25TH DAY OF THE YEAR OF THE OP

If you need a definition of the "OP" in the title, go to the first posting to find the meaning of the abbreviation. Walked about five miles today on the RW (River Walk) in about fifty degrees of cloudy damp sky. Not a good day for photography with such bad light........all grey. I did manage to pop a few that did invoke some thought. The first image is of the Congaree River with Columbia, SC in the background. Not a good image, but does contain about 185 sea gulls (yes I counted them) sitting on the rocks. First congregation of this sort this year, but it did bring to mind the fact that there seem to be an awful lot of seagulls in our world. There are over 350 million people in the US, but who counts the seagulls? Of course all the seagulls breed and only fifty percent of the human lot should be allowed to procreate, but that's another story or argument depending your point of view. But I digress. Someone counted the Ring Billed Gulls in Chicago around 1975 and came up with 3-4 million of that species and in that area alone. Talk about needing a life! Lots more species and a few more towns not counting all the coastal beaches. Oh and let us not forget those gulls in the parking lots of the malls feeding on some kid's happy meal remains that an ignorant parent left out of the garbage can. All told, I bet there are at least three gulls for every man, woman, and child in the country. Reminds one of an old Alfred Hitchcock movie about "Birds". For the young among you, just Google it. All that brings up the second picture taken on the beach on Assateague Island in Virginia a few years back. The boy's sister buried him up to his neck and scattered bait (crackers) around his head for the gulls. Some acute sense of humor she had and I understand she is now auditioning for '"Saturday Night Live".

Finally, meet Britania. She is an 11 month old English Bulldog belonging to a couple I met on the walk today. She was a first wedding anniversary gift to the lady from the husband. This is a face only a mother could love. Or a first year bride!