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A Joyful Noise

Laguna Beach

The Badlands

July 8, 2020 by Melodye Shore

Over the holiday weekend, we explored Badlands Park–an easy hike that follows the coastline above Laguna.

Hard to image that these sandstone bluffs were, at one time, a stretch of sandy beach.

Why do they call this the Badlands? I traced the origins of that term to the Lakota people, who called the weather-exposed, rugged terrain of the Black Hills “mako sica,” or “land bad.” French-Canadian fur trappers also called it “les mauvais terres pour traverse,” or “bad lands to travel through.” 

Hardscrabble trails…prickly cactus…venomous snakes and who-knows-what-else, hiding in the underbrush…no shelter from the elements or fresh water to be found. This is unknown territory, pockmarked with uncertainty and trepidation.

But also, excitement. Because once you get your bearings, you can follow the trailhead to the ocean.

We wore face masks on our hike, to protect ourselves and others from the ever-present risks associated with COVID-19. We tried to keep at least 6 feet between us and other travelers, even when they got sidetracked by their cell phones and veered into our path. Everyone’s going through a rough patch right now, so while we remained vigilant, we made allowances.

That’s the nature of our journey, in this global pandemic. We’re traversing unfamiliar ground with untold risks, exposed constantly to unseen dangers. It’s a perilous trek, one that challenges our strengths and exploits our weaknesses. The Badlands, if you will.

But while most of us are more cautious, now, we remain curious. No way will we allow COVID-19 to steal from us the joy of discovery!

What magic does this place hold at different times of the day, for instance? We saw the angled shadows of late afternoon, but I also want to see the golden glow of sunrise from those bluffs, and a fiery sunset over the water. Badlands or no, there’s always another “just around the bend,” always new vistas to explore.

Posted in: Badlands Park, beach, chaparrel, COVID-19, hiking, Laguna Beach, metaphor, pandemic, Quarantine, writing Tagged: badlands, Badlands Park, beach, beach overlook, bird, bluffs, chaparrel, hiking, pandemic, quarantine, vistas

Happy New Year 2020

January 1, 2020 by Melodye Shore

We meditated by the water’s edge, saying goodbye to 2019 and inviting goodness and light into the New Year.

We wrote our intentions in the sand with driftwood and allowed the incoming waves to wash them out to sea. 

Three close friends, basking in the sunshine and enjoying each other’s company.

Two small girls walked past, holding their young mother’s hands. They glanced back at us, watching our every move.

The littlest one caught my gaze. I smiled and then added a rose from my garden to the words I’d etched in the sand.

She grinned, grabbed a stick of her own, and lifted it overhead. An unspoken gesture of solidarity among kindreds.

When we left the beach a while later, she was writing her own story into the sand.

Singular events, brimming with joy and sprinkled with magic. This is what we live for. And if we’re lucky enough, we have friends and loved ones with whom to share them.

Happy New Year, everybody! Wishing you every goodness in the now, and every good thing on the horizon.

Posted in: 2020, beach, Christmas Memories, Laguna Beach, memories, New Year's Eve, Rituals and Routines, writing Tagged: 2020, beach, friends, girl, laguna beach, magic wand, magical moments, new year's, new year's eve, sand

Lessons from a Painted Lady

March 5, 2019 by Melodye Shore

I spied this Painted Lady on my walk last week, hovering above the sea lavender at Laguna Beach.

I slowed my pace, lifted my camera.

She  flitted from flower to flower, dipping her proboscis into the purple blossoms, sipping nectar.

I could’ve circled back later, once my exercise routine was over. But ohhhh, those gossamer threads along her wings and back…!

She seemed totally unaware of my presence. I, however, was wholly engrossed in the slant of her antennae, her perfectly balanced wings and feet. Part physics, pure magic.

When she eventually flitted away, I stashed my camera and resumed my walk.

Mind you: I had a parking meter to feed, errands to run, writing projects in the queue, and…well. Unscheduled activities have their tradeoffs. And still: You can’t perform a cost-benefit analysis in moments like this one! Because even when we fall out of our target heart rate zones, even when our to-do lists are longer than the hours in a day, some things invite (and deserve) our full attention.

Posted in: Butterflies, Laguna Beach, Mindful, mindfulness, Nature, nectar, Painted Lady, Sea Lavender, writing Tagged: butterfly, laguna beach, mindfulness, Painted Lady, sea lavender

The waning year and a magic wand

December 21, 2018 by Melodye Shore

It was an impromptu game, inspired by a piece of driftwood that was tossed on the beach by the rising tides. Using the ragged edge of the stick, I etched four numbers into the sand, as close to the water’s edge as possible. My goal? To capture images of the vanishing year before the churn washed it away.

