Our latest trip started with a dream I had about my late friend Mike. I mentioned it to Karl, who said he had also been thinking about Mike and went on to say, "If I can figure out a way to get Hannibal back from New Orleans, the Coulsons are giving him back to me." Hannibal was Mike's last Harris' hawk, and had been bred by Tom and Jennifer Coulson; after Mike's passing, he was flown by Bob Noble and then by Karl before ending up back with the Coulsons.
Normally, Tom and Jenn could have simply put Hannibal on a plane to Lincoln or Omaha, but amongst all the other COVID-19 disruptions, the shipping of animals on airlines has been suspended. Jessa and I wanted Hannibal back in Nebraska almost as badly as Karl did, and since the Coulsons actually live in St. Tammany Parish on the North Shore, our home territory when we're in Louisiana, we volunteered to bring him home. Karl expressed some misgivings about sending us into what looked like a COVID-19 hot zone, but we assured him we'd take precautions.
And so it was that we made a rush, three-day weekend trip back to Louisiana, where we had a nice albeit fully-masked visit with Tom and Jenn, ate our share of Vietnamese baked goods and take-away seafood, and took a few photos which we will share in the coming days. Hannibal crossed not the Alps on an elephant but the Ozarks in the back of our Subaru, and is now settling back in at Karl's.
[A few snapshots from Karl's garage as we got Hannibal fitted with fresh furniture. Masks at this end of the trip as well.]
Welcome home, Hannibal! I know Mike would be pleased.
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