A cool, salty sea breeze was blowing in from across the bay. It brought with it the distinct sound of barking sea lions. We wandered along the pier searching for the source of the noise. And here we happened upon the perfect spot from which to watch the sunset.
From our vantage point on K dock, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge glistened a fiery orange in the distance. The middle ground abounded with anchored watercraft, wooden docks and a picturesque lighthouse. To the right, Alcatraz Island lay painted in the soft pink glow of sunset. To the left, lay the city of San Francisco.
Behind us loomed the bustling Pier 39 promenade with its specialty shops, restaurants and amusements including the famous San Francisco Carousel. It is the only carousel in the country that has artistic renderings of its home city with intricately hand-painted scenes from famous San Francisco landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Lombard Street, Alcatraz and the popular California sea lions.
Before us, the aforementioned world famous California Sea Lions completely covered several floating wooden docks, attracting a large crowd of tourists. Male sea lions average 2,000 lbs in weight and 10 ft in length; females average 600 lbs and 7 ft in length.
Occasionally, one of the large furry mammals would raise it's head, as if posing for photos or performing for the live web cam. Others boisterously rolled this way or that displacing their blubbery neighbors. Some snorted loudly, while others sneezed, encouraging the onlookers to offer, “Bless you” salutations.
A lone sea gull stood perched on a piling and screeched loudly at the growing crowd.
I stood unsuspecting, soaking in the picturesque scene, while enjoying a Dreyer's chocolate waffle cone stuffed with double chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Yum. What a treat after months of denial. The cone was inserted into a white, plastic holder with a lip to catch the occasional drips. This worked wonderfully except if you happened to forgot and tipped the cone at an angle. Then you were likely to get an unpleasant surprise.
With the cone held in my left hand close to my chest within licking distance and my camera dangling from my right wrist, I was completely unaware of events about to unfold. My first clue was a loud whooshing sound over my left shoulder, followed by loud flapping and just that quickly my delicious cone was plucked from my hand!
I stood in shock and awe. Just beyond the floating docks a flock of noisy gulls suddenly appeared to fight the successful marauder for the luscious booty.
I grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan. This is the first time in all my years of encounters with the birds that one has ever pulled a sneak attack. Nor could I believe the marauding gull could actually carry the fairly large cone that far. I automatically looked down into the water below me in disbelief. I half expecting to see the white plastic holder bobbing in the bay.
The lady standing next to me noticed me looking intently into the water.
“Did you drop your camera?” she asked. That is just how fast the attack occurred. She didn't even see the culprit.
“No, a sea gull just stole my ice cream cone”, I admitted. I wasn't sure if I should laugh or be embarrassed that someone had noticed the attack.
As chance would have it, a San Francisco police officer walk by just then.
I laughingly told my husband that I should file a police report. Maybe they would issue an all points bulletin. “The marauder was small, white, wore a gray feather disguise, had beady eyes and an pointy orange beak”, I would say. Personally, I think the guilty party was that noisy gull who had been perched on the piling screeching at the onlookers.
So, a warning to the wise. If on your next trip you visit the famous San Francisco sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf, keep an eye on your valuables lest they become booty for wild plundering marauders!
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