Births, Lotteries and Eagles

 

Date:   1/13/2021

Dad Joke:   I hate jokes about German Sausage.  (Pause)  They are the wurst.    What do you call the boys that tell these jokes?  (Pause) Brats      (Oh, that is bad!)

More to see than can ever be seen:    It was pretty extraordinary watching five Bassier Kids being born.   The first three (Eric, Emily and Brian) each came into this world with more than a modicum of excitement.  Each worth a tale recording another time.  Kathryn (the fourth) was a planned Caesarean-born baby who arrived with the associated trauma for her Mom, but for me came into the world in an astonishing fashion and fascinating process that was the most calm of all the children’s births.  If “calm” is an appropriate description of this great birthing process.   Elaine (the fifth) was relatively more measured in her arrival…but certainly the delivery was an admirable feat on the part of her Mom, especially considering the track record of the prior four.  I am sure your Mother has her own memories which may somewhat conflict with mine. 

More to know than can ever be known:    My Life

·         I first hit the lottery by being born in the United States of America.

·         Hit the lottery with my Parents and Grandparents.

·         Hit the Mega-Lottery by meeting Jan – and still having her in my life!

·         Hit the Super-Lottery five more times with the Bassier Children.

·         Hit more Lottery winning tickets with Sons- and Daughter-in-law.

·         (and if the above weren’t enough) Now, have won Super-Duper Lotteries with grandchildren.

 

What a rich and treasured life!

More to do than can ever be done:     The continuing Odyssey of Tom Bassier

·         In Northwest Colorado, I was tasked with guiding a nationally renowned raptor expert (falcons and eagles – not dinosaurs) along the cliffs and breaks of the Yampa River Basin.  During this time, he spotted scores of Golden Eagles.  I helped him carry his large camera and tripod, set the camera up and film eaglets in their cliff nests while the mother eagle circled and screeched above us.  I actually held some eaglets for close-up shots.   To reach a few cliff nests, we needed ropes to climb down.    I absorbed as much as I could about what he told about eagles and during the subsequent decades in the West have kept an eye out for raptors – especially eagles.  Jan, on the other hand, has a penchant for spotting falcons and hawks.   Hey, I am not making this up.  The “Eagle Man” was Morley Nelson.  Use the internet to find out more about Morley and his legacy at the Snake River Birds of Prey Sanctuary.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley_Nelson  ;  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_River_Birds_of_Prey_National_Conservation_Area

·         Each year in December, scores and scores of Bald Eagles congregate along Lake Coeur d’Alene to feast on spawning Kokanee Salmon.

·         Further, just before Christmas of 2020 at a pond ½ mile from our home, I came across a falconer flying a trained bird.  Swooping down near me, the falcon with dangling tresses landed on a fence post about twenty forty feet from me…looked me over, “talked” to me a bit, then took off back toward his falconer.

There you have it.    

 

TAB

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