What a great thread! And now I'm thinking about starting a thread about what animals and experiences one can have after one no longer smokes. Until I quit smoking I couldn't stand still and silently long enough to have unsuspecting animals approach me.

Open Mike, I call the dragonfly my totem. I would love to find myself in the midst of a cloud of them.

A few years ago I was going by bus to the main glacier around here and invited an elderly woman to accompany me on the couple-mile walk to the glacier.

As we walked, dragonflies were raising and whirring around. I mentioned to 'Dorothy' that these were all small, that I like the big ones best- they remind me of helicopters. Just then a large one raised from in front of us and flew across the highway. Then it turned and came back past us and flew down the road where we had come.

Then something made me turn and here it came again, right at me. I offered it my shoulder but instead it landed on my cheek. It had a three-point grip and I could feel its belly pulsing against my face, while Dorothy clasped her hands and squealed, I wish I had a camera!

The dragonfly stayed until I put my hand between it and my face and gently pushed it off. Then it flew away.