A Perfect Day at the Pier
There are certain moments in life that etch themselves so deeply into our memories that, years later, they still make us laugh—or, in my case, laugh and cringe. One such moment happened during a family vacation at Old Orchard Beach in Maine. It was a beautiful summer day, the kind that makes you forget your worries and indulge in fried food that is 90% grease and 10% regret.
After getting a cartoon portrait done of our oldest son (a true vacation rite of passage), we decided to grab a bite at one of the restaurants on the pier. That’s when I made a fateful decision—one that would go down in our family’s history as “The Day Mom Mortified Us All.”
The Fateful French Fry
You see, I love birds. I admire their grace, their resilience, their ability to snatch an entire sandwich from an unsuspecting tourist’s hands in one swift motion. So naturally, when I saw a seagull eyeing my plate, I felt compelled to share. I mean, how could I not? It was staring at me with such hopeful eyes (or at least, what I perceived as hopeful—realistically, it was probably just calculating its attack strategy).
Ignoring the very clear sign that read “DO NOT FEED THE SEAGULLS,” I decided to sneak it a fry. And that’s when karma, nature, and comedic timing all aligned in perfect harmony. The moment that greedy gull took flight, it soared majestically over the couple sitting in front of us and, with military precision, delivered a payload of poop straight onto the man’s head.
Seagull Karma Strikes
The poor guy didn’t see it coming. One second, he was enjoying his meal, blissfully unaware of the aerial assault brewing above him. The next, he froze in pure horror, grimacing as he realized something warm and unwelcome had just landed in his hair, while his wife scrambled to assist in the cleanup.
There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t un-feed the seagull. I couldn’t undo the chain of events that had just transpired. All I could do was sit there, eyes wide, face flushed, while my family collectively became mortified.
A Vacation to Remember
To this day, the mere mention of Old Orchard Beach elicits humor. That seagull sticker? The seagull Aroostook River Illustration, Sea Buddies?
These are not just pieces of art—they are a tribute to the day I learned that no good deed goes unpunished, and that seagulls, without a doubt, always get the last laugh.
