A Special Butterfly and Her Gem

Nevin and Natalie in a Butterfly Garden

Enjoying each other's company on a beautiful day.

Well, this is the most difficult blog post I have ever had to write. I hope I can convey my thoughts and emotions about the 2 beautiful people it is supposed to honor, Natalie Daly and Nevin Vince. Natalie is my niece and Nevin is her longtime boyfriend. They lived an extraordinary few years together, and they died together. My heart continues to ache, even a few weeks later. I am sure it will hurt to some degree forever. But I want to talk about the incredible people they were and what they represented in their short time on Earth.

When Natalie was a young girl, her dad told her she was a social butterfly. She was happy to have that moniker. She excitedly told her mom that her dad told her she was a special butterfly. She was cute and funny from an early age, even when she wasn't trying to be. AND she is indeed a special butterfly! 

I only spent one day with Nevin, and I was completely impressed. His employer posted a touching tribute on FB after his death. In the post they said, "he was simply a gem". I love that description and they were not wrong! One day with him verified to me that he indeed was a gem. Now I will always remember them as A Special Butterfly and Her Gem. 

A Special Butterfly and Her Gem

From a young age Natalie was fun, sweet, and giggly. She was an artist who loved to laugh and play. We spent many hours in our front yard, or hers, just tumbling around the ground and laughing together with her brother Nathan. She would even humor me by sporting a clown nose at times. I am truly blessed to have spent as much time with her as I did. I will miss her kind nature, her laugh, her smile, her adventurous spirit, and her hugs.  

Her playful spirit was easily shared with others like me.

I think this photo makes her look like an angel looking up to heaven. 

As she grew up, she became more fun and adventurous. We shared many walks through nature preserves. We both thoroughly enjoyed that time together. We played together, we laughed together, and we even cried together on the sad occasions. Life is full of emotions, and she showed them all very well. I will miss those walks, talks, and her inquisitive questions she inevitably came up with. 

Adventure abounds

Water is not a boundary, but an opportunity

She would even laugh at herself and her own silliness

She loved her family, friends, and Nevin immensely. I lived 500 miles away, but she still stayed in touch via text. I don't know many teenagers who text frequently with an aunt or uncle. I was always honored when she would message me. She would tell me about an upcoming dance with Nevin. Road trips to places like Chicago with her friend Shila. Family vacations with her mom and brother or with her dad and brother. She traveled to Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach, North Fort Myers and a few other places. She went on vacations with Nevin's family as well, which told me they also loved her very much. For such a short life, she lived it well and loved others completely! We even got to share a rare celestial event together. The total eclipse of 2024. Connie, Judy and I traveled to Ohio to see it with her and Nathan. We chatted and laughed at a park on a sunny day while we waited for the big event. As it got close we all put on our special eclipse glasses and watched. It was quite the extraordinary thing to witness as the Earth went dark, coyotes howled and owls hooted... at 4pm! It was made even more extraordinary to witness it with Her and Nathan. I believe they were both surprised by the spectacle as they oohed and awed. It filled my heart to be with them in that moment. Those are the memories I will cling to as we learn to live without her physical presence. 

Always willing to be silly with her Uncle Rodney, even as a teenager

She had one of the most beautiful smiles in the entire world

I was so happy that Connie and Judy were able to share that day with Her and Nathan. Her and Connie had a loving bond. They also texted with each other from 500 miles away. One Christmas Connie elicited Natalie's help to trick me into taking a color blind test. Connie wanted to get me special color correcting glasses for Christmas, but needed me to take the test without being suspicious. In steps Natalie... Natalie texted me one day in November and told me about a school project on color blindness. She asked if I would take a test to see what kind of color blindness I had. I was so happy to help her with a school project! I sent in the test and she thanked me. A week later she sent me the results of the school project and some statistics they learned in class. I texted her some facts/theories I had read about color blindness along the way and she said she would share that with the class. Alas, it was all a ruse. Fast forward to Christmas day when I opened my present. I was completely surprised. Connie printed up their text messages to each other. It was such a cute exchange and I couldn't help but cry to know they had that kind of relationship. One of Connie's text messages said "Why is it so much fun to trick your Uncle Rodney?". Natalie responded with "I don't know, it just is!". I know I had fun in those moments for sure! 

