THE ADVENTURES OF PERIWINKLE & STINKY: PART CXCIV

Stinky is even more enthusiastic than usual to see Periwinkle, as he can’t wait to get started on today’s adventure. He is taking Periwinkle to a place that his parents visited some years before he was born. They told him all about it, and it sounded too exciting to pass up. He doesn’t have long to wait for Periwinkle, as she comes tumbling out of the teleportation tunnel right on time. Hearing its familiar whoosh, Stinky is right there to catch her and wrap her up in a big paw hug. Periwinkle hugs him back and they share some whisker kisses.

Stinky, however, doesn’t even give her time to catch her breath before he leads her back into the tunnel.

Quebec, Canada

Moments later, they arrive at their destination, which Periwinkle doesn’t recognize. She immediately asks, “Where are we Stinky?”

“We are in Quebec, Canada. It is so hot both in Florida and Virginia, I wanted to come someplace a bit cooer. It is forecasted to be 75 degrees Fahrenheit today.”

“That sounds really nice. What are we going to do?”

“We are going to travel from Saguenay-St-Lawrence Marine Park to Baie-Sainte-Catherine (St. Catherine’s Bay) and go whale watching,” Stinky tells her.

“Oh, wow, that will be so exciting,” replies Periwinkle.

Whale Watching

“My parents went on a Whale Watching Cruise on a large boat, but we are going to take a Zodiac Whale Watching Tour.” Just as Stinky finishes telling Periwinkle this, their boat arrives with a few passengers already on board. The guide hands them lifejackets, which they quickly put on, and then they hop on board.

 

 

Periwinkle can barely hide her excitement as they set out. They pick up some additional passengers and then see their first whale. Periwinkle squeals and claps her paws together. The guide tells them it is a juvenile humpback.

 

 

Periwinkle asks, “Can you tell us more about the juvenile whales?”

 

 

Humpback Whale Facts

The guide tells Periwinkle and Stinky that humpback whales are juveniles until they reach sexual maturity at between six and 10 years of age. Newborn humpbacks weigh about one ton and are 10 to 16 feet in length. Males at reproductive age are between 39 and 52 feet in length. Females measure around 45 to 49 feet. They however can grow to 59 feet.

 

Periwinkle sees Stinky staring intently at the back of the nearby whale and grabs the back of his lifejacket. “Don’t you get ideas, Mr. Daredevil. If you make a leap to get on that whales back, you will end up as fish food, and I will never speak to you again.”

Chastised, Stinky steps back. As he is doing that, Periwinkle shouts, “Look, Stinky, it is the whale’s tail!”

 

 

The guide tells the tabbies that a whale’s tale is called a fluke. They both giggle, finding the word very funny.

 

 

As they watch open mouthed, the whale lifts its fluke even further out of the water.

 

 

Before the tour ends, the guide apologizes that they didn’t get to see a whale breaching the water. She also tells the passengers that humpback whales grow up to 60 feet long and weigh 80,000 pounds. They can live for 80 to 90 years.

On the way back to shore, the guide serves a little snack. Periwinkle and Stinky are surprised by the variety of cat treats offered.

When they arrive back at shore, Periwinkle and Stinky hand back their lifejackets and head for the teleportation tunnel. Moments after entering, they arrive back at Stinky’s house.

A Surprise for Periwinkle

Stinky asks Periwinkle to close her eyes, so he can fetch something to share with her. When he returns, Stinky shouts, “Surprise,” and tells Periwinkle to open her eyes.

“When she sees what he has, she claps her paws together and squeals, “Oh, Stinky, those are our Certificates Of Excellence from the Cat Writers’ Association. You didn’t tell me they had arrived. Can we take our photo with them and show all our readers?”

“Of course, that was my plan,” Stinky tells her.

 

“For which Adventures did we earn our certificates, Stinky?” asks Periwinkle.

Stinky tells her the following:

“The COE in the category WRITTEN ARTICLE: ENTERTAINMENT – SHORT was for our adventure where we helped my mom get ready for Christmas when she had COVID.”

The COE in the category COLUMN/SERIES was for three of our adventures. They are the ones where we visited Tortola BVI, the Balloons Over Rockbridge, Virginia, Festival and our Playdate with the Kittens.”

“Stinky, those were all terrific adventures! I know I really enjoyed each of them. I sure hope we win a Muse Medallion for at least one of our entries.”

“Periwinkle, we should just be happy that we were recognized,” Stinky tells her.

“Of course, you’re right. Sadly, I guess it is time for me to head home. I sure had fun today. You always plan the best adventures.”

“Thanks, Periwinkle.”

The tabbies spend several minutes paw hugging and whisker kissing. Then Periwinkle enters the teleportation tunnel and with a wave an a whoosh is gone. Stinky retires to the catio for a catnap and dreams of Periwinkle.

The End

Happy Tuesday

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