Square Bottom Adventures: October 2016

Back when living in Burlington, VT we were always intrigued with some folks who had a concrete pig, on their front lawn, who was always costumed and decorated for the season or holiday. After moving to Beaufort, SC we decided to carry on the tradition - Southern-style - where although pork is certainly appropriate, the pelican was more intriguing.

Part of this reasoning was based on Beaufort having strong military history and presence, with the Parris Island USMC training facility close by. Consider this... the name for a group of pigs depends on the animals' ages; a group of young pigs being a drift, drove or litter, groups of older pigs are called a sounder of swine, a team or passel of hogs or a singular of boars. Contrast those with a squadron of pelicans. Obvious.

Vincent arrives - naked but for the gecko on his bill.
(Click on photos to enlarge)

So the search began for just the right pelican to grace the front stoop; one who would always be seasonally appropriate but not ostentatious, noticeable yet subtle, while at the same time able to stand up to both Lowcountry summers and hurricanes. How he came to be named Vincent would require its own blog entry, but suffice it to say the name was chosen long before he was found at this huge roadside ornamental concrete works in Starke, FL.

Jarmon's Ornamental Concrete works, Starke, FL - Vincent's birthplace.

Now for those (as I was at the time) unaware, the symbol of the pelican has a long and storied history, going back to the heraldry of the Middle Ages. As young pelicans grow, they begin to strike their parents in the face with their beaks. Though the pelican has great love for its young, it strikes back and kills them. After three days, the mother pierces her side or her breast and lets her blood fall on the dead birds, and thus revives them. Who knew?