She was giving and would lend a hand whenever and wherever she could. Even on the saddest day of her life, the day we buried her dad, she was helping others. She lent a hand to an elderly woman entering a building. She helped with a wheelchair. She quietly listened to others as they poured out their own sadness. All while going through her own grief. She was wise beyond her 18 years of life, that is for certain. She was a teacher without even knowing. She was a friend that a friend could count on. She was a daughter/niece that loved with her whole heart. She was a unique, wonderful butterfly and will be missed by so many! 

Like I said, I only spent one day with Nevin. I am so thankful I did. From the moment he got out of the car, looked me in the eye as he shook my hand and said, "It is so nice to meet you finally", I knew he was worthy of Natalie's love. In that one day I learned that he was compassionate, caring, kind and funny. I could see why He and Natalie had such a strong bond. Not only did he tell me about himself and his interests, but he also listened to my stories and was genuinely interested in what I liked to do. At 18 he seemed to know how to live a good and loving life. The 3 of us went to a zoo and enjoyed a beautiful day together. We chatted and laughed and learned things along the way. Towards the end of the day, Nevin showed me his true colors. Of course, they were the same colors he showed me from the beginning. I don't think he was one to put on airs or try to be something he wasn't. He was a genuinely kind, caring, and loving young man. I could not have been prouder of someone if he was my own flesh and blood. 

Such a nice day to watch and learn about animals 

Watching a lemur together

We walked into an indoor exhibit. It was dark inside, and after a few steps in Natalie noticed Nevin wasn't with us. I brushed it off, but Natalie was a little concerned. After a few minutes Nevin caught up with us. When we exited the exhibit, Natalie asked him what happened. He nonchalantly told us that he was worried about a little girl at the entrance who was alone on a bench. He stayed behind to make sure she was safe and found her family OK. Luckily, she did, and all was well. He told us the story just to answer Natalie's question. I don't believe he would have told us otherwise. In other words, he wasn't trying to sound or be heroic, he was just looking out for a child who may have needed help. He wasn't looking for a pat on the back, but I did tell him how proud I was of him to look out for her like he did. He just kinda shrugged and thanked me as we went about the rest of our day. I knew in that moment that he was an incredible young man. I didn't know that just 4 short months later he would be gone. Although, his memory is etched in my heart forever. 

Eating a yummy Indian meal after our zoo excursion

Another thing that impressed me about Nevin was his love for Natalie. It was evident when I asked where they wanted to eat dinner. Natalie said, "I love Indian food". Nevin said "I have never had Indian food, but if Natalie loves it then I am willing to try it." Even though the food was delicious, I don't know if Nevin thoroughly enjoyed it. He did say he liked it, but I am not sure he loved it like Natalie. I am convinced that he thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with Natalie and watching her be so happy and excited about the zoo and the meal. 

The world is a much better place for having Natalie and Nevin in it. Countless lives were touched by their kindness. As I stumble forward with my life, I will keep them both close to my heart and mind. I will try to honor them by doing my best to treat every person and animal with kindness and love. That is what they did for 18 years, and so now I will try to carry that torch forward. I encourage each of you who read this to do the same. Believe me, they are worthy of that honor! Thank You Natalie and Nevin for showing us that are left behind how to be good humans!

Butterfly Kisses ❤🧡💛💚💙💜💕

                  Now Go Out and Hug Someone Today!!!

Old Friends

 

Our friends Laine and Colleen at their house

We started Day 2 of our painted bunting chase in Southport. We drove to Fort Anderson which is an old historic site. On e-bird someone posted they saw a blue grosbeak there, and that was another bird on our target list. We pulled into the parking lot and immediately picked up a blue grosbeak on our Merlin app. We walked around trying to see it. You would think a bright blue bird amongst all the green would be easy to see, but NO! However, we did pick up the painted bunting again here. We kept looking for the blue grosbeak and the painted bunting. Eventually we saw the grosbeak fly away from where we were hearing it. It wasn't a great view, but there was no doubt it was a blue grosbeak. Meanwhile, the painted bunting was singing his heart out and we got to watch him for a good 15 minutes or more. Watching him never got old. We walked around and saw some beautiful scenery along the Cape Fear river and a couple of other birds including the great crested flycatcher. After an hour or so of walking around here we headed towards Oak Island to spend the afternoon with our friends Colleen and Laine.

