were given a short tour and talk by the local monk. We walked around the grounds for a little while and then headed back to the hotel for lunch.

Maria, Luydka and Anya listen to the monk give us info about the monastery

After lunch we went to a clinic for kids with special needs. As usual, we had an active audience and laughed and played for about an hour or so. Parents and kids alike really enjoy our visits. Even some of the local kids interacted with us as we were leaving and boarding our bus. We drove a short distance into the mountains to clown with some more kids in a different local clinic. I am always impressed with the clinics in other countries. They do so much with so little from what I can tell.  Their places are typically well managed and kept clean, at least from what I can see. With every visit I typically have one kiddo or one interaction that stands out above all. At the second clinic there was a young boy, about age 10, who was nonverbal and clearly on the spectrum. Watching him watch the clowns was fascinating for me. He seemed to evaluate the whole experience for a few minutes and then joined in with the play activity while smiling this really sweet smile. It is kids like him that I feel can get left out or overlooked in some settings, but clearly not in our setting. I love that about our visits and any clown visit I have ever done.

Fun activities outside during our first visit.

Look at that smile! He is so smart and knows how to play! 💙

After our second visit of the day, we drove 2 hours to Yerevan. But first, we stopped at a local lake resort area. We spent an hour or so here exploring the beauty of the mountains and lake in this area. It was a nice interlude between our visits and our arrival to Yerevan. In Yerevan we had dinner and got settled into our hotel. We stayed in Ibis Hotel in downtown, and it was a really nice experience. More on that later. 

View of the lake on our drive to Yerevan

April 29th, 2025... Our bus left the hotel at 1030am. That gave me a few hours in the morning to walk around the city, which I always enjoy. Being new to the city, I only explored a short distance from the hotel. That was enough to get a feel for the area though. Just around the corner from the hotel was a nice walking area with no traffic. This stretched for 6 or 7 blocks, and I ended up at a small city pond with a fun statue by it. I made it back to the hotel to have some breakfast and get ready for our day.

Quaint little park in the downtown area. This statue just made me giggle every time I saw it. :0)

Our first stop of the day would be at a center for children with special needs. They had a nice outdoor area, playground, and sidewalk to play on. The weather was beautiful, so we played with the kids and their parents outside. I always prefer outdoor play whenever possible, and luckily it was possible most places on this trip. 

Outdoor activities at the Children's Center

After the Children's Center we had lunch and then headed over to a Hematology Center for children and young adults with cancer. This was an indoor visit, and you would think it would be a little lower key, but no! We roamed the hallways and split up into rooms to play and sing and whatever else the children wanted to do, within reason of course. Pluk put on a magic show in the hallway with the help of a fun 12-year-old. Other clowns played with balloons, bubbles, ukuleles and whatever. I played in a few rooms and then found myself in a small side area next to the stairwell. There were 2 other clowns and 3 kids here. I pulled out my bouncy juggling balls and when I dropped one, a young girl about the age of 4 lit up and ran to grab it. She was pretty stoic and quiet up to this point, so her reaction to a bouncy ball surprised me a little. Anyway, we played throw and catch, and throw and drop, and throw and chase with each other and the other clowns for a little while. She was attached to an IV drip, but she was so careful about not getting the tubing pulled on or tripped over. I was extremely impressed with her attention to it, while she was still able to laugh and be lively and playful. She was my standout "artist" for this visit. 

We gather outside the Hematology Center before our visit.

Don't let the contraptions fool you, she was so interactive and playful! 💛

After the hematology center, we headed for dinner at Karas and then back to the hotel. The next day we would be going to a school for children with special needs and a refugee center. 

April 30th, 2025... The Metsamore School was fascinating to me. When we arrived, a lot of the kids were outside in a large fenced in area with bleachers, soccer goals, and paved area to play on. I thought this was a school for kids with special needs specifically, but it turns out it was an integration school where all kinds of children attend for an education. It was fun to watch all the different levels of ability interact and mingle together. Just as it should be everywhere in my humble opinion. Metsamore has a great model for education and I would love to see more schools do this. I played soccer with a few of the kids for a little while and then meandered around the area to interact with others. Puppets, bubbles, balls, and music filled the air. I am sure I detected a bit of laughter as well :0). It was another incredible visit where I feel I gained as much, or more, than I gave. I think the other clowns would agree with me. 

