# Our own Dan Detweiler makes National News !



## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

For those readers who are American Racing Pigeon Union Members...check out the summer 2007 UPDATE and you will find an article published called "A Journey Home" written by none other then "Learning" if I can figure out how to post the article, I will post it here, unless someone else is able to beat me to it...someone a little more computer literate. 

Congratulations !!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Congratulations, Dan! Warren, Dan, or anyone that is an AU member, is there a link to this update/newsletter that could be posted here? I quickly checked the AU site and didn't find one.

Terry


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## learning (May 19, 2006)

I am flattered by the congrats but I haven't received the update yet so I haven't seen it. I sent it in to the AU not knowing if they would print it...I guess they did! When I wrote that article it was in response to the visit I had with my long lost mentor that got me started in pigeons as a kid. I hadn't seen nor heard from him in over 30 years. We had a tremendous day full of sharing long lost memories and catching up on what has happened in our lives over the last three decades. I left with 4 beautiful cocks from his stock loft as a gift and more importantly a renewed respect and friendship I thought was long lost.

He made me promise that I would write about my experiences in the sport moving forward and this article was the first in an effort to fulfill that promise. I hope that it will inspire others to seek out long lost friends and mentors in the sport as I feel it is a tremendous experience worth the effort. It is one thing that will help resurrect this sport from the inevitable extinction we seem to be heading towards. There is another post on this forum now that reflects all the bickering and backstabbing that seems to be so prevalent today in our clubs. Let's all take the opportunity to share in the wonderful experiences that are out there just ripe for the taking.

O.K., I will get off my soapbox now!  

Thanks Again,

Dan


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Dan, congratulations. I am looking forward to reading the article.

I'm happy for you that you were able to spend the day with your friend and accumulate even more good memories of him.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

WOW, DAN!! How TERRIFIC!!

Had goose bumps break out ALL over when I read your post! So few are SO FORTUNATE!

If the article is available here, I would love to read it!

Love and Hugs

Shi & Squeaks


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## learning (May 19, 2006)

I thought I would go ahead and post the text of the article here if anyone is not an AU member and was interested. Hope you enjoy.

