Al Hansen
Well-known member
Hey Greg,
As for the pigeons, I had Grandpa Bengaard put a squab in my hands in 1946, when I was 5 years old. I never forgot it and by the time I was in 5th grade I was catching pigeons in barns, under bridges, and out of a church steeple. My father helped me build a small loft back then.
I really have enjoyed raising them over the years. Now that we live in New Mexico, I love watching my white racing homers fly. When I was teaching I would bring several of the homers to school with me and let the kids write notes on a 1"x4" piece of paper without signing their names. Then we would attach the notes to the legs of the birds and the kids would release them out on the playground. I called this Pigeon Mail. When I got home after school, I would walk into my loft and remove the messages from the pigeons' legs and bring them back to school on the following day. The kids had to guess who wrote each note when I read them out loud.
As for the Pensom rollers, which my good friend, Father Dennis, gave me, I can observe them doing backwards somersaults in mid air. They are fun to watch however they do get the attention of the local pair of Cooper's hawks.
This hobby has given me much peace and enjoyment.
Al
