Love, Stephanie, Michael, Dylan, and Shannon

Michael and I first met Michelle when she was an intern at Chincoteague NWR in 1996 maybe 1995?? We both worked at the refuge and she was instantly endeared to our hearts. She was a vegan, she shared our love of all things wild and she loved Bob Dylan! I remember a little sparrow she was rehabilitating named Silveo after a Bob song. We had her over to a little house on Chicken City road for a cheese-less pizza and we talked for hours. I remember banding terns with her at Eastern shore refuge and we were mortified how they herded the birds and penned them in for the banding. We then moved to California and with Kerry and Nick nearby, we continued to see Michelle frequently. She spent Christmas with us in Sacramento with Nick and Kerry’s two dogs. By that time, we had our little guy Dylan. Michelle was great with him and he adored her. We went on a great trip to Arcata with Michelle and she called in spotted owls for us! That was a life experience – seeing the highly endangered spotted owl. We will never forget that. I visited Michelle in White Salmon while on training to Portland and I have to say that Ben would not come over to meet me. In 2005, we met Michelle in Hawaii. We will travel to great lengths to hook up with her! We had a great time traveling around and sunbathing in Maui. She is a fantastic photographer. We are so glad she was on the Hawaii trip….her photos are outstanding. Last spring, we finally got to meet Ben when they both visited us on Cape Cod. He is great and we are so happy for Michelle. All three of us (and Shannon!) love her dearly and only wish them both the best. Can’t wait to see you! Love, Stephanie, Michael, Dylan, and Shannon