Taking Flight (ii)

In the space between water and air, there is a subtle tension. Pelicans seem to occupy that energetic field in a way that alternates between grace, awkwardness and violence. I became fascinated with them when I first visited the Pacific coast almost 20 years ago. We don’t have pelicans where I come from, and they struck me as ancient, prehistoric creatures. The way they glide in a line over the waves, dive like a missile for fish, take off and land with such a tremendous splashing and flapping of wings is endlessly captivating. I swam near a flock of pelicans in Baja last year, and had the privilege of observing them up close while I floated in the water. There was a  warm feeling of light glistening on the ocean all around us, and in our shared space gravity felt negotiable for a moment.