Tag Archives: ocean

May Tonic (Cursing-in-Private Edition)

Posted on May 4, 2013 by

Trying to use a voucher for 3 free rides to Catalina Island and being told there’s no room on the boat by a severely rude someone you find it extremely difficult to dredge any compassion for simply because of their tone—noticing the pink … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, books, Fiction, Me and Us, ocean related, Poetry, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Clues

Posted on March 3, 2013 by

So it’s time to leave the Little House and tear him away from several days of precious Pottery Barn living and Angry Birds on the Kindle at odd hours and foods we don’t normally eat at home, like grated-cheese-and-nitrate-free-bacon-quesadillas-for-breakfast-with-1-maraschino-cherry-on-top, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, dog, Fiction, Me and Us, ocean related, Poetry, Santa Barbara, Writer's Angst, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Flu 2

Posted on February 28, 2013 by

When I’m sick like this (somewhere near the darker side of the middle line between healthy and barely-not-dead), my limbs melted into the mattress, not asleep, though not alert, vaguely hearing my son and husband pretend-Kung-Fu in the living room, my brain distresses … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry, Writer's Angst, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

February Mini-Break

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

This visit, Dana Point-by-the-tru-la-la-ocean was hotter than Reseda by 1, February-heatwaving degree. 79 vs. 78. So of course we escorted my father into the minivan and drove to The Pilgrim and admired its masts and restoration for the gazzilionth time … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Me and Us, ocean related, Poetry, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Beach Break

Posted on January 14, 2013 by

This was last weekend, all Winter beachness, crisp, clear light, air cold enough for us to wear sweaters we haven’t seen in over a year, sweaters with jeans and sweats and bare feet as we ran on glassy beach, Anacapa, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Me and Us, Poetry, Santa Barbara, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

2013: Resolute

Posted on January 1, 2013 by

1. Stand taller. 2. Be wiser. 3. Mother better. 4. Honor date nights. 4a. find a babysitter after 5 years of not        4b. either more or less caffeine @8pm any Friday night—search for successful eye-propping balance! Ha ha! Fun! 5. … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, ocean related, Poetry, Writer's Angst, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What Beauty Gets You

Posted on August 28, 2012 by

I returned from Big Sur with a line in my head that needed to be inserted into a poem I’m working on. I am lucky the line didn’t leave me, creative synapses firing long and repeatedly enough for me to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, ocean related, Poetry, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tribute To Mike deGruy

Posted on August 22, 2012 by

Mike DeGruy loved the ocean. He wrote about it, filmed it, lectured on it (all over the world, to all ages), explored it. He died last February in a helicopter crash, in the midst of doing research for a film … Continue reading →

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Status: Guest Blogger

Posted on August 20, 2012 by

Today I am the guest blogger over at M For Mommy. M asked me to write about relaxing and having to write that post made me think: do I relax? Ever? An interesting question to ponder, if not slightly challenging. … Continue reading →

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Snow White Revisited (Part I)

Posted on August 13, 2012 by

And just like that, 2 hours of sitting in traffic was replaced by the type of couch that swallows you in a smooth, nerves-loosening manner, windows looking out on lush greenery, walls hung tastefully in my sister’s collection of California plein air, … Continue reading →

Posted in Faction, Fiction, Poetry, poetry reading, Santa Barbara, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Quote For The Weekend (Yet Another “Revision” Edition)

Posted on July 29, 2012 by

I work hard, I work very hard. All the books at leat 30 revisions. —Ha Jin In working on a poem, I love to revise. Lots of younger poets don’t enjoy this, but in the process of revision I discover … Continue reading →

Posted in ocean related, Poetry, Santa Barbara, Writer quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Deadwhat?

