In this picture, you can see me being about as happy as I can possibly be! The gentleman at my side is Dr. Heinz Meng of New Paltz, New York. He is a world renowned raptor biologist and also the person who first exposed me to the sport of falconry, forever changing the course of my life. I'll always feel that I owe so much to this man. I have a very short list of "heroes," and in my book, Heinz is right up there with my grandfather and John Muir. I got to share lunch with him last weekend at the annual field meet of the New York State Falconry Association, in Cobleskill. Although I've spoken with him over the phone, I hadn't seen him in person for twenty years, and it really made my day. And if that weren't enough, he took me over to the car and presented me with a cardboard box full of old falconry publications and correspondence from the late 1950's and early 1960's, that will now reside in my library. Thank you so much Heinz!