A group does a conga line while others continue to play. I am on the soccer field playing between photo-ops.

We ate lunch at Karas in the city. They always put out a nice spread and they welcomed the clowns with open arms, hearts and stomachs. The food was always delicious. With our stomachs full and energy recharged, we headed to a refugee center next. Believe it or not, I had never been to a refugee center, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I had some preconceived notions in my head of course, and some of those turned out to be accurate while others turned out to be way off. The center was small. It seemed to be in an alleyway behind some businesses off a busy street. The "houses" that people lived in were miniscule with patched together roofs. However, the people were lovely. The kids were lively, playful and energetic! This really didn't surprise me. Before we played, we were given a short briefing on the center by the director. She told us why the refugee center exists, what they provide, etc. She told us not to expect the adults to interact or play with us and please don't take offense to it. They just don't understand that clowns are for adults and not just kids. This is how she explained it. Well, it didn't take long for a few of the adults to laugh and join in on the fun. Not all of them did, but a few. And the ones who didn't join in, still smiled and gave us nods as their children were given some much-needed play and respite from their daily lives. They seemed to have the very minimal of basic needs, yet they seemed appreciative to have it. They look for work every day so they can provide for themselves, but work is sparce in the area... especially for people who are displaced by war. Even with the info we were given, I don't exactly understand the war situation and such. Basically, there is a small area of Armenia called Azerbaijan that is at war with the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh (You can google them to learn more). 120,000 people have had to flee their homes at a moment's notice, and with no belongings, just to survive. They head to the main city Yerevan to try and make a life with nothing. It is truly incredible. It is even more incredible that they can smile at all, and their children laugh and play like any other children I have ever met! I know I will complain about my life and situation in the future as I am human after all. However, at this moment I will do my very best to limit that. I truly have nothing to complain about, especially after seeing in person how some people live. Not only that but live this way due to no fault of their own. They do it just to survive, literally! This place really moved me overall. 2 kids and 1 adult moved me beyond others though. The adult was a middle-aged woman who decided to get us all in a circle holding hands. She then proceeded to have us walk in a circle as she sang a tune that I presume was Armenian and special to her. She smiled and laughed the whole time, and then she broke away to go do some chores I supposed. I tried to give her a nose as a thank you, but she waved it away and continued to giggle as the rest of us played.

I didn't get her name, but she is wearing the dark blue dress.

The first child was a boy of about age 3 or 4. He was so lively and energetic. His smile and laughter lit up the whole alleyway. His hair was spectacular! Seriously, spectacular! When he would bounce around chasing bubbles or whatever, his hair would bounce around everywhere. He showed me you can definitely laugh loud, play hard, and smile brightly in the worst of adversities! I will try to keep those lessons close to my heart as I live on.

Look at the face. Full of wonder and fun!

And that hair! 

The 2nd young boy was about 7. He wasn't overly smiley or exuberant, but very interactive and fun. He instantly picked a nose from my pocket and put it on. He ran around the alleyway playing with whomever would play. At one point he walked up to me and said, "I am a Kid Clown". My heart be stilled at those words! My response was "Yes you are!". I tried to put as much enthusiasm behind it as I could. I envision him going around to all the people who lived there trying to make them smile and laugh, even long after we were gone. I sure hope that is the case, and I sure hope he lifts the spirits of the folks there who need it most. Just like he lifted my spirit in showing me what a true clown is! 

Such a sweet Kid Clown he is! (Not sure why I look the way I do? Ha!)

