Mary Ruth and Old Gus

  Most of today was spent on the pier.  While adults fished, the grandlittles and I more or less played.  Mary Ruth and her daddy fed the seagulls a bunch of old bread and my sweet daughter-in-law caught a nice sized flounder.  After a bit, Old Gus came to visit.  The pelican was begging for a handout and he knew right where to come.  With a bucket full of little mullet and menhaden sitting on the pier and two sweet children waiting to share their catch, Old Gus had come to the right place.  He would eat good this evening.

  It all started with Mary Ruth tossing a menhaden at the bird.  Old Gus scooped up the minnow and swam in a circle.  This tickled the little girl causing her to beg for another minnow to feed Gus.  I fished a second minnow out of the bait bucket and handed it to her.  This time, I told her to wait before throwing the bait in the water.  "Call Gus.  He will come to you."  She started calling "Old Gus! Come here!"  Sure enough, the bird swam right up to the pier and opened his mouth.  He wanted the sweet little girl to feed him.  The minnow was thrown, he scooped and the little girl squealed with delight.  Instead of flying away, Old Gus made a tight circle and returned to beg for more.  Not to be outdone by his big sister, Mark Charles tossed several minnows to the bird. Old Gus was getting his belly filled tonight! After about a dozen menhaden, our stash was depleted but neither the little girl nor the pelican was finished with this game!  We started on the little mullet.  Six of those were soon in the gullet of the bird.  Mary Ruth squealed and giggled with delight over her newfound friend and the bird got his fill of minnows.  He has never had it so good!

  This pelican is one that hangs around the pier and has lost all fear of me.  I feed him an occasional minnow but never to the extent of today. What fun...one pelican, a bucket of bait and two tiny tots make for a perfect way to spend the afternoon.