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A Joyful Noise

Freckles

Be Like Freckles

January 31, 2020 by Melodye Shore

On this idyllic afternoon, our friend Freckles was lounging on Treasure Island–flanked, as usual, by his harem and seal pups of all ages. Easy living for his pinniped pod. Until, that is, the tides rolled in. 

The waves churned and slammed against the rocks, scooping pinnipeds from their resting place and tossing them into the sea. Whoosh, the surf grass vanished. Saltwater swirled and frothed, and then submerged the tidal pools. Large portions of the island disappeared underwater.

But good ol’ Freckles, he remained as nonplussed as ever. Instinct, no doubt, enjoined by learned wisdom.

In a series of calm, deliberate moves, he nudged his offspring to higher ground. “Tuck your fins,” he seemed to say, “Lift your chin and move that tail! We’ll ride out this storm together, and when the waters recede again, we can rest.” 

 #BeLikeFreckles

Posted in: #BeLikeFreckles, #FrecklesFriday, #Resist, Freckles, Freckles Jr., Harbor Seals, Ocean waves, seals, storm, waves Tagged: #BeLikeFreckles, freckles, harbor seal pup, harbor seals, waves

Breathing life into a new story

October 3, 2019 by Melodye Shore

If you’re staring out to sea, you might miss the harbor seals hauling out on the island. They blend in, until your eyes adjust. They’re wary, until and unless you approach their habitat with a quiet reverence. Then, and only then, you’ll notice the harbor seal pup, propelling its bulky form across the rocks at mid-tide.

It rests for a while on a silky patch of surf grass–a nap mat that expands and contracts with the tides.

Mammal and mammal, you breathe together the salty mist, watching and learning from each other. In that moment–or maybe later, when you’ve had time to reflect–you realize just how sacred and special these encounters really are. And that’s when your stories begin to take shape. 

All that to say: I’m turning the page on the book I’d originally planned to write about Freckles. I’m not yet sure how this new chapter might unfold, but I’m ready to go exploring…

Posted in: Freckles, Harbor Seal pups, Harbor Seals, Seal pup, seals, writing Tagged: Freckles and Friends, harbor seal, Ringo, seal, storytelling, writing

#WordlessWednesday: Riding out the storm

September 12, 2018 by Melodye Shore

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Posted in: #WordlessWednesday, Freckles

#WordlessWednesday: Hey, how you doin’?

August 16, 2018 by Melodye Shore

Posted in: #BeLikeFreckles, #WordlessWednesday, Freckles, Goff Island, Harbor Seals, joy, seals, writing Tagged: #WordlessWednesday, freckles, Goff Island, joy

Thanksgiving 2017: Seal of Approval

November 23, 2017 by Melodye Shore

I created these seal-y images for you, dear readers, with gratitude for our wide-ranging conversations and deepening friendships. Feel free to download & share the memes on social media.

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Posted in: #ThankfulThursday, Freckles, gratitude, Harbor Seals, memes, Seal memes, Seal of Approval, Thanksgiving 2017, Thanksgiving memes, writing Tagged: gratitude, Memes, seal memes, Seal of Approval, Thanksgiving 2017, Thanksgiving memes, Thanksgiving seals

#FrecklesFriday: Father and son, this is how it’s done

October 28, 2017 by Melodye Shore

Freckles Jr. is learning the ways of the harbor seal, thanks to the leader of our pinniped pod, Freckles Sr.

He guides his son onto the rocks, navigating choppy waves and smooth.  Lift your tail, tuck your fins! he seems to say,  Let me show you how it’s done.

They stick close to one another,  perfecting their synchronized swimming routines…

…and simultaneous snoozing.

Bull and pup, together in nature’s classroom.

Watching from afar? Pure joy! But I have to confess: I got a bit misty-eyed when I saw through my camera lens this moment of unguarded intimacy.

The circle of life, spindle-shaped and freckled, was playing out before my very eyes.

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Posted in: #FrecklesFriday, Freckles, Freckles Jr., Harbor Seal pups, Harbor Seals, writing Tagged: #FrecklesFriday, father, freckles, harbor seals

#FrecklesFriday: Good luck vibes for Friday the 13th

October 13, 2017 by Melodye Shore

A flock of crows circled overhead this morning –a sinister gathering of dark-winged forces that broke my backyard reverie.

“Nevermore,” they rasped.

“Nevermore,” the canyon echoed.

“No more,” I whispered, and hurried inside.

Friday the 13th. It’s a fretful date for many, steeped in a brew pot of superstitions and ominous warnings.

But not Freckles. I mean, c’mon! Sunny skies overhead and a bellyful of herring…who wouldn’t be reveling in their good fortune?

