I met Linda shortly after I arrived in Blacksburg in the summer of 1979 and began to work for the Department of Forestry at VT. She was an avid hiker, camper, forester, photographer and naturalist. We shared many enjoyable conversations and a lot of good laughs, especially over Skipper and that 65 Plymouth she loved so much. She had eyes to see things that many others couldn't. One evening as a church roofing project was nearing completion, she took this photo and on the back wrote a scripture and a  poem:

Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love (I Corinthians 16:13-14)

Friends together work side by side,
To finish their task before the light of day.
Sharing quiet moments of companionship,
Building strength for yet another day.          

Linda loved her birds.  Her last bird was Birdles, a blue fronted amazon. When I was in Paraguay a few weeks ago I brought some of birdles feathers with me to leave there in tribute to her life, and to Linda's.  As a blue fronted amazon, she was from that region of South America.  After laying the feathers down, I read the poem that Linda wrote to birds that had died that she and I had known (see picture in album)  

Here is an excerpt from her poem:

I will listen to your sweet parrot voice as you call to me,
I will admire your valiant spirit and hang onto the perch as you did
I will carry your precious and treasured memores in my heart
And I will wait for the day when our spirits meet once again.

As she said to the birds, I so say to her.

I love you dear sister!

LoraKim