'Sentimentally' Speaking

I am an avid bird watcher and lover. They...make me feel free. I used to...dream a lot about having the ability to fly. Not...in a plane.... I would dream of soaring up above the world. I can still feel what it felt like...so real those dreams seemed.

I stopped having those when I started flying glider planes. Strange? Coincidence? A little of both? And it was about this time that I got really involved in bird watching. Yes, I have my favorites...but truthfully...it would probably be easier to mention the ones that don't overly excite me when I see them.

But. These? These. Well. They mean a lot to me. I've always had a fancy for the Pelicans. Brown Pelicans I knew quite well. And one day...on a camping trip in Texas during spring break....my sister (who is no longer with us) joined us. We went for a bike ride on one of the trails. There was a cove that we passed....that was 'white'. Completely. Covered. White. Pelicans. Hundreds. Breathtaking. Awesome. No Camera in site. ggggggrrrrrr....

We weren't to far from camp so I went back to get the camera. Of course, they were gone by the time I got back. A. Dream? A. Mirage? A. Vision? No...it was real. A memory that is very sentimental to me. A memory that is brought back to life each and every time I see a White Pelican. A memory...that is brought back when I think of her.

Thank you, sis. For being there with me...then....and now.