Although it was sunny last Wednesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the wind was kicking up quite a bit, repeatedly ruffling the feathers of this perched Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). It has been a long time since I had hair that was long enough to sport that kind of windblown look.
When I was a child, I had a cowlick in the back of my head that refused to stay in place, despite my lineral use of Brylcreem or a similar product called Groom and Clean. My father, like many men of his generation had a comb over hair style that he somehow fixed in place. When I started going bald, I rejected that style and opted to keep my hair cut short. Of course, during the 20 years that I spent in the US Army, it was a mandated “choice,” much like the mandatory “fun” that surrounded official social functions.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

