Neighbors

“Neighbors” painting by Alton R. Lowe

One of my treasured memories as a boy was the day I put a tiny seagull in my hand for the first time. My daddy brought “Gully“ back from a nearby island as a surprise gift for me. I was five and Gully was newborn. We grew up together. Several of my friends had gullies, too. We would feed them with small pieces of bread and tiny fish caught from the sea in homemade croaker sacks. After Gully was fully grown, he flew away, but for many years returned in the summer, announcing his arrival with the well–known sound, for which the Laughing Gull is famous. My brother Vertrum had a gully as a pet, which followed him to school sometimes, even flying in an open window and landing on his desk. This bird was mischievous. He would steal marbles when the boys were playing and would leave them at my parents’ kitchen door. Vertrum ended up with a very nice marble collection! - Alton Lowe