Dan

_A JOURNEY HOME 

When we think of “going home again” it often brings to us visions of long drives, anxious plane rides or class reunions filled with people you recognize but whose names escape us, despite painfully awkward attempts to recall them. It often is a source of great joy or perhaps great stress. Going home means very different things to different people. Sometimes, often most unexpectedly, it becomes something very different, even to those of us that thought we were firmly rooted in our concepts of “home”. What follows is my journal. A chronology of my own journey back to what, in my mind, was a part of my own personal, “home”. I have never written in any formal sense before but I couldn’t help but feel that many of you pigeon fanciers out there just might have had a similar experience, and might just find it interesting to share in mine.
There are aspects of our lives that seem to stay with us. Regardless of where we go, who we meet, or the things we do, we always carry these special things with us. Oh, we may not realize they are there. They may not be known to our conscious mind. They may lie dormant in the back of our thoughts for years, even decades, only to come flooding back with all the passion and vigor they held for us all those many years ago. Such is the case of pigeon racing for me.
Thirty years ago, at the ripe old age of 13, I was introduced to the sport of pigeon racing by a middle school teacher in upstate New York. He set me up with some birds and supervised the construction of a small loft in my back yard. He was diligent about teaching me the correct care and management of the birds. When the birds were old enough he showed me how to train them and race them. I enjoyed those birds for a short two years. At that point my family had to move to western New York and I was forced to give up the birds. Of course around that time the hormones started kicking in and I became more interested in cars and girls than anything else. The birds became a distant memory in the back of my mind. There they stayed for 30 long years.
Fast forward to 2005 and that 13 year old is now a 43 year old husband of 20 years, father of 2 boys, living in Atlanta, GA. and ironically…a teacher, just like the man that gave me my start. I am not sure what rekindled the spark in me. I just remember finding myself on a website reading about the latest and greatest the sport of pigeon racing had to offer. I was hooked all over again. I contacted the AU and found that there was a club right here in the Atlanta area. I contacted the member closest to me and made arrangements to attend the local meeting. At the meeting I felt like a fish out of water. All the changes that had occurred during my 30 year absence were almost overwhelming. What’s this about electronic clocks? You mean you don’t have to chase the bird all around the loft scaring it half to death and then rip the poor bird’s leg off trying to get that little rubber band off its leg anymore? Enter our first hero in this story.
One man that was more than helpful was a gentleman who I came to know as Bob. Bob was a wealth of information for me. He helped with every stupid question I could imagine. In an almost paternal manner he would patiently help me find answers to questions that I am sure he would rather not have to deal with. It was obvious to me that Bob was a treasure trove of priceless information and experience. Come to find out, this man that I just knew as Bob turned out to be Bob Tavares. Now, those of you that don’t recognize the name Bob Tavares need to brush up on your New England pigeon racing history. Bob’s Spruce Street Lofts did more than its fair share of damage in the Boston area and New England region of the country during the last thirty years. He moved to Atlanta two years ago following his kids and grandkids south. Of course to me, he was just Bob. I was clueless.
Throughout all of this reacquainting myself with the sport, I was constantly bothered by something. Despite all of the memories I had of my initial exposure to the sport, I could not, no matter how hard I tried, remember the name of that teacher that gave me my start so many years earlier. I so desperately wanted to get in touch with him and see how he was doing, what he was doing or if he was even still alive. Was he still in pigeons? Was he still teaching? Did he know what a profound impact he had on me? What had become of this wonderful man that had so generously gave of his time and energy to introduce this wonderful sport to a bunch of snot nosed brats like myself so many years ago. My inability to remember this man’s name became almost an obsession for me. It stayed in the back of my mind like an itch I couldn’t scratch.
Well, to continue with our little journey, fast forward two more years when it was decided that a new club was to be formed in the Atlanta area and thus, the North Atlanta Racing Pigeon Club was born. Now, for some reason that God only knows for sure, this club decided to elect me their race secretary. (I think it was one of those things that nobody wanted to deal with and the new kid on the block was stupid enough to take!) Well, come to find out, one of the responsibilities of this position was to investigate potential race stations for the upcoming young bird series. It was discussed at a meeting that we wanted to investigate a northwest course that would take us up Interstate 75 to Chattanooga and then Interstate 24 towards Nashville. It just so happened that I had business one weekend in Nashville and I asked Bob if he would be interested in going with me and we could check out release points along the way. I guess since Bob has no social life, (just kidding Bob), he agreed to go.
So it was, during this trip, that I came to realize just how much pigeon knowledge was crammed into that little, Portuguese, bald head of this man. He is the type of person that has forgotten more pigeon knowledge than I could ever hope to learn. During one of the rare moments when Bob was not talking, he had asked me where I was from. I told him that I grew up in a little town called Schoharie, New York. This immediately spawned yet another pigeon story of when he was a guest speaker at a convention in upstate New York and what a wonderful time he had. He spoke of a charming couple that he spent the weekend with and how much he had enjoyed the hospitality of a Mr. Bob Popkin. 
…I almost drove off the road! For the previous 2 years I had been racking my brain, day in and day out, for a name. Now, out of the blue, came the name I had been searching for. I could hardly contain myself! I think Bob Tavares thought I had gone quite mad and perhaps he wasn’t too far from the truth. Bob Popkin…Bob Popkin, I couldn’t stop saying it to myself. Some of you may remember The Pocket Racing Pigeon. It was a small publication that had a wealth of pigeon information in it. Well, Bob Popkin was the editor of this magazine. Anyway, the rest of the weekend was a blur. We rushed home and I immediately began trying to track down Mr. Popkin. It did not take long before I found his name associated with a club in South Carolina! It was too good to be true. Could this man really, after all these years, be just two hours up the road? I e-mailed the club president and tentatively explained my story. He immediately e-mailed back saying that he indeed was the man I was looking for. He informed me that he was no longer racing but still had pigeons and gave me his phone number and address.
At this point, I was far too nervous to call him directly so I decided to write him a letter. It was not long before I had a reply. He seemed genuinely happy to hear from me and invited both Bob Tavares and myself to visit. Due to schedule conflicts we could not get everyone on the same page for a few months but eventually the date was set. 
I think, in some small way, I now know what a person who has been adopted must feel like when they are going to meet their biological parents for the first time after decades of separation. This wasn’t my birth father but it was my pigeon father if you will. We arrived after the short 2 hour drive and were met by a man that, to me, hadn’t changed one bit. Maybe there were a few more gray hairs. Maybe the spring in his step had slowed a bit, but he had the same spark in his eye that he had 30 years before. We spent the rest of the afternoon with Bob and his wife Marion. We talked pigeons of course but also talked about school, careers and family. In short, everything you would discuss with a long lost family member. The day ended far too soon. We left with four beautiful cocks from Bob’s stock loft and promises to keep in touch. As I thanked him for his generous hospitality, he said one final thing to me as we got in the car. He said, “Dan, if you really want to thank me, then write. Write about your experiences. Write about the sport.” Well Mr. Popkin, consider this the first installment.
As Bob Tavares and I drove off I could not help but feel a sense pride and contentment in what we had just experienced. I felt as if a long search was over and a new friendship had begun. I felt as though I had finally been able to scratch that itch I had had for so long.

