Trumpeter swans are the largest bird in North America. With a wingspan of nearly 10 feet they are the very essence of grace and beauty in flight. By the early 1930s, these magnificent birds were on the brink of extinction in the lower 48 until aerial surveys discovered a population in Alaska. With careful reintroduction, the population has been on the rise and numbered 46,000 in 2010.

This image represents my mother, my sister and myself. The Swan Queen spreads her glorious wings in a gesture of protective embrace of her cygnets; in the same way, my strong and graceful mother has protected us.