Happy Birthday Julie!
by Luke Dollar
July 2, 2005

Spending weeks and months in the field takes us away from many of the things to which we have grown accustomed or may take for granted I our everyday lives. Regular news, movies, indoor plumbing, pizza delivery, friends, loved ones, family. In the field we become a family apart from our roots. Today is Julie’s #&th (intentional censorship) birthday. When she arrived for breakfast shortly after six this morning, the whole refectoire piped in with our own rendition of “Happy Birthday,” sung by representatives of five continents and more than a dozen countries; our field family, as it were. As a special surprise, I’d been saving a small box of Godiva chocolates, purchased in Paris duty free while en route. After the trap teams were out, we both enjoyed a “later breakfast” of sinfully delicious birthday chocolates. Tonight, we’re having sundowners on the lake (while watching out for crocodiles) with local beer and samosas. Perhaps we’ll sing happy birthday in different languages later today!