Learning to juggle from Daniel

May 1st, 2025... This morning, I walked up all 520 steps to get a great view of the city. Yes, I counted them all. I had two stray dogs join me for the trek. I felt bad I didn't have any food to give them after our journey together. They didn't seem to mind a whole lot as one of them laid next to me to rest. I sat and enjoyed the view of the city, with Mt. Ararat visible in the background. It was a peaceful way to start the day, and I thoroughly enjoyed moments like this. I almost enjoyed them as much as the clowning visits... almost.

A view of Yerevan from the top of the steps. If you look closely, you can see Mt. Ararat to the center right of the photo.

My faithful companion on my trek up the steps. He motivated me more than he knows!

Today we went to a big orphanage for people with disabilities. Kids and young adults lived there. I didn't take any photos here for some reason. We gathered in a large room and played with all the usual props, ukuleles, etc. It was a lively group for sure. The place seemed well run overall but definitely understaffed. You wouldn't know that to watch the staff, however. They showed great care to the people in their care. They had a nice outdoor area where a few people meandered, but mostly it was indoor activities for us. One young teenager about the age of 16 struck a chord with me. He was nonverbal and probably on the spectrum. As I watched him interact with others, I noticed he was very gentle, sweet and smart! He joined in activities after watching for a minute or two to make sure he understood them, I guess. He appeared to blend in and go unnoticed for the most part, but I noticed him. As we were leaving and he walked away with a group of his friends, he turned towards our group and blew us a kiss. My heart melted on the spot. 

Amina, who is Armenian, joined us for the trip to the orphanage. She is a friend of a friend in the USA. This is her first time clowning. She did great!

After clowning around with kids and young adults, the mood changed as we visited the genocide memorial of Armenia. I knew nothing of the genocide before I decided to travel here. I still don't know much, but what I do know is it is an awful moment in history for Armenia. The basics are... 1.5 million Armenians were murdered by the Young Turks of The Ottoman Empire during World War 1. There is a big history lesson to be learned here, but I am not the one to teach you. All I know is the Armenian people have suffered a great deal, and the visit to the memorial would not be a clowning or happy event. We walked around the grounds, paid homage to the dead at the eternal flame, and cried for the atrocities they endured. As we left, we took a collective deep breath and journeyed on with our clowning. 

An eternal flame burns in the middle of the memorial to remind people of the genocide.

We headed back to the center of Yerevan where we had some free time. Free time meant that we walked through the local markets clowning and interacting with whomever wanted to play. It was such a contrast from the memorial visit, but such is life. Right? We moved on and kept trying to spread the love and laughter. We went to an indoor market first. The people here loved us! There was a lot of laughing and smiling happening here. I personally was given 2 cups of wine, fresh fruit to eat, and a cucumber as gifts. The poorest of the poor are always so giving to the clowns. That is my experience anyway. From there we walked through the outdoor market where Daniel and Stepan played an accordion that one of the locals had out. We enjoyed the fresh air and a few antics with the stray dogs. Comic relief does help. I have learned that firsthand by doing it and receiving it. 

Pinion leads a dog to water. Peter pushes the button on the fountain so the dog can get a drink. Sweet and Funny!

A local indoor market. If you look closely, you can see the clowns to the left. Maybe a joker to the right? 

We had a free evening after this. People ventured off on their own or in small groups. I joined my friend Justin, from Russia, and a couple of others for dinner. Justin was in Georgia with us for two days and then went back to Russia for work. Then he surprised us by returning to Armenia for the last couple of days. What a treat that was. As he put it, he had CWB. Clown Withdrawal Blues. We cured him in no time. The 4 of us had a nice quiet dinner together as we caught up more and enjoyed some delicious food. Tomorrow will be our last day together as a group. Time to get some rest! When I got back to my hotel room, there was a sweet surprise from the hotel staff. They really went above and beyond at Ibis to make our group of clowns feel at home. Every room had a nice note left for us on our last night of sleep. They also made Clown Apples to go along with the notes. I was touched!

A Clown Apple made by the hotel staff.

This was the note in my room. It seemed appropriate for sure.

