Fighting Winter Blues With Pesky Seagulls At Calumet Park Beach

SOUTH CHICAGO — If Chicago's phony politicians and 5-inches of snow are giving you the winter blues, I urge you to think fondly of joyous times spent in the sun.

For me, that was Saturday at Calumet Park. It was 48 degrees. The lake was calm. It was the perfect setting to nosh on a Chicago Dog from Skyway Doghouse on 95th Street. Until, that is, a gust of unseasonably warm southernly wind launched a paper sack topped with hot, delicious fries from the park bench onto the the wet sand.

About 200 yards away, a colony of seagulls floating on water downwind from the lunchtime disaster began to stir. Within minutes they were headed toward the rare winter french fry spill. To keep them from swarming the fries near my feet, I tossed a few on the beach.

And then, it happened.

One after another, the summertime beach pests and I enjoyed a spontaneous game of catch.

"Who's looking?" I called out before lofting a hot, sandy french fry skyward that the most acrobatic gulls gracefully snatched out of the air.

After each mid-air grab, a new gull hovered and squawked a call for its turn to impress with a mid-air grab, like Little Leaguers lining up for fly balls.

I couldn't help but cheer them on.

SOMETHING GOOD: An occasional series about joyous moments in Chicago.

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