I know it took a long time for me to get Saigon on the site, but sometimes things like that happen for a reason. This is one of those times.
I initially met Saigon several years ago - before I started doing photography. We didn't actually get to know one another; we said hi to each other at the club and so forth. That was about it. After I started doing photography, I invited her to do a photoshoot with me. She was not interested and I didn't propose a photoshoot again for a few years. We continued to be friendly acquaintances, but that was about it. That changed this year.
Somehow we got into some long phone conversations and discussed many topics. In our discussions we also talked about ourselves, personal issues and growth that came about through working through those issues. The great thing here is that her transformation went much further than male to female. She has become a beautiful person all the way through. Now we meet for lunches, dinners, or just hang out and talk. We even went hiking one day. I surprised her by having much more stamina than she thought I had. Nowadays I really enjoy her company and am glad to have her as a friend, not just an acquaintance.
I continue to be amazed at how some of my closest friendships appeared to have little or no potential, at the beginning. Then there are others that seemed to have great potential and went nowhere.
I've never had such a change in opinion about a person as I've had with Saigon. And she is as unique as she is wonderful.