Playing Hooky at Washed Ashore and the Marine Mammal Center

My creative self and I played hooky last week.  In the middle of the work week.  Gasp!  You'd think after ten plus years of being in business for myself - I'd have done this before - but no, I haven't - not until now.  But the promise of a 75 degree day along the coast - coupled with my desire to see an art exhibit at the The Marine Mammal Center before the exhibit closed a few days later - beckoned - and I answered that call by packing up my inhibitions, my camera, and heading up North.

As I drove up the I 280, still closer to home than my destination - I felt the strong pull of the office.  What if a client calls or emails?  What if I need something from the office to respond?  Should I really be doing this in the middle of the week?  Worry...worry.  Despite assurances to myself that this is what smart phones are for - and reasoning it's only a few hours, not the whole day - it still felt wrong.  Uncomfortable.  

But the further I got from the office, and the closer to my destination - the more I began to feel the pull of what lay ahead.  Like a magnet - I started feeling the draw and excitement of my destination.  Excitement and anticipation about seeing something new, being outside, exploring creatively and taking pictures, began to replace my doubts and concerns.  (While some of you reading this might think - what's the big deal? I do this all the time.  Well then, that's great for you!  For me though, this kind of "permission" is new, and a baby step forward on the path to living a fully invested life.  Integrating my creative and coaching selves - trusting that all of those dots will connect.)  

The "Washed Ashore:  Plastics, Sea Life and Art exhibit I wanted to see is sponsored by The Artula Institute  - "a non profit dedicated to providing opportunities to express and teach environmental issues through the arts".  Led by it's artistic director, Angela Haseltine Pozzi, the exhibit consists of eighteen (not all of them were at the MMC this day) large scale ocean objects made from debris collected from the ocean.  Some of the art objects are animals or fish, like Henry the fish above, others represent other aspects of the ocean - like the Pacific Plastic Patch - and what it must be like for creatures to "swim" through that mess.  

The objects are large - to represent how much garbage is out there in our oceans - and the negative impact of this on our environment.  As conscious as I'd like to think my husband and I are:  using reusable bags for grocery and other shopping; klean kanteens for filtered tap water; recycling; composting; and bringing our own containers for leftovers when dining out; in the face of this exhibit - it doesn't feel like it's enough.

While I highly recommend seeing this exhibit for yourself, or at least visiting the Washed Ashore  website to learn more, you can see from these pictures what ends up in the ocean.  Plastic bottles of all types (water, shampoo, oil...), and lots of them.  Bottle caps, tooth brushes, flip flops, kid's toys, fish nets, beer bottles, wine bottles, hard liquor bottles and lots of different car and boat parts too. 

  

After a while of taking it all in - it gets to you.  How can we "intelligent" beings allow this to happen?  How can we trash our own home - as if it doesn't matter?  It does.  It will.  I shudder to think of the trash making it's way over to our coast from the Japan Tsunami. I know that mother nature is resilient - but in the face of an ever growing human population - she needs our help.  We need to do our part.  

If I had a picture of a soap box - I'd insert it here.  This will have to do.

If you live in the Bay Area, and haven't checked it out yet, the Marine Mammal Center is a terrific place.  I came a visitor, and left a member.  They do all they can to help injured and ill marine life and to educate.  The facility is impressive.  I believe they went through a major renovation in 2009 - solar panels and all.  While a visit is free, and donations welcomed, for an annual membership of $25, you can become a part of this organization.  If low on cash but flush with time, you can join their volunteer base too.

This little guy or gal wasn't looking so good - I hope they are doing O.K. 

 

Done with the exhibit, it was time to go back to work.  But the Marine Mammal Center happens to be around the corner from Rodeo Beach, a beach that I used to take my buddy Rob's dogs too.  A place I love and hadn't been to in quite some time.  It would be a crime to be so close not to dip a toe in the water, no?  Heck - I was already gone two hours, what would another 30 minutes "cost" me?  So what if I'm here without any dogs?  It didn't take much more convincing than that.

This little gal was having a super time pushing an environmentally friendly rock around the beach.....into the surf....back out again...enjoying the simple pleasures of life.

The cost of making this short pit stop before heading back to the office to answer the day's calls and emails?

Priceless.

As was the reminder that we can do better.  One way I plan to do this is to stop using the grocery store's plastic bags when buying in bulk (grains, nuts, oatmeal, etc.)  Instead, I'll bring our own reusable containers which the store can weigh and mark accordingly to avoid paying the extra cost of their weight at the point of sale.

Baby Steps.

A Blissful Day in Half Moon Bay

This post is dedicated to Steve Jobs.  To having the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  To trusting that all of those dots will connect at some point in the future, and to the creative inspiration and progeny he leaves behind.  Thank you Steve.
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I spent a blissful day in Half Moon Bay about a week ago learning how to take better pictures on a photography "tour" offered by Susan Rosner and Fotomentours.  As her website says - "Fotomentours supports amateur photographers to build a library of beautiful original images."  I would add that the tours are a great way to slowly develop your photography skills in the company of interesting, like "hobbied" people.  Plus - Susan's knowledgeable, easy going style matches the "practical application" way I personally like to grow and learn.

First stop on the tour was Moss Beach Ranch - a full service equine boarding and training facility - and every little girl's (and this big one's) dream. 

I have yet to come across a stable that doesn't have a few resident cats - and I was happily snapping away at the first ones I saw - when the ranch owner's gentle reminder of "we have plenty of horses to take pictures of too"  floated through the air and brought me back to the true purpose at hand.

And of course - he was right!  In fact - of the 850 pics I shot this day - about 350 were at the stable alone.  These are just a few of my favorites. 

Per Susan's instructions, we had just set up our cameras to take photos of horses moving in the ring, when this beauty was brought in.  The first thing he/she? did was throw themselves to the ground for a long and hearty role. I was lucky to capture this shot as the horse was standing up.  Their beauty, strength and power was memorizing - it felt like such a joyous and carefree moment for them -as it was for me.

 

I was lucky to be in the right place / right time when Derby rested his head briefly on his brother Firecracker's back. Seeing the two "snuggling" together is what drew me in for a closer look in the first place.

 Spending time with these magnificent beings - I can truly appreciate their therapeutic impact. 

One final parting shot on the way out to our next stop on the tour.  I'd like to think this horse is checking out the action in the distant ring.  Then again, he might be napping, or, gracefully ignoring the paparazzi.

Our second stop was the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve .  Before heading to the tide pools, we climbed to the bluffs above to capture images of this magical and misty gray world.

After finishing up there, we made out way to the tide pools - down to the left.

    Just past the the harbor seals....

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Concentrating hard on taking pictures of the pools, I almost got drenched by a wave of water rushing in.  They can be sneaky that way.  As it turns out - the waves made for better images than the pools. 

Our fourth and almost last stop was Romeo Pier.  A locals beach.  You won't find many tourists here.

A family of four walked along the beach.  One ran ahead to catch up with their dog  The round blob on the right is a radar,  and was apparently used to help track the satellite that recently came back to earth.

Our final stop was the harbor were our cars were parked, but by then, my concentration was shot, so I won't inflict any pictures on you from there.  But I'll end this post by sharing that all the way on the drive back home, I couldn't help but look at the world through the eyes of a photographer.  Oh that's great light.  Look at the color of that car, that tree, that house. Is that a rainbow?  Should I stop and take a picture?  

All the way home....and into the backyard, where I took a few parting shots of the sunset.

All the way home....I was a photographer......at last.