May 2nd, 2025... This was our last day in Armenia. We took a 2-hour bus trip out of the city to a small mountain town called Gyumri. I must say, refugee center to the side, this might have been my favorite visit. It definitely seemed like a great way to end our trip. In the morning, we visited the Gyumri Special Needs Center. This is a day care center for children and young adults with special needs. This place was immaculate and well run. The children and staff all seemed truly happy to be here. And not just because there were clowns. It is a nonprofit organization. It does some really interesting stuff. First, the day care center will hire some of the single moms to work there. This way, they can earn a little money while their child is at daycare. They also offer free therapies like Speech, Occupational, Physical and more. If that is not enough, it also runs a bakery in town that helps fund the place. Some of the young adults who come to the daycare work at the bakery as well. It sure seemed like a great model for caring for people. And the pastries were delicious! We played and laughed with the children and staff for a couple of hours. Then they fed us lunch. The kids helped set up the tables and seemed happy to do it. We sat separately from the kids, which at first seemed wrong. But then one of the staff members explained that some of the children have problems on focusing and on being able to feed themselves, even when clowns aren't in the room. So, they separated us for the kids' sake. This made a lot of sense and just cemented my impression of the center. They are looking after the best interest of the children no matter the circumstance. Not even a bunch of fun clowns will change that. :0)

Babooska Nina plays along with a friend.

Colorful window art that brightens up the place more.

After lunch we headed to the downtown area to visit the bakery. We were treated to a pastry and coffee. Both of which were delicious! We had a little time here before our next clowning gig, so I walked around the area a bit. I came upon a couple of families enjoying a picnic on a side street near a church. Naturally I played with the children as the mothers smiled and encouraged it. They thanked me and offered me money. I politely refused and went along my way. Our visits are for the locals as much as for the people we intend to see. That will never change. 

Delicious pastries and fudge made in house at the bakery. It was more delicious than this picture can even show! 😊

After a coffee and pastry, we ventured over to our last clown visit of the trip. We went to the Gyumri Older Folks Home. Whew, I thought this is going to be a nice wind down to the day and trip. Boy was I ever wrong about that! This might have been the most energetic group of all. After a slow start, the seniors there started to get up and dance with the clowns. Music played in the back, balloons and bubbles filled the air, and these folks danced like I had never seen for over an hour straight. One lady seemed to be the star of show. She didn't get up to dance, but she danced in her chair and put on a nose complete with a large smile. She had a booming laugh that made everyone around her feel great. 

She is the one with the blue silk in front of her face. She is a natural clown for sure.

One young gentleman stood out to me here. His name was Seregei. He has Cerebral Palsy. He sat in a chair with a big smile on his face as everyone danced. I went up to "dance" with him while he sat in his chair. Little did I know that he would grab my hand and lift himself up so he could dance on his feet! And man could he dance! We danced for about 5 minutes before he looked tired, so I helped him back to his chair and I moseyed through the crowd. A few minutes later I was back in front of him with a couple of nice-looking clowns. I knew he wanted to dance with them, so I helped him to his feet and gave his hands to Marina and Kate. Kate is a professional dance instructor and knew what to do for sure. She and Seregei danced together for a few minutes until Seregei was dripping with sweat! With a language barrier and not knowing all of his limitations we felt it was best to have him sit back down for a bit to rest. He happily sat down and "danced" some more with me while he sat. His smile never dimmed and neither did mine. I love how someone like Seregei will pick up on cues and take things into his own hands to get what he wants or needs. I would not have gotten him to stand up and dance on my own. He had to pull himself up, which he did, and I just acted as a "channel" of sorts for him to educate us. I certainly considered this an educational piece for myself, and hopefully Kate and others! Thanks for being my teacher Seregei! I truly appreciated it, probably more than he will ever know.

Look at that smile as he dances with Kate and Marina! 

After this visit I was thoroughly and entirely exhausted! We drove back to the hotel for our final dinner together. After dinner we would gather in a small circle to share our feelings and what we got from the trip. It is always interesting to hear what others have picked up on, learned, and/or enjoyed from the whole excursion. One of the things I received from the trip was Hope! With the group of people I spent 12 days with, and the groups of people we interacted with, I am truly hopeful for the future. I believe we are in one of the worst moments in time of history for humanity. But these people I have met and now know personally have a lot of love to share and give. We all just need to get out there and spread it! Are you with us??

