Stormy March Day

  

Brown Pelicans doing the circle swim manuever

 

When we got in from fishing last week, Ron and I proceeded to clean up the boat while Larry took care of cleaning the fish. While we were working on the boat, the Pelican circus came to the dock where Larry was working. Yeah, I said Pelican Circus.

Seems that around the turn of the 20th century, there was a travelling circus consisting entirely of highly trained brown pelicans! This troupe made regular visits to Apalachicola, Eastpoint, St George Island and many other communities in the Florida panhandle. I understand there were as many as a hundred performing birds. They did such tricks as the dive bomber, the flying wedge, formation swimming, diving for fish on command and a host of other stunts too numerous to mention. Now I know it strains credibility to believe that this is a true story. In fact, I was quite skeptical at first so I'm not asking you to believe what I'm telling you just on faith. No sirree! I have proof! The attached picture shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that what I'm telling you is true.

These pelicans are performing the delicate and difficult stunt of "circle swimming". I've been told that these birds are direct descendants of the original performing avians. So, see for yourself!

Back home again

Just returned from a journey to Atlanta then Evansville through the previous homeplace, AKA Pennyrile Self Storage. I swear, someone is adding things to that storage space! Everytime I get near that place, I think I'll be able to just clean it out this time and give it up for good. But when I arrive, there's more STUFF. We'd sure love to get that thing emptied by the end of the decade, but if it keeps reproducing, we may have to just buy the storage company. I keep wondering if we really, really need things that have been in storage for a year and a half; I mean, hey, that old broom and those three garbage cans and those empty plastic buckets and who knows what else. Oh well.

March on the Gulf-a little rough today

 

Just another day in paradise

Caught "red pawed" pilfering garbage container!

 

Pelicans at Little St George Island

 

Dave and Friends one day's catch

 

Dave and Friend's One Day's Catch

Inaugural Posting

I'm just getting started in this whole Blog thing, so bear with me if the writing is not as polished as some. I plan to write about life on St George Island, where I live with my wife Sharon. We have enjoyed retirement since we moved here August 2nd, 2004. We have met many new friends and had some memorable times.

Most of the fun I've had myself has revolved around fishing and boating, with the emphasis on fishing. Offshore fishing has been the biggest adventure yet with several trips out into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I have several friends with whom I fish and when the seas are calm and the weather is favorable, we are liable to go out on just a few hours notice.

For someone who grew up 6oo miles from any coast, fishing for grouper, snapper, amberjack, sea bass, and other saltwater species, going offshore is a big deal. For starters, you've got to have equipment that is completely different from freshwater fishing. The reels are bigger, the rods are heavier, the sinkers are heavier, the line is stronger, and the hooks are definitely bigger. And the boats! I see people going out in boats that are way too small and they don't seem to be concerned at all, but let me tell you, when I go outside the confines of Apalachicola Bay, I want at least 21' of boat under me, preferably one with two engines.

The man I fish with a lot has a 27' boat with twin 225hp OMC engines and having the second engine gives infinitely more peace of mind when you are 10 miles from the nearest land!

I really don't know where this post is heading and I have some packing to do, so I will just quit writing for now and try to be more organized in subsequent musings.