A sea otter The distance between the marine mammals and where we were allowed to observe had one compromise; if the otter or seal wanted to check us out they could come as close as they wanted to. Patti and I were talking when just 4 feet in front of us appeared this face – in […]
Carmel: Boundaries
There are several protective rules for sea kayaking and the water mammals. For instance, there are very stiff fines if one gets too close to them or annoys them. The indicator of this is how the otter or seal reacts. The otter, typically floating on their backs, will sit up in the water with head looking […]
Carmel: Motherly Love
Otter love In the Otter world, older mothers are considered the best mothers. The younger mothers are still learning and have difficulty protecting and providing for their young. The older they are the higher the baby’s survival rate. If an Otter is over 11 years old, there is almost 100% survival rate of the young. What […]
Carmel: The Power of Kelp
As we would sit quietly watching the otters play and eat and groom, we were aware our boats would drift with the tide. Our guide, John, educated us to a natural braking mechanism: kelp. By holding onto the kelp we could hold our position to keep our eyes open to see each angle of the […]
Carmel: Team Work
We all decided to paddle in tandem with the kayaks which involved a lot of communication, a great deal of trust, a lot of laughter, and an ability to work as a team. We were successful in doing all of these…well for the most part!! It was a time of bonding for us all. And […]
Friday Features, June 24, 2011
As announced in Friday Features on June 24: Connecting with Dee during her Sabbatical As we move through Dee’s sabbatical time, some have asked if they can send words of encouragement and thanksgiving to Dee while she is away. As mentioned in a “Seconds for Sabbatical” announcement, there are three ways to communicate your […]
Carmel: Getting It Right
Patti and Dee ready for sea kayaking As we set off to sea kayak, they gave us brief instruction on kayaking, paddling, and keeping the boats upright. After spending a great deal of time on the water, we felt confident in our ability to not tip the boat over. As we approached the shore, we […]
COTH Guest in the Pulpit, Bill Calhoun
COTH welcomes our guest preacher, Rev. Bill Calhoun, to worship on June 26th. His topic “Sabbath and Sabbatical” will kick off our Summer of Exploring Creative Play and Spirituality as we explore topics directly related to Pastor Dee’s summer sabbatical. Following is a brief bio: Bill Calhoun is a retired minister member of the […]
Carmel: Otters – Seals – Sea lions
We were overwhelmed with seeing over 30 otters; our guide said it was otter heaven. They were quite amazing. They camouflaged themselves in the kelp so it’s easy to miss them unless they are eating or sleeping in a raft, with tails up in the air. The seals were also playing and swimming around us […]
Carmel: Location, Location, Location
I observe that the location we choose to play has a dramatic impact on our levels of creativity. If I choose to locate myself in a dark room with little color my creativity is somewhat stifled. If I choose to find a location that inspires, engages, and invites me to play, I do…. At the Monterey […]