June 26th, 2018

We made some unique friends while "birding" at Big Bend National Park of Texas. They were dedicated "birders" with powerful binoculars, all-weather jackets with lots of pockets for notebooks and reference books, wide brim hats, sun screen and bug spray, sun glasses, cameras, trekking poles: all required gear for that glimpse of a rare yellow-bellied or crimson-throated whatever.  Sara and I had a ball cap, hiking boots, and cellphone camera - novices, no doubt.  

We shared a delightful week learning about this new hobby and much more.  Then continued building our acquaintance a few years later with a brief visit to their home in Big Timber Montana, between Bozeman and Billings,  right smack on the fold of a Rand McNally road map, of course.

Tom is the son of an accomplished musician from Chicago and a concert pianist by his own right; Sally is now a visual artist working with fabrics, glass, and other media.  Both retired  and migrated from the big city to the solitude, beauty and big sky of Montana.  Sara and I were both overwhelmed by their gracious hospitality, the charming home, eclectic music to complement the sumptuous meal, all surrounded by the beauty of the Crazy Mountains.

It's hard to say thanks for this continuing memory.  Music flowed through Tom's fingertips out of a grand piano to fill the music room beneath one of Sally's hand-made quilts showcasing a keyboard caressing flowers, then out the window to serenade the majestic mountains. 

So, I made a drawing that reflects our shared experiences and values; birds and wildlife of nature with a backdrop of mountains and sky; and our own artistic passions using fabric, india ink and piano ivory.   What do you think?

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