“…and he knew with practiced ease that he was not bone and feather but a perfect idea of freedom and flight, limited by nothing at all”
-Richard Bach (Jonathan Livingston Seagull, 1970, page 88)
The month of April always brings me back to childhood memories. When I was young, I had a friend named April who lived right down the street. I grew up in a town on Long Island in New York. When most people hear Long Island, New York they think of New York City suburbs. Shopping malls. Movie theaters. I think beach.
My childhood home on Long Island was only a 20-minute drive to many beaches – Lido Beach, Point Lookout Beach, Jones Beach, and others. My grandparents had a home a half block from the beach in Neponsit, Queens, less than an hour away. It was beautiful there in Neponsit, in every season of the year, but especially in the spring. The wildlife I remember most from my youth were the seagulls – they always made me smile. They still do. Seagulls are coastal birds that live on every continent on our planet. Even Antarctica.
It’s no surprise that I ultimately landed in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, just 10 minutes from the beach. I wake up some foggy mornings and can smell the salty air, just as I did when I was a child visiting my grandparents. And here too I hear the seagulls squawking. I love photographing these charismatic gulls here in Southern California. I hope that you have memories of birds or other animals from your childhood that bring you a smile too.
Please note all profits from the sale of any of my books, fine art prints and notecards are donated to 501(c) nonprofit organizations, organizations working so hard to save animals, wildlife, and our planet’s biodiversity. To make a purchase please see ‘Fine Art Prints & Notecards’ and ‘Books’ pages of website.)
Stay Inspired!
Wendy