A visitor at Bopa's bench

A visitor at Bopa’s bench

Yesterday would have been Bopa’s 90th birthday.  I walked down to his bench and sat for a little while.  It was peaceful and quiet.  The last couple of times that I walked down and sat there both the bench and the cement pad under the bench had been sprayed with graffiti.  It was wonderful to see that either the Parks Department or the Friends of the Burke Gilman had removed the offending paint.  It looks nice and clean again and for that I am very pleased and grateful. 

As I sat there thinking about Bopa I heard a rap, rap, rap in the tree next to the bench.  When I looked up there was a Pileated Woodpecker.  They are very large birds and make a lot of noise when they peck on the trees.  As I watched and listened to him I noticed that he also made a variety of funny, interesting sounds, chortles, clucks and clicks not just pecking on the tree trunk.  It was difficult to get a photo as the bird was moving from branch to branch trying to find a good place but finally I got a couple of fuzzy pictures.  How often do you suppose Bopa has this visitor at his bench?  I think he would like it.