A Little Ways From Home Is Bliss

I like being outside. 

I like looking at the world as it moves and breathes. 

Little movements seen from the corner of my eye catch my attention and set my mind whirling with curiosity. 

As I have gotten older I have learned the art of just being still and letting the world move around me. I find solace and peace in the smaller, easier movements of life outside of town. 

Sometimes I get a break just by going to a good size park or to the beach but sometimes I need a little more of an escape. 
I love to visit beaches in the Oxnard and Ventura area because they are so much less visited than other beaches in the Southern California area, and it is a perfect distance from home because a round trip is less than a tank of gas for my awesome VW Jetta stationwagon  Grocery Getter.

Warm Sunset at McGrath State Beach

Twilight at McGrath State Beach

Not too long ago

I made an afternoon landing into McGrath State Beach , met a friend and settled in for a quiet fire. It was off season so we had the place to ourselves. It was so mild out that we ended up sleeping out in the open rather than in our cars. 

Camp fire

This year McGrath stayed flooded all season (an amazing estuary for all kinds of shorebirds and western migratory birds), so until the water goes down I won't be staying there. 
I am not too sad though, because this February I was led to a little intimate Ventura County campground  that will do just fine in the winter months. It is a 'no reservations' campground so in warmer months it is impossible to get a spot. 

My morning coffee panorama

We were so close to the sea that the waves sent gentle thumps through the ground as they fell on the rocks of the breakwater, and salt spray misted the air. The sun warmed us on this cold January (one of the coldest in CA history) morning, and even Maggy was content to warm her bones in the sun rather than usher off the local brave soul.

Maggy and a brave pigeon

One of the many things I love about being outside at the beach is how the air feels. Being so close to the salt water adds a 'hint of sea' to everything I touch, taste and smell and connects me to what I see on a primal, visceral level. 
It softens the edges of everything I see, and sounds are 'thicker' around the sea.  
My heartbeats and breathing synchronize to the rhythmic rustling of water that lies underneath the ambient sounds of what is going on around me. 
I have been around water for most of my life and there is no denying my connection to the sea.

Moody Dunes

 Just a few miles south of the county campground in Oxnard, the coast looks very different. I love stopping here to take pictures in the afternoon or early morning because the golden sunlight looks amazing on these dunes ..

Iceplant and blue glass

Driftwood

Travel south on Hwy 1 less than 10 minutes and the coast changes it texture and timbre yet again. 
Here, where the beaches are stone, the underlying cadence changes with an added dimension. 
This beach hums.
 I know of no other way to describe it. 
I always hear a constant low level rumbling of fist size rocks moving against one another in louder and quieter tones with the surge of the waves. I liken it to the tuneless mumbling of a person humming to themselves. I try to catch the tune but only get snatches of a beat that sounds like...
Truly...
 the song of the sea. 

Rock Beach

A Walk With Maggy

One of the best things of living in Orange County is how many miles of empty sidewalks, quiet roads and landscaped shady spots there are here. I live by the golden rule that "A Tired Dog is a Good Dog" so Maggy and I only get one lazy day a week. On the remaining 6 days we cover lots of ground, either at a walk or at a trot with the bicycle, and find some of the neatest places. 

On a cool,overcast Sunday morning in January I decided to put a backpack on Maggy and set out on foot:

We headed to a large area of our town that is non-residential. It has deserted wide roads, green space galore and not a soul in sight. I am certain that it is bustling during the week but because it was Sunday we had the whole area to ourselves. It reminded me so much of being out on the trail that I vowed to try it more often. We had a pair of ravens that kept us company, songbirds chiming in occasionally and the smell of green grass wafting up from under our feet to enjoy as we walked.

Maggy enjoyed sniffing and meandering in all of the nooks and corners:

 And sprinting to catch up after she explored an extra tasty scent:

My plan was to walk to the commuter train station, grab a snack and then head back the way we had come. 

But... the siren song of my Wandering Star led us on: 

Maggy was happy to stay at my side as we headed out of the train station after our snack and onto a busy road that rumbled with rushing cars and trucks:

We were walking into the crisp January wind with a moody sky above and it felt like we could have kept on forever.  Most of the way along this road there were no houses, just empty fields to our left and the tracks to our right so we had a view and no concerns of pedestrians or dogs barking fire and brimstone at us through fences. 

For those of you who have never had the joy sharing a long walk with a dog whom is at peace I can only use words to try and explain. 

There is a partnership in the motion of going "there" that is synergistic and balanced. Maggy would pace out ahead an invisible distance, then slow and stop to wait for me to catch up. She would look over her shoulder and check in often, just to make eye contact, to see me. All that mattered was us, the walk and the the connection. Those of you that know what this is like,  know that the thrall was deep that day.
Eventually we ended up back among the cacophony of busy suburban life. Stoplights, baby strollers and plastic bags peppered our path; strip malls and gas stations threw obstacles at us in the shape of cars and smells. Yes there were even invisible dogs behind fences that wanted to see Maggy's head on a stake but neither of us were worried. We walked home in bliss because it was where we were supposed to be, side by side. 

Things My Dog Taught Me: Part I (Reflections of a Rescuer)

Earlier this year I stumbled across a list that I treasure. Like so many lists on the internet I have no idea where it originated nor even whether it has a single author. Like so many lists that exist in the virtual world it has taken on a life of its own. 

Without any more ado here are the first 25:

• Leadership is about being someone worth following.
• Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.
• Dogs have deadly weapons in their mouths. Most will go their entire lives without using them. Don’t take this for granted.
• You have a lot of power over your dog. With great power…
• Picking up after your dog in public is sexy.
• Stand up for your dog.
• It’s OK to tell people to leave your dog alone.
• Don’t let anyone bully your dog, not even a professional trainer.
• Stay humble.

  

  Tank Girl and Shenan on top of Mt. Charleston, outside Las Vegas Nevada.

• It’s good to have a dog who asks, “why should I?”
• There is no way to know for sure why a dog does something. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
• Any dog can bite.
• Head halters may not cause pain, but that death glare your dog shoots you when you make him wear one is not in your imagination.
• Aggression is usually fear-based.
• Don’t take anything personally.
• Judging a shelter dog by the way she acts in her kennel is like judging a person based on their Facebook page: you never get the whole picture and what you do see is often misleading.
• Newly-adopted dogs may need time to grieve for their previous families.
• Bonding with a new dog takes work; relationships are something you earn, not something you’re entitled to.

  

  Tank Girl and Shenan at ease on the trail; Bristlecone Forest CA.

  
  

• As the owners of “broken” rescued dogs, our job is to help them move on.
• Hand-feeding solves a lot of problems.
• Distractions make great training rewards.
• Show me a dog surrendered to a shelter for destructive behavior and I’ll show you a really smart dog.
• Boredom is the leading cause of behavior problems.
• Smart dogs do not make good house pets.
• Stockholm Syndrome looks a lot like unconditional love.