Free As The Birds To Imagine

SEAGULLS WITH a dark band around their beaks posed at Crescent Beach soon after my earlier post where I quoted the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Like Jonathan these birds seemed a bit different than the usual variety that spend most of their time foraging for food along the coast. Perhaps they came from a great distance.

These gulls preened like cats and relaxed in the sun, seeming to communicate with one another in mysterious subtle ways. Smaller and fluffier than most, I wondered if they were juveniles. After a little research, I discovered the birds are aptly named ring-billed gulls. They let me creep a little closer with my camera but only up to a certain point.


A couple of them suddenly flew off into the horizon.

Their wide black-tipped wings flapped with ease as they receded into the pale blue sky.

My heart soared with them but my feet were stuck in the sand.



Sadly, I won't lift off the ground no matter how hard I twirl my arms ... but I am free as a bird to imagine other possibilities despite my obvious lack of feathers.

People spread throughout the earth like seagulls and reached great heights because their creative thinking merged with their ambitions and took wing.

Is it possible that one day we might not need boats, planes or trains to get from here to there? Gazing at birds in flight, we get an inkling that the future is wide open on both global and personal levels. And although there are inspiring phrases that speak brilliantly of that potential, I like the simple words of children's author Dr. Seuss who said: "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!"

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Live Long & Prosper Amid Life's Shadows

THE LIVE LONG AND PROSPER greeting given by Mr. Spock, a Vulcan in the Star Trek television series of the 60s, expresses a gracious sentiment with a hand gesture that is not easy to duplicate. The fingers should be parted between the middle and ring finger with thumb extended. My husband tried but didn't correctly mimic the salute while I took pictures of our shadows.

The sandy shore at Crescent Beach was darkened with silhouettes of thick branches from trees bordering the nearby walkway.

The volleyball net spilled pencil-thin lines onto the gritty floor ...

and chains swung in a swooping pattern from post to post.

A fence tipped a ladder onto the grassy edge where there was a sunny glow.

My husband would later perfect the Vulcan salute. But meanwhile, he made a few other hand gestures, including the universal "peace" sign (at left) that reminds me of the bunny rabbits my mom used to make on the wall when I was a child.

At bottom right, he is illustrating the North American symbol for "you're doing okay".

Playing with shadows in the morning muddle that falls between darkness and light, we found there is literal and figurative truth in the proverb that says: "Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you."
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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

The Sky's The Limit ... Take Off & Fly!

A RUSHING breeze ruffles through the sky.

And here am I, buoyant and ready to go ...

not knowing how to lift off the load and fly!

Sometimes we weigh ourselves down with disbelief in our potential. The grounded board and kite I encountered this week at Crescent Beach amid seagull calls remind me of words by Richard Bach who wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He said: “Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly.”

See more skies from around the globe at Skywatch.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms