Longtime Friends Reunite

This past week I got word that a longtime dear friend would be stopping by the Sierra Vista area for some birding. Her name is Sherry Lane, who operates Lifebird Tours (www.lifebirdtours.com), a business that has led countless successful birding tours to some amazing places. Sherry and I go way back and it was a thrill to get to see her again and share some time together. She is a very special person and if you've never travelled with her before, well you are missing out.

Sherry was a participant on a High Lonesome birding tour (www.highlonesometours.com) that was being led by Kip Miller, another longtime friend of the family and an excellent naturalist. Kip and I have birded together in Costa Rica & Kenya and he knows pretty much everyone in my family.

Little did I know, that Emory Brautigen, another friend of our family was on that same tour. Emory went to high school with my brothers Evan & Kevin at Ozark Adventist Academy back in the early 1980's. He was even taught Religion & Spanish by my Dad. It was great to see him and reminisce about times long past. He remembered me as "Little Stevie" and was a bit shocked at how much I'd grown up. However, I felt tiny compared to his towering frame, he's like 6'6.

They were kind enough to invite me to dinner with them and reconnect. It was so nice to be able to visit with three friends who just happened to be in the same group together.

On the last day Sherry has some extra time to go out birding with me in my home area. We were able to track down a group of "Cottontop" Scaled Quail not from from my house and I then drove her to the airport in Tucson and gave her a hug before departing.

It's a small world indeed and reconnecting with old friends is like nourishment for the soul.