It became a custom for me to take walks along the Delaware canal in Bucks county PA near my home ... the canal path stretched for 60 miles and was maintained by park services

The customary turtles slithered off logs as I walked and occasionally an alarmed frog would splash into the water as my sneakers crunched the path gravel running above and along side the sunken canal stream - very rarely I would see some deer.

Beneath the water surface if you looked closely there were mustard green salamanders with small orange spots and yellow underbellies and in some deep pools of water small fish as well.  Nature.

One sunny day while walking, a moving shadow on the canals  water surface caught my eye and just as quickly a large bird with an even larger wingspan flew ahead of me and landed at the edge of the water in some high reeds

I continued to walk until I passed the bird who just looked curiously up at me from the water beneath the path with her head cocked, unfazed by my presence ... I continued to walk looking back. Moments later the bird would fly past me again only to land ahead and await my passing  ... this went on for a mile or two until I turned to return from my walk

At the time I did not know what species it was  - it was stork like and gray ... tall with a long neck and long bill. I would later find out on Google and from neighbors that it was a blue heron.

From that day on I would see the Blue Heron each time I walked  - sometimes parked ahead and sometimes landing in front of me. But mostly traveling in the same direction as I walked.

My new friend seemed to be watching over me.

I had lost my Mom on my birthday about a year before - and the thought came to me that this bird was my Mom  .. watching over me ... and so I named it Mom.

Mom became my walking companion and I would be disappointed and even concerned when I did not see "her".

One day as Mom was standing in the weeds ahead within sight .. further down the stream another Blue Heron landed ... surprised I thought to myself - dare I say Dad? { ◎⃝ ‿◎⃝ }

I recall reading that Blue Herons often are found as solitary pairs though perhaps only during certain times of the year.

Life being a distraction and habits changing there came a time when Mom no longer showed up and perhaps it was because I didn't walk as often. It made me sad but then I envisioned Mom and Dad with four little ones all standing in the canal eating salamanders; and I smiled. I have two sisters and a brother.

{ ◎⃝ ‿◎⃝ }