In short…I had come home._

View attachment 7061


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Dan,

Thanks so much for posting the story and picture for all of us here at PT to enjoy!

This is a great story with one of those "truth can be stranger than fiction" twists and the best thing of all is that it is your true story.

Thanks again,
Linda


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*A Journey Home*

Outstanding !  

We are very proud of you Dan, it is such a lovely story and so very well articulated. I am glad that you had such an opportunity as in many cases the orginal mentor has passed away. I am sure your story has touched not only your mentor's heart but also the many people who will read this.


Thank you for sharing.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

What a GREAT story................thanks for sharing it with us all...........


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I agree, what a great story, thanks for sharing....and CONGRATULATIONS!


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Dan, 
What a marvelous, marvelous story. Thank you so much for sharing it with us here on PT. Keeping and caring for pigeons requires knowledge that you can't simply find in books. In a sense it is a verbal hands on tradition whose knowledge is passed on and shared person to person. In the process friendships are made and bonds are formed that become part of the fabric of our lives. Your story illustrates this so well. No wonder that these are considered a bird of peace.

Keep writing!

Margaret


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## learning (May 19, 2006)

Thank you all very much. You are too kind.

Dan


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

What a GREAT story, Dan, and all because of pigeons! Your mentor will be so proud to read your story! What a great way for your "past" to return! Hopefully you will write more and post here.

I'm sure many can relate to your story in one way or another. If I hadn't found Mr. Squeaks, I would never have found this site and the many wonderful members who have become my friends and "family" over time! 

Amazing birds, these pigeons! Once in your heart, ALWAYS in your heart!

THANK YOU FOR POSTING!

Shi & Mr. Squeaks


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

Wonderful story (and very well crafted too!) Had me on the seat of my chair until I knew it turned out happily. 
Huzzah!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

That is a wonderful and very well written story, Dan. Thank you for sharing it with us!

Terry


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Thoroughly enjoyed your article, Dan. You have a storyteller's gift. Looking forward to further installments!


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## italianbird101 (Sep 12, 2007)

Thoroughly enjoyed your article, Dan. being new here, and to pigeons in general, i found it to be verry interesting.


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## learning (May 19, 2006)

Thank you Mel, 

I am glad you enjoyed it.

Dan


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