Making Memories

I love that Kate feels safe on the water. So many don’t. “Daddy, let’s look for spouts.” That’s what she said to me today, as we loitered at the end of the harbor’s jetty. The endless Pacific stared at us, and we bobbed, undecided. I observed the swell direction, boat traffic, wind, and the chop. … Continue reading Making Memories →

Dolphin Musings

When you consider large marine mammals, you see a highly evolved organism, supremely attuned to their environment. Dolphins, for example, are efficient and deadly hunters. They travel and live in complicated social and familial relationships. They have evolved for survival in harsh oceanic environments all over the world. In order to do so, dolphins have … Continue reading Dolphin Musings →

Enjoy the Journey – a paddle story from Laguna to San O

Five paddleboards laid on the grass at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach, paying tribute to an ebullient morning sun. The sight of the boards themselves, pointing out to sea, and strewn with gear, made my heart swell. Morning walkers with their dogs seemed to linger with curiosity. They looked furtively at the boards, the paddles, … Continue reading Enjoy the Journey – a paddle story from Laguna to San O →

Dolphin Rescue

The sea had been flattened and becalmed, with only gentle undulations of mild swells on the surface. With virtually nothing to check my progress, the board paddled smooth and therefore fast across the water. A long straight-armed stretch, a twist of my torso, a long lean forward, and the plunge of the paddle’s blade made … Continue reading Dolphin Rescue →

I SAW A GREAT WHITE!

My mother, like most, enjoys telling stories of the cute things I did as a kid. She likes to say that when I was three years old, I was able to identify, and correctly pronounce, all of the dinosaurs pictured in my treasure trove of dinosaur books. Each night, she would read the books to … Continue reading I SAW A GREAT WHITE! →

The Finback Whale Encounter

It was a warm day, flat and calm on the open ocean, a perfect day to look for whales. The visibility, both in and out of the water was phenomenal. Catalina Island’s features, although 26 miles away, were easily seen. Any anomaly on the surface of the water could be spotted from miles away, and … Continue reading The Finback Whale Encounter →