A Flying Visit from John & Paulette Curreri

As a boy, I grew up on Long Island in New York, USA. It was the most fantastic place to grow up..summers were hot and there were several local beaches, with a choice between swimming in the calm bay inlet areas, or braving the mighty Atlantic Ocean and the huge rolling breakers that roll up on Long Island's sandy shores.

The winters were cold, with snow drifts up to 10 feet high at times, a time when snow plough drivers were in full time gainful employment!

Winter would also see us ice skating on local ponds that had frozen over, or riding our sleds down woodland trails, usually crashing in spectacular fashion!!

The current time of year saw the Independence Day celebrations, including a parade through our town of Southampton on the 4th of July, and as boys, John , his brother Paul and I, did all of these things.

Over the years, though contact was often sporadic, that feeling of camaraderie and brotherhood has stayed with all three of us, and in later life, Maralyn and I have visited Long Island twice as I recalled my childhood years..the first visit being almost 30 years after I left, or saw either John or Paul.

Although the time and the distance were both extensive since we had been together, that feeling of closeness as friends was as strong as ever, and we all three picked up where we left off..going swimming in the ocean, playing baseball on the old school field where we played Little League baseball as 10 year olds..and even going for lunch at Sip 'n' Soda, a local burger bar that was there when I was a boy, and still operates under the same owner today!

We were thrilled when John and his wife Paulette told us that they were planning to visit during a European holiday, and so we carefully planned the few days they would have in the UK with us.

They were keen to come to Northamptonshire and very keen to see the birds that we have here, and so it was arranged that we would collect them and bring them home, with enough time left in the day to fly Ki'che, our male Saker.

John C is a keen photographer, and was eager to try his hand at photographing a flying falcon.

The results are shown below, and I think most will agree, they're pretty spectacular!!

The visit was over all too soon, but we hope it was a memorable one for John and Paulette, and we look forward to spending more time with them in the not too distant future..

John Tyas

July 2011