I think everyone who reads my blog probably knows that my husband and I have this “thing” about flamingos. And if you don’t, well you do now.

I don’t even remember how it started. But once you have one, you just can’t stop with one. One grows up two, into ten, then to fifty, and now I can’t even begin to count. It’s not worth trying.

You either love them or you don’t. And we do. 

But I was pleasantly surprised this birthday with a big flamingo fly in. Some of our flamingos had decided to head further south where it was warm all year long. Which meant our remaining pink birds had room for more of their friends to come join them poolside. 

So I was very pleasantly surprised on my recent birthday when a dozen new flamingos suddenly appeared, ready to take their places alongside our existing flock. They squawked their hello’s to their friends, and set about to find their perfect perches in our newly mulched garden by the pool. 

My husband, who’d arranged the fly-in, brought out trays of shrimp he’d had waiting for my new flamingos. They were hungry after their flight, of course. And he even had special flamingo margaritas ready for them as well. After all, it wasn’t just a “welcome to your new home” party. It WAS my birthday, so everyone got to celebrate.

So I’d like to introduce a few of our new flamingo friends, as well as a couple of long time friends who’ve been with us for several years.

Meet Florence. A new addition to the flock from sunny Florida. She was getting tired of all the hurricanes there and was looking for a new nest. So she was happy to join the group and is looking forward to lots of fun nights by the pool. With lots of cocktails, of course

This is Mabel. She’s been with us for several years. She’s thrilled to welcome new birds to the flock. And she’s more than ready to show them all the fun and exciting things that take place after we humans go to bed. I don’t think we want to know, but it would explain why we sometimes find a few of them tipped over in the morning.

And here’s Felicity. A diva-Mingo who loves to party every chance she gets. She adores sunshine, sunbathing, champagne cocktails and citrusy desserts. With an occasional shrimp or three thrown in for good measure. We happened to catch her when she was taking a short break on our porch. Actually she was probably waiting for another cocktail!

Then there’s this little flamingo family nestled comfortably in the birdbath surrounded by shells and sparkly colored marbles. They like splashing around in the morning and sleeping in the afternoon so they’ll be ready to party at night. Aren’t they just the cutest things?

Here we have Frederick. He’s our resident soloist, always ready to belt out a tune during a party, or to add just the right song set for a relaxing evening by the pool. And we can’t forget Frederick’s favorite duet partner Mattie. Always ready to join in with Frederick for a great selection of show tunes…or love songs…whichever their mood, or their audience, calls for.  And depending on how many tropical drinks they’ve had the pleasure of imbibing. You can also see one of their friends relaxing in an inner tube, enjoying a delicious margarita flavored ice cream cone, just chilling around the porch.

A lively bunch, don’t you think? And a perfect way to celebrate my birthday!

Now I think we seriously need to think about planning a summer Flamingo Pool Party. I know the birds are ready, and I’m sure our flamingo loving friends are, too.

Stay tuned, because there are a few more birthdays in the family this summer, and that’s always a great excuse for a party!