Pardon Me, You're Biting My Earlobe

Sounds like another Paul Zindel book, right? (older folks like me remember the series). Since the wind had finally tamed down, and the water was smooth, I decided I wasn't going to let the whole long weekend go to waste and headed out to paddle off Mission Island. The paddling part was great! Just a breeze, no swell or anything and somewhat shallow waters (I haven't been more than a paddle length from the bottom). Then the bulldog flies found me...and bit me. I had on my bathing suit, so they had NEW places to bite, and not particularly ones I coudl reach to swat (the middle of my back) so had to keep flicking water and paddle at the little bastards. Once away from shore more, they settled down somewhat and I only had two or three of the pesky varmints to deal with, but as I paddled back to shore again to put in, they attacked again...fuckers. (pardon the language, but that is the only word that describes them)

So then I managed to swat at them while loading my boat atop my car, and made a mistake I shall not make anytime soon...forgot to loop my rope into the bow toggle to keep it from blowing off...no, it didn't blow off but when I noticed it was swaying across my roof rack, I decided to stop on the wooded road to fix it before it blew right off. BIG MISTAKE. I hadn't put fly dope on because the mosquitoes weren't bad where I was paddling. They found me. Oh boy did they FIND ME. It was like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie...I was just swarmed, and being too stubborn to get the fly dope out, I suffered through, swatting and tying down my boat, screaming at them (as if that would stop the attack)...now my swollen body is once again at home and I shall never wear my swimsuit again....too many new places to be bitten!!!

However, I did get some photos - and these little birds let me drift right up to their post before flying off. They are known as laughing gulls. I'm sure they were laughing at me swatting flies...