Latest Owl Sighting

About five years ago (??) our family started a little game. It all began when Grandma Lin (Jim's mom - aged 94 now) gave Annie this spotted owl figurine-type-thing for Christmas. At that time Grandma Lin was in the habit of finding things among her basement treasures to give to people as "gifts." Annie somehow voiced a "thank you" upon opening her gift which was the owl, but the rest of us were laughing quietly to ourselves, wondering what in the world Annie would do with this hideous gift. I'm not sure who - was it Jason??- came up with the Hide the Owl game, but we've been playing it ever since. I'm not even sure Jim and I knew the game was on until several weeks after that Christmas (I mean, it was a LONG time after), I was taking something off of a shelf in our family room, and there sat the owl staring back at me from my shelf! In horror I recalled all of the times we had entertained guests in our home, or the times our cleaning lady had come during that time, not even knowing that the owl had been displayed on my shelf for all to see! It was actually pretty hilarious! So began the tradition. When visiting the home of one of the other family members, the holder of the owl tries to unknowingly find a place to display the owl in their home. It must be a place where it can be seen, but you try to find a place also where the unsuspecting homeowner won't discover it right away. Once discovered, the owl is to be photographed and sent to the rest of the family to share the news of an Owl Sighting! The rest of us know then to be on the lookout for the next sighting!

I think that Jim and I have been the most frequently surprised participants, as it seems the family members all come to our house the most often. Most recently the owl had been mysteriously in hiding for more than a year, but then resurfaced on our china cabinet a few days after Christmas this year. Unfortunately, the rules are against putting it in someone's suitcase to be discovered upon arriving home. If that were allowed, we could have tried to send it to Africa with Jason and Roxanne. So for now, the owl won't be traveling too far from home. But Annie and Jorie, BEWARE! One of these days you may be experiencing an owl sighting!!