Painted Bunting at Fort Anderson waiting for his mate

We ate a quick lunch with an ocean view before heading over to Colleen and Laine's house. There is nothing like enjoying an ocean view while eating on vacation. It always elicits total relaxation for me and Connie. We took a short walk on the pier to watch a young man struggle to pull in a large fish and then we were on our way. Our friends have a beautiful home on a canal that leads into the intracoastal waterway. They took us on a beautiful 2 hour boat ride to Calabash for a yummy dinner at Oyster Rock. The food, atmosphere and scenery was truly delightful. We definitely felt vacationed! Our boat ride home was supposed to be leisurely. We even talked about checking out the ocean a bit. However, a big storm was blowing in and we had to nix that idea. Instead we had a seriously fun ride back to their place. We weren't storm chasers, we were storm escapers! I think I might have preferred the fast boat ride home over the leisure one, but who knows. We will have to go back next year to take the leisure one I guess, so we can compare.

You can't fake those smiles! Look at that storm front behind us!

We made it back to their place just in time. We could see the rain falling behind us as we pulled into their canal. We hung out in their beautiful home for the evening and played games. It always does my heart good to see old friends and get reacquainted. I hadn't seen them in about 17 years, but it seemed no time had passed. Of course they became instant friends with Connie as we all got along splendidly from the get go. In the morning we enjoyed some coffee on their back patio. Connie got to enjoy their two lovely dogs one last time. In the meantime, we were also treated to sightings of an eastern bluebird, which is my favorite bird, and a red headed woodpecker which is Connie's favorite bird. Seems like it was all meant to be in the end. We said goodbye to our friends with promises to come back soon. I am certainly looking forward to exploring that area again, seeing my friends and chasing the painted bunting some more. 

Say goodbye Connie, we have to leave the dogs at their home! :0)

                 Now Go Out and Hug an Old Friend Today!!!

Chasing The Painted Bunting

 

In our golf cart on Bald Head Island looking for the painted bunting!

Connie and I have taken our bird nerding to the next level! As you know we went to Arizona and Texas this past December to see as many birds during migration as we could. We saw a lot of beautiful birds, but the one that eluded us was the painted bunting. We really really wanted to see it too. We knew our chances of seeing it then were low since migration season was ending while we were there. But don't fret. Connie looked up "Where to see a painted bunting in June". Up popped Bald Head Island, NC. Somehow neither of us had heard of Bald Head, but we were intrigued. After some more research we found out that painted buntings migrate to Bald Head Island every year. They arrive as early as April and stay as late as October. However, June seems to be the best time to see them. As luck would have it, we had 2 days of no guests at the B&B, so we booked our trip to the island. We flew 1134 miles JUST to see a painted bunting. Like I said, next level bird nerding. It was a small gamble to spend so much time and money on this endeavor, but we felt a strong urge to do it. Either way we knew we would be on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in June, and that is never a bad thing. Plus, I have friends who live in Oak Island, NC that I hadn't seen in 18 years. All of the possibilities were exciting to us. So we took off on a Monday afternoon from Milwaukee Airport, landing in Myrtle Beach International Airport. 

We arrived to this beautiful scene off the pier at The River Hotel in Southport. 

The first 2 nights we stayed in a quaint hotel in Southport, NC. We arrived at our hotel around 7:30pm and decided to walk out to the pier by our hotel. The scene was gorgeous! We enjoyed the view and the birds for a while before we had to go grab dinner and do a grocery run for breakfast. The following day would be a big one as we would be searching high and low for our prize bird the painted bunting. 

The Sunrise from our pier before our chase.

Lo and behold, a painted bunting greeted us at our hotel. 
We aren't sure if it was a female or a juvenile? It was greenish in color.

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise off the pier as we prepared for the day. As we were heading out to go to the ferry, we had our merlin apps running. Wouldn't you know, a painted bunting was being picked up by our app. We stood and listened for a bit and then it flew in out of nowhere! A painted bunting landed on a tree within a 100 feet of us or so. We couldn't believe it! What an amazing way to start our day. We aren't 100% sure if it was a female or a juvenile? It was greenish in color, so it definitely wasn't an adult male. We watched it for a little while until we had to go to the ferry port. We had a 7am ferry ride to catch to Bald Head Island. As much as we loved seeing our first painted bunting, we still wanted... no, we NEEDED to see the adult male painted bunting for all his colors! 

Greetings from Bald Head Island

We ferried over to the island. On the way we were treated to some bird sightings of course. We saw pelicans, white ibis and my personal favorite the laughing gull. Our ferry arrived at 7:30am and we couldn't get our golf cart until 8am. So we walked around the shoreline taking in the scenes and viewing the local birds. At 8 o'clock we strolled over to the golf cart company and saw a sign that said hours 8:30-4:30. Oh no, we had another half hour wait before we could begin our chase. But wait... an older gentleman showed up at the rental company and so we asked about the golf cart hours. He said they did indeed open at 8:30, but he could get us out early. The customer service on the island, and in NC in general, was exceptional. 

