My dear Dad, I just love him.

Here they are: my dad, aka Pop Pop, his grandkids (minus Ivan) and his beloved sea gulls. These photos were taken in the backyard of "Nana and Pop Pop's beach house" a little over a week ago. Their place is located right on the edge of a golf course, which makes for a beautifully serene setting. So quiet and peaceful... that is, until five LOUD and very enthusiastic children come into the picture, ready to feed some stale crackers to the seagulls with their seagull-loving Pop Pop. 

For as long as I can remember, my dad has always adored these particular birds.  We have numerous photographs of me and my brothers and sister, over the years, throwing up expired crumbs for the gulls to fight over. Many times they would come right up and boldly grab food directly from our upraised hands. I have a vivid memory of my dad tossing them bits of old bread and with a smile, saying "I love sea gulls," in such a happy, affectionate manner that my sibling and I found it completely hilarious, and now this quote has remained a family joke.  

I, personally, find seagulls obnoxious and aggressive, and if I am too close to the feeding frenzy, I cringe with anticipation of getting pooped on. But I still harbor a slight fondness for them solely for the fact that they are so part of the beach experience, which is probably why my dad thinks they are so fabulous. Anyway, I love looking at these pictures because they show my dear pop making more lovely seagull memories for the next generation of kids. They are thoroughly enjoying it, and he is in his glory. Don't they all look so peaceful and content in the last photo, where they are watching the last birds gorge themselves on the remaining food? Good stuff.