Pelicans a Plenty

Below my window, a clutch of twenty pelicans harvests fish from the bay. They glide milimeters above the ocean, arise and stall, then extend fully into plopping posture and descend into the teaming water below. Countless iterations occur prior to the setting of the sun. Individual and group flight patterns crisscross without incident. Each is accompanied by one or two assistants, a blue-footed booby or perhaps a brown turn. Flanking either side of the great-ballooned cavity, they peck, pry then pluck any morsel available.

At the mouth of the Rio Tuito, a pair of father/son teams performs the ancient art of casting a weighted round net. First the rhythmic delivery by the father as he twists his torso, then casts the net, which descends onto the water in perfect circular form. It sinks, is retrieved and prepared for a subsequent toss. Which is likewise executed with grace and perfection. The young apprentice is beckoned. His slight stature forces him to struggle through each aspect of the process. This only looks easy at the hands of a master. The lad gathers the net clumsily, twists his body and stumbles, awkwardly launches a collage of nylon and lead, then bows his head in embarrassment as the mass drops unopened only a short distance away.  

Further across the beach resides another pair of father/son teams. Each possesses a hand line. The device defines brilliant engineering at its simplistic best. The equipment requires a donut sized spool, a length of monofilament and a weighted hook or lure. Procedurally, the lure is swung over the head and then cast into the sea as the open spool is faced forward. The retrieval process is accomplished through rhythmic intermittent jerks, a pause, then more jerks. Each fisherman develops a distinct pattern akin to the unique bell ringing of San Francisco's cable car drivers.  

The clutch of pelicans remains below my window. They buoy and bob as the afternoon swells arrive. I wonder, do they even consider their counterparts ashore? Just a thought.   

Adventures with Teo/Aventuras con Teo

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Yelapa Kayak Rentals

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