So at 8:05 we were on our way to see our painted bunting. We headed to Kent Mitchell Nature Trail because that is where the most recent sightings had been posted on e-bird. We got out and walked the beautiful nature trail towards a brushy tree area. With our merlin apps out and running, we picked up several birds including a Carolina wren and a northern cardinal. Then, we heard it! The painted bunting showed up on our app. We could easily hear it singing. Knowing the males will perch on a tree and sing for their mate, we kept a close eye on the tree lines. It didn't take long before we had our first sighting! He was in the shade inside the trees and was a little tricky to find. Once we had our eyes on him though, he was easy to pick out. We were thrilled beyond words to see our first adult male painted bunting! He was even more beautiful in person than either of us would have imagined. We watched him for a good 15 minutes, as I took a few photos. We decided to keep walking the trail as we were hearing buntings in a couple of locations. Within just a few minutes we were treated to our second sighting. This time he was in full sun with all of his colors blazing. He sat on a lower branch in the open and sang for his mate. My photos will never do them justice, but I did get a few decent ones in my humble opinion. 

Our first sighting. His colors are just incredible!

Our second sighting. He was totally in the sun. I wish I had gotten a little better photo of him to be honest. But the thrill was truly in seeing him and enjoying his presence.

We couldn't believe we had already seen 2 adult males before 9:00am. We couldn't wait to explore the island and perhaps see even more, which we did! On our way out of the trail we came upon a BHIC (Bald Head Island Conservancy) staff member. We stopped to chat with her and told her how excited we were to see the painted buntings. We told her we traveled 1134 miles just to see a painted bunting. Then she said "Well, then you might want to stick around. We are about to release a female painted bunting into the wild". Apparently they found her the day before along the roadside with an injury. Sounds like she wasn't hurt too bad, but stunned to where she couldn't fly. They kept her over night to make sure she was OK, and then they released her back into the wild. As they opened the bin to let her out, she flew out so fast! She was definitely ready to get back to the wild. We didn't get a great look at her because she was so fast, but just witnessing the moment was enough for us. Besides, later on we would see a male and female perched together near the top of a tree.

The release of a female painted bunting

Not a great photo, but this is a male and female perched together. We got great looks through our binoculars. I just couldn't get a great photo due to the distance. 

Connie and I rode the wave of excitement throughout the rest of the day. We tooled around the whole island on our golf cart. We took 2 dips in the ocean to cool off. We took a nature tour with BHIC in the middle of the day. Xander is an intern at BHIC and led us the tour. He taught us quite a bit about the conservancy and island in general. We saw an alligator, some cool oak trees, and another painted bunting on this tour. During the tour our golf cart battery was getting low. We called the cart company and they brought us out a new one, so no problem. Later when we went to return the golf cart the gentleman told us they were waiving the extra time fee for us and we could stay out on the island as long as we wanted. Again, customer service was exceptional here. This company is the only one on the island that does daily golf cart rentals and they could have easily ignored our minor inconvenience of needing a new golf cart. Yet, they gave us a nice offer without us even asking for it. And really it wasn't that big of a deal to us. This is just a nod to their customer service, especially when they have a monopoly on the island. 

We didn't stay too much later than their 4:30 closing time, but it did allow us to take another dip in the ocean and explore the full coast line up the island. We hadn't been able to do that yet. We also took one last trip to Kent Mitchell and saw a couple of more male painted buntings. We finally turned it in around 5:45 and headed to a 6 o'clock ferry ride back to the mainland. The heat and excitement wore us down and we were ready to relax back at the hotel and look at all of my photos. 

We had one more day on the coast of Carolina. We spent that with my friends Colleen and Laine. I will write another post about that day and all of the fun we had soon. In the meantime, I wish all of you the best of luck with whatever you are chasing.

Our smiles lasted throughout the whole trip!

                     Now Go Out and Hug a Bird Nerd Today!!!

