A PEACEFUL TIME WITH BOOJUM

It was a day in late September, I was camped alone with my dog Boojum at one of my favorite desolate beach in Baja.  It was a warm day, the wind was non existent and there was absolutely no surf at all, just a soft undulating swoosh when the ocean gave a slight surge toward land.  It was so calm out that it was hard to believe the earth and ocean could be so silent.

I had apiece of plywood leaned against the tire of Big Red and I was sitting on the ground, laying back against it, just taking in the day.  It was mid morning, the sky was perfectly clear, the sun was baking against my skin and my dog Boojum was lying beside me about 4 feet away enjoying his time in the morning sun also.  Except for the occasional swoosh on the rocks on shore there was not a sound, I could hear my dog breathing it was so quiet.

Then just about 10 feet away I spotted a lizard making its way towards us.  I didn’t move a muscle and Boojum was in dreamland so he didn’t know the lizard was close. Lizards are one of his favorite things to chase, so the lizard was having some luck on its timing coming towards Boojum.  The lizard kept coming closer and closer until he was just beyond my feet.  Then he stopped and looked straight at me and started doing push-ups, sort of like he was in a boot camp or something.  He stopped after about 10 push-ups and looked over at Boojum, then walked over between us and just as the lizard was about 2 feet from Boojums nose he stopped and did a series of a few more push-ups then continued on his merry little way.  Just after he left us there in the sun I heard a faint whispering sound mixed with what sounded like a small squeaking door that needed to be oiled.  I realized the sound was coming from overhead.  I looked up and I saw the most beautiful fleet of pelicans flying by, about 100 feet above my head.  There must have been close to 200 of them all in different formations.  It was a beautiful display of natures beauty in the air, they just kept flying overhead for what seemed like minutes.  That was a day I will always remember.  It was so peaceful and quiet I could actually here their wings slicing through the still air and the slight flap of their wings which was that squeaking noise.