When It All Began

It All Began With A Cardinal.

When I was a kid, my parents would take me to visit my grandparents in Milford, PA.  My grandmother, Grace, was a huge bird lover.  She would get up early every morning, before daylight, and make her pot of coffee.  I would wake up shortly after to the rich smell of the fresh brew, and in my pajamas, I would wander into the kitchen, where Grandma sat at the tiny two-seater kitchen table.

"You're up early," she'd say. 
"I want to be with you."
"Are you hungry? Do you want some cereal?" she'd ask.
"Yes."

I'd eat cereal, while she sipped on coffee, and we both watched the birds arrive at the feeder right outside the kitchen window.  The cardinals were her favorites, and mine too.  I loved their bright red colors.  They really stood out in the falling snow with that brilliant red.  She'd tell me all about them, about what they like to eat, and how they behave.  I didn't remember it much then, I was too young.  But I relearned it all when I got older and started photographing Cardinals and other beautiful songbirds.

And that's where it began -- at a tiny kitchen table in Milford, PA, watching the birds arrive for their morning meal.  I've been hooked on birds ever since.  And to this day, every time I see a Cardinal, it reminds me of those early morning cereal-coffee dates with my grandmother.