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A Joyful Noise

Harbor Seals

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: 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

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas Shooting

October 3, 2017 by Melodye Shore

I met this sweet little harbor seal pup a year ago today.

Maverick showed up on my social media feed again this morning–

a gentle reminder of the goodness that exists in the world, within and all around us.

And loving kindness, which reveals itself in every single moment of every day.

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Posted in: Harbor Seal pups, Harbor Seals, Las Vegas, Maverick Tagged: harbor seal pup, harbor seals, Las Vegas, Las Vegas shooting, Maverick

#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

Summer’s end: a meditation and celebration

September 4, 2017 by Melodye Shore

The tides are shifting, and there are subtle changes in the slant of light that shines through the sycamore trees at dawn. Summer’s waning, and here we are again, drifting slowly into autumn.

In Southern California, the changes are more subtle. And yet every season brings ashore its own treasures. This is just one of the secrets I learned by reading Ann Morrow Lindberg’s beautiful book, Gift from the Sea.  

I thumbed through my copy again last week…familiar passages, fresh insights. Like this one, which speaks to me of nature’s transitions, and to the more intimate changes in our own lives.

Perhaps this is the most important thing for me to take back from beach-living:

simply the memory that each cycle of the tide is valid;

each cycle of the wave is valid; 

each cycle of a relationship is valid.

And my shells? I can sweep them all into my pocket.

They are only there to remind me that the sea recedes and returns eternally.

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Posted in: Anne Murrow Lindbergh, autumn, Gifts from the sea, Harbor Seals, Labor Day Weekend, pelican, Seashells, seasons, tides, writing Tagged: Ann Morrow Lindbergh, autumn, gifts from the sea, harbor seals, labor day, pelicans, seashells, Tides, turban shells, waves

Thankful Thursday: Molting Season

June 8, 2017 by Melodye Shore

She raked her fingers along her scalp, stopped abruptly when hair came away in her hands.

We stared at our cell phone screens, eyebrows lifted. Close friends from opposite coasts, facing together a new truth.

“Well, that’s not good,” she said, “I was hoping to keep this hairstyle for at least a couple of weeks.”

I can’t say that I blame her. It’s a super-short, sassy ‘do, well-suited to someone for whom every day’s a physical struggle.

A recent photo, but her hair is clipped much shorter.

“Must be molting season.” I teased.

“Shutttttt uppppp!”

I flinched, just a little. Whenever I used that phrase as a child, hellfire rained hard upon my head. Even as an adult, it evokes the faintest hint of sulphur.  But my outspoken Irish Catholic friend isn’t one for censoring her thoughts. She exemplifies the lessons I’m (re)learning: that conformity is a destructive influence, and speaking your truth is a healing balm, with mostly positive side effects.

Our video chats are lighthearted. Aside from that sobering moment, this one was no different. We extolled the virtues of salt water taffy, and discussed the “catastrophic molt” that harbor seals undergo every spring. Her favorite pinniped was shedding his winter outerwear, and would soon be sporting a sleek new coat.

“Oh hey, you’re just like Freckles!” I said.

The phone went silent for a moment.  She wiped the falling strands from her face, swept the hair tufts from her pillow. “My spirit animal,” she eventually said.

“Yes,” I answered softly. “Your spirit animal.”

She was hooked up to an IV when Hillary Clinton called to wish her well. Imagine, if you will, talking to a presidential candidate while you’re undergoing chemo!  But she quickly turned the spotlight back to Hillary. “Let yourself be great!” she said to the former Secretary of State. A simple affirmation, served without any fanfare during a hard-fought campaign. That’s the unique brand of compassion my friend is known for.

Chemo, radiation, chemo, radiation–my friend has battled the ravaging effects of cancer for the better part of a year, now. She’s managed to stave off the inevitable hair loss, but given her increasingly aggressive treatments, it came as no surprise to either of us that molting season had finally arrived–for my friend and her pinniped pal, Freckles.

“No way am I going to wear a wig,” she said.

“Of course not.” She’s a bare-faced beauty, 100% natural.  Synthetic hair? Don’t be silly.

“I’ll still be me,” she said. “If someone doesn’t want to see my bald head, not a problem. They don’t have to look at me!”

“Yep,” I said. “But hey! You could decorate your scalp with temporary tattoos…”

Red Sox logos, we agreed, would be just the ticket.

That was the last I heard of her hair loss, until our phone chat on Wednesday morning. She mentioned, with no small measure of pride, that she was able to stomach real food at dinner time—roast beef, potatoes and cooked carrots.

She was dressed, same as always, in what I’d call casual chic: black pants and a turtleneck, and a FDNY hooded sweatshirt  that helped protect her from bracing winds and rain. Her hair was bristle-short but tidy. It was her first real outing in over a month, the first meal she’d kept down in weeks.

Comfort food. Fresh air and warm hugs, shared among long-time friends at a neighborhood diner. Everything she needed, to help stave off the worst side effects of chemo.  Small but important victories, cut short by losers.

Two delivery men hunched over their plates at the next table, shoveling food into their mouths as if they were afraid someone might steal their food. They wore uniforms that identified them as employees of a home improvement store. They were loud and coarse, with unkempt hair that fell below their shoulders.

One workman caught his partner’s eye, hitched his thumb in the direction of my friend. “What is that?” he asked.

Her cheeks blazed.

His partner shrugged. “Can’t tell if it’s a man or a woman,” he said.

They slapped their thighs with glee.

She met their smugness with a steady gaze, rose slowly from her chair, and sauntered over to their table.  With surgical precision–think Edward Scissorhands, shaping a topiary from an unruly hedgerow—she then stripped those bullies of their power.

“Are you really making fun of my hair?” she asked. “Well, let me tell something. It’s short because I have cancer. It’s patchy because of chemo. I’m enjoying my first real meal in a very long time. If that’s not okay with you, I suggest you leave, right now!”

The manager scurried over. She engaged both workers in a stare-down, maintaining her resolute posture as she gave him the Reader’s Digest Condensed Version of her story.

Didn’t matter that he was a friend; the facts spoke for themselves. “It’s best that you get out of here.” the manager told them.

They beat a hasty exit.

My intrepid friend? She tucked into her meal again, as if nothing had ever happened.

“I’m so proud of you,” I said, although I wasn’t the least bit surprised. It’s the type of behavior I’ve come to expect from my friend. But I’m still thinking about it today, with no small measure of awe and gratitude. When she rose to her feet, she lifted the rest of us onto her shoulders.  When she said her piece, she spoke for everyone who’ve suffered abuse in silence.  When she stood her ground, she built a solid footing for the rest of us.

Random recollections, maybe, but they paint a beautiful portrait of my friend. I’m featuring it on this page, where she can’t easily slough it off. She’s a good egg(head), and we’d do well to learn from her example.

Posted in: cancer, Catastrophic Molting, Donna, Election 2016, Freckles, gratitude, Harbor Seals, Hillary Clinton, Molting Season, Thankful Thursday, writing Tagged: bald, chemo, Donna, harbor seals, laguna beach, thankful thursday

Wordless Wednesday: Optimism and Persistence

May 17, 2017 by Melodye Shore

Posted in: Freckles, Harbor Seal pups, Harbor Seals, Laguna Beach, Ocean waves, perseverance, Persistence, pinnipeds, seals, she persisted, Wordless Wednesday Tagged: determination, harbor seals, persistence, seal pup, Treasure Island
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