As the rain fell on the roof of the barn and the thunder rumbled, Stuart and Horace continued to listen to Charlie's story.

"Is it fun there, Charlie?" asked Stuart.   "Does it ever rain?"

"Well, yes it rains," said Charlie.   "But when it rains, it only rains for a little while and then the sun comes back out.   Then it gets all warm and sunny again.   Even the rain is warm and feels so good on my feathers.   It cleans the dust off them, you know.   I like that."

Horace kept munching on his oats.   He listened to Charlie's story.   Florida sounded like a wonderful place to him.

"Where do you stay in Florida?" asked Stuart.

"Anywhere I want!" laughed Charlie.   "Usually I stay near the ocean."  

"What's an ocean?" asked Horace.

"The ocean is a big lake of water, except it is so big, that you can't see across it to the other side," explained Charlie.

"There is a beach by the ocean, which is made of sand, miles and miles of sand.   On the beach are hotels.   Those are big houses with lots of rooms in them.   People stay in the rooms when they visit the ocean.   The hotels have places to eat and people sometimes come down on the beach and throw chunks of bread to the birds.   Sometimes I have to fly down and pick through the cans where the hotels throw away the food the people don't eat, but the food is real good and there is lots of it."

Charlie thought for a moment, "I have run into trouble there sometimes."

"Trouble?" asked Stuart sleepily.

"Yeah...trouble.   You see," said Charlie, "there are other birds that live there all year long.   They are called sea gulls.   They are gray colored birds with scrawny necks and legs.   They think that just because they live there all the time, I shouldn't be allowed to spend any time on the beach.   They steal the bread that people throw at me.   If I happen to find a bread crust along the beach, the gulls fly at me and try to get it away from me.   Noisy birds they are too.   They screech and scream all the time."

"Why do you go there then?" asked Horace.

"Well boys...it sure is pure heaven most of the time.   I love to sit in a palm tree and listen to the ocean.   The waves come up on the shore and make such a wonderful sound.   It is very relaxing for me...just to sit and watch and listen to the ocean.   One winter, I went inland instead, but I missed the sound of the ocean.   All summer long, I've had a great urge to get back there.   The waves...the sun.   I guess fighting with some of the gulls is worth the effort to be where I long to be."

Stuart had nodded off to sleep.

"Look at the kid there, Horace.   He sure had an adventure today, didn't he?   He is all tuckered out.   Guess I'll be turning in myself.   Got to get some sleep so I can be ready to fly off south tomorrow.   Sure can't wait to get to that ocean."

"Night, Charlie," said Horace.

Charlie tucked his head under his wing and was soon fast alseep.   Horace rested against the side of the trailer and in a few minutes, he was snoring.