On the 18 mile drive we came across these cairns – someone had a great sense of humor – and we decided to join in their fun. Truly we had to stop to see what they had done. Sometimes we create fun and have no idea how others might experience it later on. I think […]
Carmel: Dr. Stuart Brown, part 3
One of the fun discoveries about Stuart Brown is he isn’t just a brainiac espousing theories and hypothesis about play; he embodies his own theories and loves to play. We discovered upon meeting with him that he has an amazing tree house!! Four flights up to a location way up in the trees of Carmel Valley […]
Carmel: Dr. Stuart Brown, continued
Stuart listened as each of us shared our thoughts and hopes of this time and the whole summer. He shared the biological evidence, after extensive experimental work on rats, that play is indeed not something we learn or are conditioned, but truly a part of our DNA. It is woven in our very genetic fiber. At […]
Carmel: Dr. Stuart Brown
We met with Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute of Play and author of Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, which was an amazing time for us all. What an amazing man, in touch fully with both masculine and feminine sides, authentic, genuine, funny, brilliant, a story teller, Stanford […]
Article: Mountain Connection, July 2011
Published in the July 2011 issue of the Mountain Connection Magazine COTH Dances With Wolves By Amy Fisher For those of us fortunate enough to live in our beautiful mountain communities, getting up close and personal with wildlife typically occurs every day—perhaps an elk jam on the way to work or witnessing a mother […]
COTH Guest in the Pulpit, Joelle Brummett Beller
COTH looks forward to welcoming Reverend Joelle Brummett Beller, Fuller Teaching Professor, who will be preaching July 3rd and 10th. Pastor Joelle’s theme will be “Godly Play” which corresponds to Pastor Dee Cooper’s Sabbatical theme. Following is a brief bio for Pastor Brummett Beller: Joelle Brummett Beller is a Fuller Theological Seminary graduate and a PC(USA) minister. She has […]
Carmel: Curiosity
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: 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 […]