Denise and I take turns painting the upper portions of the mural from the perch of a scissor lift. I didn’t realize how high 25 feet was ‘til I was up there last week. The lift takes up about half the sidewalk width, so working that high put me at the top of the trees that are planted along the curb. It was a breezy, kinda good for ballooning day, and I was concentrating on drawing cottonwood leaves. The sunset peeked over the top of the wall, reflecting off the edge of my eyeglasses, and trees rustled at my back. I was in the zone, at peace with the universe, one with the work at hand.

Suddenly, in a flurry of wings and whistles, the birds arrived. One crazy wing nut musta thought my fluff of white hair was nesting material. He veered over the top of the building, winged me in the head, and tumbled into the branches behind me. He musta landed on his feet in the tree ‘cause I didn’t see him on the ground. Every bird in the hood went nuts! It was about ten minutes before they realized it was a no-fault collision and settled into their evening chatter.

The next day, when I didn’t encounter that crazy bird, I figured he flew an alternate route.

Visit https://www.gofundme.com/tortuga-gallery-mural-fest-project for more information on how you can be part of this community project that beautifies the neighborhood and the Rio Grande Bosque.