Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Walking the Dogs

   Walked the dogs (the girls) as usual this morning.  It seems like I can’t sleep much past 6:30.  Of course they are always willing to go out and explore.  There are so many sights and sounds and, best of all, tastes, out there to enjoy as a dog.  It would be interesting, I think, to have the sense of smell that a dog has.  What would it be like?  I have heard that for person with autism, life is like having a hundred televisions, all on different channels, on at the same time.  I imagine for dogs it is the same.  My doxies are always sniffing; always “on the hunt”.  We will be walking along and one or both of them will reverse their direction and check out a spot on a shrub or something lying in the road dead, or course.  Maybe it would be such a good idea to have that sensitive of a nose.

    No matter which direction we start out going, we always seem to end up at the ocean.  There is a trail right along the cliff and we seem to get there eventually.  This morning sitting on the picnic table I noticed a small flock of Brown Pelicans feeding in the water near the beach.  Then I noticed more and then more again.  There was another larger group feeding further out.  I followed a few as they left the group and slowly made their way toward the beach.  I love to watch pelicans fly.  They fly across the water as low as they can.  If they had belly buttons they would be slightly damp. 

    Flight to a pelican seems to be the easiest thing to do.  They beat their wings for a few flaps and then g..l..i..d..e along for several seconds and then do it again.  If there is more than one pelican, they fly in formation, all the same height, all at the same speed, all with the same lack of effort.  I have heard that a group of pelicans is called a squadron.  How appropriate that name is.
     The small squadron made its way toward the beach and landed among other pelicans and some gulls.  It was time to stand around with friends and tell fishing stories while preening feathers and digesting the fish that had just been consumed

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