         Now Go Out and Hug Someone Today!!!

Clowning Around In Georgia (The Country)

 

Maria and I in Georgia. It's gonna be a fun trip

April 22, 2025... I arrived in Georgia just in time for dinner on the 10th floor of our hotel overlooking Tbilisi. It is a beautiful part of the world. We were fed really well here. Both of those things are wonderful perks, but my main excitement was being here to see friends and to spread love and laughter the best I could. I met up with Maria and friends as we got caught up during dinner. I also met and got acquainted with the other clowns on the trip. We had clowns from Netherlands, Russia, America, Germany, Canada and Japan on the trip. Everyone seemed to get along well from the start, which was nice. You just never know with a bunch of clowns. The first night was chill as we geared up for some crazy fun over the next few days. 

We gathered outside for our first visit. Lashvili Hospital for Children

April 23rd, 2025... Every morning breakfast was on your own between 8am and 10am. Invariably we would eat together and get to know each other a little more. After breakfast we went to a small park around the corner from the hotel to loosen up and practice some clown "skills". We had seasoned clowns as well as newbie clowns on the trip, so it was good to get acquainted more, teach and learn some stuff. After our clown warm-up we headed over to Lashvili Hospital for Children. We were a small group, with just 12 clowns in all. I like the smaller group actually. As we entered the hospital it was instant chaos and fun! The lobby already had children running around in it and our band of merry clowns played along. Bubbles, kazoos, ukuleles, and puppets abound. I wasn't sure if the kids were siblings or patients, but it truly didn't matter. After the initial excitement, we were led upstairs to rooms. We divided randomly into small groups and entered rooms to play. With all my experience, it always seems to be the same feeling... sick kids still love to play and laugh. More importantly, they NEED to play and laugh. The kids in Georgia were no different! 

Maria and I ventured into a young teen's room. His face was swollen from the cancer that attacked his body. Even with the obvious pain in his face, he smiled a few times and did his best to play with bubbles. Maria played the ukulele and I danced with his mother. He seemed to smile at this. Even a child knows... the parents need love and laughter relief as well. Funny enough, the dad called as I was dancing with the mom. We had to quickly act casual, ha. As the mom talked to the dad, Maria continued to play the uke and sing. I showed my usual magic box trick and this elicited a wide eye look and a smile. It almost never fails. We played along a little longer until he started looking tired. We left him to get some much needed rest, hopefully with happy, peaceful dreams to help him heal. 

We definitely add color to the hallways

We ventured down the hallway to more rooms. The staff here are lovely and really care about the kids. Much like the hospital I work in at home. We played here for a couple of hours and then headed off to lunch. 

The man in the white coat is a young doctor here. He sports a nose well! :0) 

Before lunch we had to take photos outside. But I think we added a clown? Ha

Lunch was yummy. The food in Georgia was always fresh and delicious. Then we divided into 2 groups. One group went to Tsitsishvili hospital for clowning and painting. A second group went to a social day care center for seniors. I went to see the seniors. We had fun playing as usual, as the seniors typically love clowns. The other group also had fun and did some incredible artwork on the walls of the hospital. Maria always knows how to add color to a wall, with help from her trusted colleagues. 

I love it how she gets the children involved in the paintings, always!

After this we went back to the  hotel for dinner and rest. The next day would be full of fun adventures also. 

April 24th, 2025... In the morning we went to Gardabani Day Care for Seniors. They were a lively group, especially one spry young lady! She laughed and danced the morning away with us. She was so funny too! At one point I offered her a clown nose, which I was sure she would take. She just frowned at me and shooed me away with a wave! Ha Ha. Love it.