Again and again, I played tag with the waves. running backward with my camera aimed low, until my clothes were soaked and my storage card was nearly full.

Ho Ho Ho! It wasn’t until much later, when I finally downloaded the images, that I realized I’d been etching the wrong year into the sand all along!

In recounting this story later, I wonder if this tourist might have something to say about us “crazy locals.”

But this is my story, and in this retelling, the main characters are the wonderfully creative kids from Arizona that I’d met a bit earlier in the day. When last I saw this pair, they were packing wet sand around the edges of a deep hole they’d dug—a fortress against the incoming tides.

When I headed back to my car, they flagged me down. The little girl sat back on her heels so I could admire their handiwork. They’d created for themselves a Sisyphean task, of course, but that wasn’t for me to judge.

I lavished praise on their creative efforts. “Would you like this stick?” I asked. “You never know…it might come in handy.”

By then, the little boy had returned to the job at hand: scooping and packing sand, and repositioning his body when the waves inched close enough to threaten his wall. “Nah, I’m good.”

The little girl hesitated.

I stretched the stick across my open palms—a magic wand now, drenched in seawater and sprinkled with glittery sand.  “How about you?” I asked. “You could write your wishes in the sand and then watch the waves carry them away.”

Her face brightened, lit from within by the dreams she envisioned in her mind’s eye. “Ah,” she said, “I wondered what you were doing.” She scrambled to her feet, brushed the sand off her knees, and reached for the driftwood.

Her eyes sparkled. My heart glowed.

As I headed back to my car, she strode confidently to the ocean’s edge, like a newly crowned monarch with a scepter.

I scrambled over the sand berms, and when I eventually reached the boardwalk, I glanced back at my new friends one last time. The little boy was still hard at work, frenetically digging and forever rebuilding. No time for rest or reflection. He was too busy fortifying his crumbling structure against the inevitable.

But the little girl…ahhh. She was wriggling her toes in the wet sand–a princess in her own realm, wholly immersed in the moment. Time and again, she etched her name into the sand. Time and again, she whispered her wishes into the salty air, and then invited the breezes to carry them out to sea.

Posted in: Holiday, Laguna Beach, magic, magic wand, writing Tagged: 2017, 2018, fortress, magic wand, new year, wall

Part of the human family

August 4, 2018 by Melodye Shore

She’s a complete stranger, but I saw in her a kindred spirit–wholly absorbed in the moment, bathing in seawater and sunshine.

Posted in: beach, girl, Human family, Laguna Beach, Maya Angelou, sunshine, Treasure Island, writing Tagged: beach, human family, joy, laguna beach, maya angelou, ocean waves, sunshine, waves

Sweet dreams are made of this

June 29, 2018 by Melodye Shore

Posted in: Goff Island, Laguna Beach, sweet dreams are made of this, tide pool, tide pools, tides, writing Tagged: beach, Goff Island, meditation, ocean, ocean waves, sweet dreams are made of this, tide pool, waves

#WordlessWednesday: A Pollinator’s Paradise

June 6, 2018 by Melodye Shore

pink puffball tree, Pink Melaleuca

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Posted in: #WordlessWednesday, Honey Myrtle, honeybees, Laguna Beach, Pink Melaleuca Tagged: bee, california, Honey Myrtle, honeybee, laguna beach, Melaleuca Nemophila, orange county, pink, Pink Melaleuca, pink puff, pollinator, puff ball tree

The Weary World Rejoices

December 25, 2017 by Melodye Shore

Joy to the world, from sunny SoCal!

Today’s blog entry was inspired by my friend Donna Hopkins, who lives in rural Virginia. I hope you’ll share holiday images of your hometown, as well.

Posted in: Balance walking, Christmas, Christmas lights, Christmas Memories, Christmas ornament, gift, Laguna Beach, rejoice, victoria beach, writing Tagged: Balance beam, christmas ornament, couple, gift, laguna beach, rejoice, victoria beach

#ThankfulThursday: Finding wonders

October 19, 2017 by Melodye Shore

Human beings must always be on the watch for the coming of wonders. –E.B. White

Turban Snail shell in Goff Island Cove, Laguna Beach.

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Posted in: #ThankfulThursday, E.B. White, Goff Island, goff Island cove, Laguna Beach, Quotes, Seashells, Thankful Thursday, Turban Snail shell, writing Tagged: #ThankfulThursday, E. B. White, Finding wonders, goff island cove, laguna beach, quotes, seashells, thankful thursday, Turban Snail shell

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
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