Hi all, I am Rebecca G Howie (Becky is fine). I grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, married and moved to North Carolina for a number of years. 
I returned to West Virginia as a single mom of two boys and returned to college for a degree in electronics and began a new career with Eastman Kodak, which took me to Florida a few years later.
I found Florida wonderful for winter gardens and soon the yard was covered with square foot garden patches for cabbage, broccoli, collards, green beans and other assorted cool weather crops. Now many of those areas are covered with small coops and runs. I still have all my veggies, just not as many since the kids are grown and now I am entertaining grandchildren. Kaelyn and Landon love helping with the garden and chicken chores. I attend a few Florida shows each year and Landon showed a Silver pair this fall at the Citrus Classic and looks forward to his next. In my short time showing, I have made a number of dear friends and had many interesting conversations with judges and seasoned exhibitors.
My poultry involvement started like so many others when I decided I wanted fresh eggs and a few hens to amuse me. I picked up a few LF chicks at the feed store and shortly afterward a few bantams at a swap meet. I found I really got a kick out of the bantams and could house more banties than LF in my limited space. While researching the care of poultry and characteristics of different breeds, I came across articles on Ameraucanas and found them especially charming and interesting. Then I found the Ameraucana Breeders Club ( now Ameraucana Alliance ) and the list of breeders.
I began phasing out the LF and searching for Ameraucanas, reaching out to quite a few people before finding a quad of Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Bantams from Robert Burns. I have since added stock from John Blehm, Beth Curran and Jeff Vance and this spring look forward to my own 4th generation of hatchlings. I consider myself very much a beginner with so much to learn and look forward to the challenge of planning each season's mating. I love the promise of spring, hatching chicks and watching the youngsters grow. Seeing the results of my choices are so exciting.
It would not be possible without the knowledge, guidance and support of other Alliance members. Being a member of the Ameraucana Alliance is the best investment we can make for the benefit of the wonderful Ameraucanas we all love.
I also enjoy doing beadwork, sewing, crochet, board games with Landon, and ceramics with Kaelyn.
Rebecca G Howie <RebeccaH [at] mac.com>