Posted on July 16, 2012 by

Deadlines, deadlines, self-imposed deadlines. Sometimes, while the boy attends summer camp,  I sit in a small boat in the silly above ground swimming pool and deadline-away. Floating, bumping into pool sides and ladder and capsized toy boats titillates the creative side of … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Club, books, Children's Books, Fiction, ocean related, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quote(s) For The Weekend (Beach Edition)

Posted on July 8, 2012 by

The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea. –Isak Dinesen We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, ocean related, Quotes, Writer quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Quote For The Weekend (Super Late Richard Henry Dana, Jr. Edition)

Posted on May 28, 2012 by

“The Californians are an idle, thriftless people, and can make nothing for themselves. The country abounds in grapes, yet they buy, at a great price, bad wine made in Boston…”  ―Richard Henry Dana, Jr. Well, Sir—we’ve come a long way. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Quotes, Writer quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Oak Drug

Posted on May 7, 2012 by

Oak trees are my valium. Last Saturday I listened to friends chatting and a creek dance over boulders as I gazed up into a canopy of arms at all angles and a puzzle of jagged green leaves on blue sky and—zzzzzz. Whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Fiction, ocean related, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Not A Zombie

Posted on April 11, 2012 by

1. Recently I slouched on a bale of hay, waiting for my son to appear at the bottom of a tube slide attached to a combine machine turned playset. A boy of about 10 popped out of the slide first, … Continue reading →

Posted in dog, Fiction, Pets, Writer's Angst, Writing, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Switched Hats

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

All week I’ve taken a break from my children’s novels in order to scour my grownup novel—a few chapters a night. I have revised as I’ve read (of course), refusing to backtrack until I make it to The End. Or—something mostly kind … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Children's Books, Fiction, ocean related, Poetry, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

3 Days Of Light

Posted on April 2, 2012 by

I’ve been visiting here since I was 4 years old and still this beach works magic on my psyche. At least, it feels like magic. I don’t wait to be struck by lightning and don’t need certain slants of light in … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, ocean related, Pets, Writer quotes, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Quote For The Weekend (Yet Another Late Edition)

Posted on March 11, 2012 by

I am repeat quoting. Visiting the museum this weekend, I was once again struck by Marcel Proust’s words high on  a wall overlooking the displays of dinosaur bones. I am constantly trying to quickly evolve new eyes as I revise my novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Quotes, Steps In Promotion, Writer quotes, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quote For The Weekend (Tide Pool Edition)

Posted on February 12, 2012 by

“If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.” —Rachel Carson … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Children's Books, fish, ocean related, Quotes, Santa Barbara, Writer quotes, Writing, Writing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

I Told You So

Posted on January 16, 2012 by

We hit town late afternoon-ish and I immediately honor the request for the museum and its entertaining dinosaur footprints indented in cement, pgymy mammoth bones, taxidermied (the fraying sort) mountain animals and vultures, buttons igniting barn owl shrieks and snake … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, ocean related, Poetry, Santa Barbara, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wet Beach

Posted on October 25, 2011 by

Pashmina fog. You can’t really write that, but–”smoky” is cliché, the cat feet brilliance is spoken for and I have a gray pashmina I never wear that is the hue and untouchable texture of  last Saturday morning’s fog. You cannot write … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, ocean related, Writer's Angst, Writing, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quote For The Weekend (Late Edition As was Ocean-Distracted–Luckily It’s Never Too Late For Quotes)

Posted on October 23, 2011 by

“One of my favourite places to read was my elder brother’s bedroom. It was a tiny room with a bed, a chest-of-drawers, bookcases full of books, and shelves where he kept his seashells, butterflies, pressed wild flowers and microscope, because … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, middle grade, Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Quote For The Weekend (Early Edition As Leaving, Again, Briefly, For Cooler Environs That Happen To Include Beach-Whooping, Intrepid Anemone Poking (parent-monitored), Kicked Sandcastles And The Kind Of Fresh Air That Knocks Out Preschoolers And Their Mothers In A Very, Very Good Way)

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

“To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept … Continue reading →

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Llama Laugh

Posted on September 5, 2011 by

His laugh: Vaguely hyena, part labrador-loose-in-the-surf, not mocking, but the tiniest bit cryptic, comically so. He made me want to write. Since it was too wonderfully cold for sitting outside by the fountain and attention-sucking candlelight, for two nights we kept company, this llama and … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Fiction, ocean related, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments