Hawkeye

Not all of us are lucky enough to have a superpower - something that really sets us apart from the average person. Weston's superpower was his vision. I was always proud of my "better than 20-20" but it was nothing compared to Wes. He could probably see through walls and clothes - but was smart enough not to tell us of his X-ray powers.

Really, the kid could see anything. Bird flying overhead - he could tell you what it was. If it was a duck - he'd tell you what type of duck. I was lucky if I even knew it was a duck - if I saw it at all - because who had the time to look up and figure out what was flying overhead? As long as it wasn't dropping little white bombs on me, I could care less what was up there.

Being a bird hunter, he really knew his ducks. A friend's father was also a big duck hunter and had many stuffed and mounted on his wall with engraved nameplates below. I'm guessing maybe Wes was 10 years old at the time, but he noticed one of the birds was misnamed. He and the father argued over it for awhile, got out a book on ducks, and low and behold, Weston was right. I wonder if the father had a new one engraved, took the bird down, or just never invited Wes back?

In Alaska on a sightseeing boat trip from Seward, Weston pointed out grizzlies on the shore, something none of us passengers, including the tour guide, ever would have noticed.

My friend Jen likes to recall that on a car trip to Santa Fe, she pointed out a bear to Wes, who nonchalantly took off his earphones, gazed out the window, rolled his eyes, put back on his earphones and in an exasperated tone explained to her that it was a deer.

Then, as Jen likes to remind me, the rest of the weekend the entire family pointed out every deer and bear to see if Jen knew the difference. "Weston spent the whole weekend making fun of me." Jen recalled. "We went out to a really nice dinner one night and I told Weston that he was my date and he feigned horror. I told him that I used to be a hot commodity and he was lucky to have such an attractive older woman on his arm.....I believe I got a smirk out of him."

These days, I pay attention to what's flying overhead, hanging out in the trees and splashing in my bird bath. Ever since my brother's passing, at different, significant points in my life (and just plain ol' every days) I often see a hawk or golden eagle flying overhead (close enough for me, with all my bird knowledge, to be able to tell it's not a duck, pigeon, crow or chicken).

These birds are my reminder of Wes. He was congratulating me on the births of my sons, on my marriage. Other times reminding me to slow down, take a deep breath, or be thankful.

FOLLOW UP NOTE:
The Saturday after I wrote the above blog, I was sitting in my father's living room with son No. 2, chatting with Kim. A bird landed outside about 10 feet from the door. His landing caught my eye because he was huge and stunning - it was a hawk. He stood there for a moment eyeing us and then took off.

Kim and I both held our breath because it looked like he was going to smack into the second story windows of their living room which has a vaulted ceiling - but he didn't. He soared straight up so quickly and gracefully - it was a beautiful sight to behold. I whispered to son No. 2, who sat on my lap, to wave hello to his uncle Wes.