The pelicans and Brisbane
Today the beach was very cloudy and gray and still. The water was flat with barely a ripple. The pelicans were out in force, swooping over the channel and occasionally dropping out of the sky to dive with a tiny splash. At one end of the beach the tinny sound of Spanish talk radio drifted over from the family fishing on the breakwater. From the other end came the sound of a mob of kids with skateboards trying to do tricks on the retaining wall and park benches, clattering and rolling and shouting and swearing and that one annoying kid with the high voice that carries over everything. Out on the jetty the foghorn sounded off and on at regular intervals. Brisbane left a nice little wake as he paddled out after the ball, periodically a pelican would swoop over to check his edibility, and then move on. Every so often one would splash down nearby and Brisbane would have to check and see if they were a ball.