Life isn’t perfect, of course. Tsunamis hit and storm clouds threaten. But if anyone can teach us how to turn an inauspicious day toward the good, it’s Freckles. He just goes with the flow, our pinniped pal, and so can we.

 

#FrecklesFriday is a relatively new blog feature, here at Joyful Noise. Let me know what you think!  (If you want to see the first few entries, click here.)

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Posted in: Freckles, Friday the 13th, good luck, murder of crows Tagged: #FrecklesFriday, freckles, Friday the 13th, harbor seals, Murder of Crows, Nevermore

Wordless Wednesday: Siesta by the Sea

September 21, 2017 by Melodye Shore

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Posted in: Freckles, Laguna Beach, marine mammals, marine wildlife, pinnipeds, Treasure Island, Wordless Wednesday Tagged: freckles, harbor seal, laguna beach, Marine Mammal, Pinniped, Treasure Island

#FrecklesFriday (With thanks to Mary Oliver)

September 15, 2017 by Melodye Shore

The sea can do craziness,

it can do smooth,

it can lie down like silk breathing 

or toss havoc shoreward;

it can give gifts or withhold all;

it can rise, ebb,

froth like an incoming frenzy of fountains,

or it can sweet-talk entirely.

As I can too, and so, no doubt, can you, and you.  

–Mary Oliver, A Thousand Mornings (featuring Freckles the Harbor Seal)

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Posted in: #FrecklesFriday, A Thousand Mornings, Freckles, Harbor Seals, Mary Oliver, pinnipeds, Poetry, seals Tagged: #FrecklesFriday, A Thousand Mornings, freckles, harbor seal, mary oliver, poetry

Thankful Thursday: Blueberry Scones and Serendipitous Encounters

June 29, 2017 by Melodye Shore

Flowers perfumed my neighborhood market, splashes of sunshine on a summer morning.

Tempting…

…but after a long walk on the beach, I had a single purchase in mind.

“One blueberry scone, please,” I said to the woman behind the bakery counter.

She chose the pastry with the plumpest berries, swaddled it with parchment paper before sliding it into a paper bag. Brown eyes twinkling, she presented it to me like a gift.

“Thank you,” I said. Just then, I caught my reflection in the bakery case. My eyes were bright and my cheeks were rosy, but my clothes were rumpled and wet. Hair clung to my scalp in limp curls, tousled by salty breezes and dampened by fog.

“Beach hair,” I said with a shrug.

“Ah, sí!” she said, “I get that, too.”

“Do you go down there on your breaks?”

“No time,” she said, “but my family goes down to Puerto Vallarta in July…”

“Oh! That’s really soon! You must be excited!”

She turned away, wiping invisible crumbs from the counter and blinking hard. “Not this year,” she eventually said. “No money.”

There weren’t any other customers around, and –here’s the real gift–she felt safe in telling me the whole story. Mexico is her birthplace. Her father lives there, still. Her siblings have scattered to the winds, but the family reconvenes in her hometown every year. In beautiful Puerto Vallarta, they shrug off their worries and embrace their cultural traditions. Mañana will take care of itself; for one week every year, they’re able to live together in the moment. 

“But not this year,” she said with a sigh. But then she brightened. “We have great memories though! My daughter is really little, but she remembers…”

I wanted to give her daughter the memories of a life time, but that’s not within my power. “Oh hey, I know!” I scrolled quickly through my cell phone, showed her some recent pictures of Freckles.

She admired his tender brown eyes and giggled at his goofy poses. “¿Dónde?” she asked.

“Not more than five minutes from here!” I said. And then I let her in on my secret. I told her a little bit about Freckles, showed her how to coordinate the tide tables with his haul-out times, and pinpointed his lounging spots on a map.

“Oh, my daughter will love him!”

I nodded. “You, too. We all do.”

She eventually rang up my order, and when she counted back my change, we mirrored each other’s smiles. As new friends do.

****

I slid the scone onto a pretty blue plate–a “happy” for my husband. He smiled, but his forehead was wrinkled with worry. “You’ve got dark smudges under your eyes,” he said. “Go look in the mirror.”

Mascara was sliding down my face, swirled together with saltwater tears. I laughed at my reflection, and I swear, my heart grew three sizes.

Here, another serendipitous encounter–seemingly random, but maybe not.  I don’t claim to understand it, but I am grateful for yet another gift from the sea.

 

Posted in: flowers, Freckles, Gifts from the sea, gratitude, Laguna Beach, Sunflowers, Thankful Thursday, writing Tagged: Bakery, Blueberry scones, ocean, sea water, serendipity, Sunflowers, thankful thursday
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