Michael & Janka Hobbs wrote:
>
> > ......It never ceases to amaze me when I ask people who are
> >driving through the refuge if "they saw anything interesting?", only to
> >get the stupifying(at least to me) reply: " Oh, nothing much!!!"
> >Amazing!!!! I see birds and wildlife 'everywhere'!!
>
> >Gerald Hamilton
>
> I am always reduced to near muteness by this question. Is the person asking
> it a sales clerk who would only notice a Bald Eagle if it ate her dog, or is
> it Ace Birder wanting to know if I'd had any new State Records. If I see
> $800 binoculars around the asker's neck, I get afraid they are Listers (with
> a capital "L"), and the mention of a non-italicized bird will be met with
> contempt. If there are no binoculars, I get afraid that if I mention
> "Gadwall" I'll be greeted with a blank expression. So I usually say
> something generic like "Nothing too unusual, but it's always nice to look at
> the birds", and see if the conversation moves from there. It's probably a
> personal problem...
>
> == Michael Hobbs
> == Kirkland WA
> == MJCT_Hobbs at msn.com
-----------------------------

.......Some very interesting perspectives here....on how the recepient
of the question might feel.

gerald at e-z.net