Crossing Borders to Armenia

Making friends at the border

April 27th, 2025... Crossing the border to Armenia was an interesting and fun experience! There are actually 2 crossings. When we left Georgia, we had to get out of our vehicle and walk through passport control. Here we would meet other people doing the same, so we would play with them. That seemed reasonable, right? As we waited for our driver, we would hang outside and chat with folks. See photo above. Then we would get in the vehicle and drive to the 2nd crossing to enter Armenia. Here we had to get all of our luggage and again walk through passport control. Then, since we had luggage, we had to go through customs. Along the way we continued to play, chat and laugh with other folks in the same shoes. Not clown shoes, but the same situation. You know what I mean, right. The passport control folks seemed to enjoy our antics as well. I met a nice family in line who went to Georgia to have their daughter baptized. They were on their way back home to Armenia. That seemed like a lot to go through in my opinion, but the young lady who was baptized seemed really happy. The whole experience took us about an hour, and I must say, it was one of the most fun hours of the trip. 

After getting through the border, we drove to our hotel in the Caucus mountains. We spent one night in this beautiful setting. We had a little time to go for a nice walk by the river and then dinner at the hotel. I went to bed a little early, per usual and prepared for the next day.

A view of the Caucus mountains from my morning walk.

April 28th, 2025...  In the morning, I had a little time to go for a walk through a local park and up a side road into the mountains. I was treated to some fun bird watching on this road. I felt rested and at peace. I was ready for the next few days of adventure. After breakfast we visited an ancient monastery in the mountains. Our trips aren't all about clowning. We try to learn some of the local history, and monasteries are part of that history. We visited Makaravank. It was built between 1000 and 1300 A.D. We were given a short tour and talk by the local monk. We walked around the grounds for a little while and then headed back to the hotel for lunch.

Maria, Luydka and Anya listen to the monk give us info about the monastery

After lunch we went to a clinic for kids with special needs. As usual, we had an active audience and laughed and played for about an hour or so. Parents and kids alike really enjoy our visits. Even some of the local kids interacted with us as we were leaving and boarding our bus. We drove a short distance into the mountains to clown with some more kids in a different local clinic. I am always impressed with the clinics in other countries. They do so much with so little from what I can tell.  Their places are typically well managed and kept clean, at least from what I can see. With every visit I typically have one kiddo or one interaction that stands out above all. At the second clinic there was a young boy, about age 10, who was nonverbal and clearly on the spectrum. Watching him watch the clowns was fascinating for me. He seemed to evaluate the whole experience for a few minutes and then joined in with the play activity while smiling this really sweet smile. It is kids like him that I feel can get left out or overlooked in some settings, but clearly not in our setting. I love that about our visits and any clown visit I have ever done.

Fun activities outside during our first visit.

Look at that smile! He is so smart and knows how to play! 💙

After our second visit of the day, we drove 2 hours to Yerevan. But first, we stopped at a local lake resort area. We spent an hour or so here exploring the beauty of the mountains and lake in this area. It was a nice interlude between our visits and our arrival to Yerevan. In Yerevan we had dinner and got settled into our hotel. We stayed in Ibis Hotel in downtown, and it was a really nice experience. More on that later. 

View of the lake on our drive to Yerevan

April 29th, 2025... Our bus left the hotel at 1030am. That gave me a few hours in the morning to walk around the city, which I always enjoy. Being new to the city, I only explored a short distance from the hotel. That was enough to get a feel for the area though. Just around the corner from the hotel was a nice walking area with no traffic. This stretched for 6 or 7 blocks, and I ended up at a small city pond with a fun statue by it. I made it back to the hotel to have some breakfast and get ready for our day.

Quaint little park in the downtown area. This statue just made me giggle every time I saw it. :0)

Our first stop of the day would be at a center for children with special needs. They had a nice outdoor area, playground, and sidewalk to play on. The weather was beautiful, so we played with the kids and their parents outside. I always prefer outdoor play whenever possible, and luckily it was possible most places on this trip. 

Outdoor activities at the Children's Center

After the Children's Center we had lunch and then headed over to a Hematology Center for children and young adults with cancer. This was an indoor visit, and you would think it would be a little lower key, but no! We roamed the hallways and split up into rooms to play and sing and whatever else the children wanted to do, within reason of course. Pluk put on a magic show in the hallway with the help of a fun 12-year-old. Other clowns played with balloons, bubbles, ukuleles and whatever. I played in a few rooms and then found myself in a small side area next to the stairwell. There were 2 other clowns and 3 kids here. I pulled out my bouncy juggling balls and when I dropped one, a young girl about the age of 4 lit up and ran to grab it. She was pretty stoic and quiet up to this point, so her reaction to a bouncy ball surprised me a little. Anyway, we played throw and catch, and throw and drop, and throw and chase with each other and the other clowns for a little while. She was attached to an IV drip, but she was so careful about not getting the tubing pulled on or tripped over. I was extremely impressed with her attention to it, while she was still able to laugh and be lively and playful. She was my standout "artist" for this visit. 

