You could say Leona Sherbinin is a bird fan. Her backyard features two ceramic seagulls perched on posts atop her backyard fire pit and sitting area, along with several flower pots, a table with an umbrella, and couple of torch lights.
"I love birds. Real or fake, I love them. They remind me of peace, love and tranquility," said Sherbinin, who lives in Tarrys with her husband.
Last fall, she was cleaning the backyard getting it ready for winter when she noticed one of the gulls missing.
"I was disappointed and sad. Someone must've stole it," she said.
"I asked neighbours if they saw anything, but to no avail."
Winter came and went and Sherbinin went on with her life. She put out the backyard summer decor, planted flowers, and fixed the yard up. The summer was even more special for the Sherbinins as their youngest daughter was married on July 29.
"The day after the wedding, it was nice to sit in the relaxing backyard to enjoy a cold one with some visitors. It was then I noticed something unusual at the edge of the yard ," she said.
At the edge of her backyard was the missing seagull, along with a plastic bag filled with around 40 pictures and a letter.
According to the letter the seagull, now named Sammy, traveled throughout Western Canada through Grand Forks to Ainsworth Hot Springs to Vancouver down to the U.S. into Utah, California, Nevada, Arizona, and even to the east coast to Maine.
'I've had an adventure. Many good times and some otherwise,' wrote Sammy Seagull. 'I left because I was just getting really bored in Thrums. Five months of snow every year. Sheesh.'
Sammy went on to talk about all the adventures in all the locations he visited during his trip, each of which were documented by the accompanied pictures.
"This is a story I had to share," said Sherbinin. "It touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes."
Sherbinin admits she has no idea who took the seagull and went to the trouble of documenting its journey.
"I've lived in the same place for over 40 years, close to my friends and family. I honestly thought that some kids ripped it off or some one just took it for their own backyard," she said.
"For the life of me, I just can't figure out who would've travelled to Maine to Utah to California. I really, really don't know. I can't figure anybody in our circle of friends and relatives that would do this."
For now, Sammy Seagull is back safely in the Sherbinin's backyard alongside his girlfriend Cindy, who still isn't talking to him. As for the Sherbinins, they have a heck of a tale to tell visitors about a wandering seagull.