I am speaking at the funeral of one of my closest and most influential friends today. It is bittersweet, already miss him but grateful he no longer is suffering and in pain. It was from Gregg that I learned about bird watching, a now life-long activity. It was Gregg's skill as a photographer that inspired me to take up shooting photos - a bit later than I would have preferred. He helped me "see" the natural world not just pass through it. Both of these have enriched my life. He was in the hospital parking lot early in the morning when Cindy and I arrived for the birth of our first son, Geof, guarding the closest spot until we got there. He was "uncle" to both our boys and a loyal, endearing friend.
He loved Kansas and especially the tall grass prairie and the Flint Hills. Cindy and I were able to stop and walk the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve in Kansas this Spring. I, too, saw the beauty there. And, I both photographed this bird and added it as a new one to my life-list. It is a Dickcissel but for me it will be Gregg's bird.
