may need to eat a little something before these Sunday early morning runs, or change my route, I pass an IHOP at about mile 4 & the smell of pancakes just about does me in.

Got up at 5:30 & made it to Courthouse Pier just before the sun cleared the horizon. Temp in the mid 70’s already & a light breeze. If it weren’t for the traffic, which is starting to get heavy even this early, I’d run w/out the ipod on these sunrise runs. Be nice to listen to the water & the sea birds. Lots of Pelicans & Herons fishing this morning, always makes me happy to see them.

When I was a boy, during the 60’s, there were lots of them. We’d go crabbing or fishing off the piers & the Pelicans would try to steal our bait. Then, during the 70’s, they disappeared. None on the beaches, none on the islands. Things were pretty barren. DDT was banned sometime during the early 70’s but it would take years for them to make a comeback.

This morning there were many of them, skimming the water in pairs or groups of three they work the schools of small fish. In the tide pools & storm drains, the Herons fished, beautiful, enormous birds. Something else that had all but disappeared, I saw several people wade fishing w/ cast nets.

On an unhappy note, I saw a dead Ridley Turtle. A little something left us by the oil spill.