The following morning, after Kristen and I saw the owls was calm and clear. W e hiked along a series of beautiful trails taking a different route back to the car. We were marveling about the owls from the night before. In the final mile of the hike we met an old girlfriend of mine on the trail. I’ll call her Carol (a pseudonym), she was now married and she was walking with her young daughter and son. Ever since we split up there had been an awkward tension between us, especially because we both live in such a small town. I picked up her little boy and carried him while Kristen walked a little bit ahead of us on the trail with her daughter , both of them holding hands. Carol and I had the conversation I had been waiting to have for over five years. It was calm and hugely reassuring. A short time later Kristen and I said good by to Carol and her kids in the dusty parking lot. After we parted Kristen excitedly told me that talking with the little girl was the most important thing that has ever happened in her life. I couldn’t quite grasp what she was saying but there was something about the little girl that reminded Kristen of herself when she was that age. I should add that four years later, in 2010, I had another chance meeting with Carol, her kids and a close up sighting of a Great Horned owl in full daylight. This shared experience was intertwined within a web of heartwarming synchronicities . Less than a week later Kristen and I went out camping again. W e were in a completely different area of the mountains. Once again, it was just a single night of camping. In the evening just as the sun was setting we both felt a little bit cold. I suggested we walk up to a nearby hilltop to see the view. This would warm us up a little before going to sleep. W e did the short hike, maybe five minutes, up to the gentle rounded hill. Within seconds of getting to the top we had the exact same experience.

Three owls appeared and flew around us!

They swooped close, landed on nearby branches and stood on the ground within a few yards of where we were standing. The whole thing lasted about half an hour and Kristen and I just stood there the whole time in a tingly state of astonishment. I think these were Barred Owls, a common species in these mountains. Now this may seem funny, but I’m pretty sure it was the

same

three owls from earlier in the week. Just like before, the experience was absolutely

magical!

After all my years of compulsively reading UFO literature I was keenly aware of the reoccurrence of owls as a

screen memor y

within the experiences reported by abductees (more on this later). I was keenly aware that this might be a possibility . Right in the moment I was super focused on these three owls as they swooped low over us, watched us from trees and landed on the ground right near us. I feel confident in declaring those were, in fact, real owls. Seeing three owls once was pretty neat, but having the same experience just a few days later was positively bizarre.