“He sleeps in a box on my bed.” ― Elizabeth, speaking about her pet duck Alex
Photography Challenge: Street Portrait
When walking down the street one day I heard someone shout “Hello!” and I looked over to see a lovely woman with a beautiful duck in her lap. They were seated on the steps of an old Craftsman home and wrapped in an arbor of greenery. Stricken with the beauty of this unexpected scene I of course stopped to say hello and introduce myself to Elizabeth and her feathered friend Alex.
Elizabeth told me that she will be 84 next week. She urged me to speak loudly, saying she’d had a stroke and was hard of hearing. She said that they never tell you how tired you’re going to be after you’ve had a stroke.
Elizabeth has had Alex, who is now 8, since he was 2 days old. She said that ducks usually live to be about 9 or 10. She said that Alex doesn’t know any other people or any ducks and that he doesn’t quack, but I heard him murmuring some very cute duck sounds. She said Alex can’t fly because his wings are clipped, but he showed off for the camera by flapping them and strutting around like crazy.
Elizabeth feeds all of the birds and squirrels who frequent her front yard, saying “There’s no supermarket for them to go to.”
Studio Candelabra 
This is a very special moment. You can see the love shared by these two! Great shot Linda!
Thanks so much for your great comments, FabShaaron! 🙂
What a wonderful encounter with a lovely woman. Your interest and visit was as special to her, as to you. Elizabeth and Alex are quite a pair!
Truly beautiful image. So much feeling in one frame.
Thank you so much, Roger dear! They are very cool! I’ll be bringing Elizabeth a couple of framed prints of the photos I took of she and Alex this week for her birthday, along with a big bag of bird seed, of course! 😉
Thank you Hollywood Jack, my dear friend! The joy in those two was easy to capture! 🙂