Sketching & Writing in Monterey
Here’s some of the creative output during my visit to Monterey Bay (July 24 to Aug 1, 2012)
WRITING EXERCISE with Jaci and Miki at The Clement in Monterey. | 10 minutes of free writing on THINGS I KNOW on July 27th
The knowledge I’ve acquired since last I wrote about this has certainly grown. I know Monterey will always be home tho I currently live several thousand miles away. But that is not the learning-kind of knowledge, that is the wisdom-style that comes with years of experience of life, people and places. I know that my passion of wanting to make a difference on the planet is still super strong and that I’m pretty darn sure it involves sharing my stories. I know that Butt-in-Chair is the process that helps me produce things. I know it’s hard to write while the guy in the next room expounds, “He’s got style, man!” and clinks his silverware. I know that we are limited by a lifetime on this planet—each of us on our own timeline that we need follow/listen/be guided by our muse—that muse will guide us—hopefully smoothly to new heights. Things I know, and I know things. Ich kenne Dinge. I know some German, some people. some math, something about marine biology and Antarctica, seals and whales and spiny little invertebrates. I know, without a doubt, I am super grateful to be here where I am, knowing the things I know, with these people, right here, right now.
Sketching and recording what I hear from visitors while at Monterey Bay Aquarium, July 27th, 2012.
THIS POEM came out while staying on a friend’s boat. It was like camping at an RV park but much better. [date unknown]
SENSES OF THE OCEAN
Sea lions barking
Seagulls squawking
Tight formation of brown pelicans fying overhead
The breath of a sea lion as it surfaces by the boat
Slap of flipflops
The wetness of fog on my skin
Tourists crowding the rec-trail
Sand on the feet
Cold, wet & salty
Kayaks
Dolphins outside the kelp forest
The smell of the sea which is moist and pure and ionic
Waves rushing up the beach
Noticing the different tides are doing their thing
The rock of a boat
The slap of mast wires
Looking thru the sea surface at a seal swimming by underwater
Cold water on hands
The temperature differential between sun and fog
Blue of sky and sea
More sketching of the views around the aquarium. July 27th, 2012
Me, Jon and Cecilia (Rosemary and Stacey not pictured) doing a little sketch crawl at Cannery Row Brewing Company, July 27, 2012