How Jessup Aviary got started

It all started with two budgies…

Jessup Aviary started out as a small homeschool science project. Two budgies. But as homeschool projects often do, it expanded…

How does a homeschooler change a lightbulb? First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life. Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles. Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they’ll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill. On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill. Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed.

We had so much fun with our first budgies Chirpy and Stormy that within a year, Kevin and I had adopted several additional pairs of budgies. It was clear that the budgies would like more room, so Greg built us a walk-in flight cage.

The budgies were very happy there

In the spring of 2004 two pairs of budgies went to nest, and… we got budgie chicks! We decided to hand-raise them. They grew up to become much more tame and friendly than their parents had ever been.

We then branched out into several additional kinds of birds — cockatiels and finches.

The next phase was converting our garage into a bird area….We hired some builders to re-do the front of the garage and an electrician to re-wire it.

We took it from there. Patching the concrete blocks

…and insulating the walls. Our neighbor Dave Link (on the right) was a huge amount of help during this whole project. He worked in construction and really knew his stuff.

But, an amazing thing about him was how tactful he was. You know how some people show off their expertise. He would say “that looks very nice, you’re doing great! …I’ve seen it done several different ways, have you thought of trying it this way?”

Then we’d feel perfectly comfortable trying it a different way, since he hadn’t been pushy about it.

Sadly, Dave passed away several years ago. I really miss him –his Balmor accent, life stories (he’d been around the block a few times), and his corny sense of humor.

Dave was an important part of the next step,too. After much online searching, I found a kind of greenhouse that is delivered to your door in kit form. We wanted to add the greenhouse to the garage building. But how do you cut a hole in a 50-yr-old cinderblock building without the whole thing collapsing? Greg and Dave spent a lot of time discussing and planning, and finally did it this way.

The running joke was, this hole in the wall was constructed so securely that it would still be standing even if the rest of the building fell down!

Here’s Greg assembling the greenhouse parts, accompanied by our ever-helpful German Shepherd, Vera.

Putting up the greenhouse struts.

Finishing the greenhouse

Installing a fan.

Staining the concrete floor. This turned out beautifully (but unfortunately the finish only held up for a few years)

I have very good memories of this part of the project. Greg and Kevin were away on a trip, and it was just me and the 20′ x 20′ area of pure, smooth concrete. It was the largest artwork I’ve ever done in my life. I had a 6″ paintbrush, which I used in huge swooping curves, and 4 different colors of translucent concrete stain. I was working in bare feet, so I painted with them too. Some of the painted areas looked like views of the Earth from a satellite, so I got a fine watercolor brush and started painting in tiny rivers and lakes. I think I might have been getting a bit high from the paint fumes at that point. 😉

Another artistic bit — the mural on the back gable. This is made from tie-dyed fabric (recycled from a homeschool project) and shower curtains (with a Fresnel lens pattern that made them look sparkly!).