It's Friday!

It was great to see blue skies again. 

We were stuck inside for 3 days. The heavy winds on top of the rainfall made it far worse! A lot of reading and rock painting were done! My pedlar enabled me to continue to reach my 10,000 steps. 

We had a short but smoky fire on Wednesday night. Damp wood. But things were back to normal Thursday. 

A Mennonite family pulled in next door with their motorhome and various paddleboards, bikes and toys. Six kids from a toddler (on a breathing machine) to teens. It was typical "old school" where the young ladies did all the work, cooking, cleaning and dishes while the boys played in the water, rode bikes and had fun. Dad had his nose buried in a cell phone and appeared to not notice they even existed. 🙄 Such a life. Ron chatted with the wife a bit and it sounds like they have a Motel in Coaldale. Anyway people around always seem to provide good entertainment!

There was a dead gull on the beach after all the wind and rain. The bird was removed, but we assume it is the partner that has been hanging in the spot and hardly moving for the past 3 days. There were no other Gulls around.

We googled and learned something new. Gulls are monogamous and generally mate for life. Pairs reunite each breeding season to share parenting duties, including incubating eggs, protecting the nest, and feeding their chicks. 

However, their relationships aren't always perfect:  "Gull Divorce": Pairs can sometimes separate, typically due to consistent breeding failures or if one bird arrives late at the nesting grounds. Interesting. I did not know. And this Gull obviously seems to be mourning!