We gather outside the Hematology Center before our visit.

Don't let the contraptions fool you, she was so interactive and playful! 💛

After the hematology center, we headed for dinner at Karas and then back to the hotel. The next day we would be going to a school for children with special needs and a refugee center. 

April 30th, 2025... The Metsamore School was fascinating to me. When we arrived, a lot of the kids were outside in a large fenced in area with bleachers, soccer goals, and paved area to play on. I thought this was a school for kids with special needs specifically, but it turns out it was an integration school where all kinds of children attend for an education. It was fun to watch all the different levels of ability interact and mingle together. Just as it should be everywhere in my humble opinion. Metsamore has a great model for education and I would love to see more schools do this. I played soccer with a few of the kids for a little while and then meandered around the area to interact with others. Puppets, bubbles, balls, and music filled the air. I am sure I detected a bit of laughter as well :0). It was another incredible visit where I feel I gained as much, or more, than I gave. I think the other clowns would agree with me. 

A group does a conga line while others continue to play. I am on the soccer field playing between photo-ops.

We ate lunch at Karas in the city. They always put out a nice spread and they welcomed the clowns with open arms, hearts and stomachs. The food was always delicious. With our stomachs full and energy recharged, we headed to a refugee center next. Believe it or not, I had never been to a refugee center, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I had some preconceived notions in my head of course, and some of those turned out to be accurate while others turned out to be way off. The center was small. It seemed to be in an alleyway behind some businesses off a busy street. The "houses" that people lived in were miniscule with patched together roofs. However, the people were lovely. The kids were lively, playful and energetic! This really didn't surprise me. Before we played, we were given a short briefing on the center by the director. She told us why the refugee center exists, what they provide, etc. She told us not to expect the adults to interact or play with us and please don't take offense to it. They just don't understand that clowns are for adults and not just kids. This is how she explained it. Well, it didn't take long for a few of the adults to laugh and join in on the fun. Not all of them did, but a few. And the ones who didn't join in, still smiled and gave us nods as their children were given some much-needed play and respite from their daily lives. They seemed to have the very minimal of basic needs, yet they seemed appreciative to have it. They look for work every day so they can provide for themselves, but work is sparce in the area... especially for people who are displaced by war. Even with the info we were given, I don't exactly understand the war situation and such. Basically, there is a small area of Armenia called Azerbaijan that is at war with the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh (You can google them to learn more). 120,000 people have had to flee their homes at a moment's notice, and with no belongings, just to survive. They head to the main city Yerevan to try and make a life with nothing. It is truly incredible. It is even more incredible that they can smile at all, and their children laugh and play like any other children I have ever met! I know I will complain about my life and situation in the future as I am human after all. However, at this moment I will do my very best to limit that. I truly have nothing to complain about, especially after seeing in person how some people live. Not only that but live this way due to no fault of their own. They do it just to survive, literally! This place really moved me overall. 2 kids and 1 adult moved me beyond others though. The adult was a middle-aged woman who decided to get us all in a circle holding hands. She then proceeded to have us walk in a circle as she sang a tune that I presume was Armenian and special to her. She smiled and laughed the whole time, and then she broke away to go do some chores I supposed. I tried to give her a nose as a thank you, but she waved it away and continued to giggle as the rest of us played.

I didn't get her name, but she is wearing the dark blue dress.

The first child was a boy of about age 3 or 4. He was so lively and energetic. His smile and laughter lit up the whole alleyway. His hair was spectacular! Seriously, spectacular! When he would bounce around chasing bubbles or whatever, his hair would bounce around everywhere. He showed me you can definitely laugh loud, play hard, and smile brightly in the worst of adversities! I will try to keep those lessons close to my heart as I live on.

Look at the face. Full of wonder and fun!

And that hair! 

The 2nd young boy was about 7. He wasn't overly smiley or exuberant, but very interactive and fun. He instantly picked a nose from my pocket and put it on. He ran around the alleyway playing with whomever would play. At one point he walked up to me and said, "I am a Kid Clown". My heart be stilled at those words! My response was "Yes you are!". I tried to put as much enthusiasm behind it as I could. I envision him going around to all the people who lived there trying to make them smile and laugh, even long after we were gone. I sure hope that is the case, and I sure hope he lifts the spirits of the folks there who need it most. Just like he lifted my spirit in showing me what a true clown is! 

