Another rainy, raw day, with lots of indoor work, but in the late afternoon, I managed to make a short walk from an Avalonia Land Conservancy town meeting to a special, special event at the Stephen Main House, the headquarters of the North Stonington Historical Society and the venue for my dear friend and colleague Anne Nalwalk's 80th birthday party. Almost since its beginning in 1968, Anne has been an Avalonia stalwart, and when I got involved a mere few years ago, Anne generously took me under her wing and, although not quite as spry on the trail as she had been earlier, she always showed up at the public walks she encouraged me to lead with juice and cookies for the participants. She didn't have to bring refreshments tonight, as an appreciative crowd gathered to celebrate a truly wonderful life. Maggie Jones, the longtime director of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, another conservation organization Anne played a key role in developing, brought an appropriate friend: a Saw-whet Owl. No surprise: Anne took the happy bird under her wing.