Cardinal Comes to Visit

Here's the story; me and my roommates were taking some band photos down by the reservoir and had headed back to the van. We had left the sliding door and passenger door open out of sheer laziness and weren't walking far enough to worry about someone stealing it. I was the first to get in the passenger side door, and immediately after sitting down, something red came flying up from the floor onto my side of the car. I'm not sure what I said, but it was something akin to "Freaking holy cardinal" because he scared the daylights out of me being all red and flappy. I sat stunned for several moments before Lee said, "Orie....you're holding a camera", at which point I started snapping. He was a bit confused at first and kept pecking at the glass, I didn't really think about him pecking me, just that I felt like I should try and help him off the window and so I gently tried to ease him off the window. He just climbed on my hand and sat for a bit, which was even more incredible, so Lee took the camera and snapped off a couple. Eventually he figured out the whole impenetrable glass thing, and he flew off into a nearby bush, chirped a couple times and flew off.

All in all, an incredible experience to say the least. I've always loved watching cardinals, but seeing one so close and having him rest on my hand was very near spiritual.

Thank you cardinal, thank you nature, thank you Father.