Such a sweet Kid Clown he is! (Not sure why I look the way I do? Ha!)

Learning to juggle from Daniel

May 1st, 2025... This morning, I walked up all 520 steps to get a great view of the city. Yes, I counted them all. I had two stray dogs join me for the trek. I felt bad I didn't have any food to give them after our journey together. They didn't seem to mind a whole lot as one of them laid next to me to rest. I sat and enjoyed the view of the city, with Mt. Ararat visible in the background. It was a peaceful way to start the day, and I thoroughly enjoyed moments like this. I almost enjoyed them as much as the clowning visits... almost.

A view of Yerevan from the top of the steps. If you look closely, you can see Mt. Ararat to the center right of the photo.

My faithful companion on my trek up the steps. He motivated me more than he knows!

Today we went to a big orphanage for people with disabilities. Kids and young adults lived there. I didn't take any photos here for some reason. We gathered in a large room and played with all the usual props, ukuleles, etc. It was a lively group for sure. The place seemed well run overall but definitely understaffed. You wouldn't know that to watch the staff, however. They showed great care to the people in their care. They had a nice outdoor area where a few people meandered, but mostly it was indoor activities for us. One young teenager about the age of 16 struck a chord with me. He was nonverbal and probably on the spectrum. As I watched him interact with others, I noticed he was very gentle, sweet and smart! He joined in activities after watching for a minute or two to make sure he understood them, I guess. He appeared to blend in and go unnoticed for the most part, but I noticed him. As we were leaving and he walked away with a group of his friends, he turned towards our group and blew us a kiss. My heart melted on the spot. 

Amina, who is Armenian, joined us for the trip to the orphanage. She is a friend of a friend in the USA. This is her first time clowning. She did great!

After clowning around with kids and young adults, the mood changed as we visited the genocide memorial of Armenia. I knew nothing of the genocide before I decided to travel here. I still don't know much, but what I do know is it is an awful moment in history for Armenia. The basics are... 1.5 million Armenians were murdered by the Young Turks of The Ottoman Empire during World War 1. There is a big history lesson to be learned here, but I am not the one to teach you. All I know is the Armenian people have suffered a great deal, and the visit to the memorial would not be a clowning or happy event. We walked around the grounds, paid homage to the dead at the eternal flame, and cried for the atrocities they endured. As we left, we took a collective deep breath and journeyed on with our clowning. 

An eternal flame burns in the middle of the memorial to remind people of the genocide.

We headed back to the center of Yerevan where we had some free time. Free time meant that we walked through the local markets clowning and interacting with whomever wanted to play. It was such a contrast from the memorial visit, but such is life. Right? We moved on and kept trying to spread the love and laughter. We went to an indoor market first. The people here loved us! There was a lot of laughing and smiling happening here. I personally was given 2 cups of wine, fresh fruit to eat, and a cucumber as gifts. The poorest of the poor are always so giving to the clowns. That is my experience anyway. From there we walked through the outdoor market where Daniel and Stepan played an accordion that one of the locals had out. We enjoyed the fresh air and a few antics with the stray dogs. Comic relief does help. I have learned that firsthand by doing it and receiving it. 

Pinion leads a dog to water. Peter pushes the button on the fountain so the dog can get a drink. Sweet and Funny!

A local indoor market. If you look closely, you can see the clowns to the left. Maybe a joker to the right? 

We had a free evening after this. People ventured off on their own or in small groups. I joined my friend Justin, from Russia, and a couple of others for dinner. Justin was in Georgia with us for two days and then went back to Russia for work. Then he surprised us by returning to Armenia for the last couple of days. What a treat that was. As he put it, he had CWB. Clown Withdrawal Blues. We cured him in no time. The 4 of us had a nice quiet dinner together as we caught up more and enjoyed some delicious food. Tomorrow will be our last day together as a group. Time to get some rest! When I got back to my hotel room, there was a sweet surprise from the hotel staff. They really went above and beyond at Ibis to make our group of clowns feel at home. Every room had a nice note left for us on our last night of sleep. They also made Clown Apples to go along with the notes. I was touched!

A Clown Apple made by the hotel staff.

This was the note in my room. It seemed appropriate for sure.

