Birds of a Feather...

Living in a marina really is like living in a floating trailer park.  Some have single wides, some double wides and some have those new fangled modular things.  In any event we all live in each other's pockets like it or not.  We do tend to gather in like groups.  There is the morning coffee crowd.  The usual suspects start arriving between 0530 and 0600.  The TV comes on and either its the History Channel or Discover Channel, but mostly it is CNN International.

Stragglers come in slowly and "Good Mornings" are exchanges.  Conversations change like the direction of the wind.  Sometimes it is mindless and sometimes it is heated and sometimes it is thought provoking.  One thing you can always count on is a good belly laugh some time in the morning.  Breakfast is shared and coffee drank and then slowly we all head back to our boats and our chores.

The lunch crowd is thin right now.  Many days of late it has only been  Dragonheart.  As many old timers return I think it will increase.   Who knows.   On occasion a Mah Jongg game starts exactly at 1300 hours.  Please don't be late you know how long those games can be. Or may-be it is a Poker Game or Mexican Train.

Happy Hour starts at 1600 hours.  Some come up and take a drink or two up to pool area and watch the game or a game show or a movie.  The club crowd starts to gather closer to 1700 hours these days and you can find several playing a new dice game called "Farkle".  It is mindless and purely luck, but it is a reason to get off the boat and stop what ever you were doing down below.  Some time around 1800 hours the conversation turns to dinner.  Those that are inclined to cook head back to their boats, some with drinks and others with a salad to go in a box.  The rest order the special of the day or their personal favorite.

If it is Wednesday night you can count on a movie.  We don't always agree on what or if we liked it, but it is there if you want it.  Friday nights you can count on the Sweet River Band or Cayuco Club Karaoke.  You tend to see the same people at their respective events.

All in all we like to be with people who like the same things we do and like to do the same things we do.  No matter what you can always talk about anchors, sails, navigation, the latest stupid thing you did, exchange waypoints and charts or just shoot the shit about sailing.

So we tend to be Birds of a Feather that Flock Together.  NOT SO our Black bellied Whistling Duck, Armando.  Armando is confused.  First off he lost his mate.  These birds like swans mate for life.  Secondly he has had his wings clipped and can not fly away to even try and find his own kind.  The staff have adopted him and feed him and I must admit that we all watch him and are greatly amused by him and his antics.  There is a large black Grackle that likes to torment Armando.  The Grackle flies in and steals food and likes to hit Armando in the chest with his beak.  Armando being young at first put up with the bully.  But much to our surprise a small Green Heron has taken to protecting Armando from the Grackle.  The local name for the Green Heron is a Maria Antoinette.  So Armando and the little Maria Antoinette are amigos!
It appears that even birds of a different feather can learn to flock together.