Captain Happy Gull

When you hear about laughing gulls, what do you think? This is a story that takes us on an adventure of growth. A quest, if you will. If you have been to the beach this may remind you of the good time. It may challenge you to look at things in a new way. Part of a vacation is relaxing, but in finding a new answer to a problem comes from just observing. If you could hear an animal speak, what could they tell you? More important, what would you do with it?

If you ended up making the same trip at least once a day, what could you observe about the path you follow? How would you solve any problems that you could see or sense? This story encourages you to take a character who is just background at the beach and learn what he knows. Follow his adventure of growing and changing.

An author by challenge, this work is one of the results of my seventh grade class asking me to partake in an assignment that I had given them. From that day, I have continued to write stories that appeal to my interest in character and voice. It is a boost any time I hear one of my former students say that I was interesting or creative or challenging. The stories I write are just the first step for any reader to get a sense of whimsy in the way the world works, along with their minds. I taught for 41 years, after a checkered career of my own as a student. I owe a great debt of thanks to many people who waited for me to catch up to the way they thought I could be. Not just teachers, God bless all of you. Many construction foremen, a wife, a father-in-law, a football coach, my parents, and all of my students, all of these showed tremendous patience. They encouraged me and celebrated in the quiet way that kept me going. I will seek to search for voices that allow us to see the best in ourselves and others. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.