She played with me willfully, but no nose please! Ha

In the afternoon we went to Rustavi to play with some children with disabilities. It was yet another fun and boisterous group. We spent 2 hours dancing, singing, playing with bubbles, and more. They had a nice little closed in outdoor space to play in and a large empty room. It was a great setting to be active and get some energy out! After this we went to have dinner and then to a book store to have a virtual chat with Patch, his wife, and his assistant. Then back to the hotel for a goodnight's rest! 

The children at the Bolnisi Care Center were fun and lively!

April 25th, 2025... Today we headed to a small town called Bolnisi. We visited a care center for kids with special needs in the morning. These children were FULL of energy. Luckily we had a nice fenced in area to play in, complete with astro turf. We were told it was a day care center, but I got the impression the children lived here? As a clown I don't always pay attention to the details, and to be honest... the details don't matter in the end. So I apologize if some of  my info is incorrect. It is not on purpose or for any intent. One small child here ran up to me and said "Messi or Ronaldo?!" It felt like some sort of test, and I failed miserably in his eyes. I said "Messi!" with emphasis. He frowned, gave a thumbs down and ran off to play. He came back to me to do this a few times. Maybe he expected a different answer? Maybe he didn't remember me from 5 minutes ago? Who knows, but  my response was always the same, and so was his. It felt like our own little clown skit! Little did he know that I know my soccer! Ha Ha. The Red Cross has a big influence in this area, and they get some wonderful teenage volunteers. See photo below.

Red Cross volunteers. At one point I knew all their names. I should have written them down :0). 

The day center for seniors in Bolnisi was a hoot and a holler. They were seated as an audience waiting for a show. We are not "performance" clowns overall, but luckily a couple in our group could do some things. In the end, the seniors put on part of the show as they did some traditional dance for us. Then a lovely 16 year old lady stood up front and sang to the seniors. She had the voice of an angel. She was another fantastic volunteer of the Red Cross. Our visit ended with her solo, which I felt was appropriate. 

Who was performing for who?

The voice of an angel sings to the seniors. 

After our afternoon visit to the senior center, we went to a beautiful overlook for a photo shoot with Oksana. Oksana is a professional photographer. She is a friend of mine and Maria's. She is also very creative. She had us wrap ourselves with some red tape for a photo. She gave us no explanation for why. Then she told us to break loose from the tape as she took more photos. Later on she told us the tape represented borders and we were breaking through borders. It was an interesting and contemplative exercise. We do break borders for sure, but I would ask why do we need borders? Maybe some day in a really distant future humans will get it right. I am sure it won't happen in my lifetime, but I will keep dreaming for it and doing my best to spread the love and laughter to anyone willing to accept it. 

Inside the borders

Breaking borders. Seemed chaotic to me :0)

This was a beautiful spot to spend a couple of hours and unwind towards a mid point of our trip. The view of the mountains and farmland below were so relaxing! There are some nice photos of the area in my photo album, so you will have to look through that to get the full views if you wish. We headed back to the hotel after this for free time and dinner on our own. We ended up having dinner all together anyway, ha. We went to an Indian restaurant, which was fun and yummy. Here Pinion put on a performance as a waiter. You have to watch the video of him to get the full effect, but trust me it was hilarious. After a good night's rest we got ready for our last full day in Tbilisi. 

April 26, 2025... I am an early bird, so sometimes in the mornings I would wander the city streets on my own. This is a great time for me to reflect and contemplate the events of the past few days, while I ponder the days to come. I almost always meet some wonderful people when I do this. I met 2 young teenagers who spoke English well. Better than me if truth be told. We had a nice chat and they vowed to come to America. I sure hope they do. I presented them with noses for a selfie. They gladly accepted, but one of them told me "I don't need a nose to be a clown". I love it! She still kept it as a keepsake. 

