Goodbye, Tatanka

First Post of the Day

This weekend, Hawkeye Sarah surprised me by asking, "Mom, will you put my name on the tag of your white bison?"

My reaction? "Wait, what? You mean Tatanka? You want him?"

She sure did. And if our kids would like to have something (as Mila put it so delicately once, "When you're dead, Grammy?"), then I label on it or mark it some way. In the case of my collection, I put the name on the model's tag.

Not this time. I pulled Tatanka right off the shelf and handed it to her. 

It was Sarah's turn to be surprised and she protested a little about taking away a piece of my collection. But I was so delighted that she wanted it, there was no way I was going to keep it. My collection certainly does bring me joy, but it makes me even happier to know that a family member wants to have a piece from it.

And, Sarah is a wildlife photographer, a good one. She has taken many photos of bison during her travels around the western United States. Here is a look at a few of them:

Bison are one of her favorites to photograph.

She has a knack for being in the right spot at the right time with the right angle of the camera.

And, she is a year round photographer - she loves seeing wildlife in all their seasonal environments.

A rare white bison was born a few years ago and Sarah was lucky enough to be able to photograph it. 

My Tatanka is a nice connection to it. That, and her love of bison, were reasons why she asked if she could have him.

I am delighted that a piece of my collection, one that has personal meaning to both of us, will be with her when I am not.

So, yes, Sarah, you take my Tatanka home with you.