Phoebe's Sweet 16

Sixteen years ago this morning my life changed forever.
That was the day that Phoebe Linnea Thompson came into the world.
This photo (above) shows us on her first day back at home.
Man I was SO in love! And I still am.

Through the years, Phoebe has grown into quite an amazing young woman. Oh my, was she super adorable as a little girl. This is her first day of preschool. She was holding her pacifier in her right hand, behind her back.
Try as I might, I can't convince her to go back to the pixie haircut. Who can blame her? If I had hair that gorgeous and red, I'd wear it long, too.
Heck, I'd settle for just having HAIR!

See what I mean?

Phoebe is many things as a person. She loves flowers:
She loves birds. In this image she's loving up a fledgling eastern phoebe that Julie was rehabbing.


Phoebe loves a good session of dress-up—especially for Halloween.
She was the best Red Hat Lady ever a few years back.

And recently she's gotten into acting in plays at her high school.
She's a natural ham—we wonder where she gets it.

She loves her Pittsburgh Pirates (a trait she inherited from her dad).
This is Phoebe at a Pirates' game with my dad. We were celebrating Dad's birthday on that day. How I wish he could be here for this day.

Phoebe was not YET a crazed Pirates fan. That came later.
At Pirates' games the Pirate Parrot always seems to find Phoebe. She's one of the more radiant female fans, and her bodyguard (in fedora) also seems to enjoy the attention.

My girl helped me do a book once.
And she often has a long line of autograph seekers queued up to meet her.

Phoebe loves Chet Baker to the point of tormenting him.
But he adores her, as does everyone else.

We all love our tall, gorgeous redhead and we grab every opportunity to hug her (as her mama Julie is here), pull her close...

and we try to snap a shot or two. Because we know she will not be here with us for every day too much longer. She is bound for other places, and an amazing life.

No one in our family adores Phoebe more than her little bro-ski Liam.
I am most proud of the big sister that Phoebe is. She is old and wise and kind beyond her years.

She is a dreamer, this amazing young soul.

Phoebe, my precious little bird.
Once I held you in my two hands.
Now I hold you with my whole heart.

Happy birthday to you, my darling daughter!

O Happy Day! Again!

In the spring of 2008 when I walked into Salem-Liberty Elementary School, and into daughter Phoebe's 6th grade classroom, it was the highlight of my professional career. That was the day that I handed all the 6th graders their own copies of The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of Eastern North America—a book they'd helped me create over the previous two years.

I felt such pride because the book had been a true collaboration. The kids really helped me to get the content, design, and format just right. I was also proud because I knew the book would help aspiring young birders to enjoy bird watching—to connect with the feathered part of the natural world in a meaningful way. It's the book I wish I'd had when I first noticed birds in 1968. And my hopes for the book were realized. Since it came out in early 2008, many thousands of copies have made their way into the hands of young birders (and into the hands of new birders of all ages, too). I've given talks to and led walks for young bird watchers all over the eastern half of North America.

Yesterday I got to repeat this very special event when I took son Liam's classmates their copies of the The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of North America, which they helped me create. The new book, which I've blogged about before, was created by expanding the eastern guide, and adding 100+ western species, to cover all of North America. Now young birders in the West have a book to get them started birding.

Yesterday afternoon, just as the school day was winding down, I gave the Salem-Liberty 6th graders their books, signed most of them, then we went out in front of the tiny rural school and snapped a photo for posterity (above). All of these kids are in their last days at Salem-Liberty. Next year they will all attend Fort Frye High School on the other side of the county. I thought back on the many dozens of birding walks we'd taken around the school grounds since 2006. I feel so lucky to have been a part of these book projects with these young folks. We've always had fun.

I believe that birds are the easiest way to connect young people to nature and that's been my mission with these two books. It will continue to be my mission for the rest of my life. But there's no way I could have done it without the great minds and enthusiastic helpers at Salem-Liberty Elementary School.

I'll be forever grateful to those amazing Salem-Liberty kids and their dedicated teachers.