Nina and Elena. 2 lovely teenagers on the streets of Tbilisi

Also on my morning walk I came upon a lovely couple.  Amir and Maria are from Iran and were traveling around Georgia for fun. When I came upon them, I saw Maria with her phone out. She had it out for a while, so I assume she was video taping me, which I encourage! This also prompted me to pull out my juggling balls to give her a little "show". Unbeknownst to me, Amir was in my periphery and also pulled out some juggling balls! I had no idea he was a juggler when I reached for mine. I presumed they were just tourist visiting the city. It was a fun and funny moment to turn to the side and see him juggling. I think my "show" was unimpressive, because Amir was way better than I am. Ha Ha. I wished them well and went on my way. A little while later after I had coffee, I bumped into them again randomly. This is when I learned a little more about them. They were in Georgia for a year or so. They were staying in random hostels as they enjoyed the country and looked for random work to pay their way. They took me to their favorite hostel called Fabrica. It was a colorful, friendly place. They said hello to everyone we came across as if they were old friends. Maybe they were? We chatted a little longer and took a couple of selfies before I had to wander off and join my group. I just love interactions like this. 

Amir and Maria

Such a great juggler. Notice my ball on the ground in the corner of the photo.

Fabrica Hostel in Tbilisi. Beautiful place

After breakfast we drove to Dzegvi. This is a small town outside of the city. Here we would visit a "mixed" shelter in the morning and an oncology center in the afternoon. The mixed shelter was started by one woman several years ago. She really wanted to help people in need, and so she does. The shelter houses a small group of hospice patients along with a group of people with mental disabilities. The children of the younger group also live here, and they have no disabilities. It was definitely an interesting mix! In the beginning, a small group stayed outside and played with the children. A few of us went to visit the hospice patients. Maria, Kate and I went to a quaint room and hung out with 2 lovely women. One was spry and playful with Kate. The other seemed a little more serious and she just held my hand and told me "stories" in her native language. Oh how I wish I knew what she was telling me. I would smile and nod and she would keep on talking. I have learned that this is an important part of clowning. Just being there as a presence for the person who wants you there. It is not all about the play. 

Kate plays while Maria sings. I am holding the hand of her roommate.

After our room visit, we joined the other clowns outside on a beautiful day. There was a lot of fun activity outside and some of the hospice patients walked out with us to join in the fun. One gentleman brought his accordion out to play for us while we played with the children. It was such a great atmosphere. The younger children, ages 5 to 9 would run around and chase bubbles, push Pluk in a tricycle, or whatever. The older group, ages 11 to 17, would try to learn how to juggle with Daniel and Pluk, or learn the ukulele from Anya or Guy. We all had our own "talents" to share and there was no shortage of kids wanting to play and learn. 

In the afternoon we went to Monk Andrew's Oncology Center for Children. This was a lovely place with an interesting story. Andrew wanted to be a monk from an early age. He started writing a book when he was 13. He was diagnosed with cancer in his teens. He pursued being a monk and was made a monk at the age of 17. He died a few months after becoming a monk. For his legacy he wanted to fund an oncology center for kids. His mom and dad started a foundation and this place now exists because of him. It is a small place that houses up to 12 children at a time. The kids live here, even between treatments. The parents are welcome to live with them also, or they  can visit depending on their individual situations. The place is well run and the kids seem to appreciate the place. We enjoyed our visit as we played with the kids for a couple of hours. We got a tour of the place with more info about it. We were then given Monk Andrew's book. It was a lovely way to end our clowning in Georgia. Well, almost the end of our clowning in Georgia :0).

A large playroom at Monk Andrew's Oncology Center. Great for clown antics.

Juggling 4 plates! This is NOT easy. 

April 27, 2025... I say almost the end of our clowning in Georgia... We had no more centers to visit, but the next morning we did clown around in the local market before we headed to Yerevan. Markets are always a fun place to clown around, and the artists typically love it. I received a silver teaspoon as a gift for my clowning around. I am always humbled by such sweet gestures. After walking through the market, we ended up at a local ice cream shop for marozhna! Marozhna is the Russian word for ice cream and might be my favorite Russian word of all time :0). It seemed to be the perfect way to end our time in Georgia. We boarded our bus soon after and headed towards the border. I will write about the border crossing and our antics in Armenia in the next blog. So, stay tuned...!

My own version of Spumoni in Georgia! Yum!

       

              Now Go Out and Hug Someone Today!!!