Tom

We wanted to meet THE ONE. The raven that is not albino, but rather speckled grey and white and with 'regular' indigo-black peepers. Oh, what a sight he would have been, had we had the fortune of chatting with him that day! I know this because I had seen an awesome pic of Tom's taken earlier in the season. 

Interestingly, Tom, the birding expert (and a skilled painter, despite his doubt), guessed that this feathered fella may have been romantically challenged. According to him, it was taking a bit long for this unusual bird to attract a mate. The ladies choose the men in this species. As stunning as this raven was to me, he was not having luck getting a date. Tom thought this would change with time. I found that interesting on so many levels. 

As hinted, I didn't get to see the alluring bird. Although I had driven six hours in hopes of doing just that, I wasn't terribly disappointed. I've learned that I can't have expectations of Mother Nature. She knows what and if something should happen much better than I do. The morning Tom spent with me was a blast. Good coffee at a place I would have never noticed, sights of the cool high school crowd, a truckload of knowledge from a fellow artist and a walk around an enticing, unfamiliar place was worth each moment. Thank you so much, Tom.

Nikol Haskova Studio