Ocean Magic

Let her be
For her heart is filled with stardust
Her soul is as wild and free
As the wind

Have you ever witnessed something so exquisitely beautiful it almost made you cry?

I saw more dolphins yesterday! I watched three of them surf the big waves until they were too far away to see without binocs, and then I exhaled a big sigh. It was only then that I realized that I had been holding my breath.

How IwishIwishIwish I was a mermaid.

From Pinterest

A Little Poem written by Athey Thompson
Art unknown from Pinterest

Two Coyotes and Three Dolphins

Coyotes were in the garden last night! I was awakened at midnight by at least two extremely conversational coyotes; yipping and howling for a few minutes. I went back to sleep with a smile on my face.

This morning I went on a beach walk (did NOT almost get run over by a crazy driver this time) and was lucky enough to see three dolphins! I’m sorry the photos aren’t great, but I only had my phone.

Here they are in the middle of the photo, to the right of the little boat. They’re moving south.

In this photo, the dolphins are directly to the left of the paddleboarders, who are actually watching them swim by.

Dolphins represent a bond between mankind and Mother Nature, in part due to their emotional connection with humans while they remain firmly part of the animal kingdom. Dolphins are representative of both the Air and Water elements as they are warm-blooded, air-breathing mammals, yet they reside in the depths of the ocean. 

For me, hearing coyotes last night and seeing dolphins this morning are two positive indicators that December is starting out to be an amazing way to end 2023!

Shades of Gratitude in Monochrome

Late afternoon on a beautiful day after Thanksgiving, these are my favorite humans standing in the sun-sparkled ocean.

No filters or editing.
#Monochrome-Madness

More Vitamin Sea

Glittery sparkles on the water like a million diamonds.

#Tamarack #PacificOcean #California #PhotoOfTheDay

The Adventitious Line Up

Adventitious: associated with something by chance rather than as an integral part; extrinsic.

I didn’t realize until I checked the photo that all of those seagulls were lined up because my eyes were only focused on the waves. The gulls were an unexpected happenstance.

The term “line up” is usually associated with a row of surfers in a spot where they anticipate a good wave break, in their attempt to catch that elusive best ride of the surf sesh.

Adventitious; an unanticipated word of the day.

Thalassophile: Word of the Day

Thalassophile: One who loves the sea.

That would definitely be ME. I love all bodies of water; oceans, lakes, waterfalls, creeks, and ponds. I need vitamin SEA!

Thalassophile is derived from the Greek word thalassa which means sea, and the word ‘phile or philos,’ a person fond of something specific.

The word is also influenced by Greek mythology where Primordial Goddess Thalassa was the primeval goddess and spirit of the sea.

Thalassa was the literal body of the sea and in Aesop fables, manifests as a woman formed of sea water, dressed in seaweed instead of clothing. Check out her hair, which is similar to mine, lol.

This eternal spirit of the sea was sometimes portrayed rising from the water, which is definitely NOT me, as I rarely submerge myself in the briny deep.

In sky news, the planet now named Thalassa was discovered in August 1989. Thalassa was most likely formed from fragments of Neptune’s original moons, which were smashed by the disturbances caused when the ice giant Neptune captured Triton. Thalassa is unusual for an irregular moon because it is roughly disk-shaped.

Thalassa circles the planet in the same direction as Neptune rotates, and remains close to Neptune’s equatorial plane. Thalassa’s orbit is slowly decaying due to tidal deceleration and may eventually crash into Neptune’s atmosphere or be torn apart and form a planetary ring.

As above, so below…

the little moments

I captured the final glimpse of the sunset with my son still out there surfing. Can life get any better? I think not. #grateful

And, one day
We shall look back and see
It was always those little moments
That mattered the most

(A little poem written by Athey Thompson)

The Secrets That You Keep

I’m not talking about that song by the The Romantics, but a secret spot I discovered while out walking yesterday.

I can’t believe I’ve lived here for decades and never knew about this little beachy secret. One other person was there with their dogs and we vowed not to disclose this classified location…

Pretty cool, huh?

Looking to the east…

And to the west…

I MIGHT be persuaded to share the coordinates of this idyllic site, but you’d have to also be sworn to secrecy.

Can I trust you?

Moonstone Beach | Sea Glass Treasures

Since it’s just about time to honor June’s Full Moon, it seems like the perfect opportunity to chat about Moonstone Beach, another sea glass location I need to visit. It’s in Cambria on California’s Central Coast.

It’s said that at Moonstone Beach beach you can find moonstone agates plus jade, jaspers, and other semi-precious stones.

Here’s a photo of some of my beach glass collection. Red is the third most rare type of sea glass, and I only have a couple pieces of that color.

Did you know? Orange is the most rare sea glass color. Turquoise is the second most rare color and the rarest type of blue sea glass. Red is the third most rare sea glass color and yellow is the fourth. I guess white and green and brown are more common to find because I have a lot of those colors, probably because most bottles were crafted in those colors.

None of the beaches around me have sea glass OR many seashells, although we have an abundant and endless supply of ROCKS.

Public Toilet Wisdom: Written on the Walls

I walked to the beach during a May gray morning and sat on top of my usual picnic table to overlook the Pacific Ocean, hoping to see a whale or some dolphins.

I didn’t get lucky this time, but there was a crowded lineup of surfers out there and I couldn’t figure out why ‘cos the waves weren’t all that big.

As I took off my hat, unbraided my hair and shook it free from its constraints to feel the salty breeze, I turned around because I could feel someone standing behind me.

It was a man I often see at the beach; I’m not sure if he’s exactly unsheltered or not, but he stays there for hours, working on a crossword puzzle or reading. I’ve chatted with him a dozen times as he’s a fixture on the boardwalk and he’s very friendly, not at all like the the other guy who wanted to write on me and claim ownership!

He said, “Excuse me for saying so, but you have no idea the unmitigated joy you gave me as I watched you liberate your hair. You have the most beautiful curls, and I wanted to say thank you! That made me very happy.”

His language and phrasing was delightful; old worldly elegant, courtly, very much the gentleman.

I was caught off guard by his lovely comment and thanked him profusely. It made my day even more joyful, that’s for sure.

Before I walked home, I stopped at the restroom. Look at what I found written on the wall! So inspirational!

It’s a manta and an affirmation to love oneself and I couldn’t resist snapping a photo.

PS WordPress is so weird. I didn’t publish this until today, the 15th, but it appears as if I published it the 14th, which I did not. WP is strange…