The Thanksgiving Pelican

A long long LONG time ago my Dad and Mom decided to run away.  They were going to give up the lives they lived in New Jersey and go  to a magical place called "Key West" where they would survive off of oranges and bananas and fish.  They would sleep in the car till they found jobs and saved enough money for a place to live.

There wasn't much there but they loved it.  The first job they had was heading shrimp for 25 cents a bucket.

And then the hard work payed off..Daddy actually got a job at ON a shrimpboat and they let his beautiful wife come along.

Daddy became quite good at sewing net,

And Mommy helped pick the shrimp out of the pile.  Although both Mommy and Daddy admitted to me she mostly liked picking all the neat creatures and shells out, just like me when I went shrimping. An old Shrimp boat captain  that Daddy and Mommy worked for said Daddy paid hell with the infections in his hands from the shrimp. But he never complained, and told some great stories and Mommy cooked and fed them like kings.

And of course Mommy's FAVORITE thing to do was handline. All was well In paradise, they had beds to sleep in and food to eat and enough money for cigarettes.  But then Mommy was expecting a little one and couldn't handle the diesel fumes anymore.  So Daddy found her a place to live on land and continued to shrimp....

Until one Thanksgiving.  You see the weather had gotten really really rough and rather than travel the 70 miles back to Key West from the Dry Tortugas the Captain decided to just tie up in the shelter of the fort.  Problem was, he had NEVER gone without his Thanksgiving Turkey before and wasn't about to now just because of some storm.  And once alcohol became involved he decided the next best thing would be roast pelican.  Daddy tried and tried to talk him out of it, but he couldn't - and just as Daddy warned.....it turned into a lumpy sodden hard black ball of grease. Daddy said the smell alone was enough to make him want to swim home...

And so Daddy quit shrimping.

But it all worked out for the best. You see Daddy got a job as a mate on a "Head" or "Party" boat, a boat that took several tourists out at a time. And not only did Daddy know how to catch fish, he just loved people and people were crazy about him and someone lent him the money to buy his first boat.

Mommy got all dolled up and advertised that business for all it was worth.

The pelicans hung out and were fed every day.

And the business grew......pelicans were part of the draw, got in on the act and the tourists loved them.

The boats got bigger...

And so did the pelicans...

But it wasn't till about the time II had a Shrimp Boat of my own.....

That I learned pelicans can fish for their OWN fish just fine! I had just never seen them do it because Daddy and Mommy loved them so much, I guess I thought they were pets. But whenever I see one it makes me think of Thanksgiving and how they helped Daddy become a charter boat captain.




Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I Hope you have a wonderful pelican free Thanksgiving!

Smiles,

XO

Toni