May 2nd, 2025... This was our last day in Armenia. We took a 2-hour bus trip out of the city to a small mountain town called Gyumri. I must say, refugee center to the side, this might have been my favorite visit. It definitely seemed like a great way to end our trip. In the morning, we visited the Gyumri Special Needs Center. This is a day care center for children and young adults with special needs. This place was immaculate and well run. The children and staff all seemed truly happy to be here. And not just because there were clowns. It is a nonprofit organization. It does some really interesting stuff. First, the day care center will hire some of the single moms to work there. This way, they can earn a little money while their child is at daycare. They also offer free therapies like Speech, Occupational, Physical and more. If that is not enough, it also runs a bakery in town that helps fund the place. Some of the young adults who come to the daycare work at the bakery as well. It sure seemed like a great model for caring for people. And the pastries were delicious! We played and laughed with the children and staff for a couple of hours. Then they fed us lunch. The kids helped set up the tables and seemed happy to do it. We sat separately from the kids, which at first seemed wrong. But then one of the staff members explained that some of the children have problems on focusing and on being able to feed themselves, even when clowns aren't in the room. So, they separated us for the kids' sake. This made a lot of sense and just cemented my impression of the center. They are looking after the best interest of the children no matter the circumstance. Not even a bunch of fun clowns will change that. :0)

Babooska Nina plays along with a friend.

Colorful window art that brightens up the place more.

After lunch we headed to the downtown area to visit the bakery. We were treated to a pastry and coffee. Both of which were delicious! We had a little time here before our next clowning gig, so I walked around the area a bit. I came upon a couple of families enjoying a picnic on a side street near a church. Naturally I played with the children as the mothers smiled and encouraged it. They thanked me and offered me money. I politely refused and went along my way. Our visits are for the locals as much as for the people we intend to see. That will never change. 

Delicious pastries and fudge made in house at the bakery. It was more delicious than this picture can even show! 😊

After a coffee and pastry, we ventured over to our last clown visit of the trip. We went to the Gyumri Older Folks Home. Whew, I thought this is going to be a nice wind down to the day and trip. Boy was I ever wrong about that! This might have been the most energetic group of all. After a slow start, the seniors there started to get up and dance with the clowns. Music played in the back, balloons and bubbles filled the air, and these folks danced like I had never seen for over an hour straight. One lady seemed to be the star of show. She didn't get up to dance, but she danced in her chair and put on a nose complete with a large smile. She had a booming laugh that made everyone around her feel great. 

She is the one with the blue silk in front of her face. She is a natural clown for sure.

One young gentleman stood out to me here. His name was Seregei. He has Cerebral Palsy. He sat in a chair with a big smile on his face as everyone danced. I went up to "dance" with him while he sat in his chair. Little did I know that he would grab my hand and lift himself up so he could dance on his feet! And man could he dance! We danced for about 5 minutes before he looked tired, so I helped him back to his chair and I moseyed through the crowd. A few minutes later I was back in front of him with a couple of nice-looking clowns. I knew he wanted to dance with them, so I helped him to his feet and gave his hands to Marina and Kate. Kate is a professional dance instructor and knew what to do for sure. She and Seregei danced together for a few minutes until Seregei was dripping with sweat! With a language barrier and not knowing all of his limitations we felt it was best to have him sit back down for a bit to rest. He happily sat down and "danced" some more with me while he sat. His smile never dimmed and neither did mine. I love how someone like Seregei will pick up on cues and take things into his own hands to get what he wants or needs. I would not have gotten him to stand up and dance on my own. He had to pull himself up, which he did, and I just acted as a "channel" of sorts for him to educate us. I certainly considered this an educational piece for myself, and hopefully Kate and others! Thanks for being my teacher Seregei! I truly appreciated it, probably more than he will ever know.

Look at that smile as he dances with Kate and Marina! 

After this visit I was thoroughly and entirely exhausted! We drove back to the hotel for our final dinner together. After dinner we would gather in a small circle to share our feelings and what we got from the trip. It is always interesting to hear what others have picked up on, learned, and/or enjoyed from the whole excursion. One of the things I received from the trip was Hope! With the group of people I spent 12 days with, and the groups of people we interacted with, I am truly hopeful for the future. I believe we are in one of the worst moments in time of history for humanity. But these people I have met and now know personally have a lot of love to share and give. We all just need to get out there and spread it! Are you with us??

         Now Go Out and Hug Someone Today!!!