My Week in California, Episode 2: Monterey

After leaving the hustle bustle of San Francisco, we buzzed down Highway 1 to Monterey. Our destination? The Monterey Bay Aquarium, a place we've all been eager to visit. Even though we saw many beautiful things on our trip, I think this portion was the one that will affect my work most. I was just stunned by these otherworldly creatures.


Just meditating on the structure and movements of living forms like these sea anemones seemed to crack open a whole new vista for creative exploration at my worktable.


And the jellies! Ah, the jellies. What a mesmerizing bunch of animals. Don't these moon jellies remind you of a Dale Chihuly sculpture like this one?


Sea Form by Dale Chihuly


These sea nettles seem so peaceful, but so deadly, too. This tank was huge--a watery wall of slow movement. It was strikingly beautiful.


I was amazed by this crystal sea jelly. Its main form of defense is transparency. The fact that it's clear in the water and can't be seen means it won't as easily be eaten. And doesn't it look like a delicate chandelier? It was about this time that I started getting overwhelmed by the beauty of this place...


And look at this squid egg case! What an elegant way to lay eggs. Squids are artists, too, I thought...oh, boy, the emotions were really building up...


When we turned into the seahorse exhibit, it was all over for me. I saw this grouping of leafy sea dragons and had the most profound experience. I was blown away by the fact that there are such beautiful creatures roaming the ocean depths, sharing our planet with us. Animals we never see or hear about in our day-to-day lives, especially out here on the tundra. I began to well up right there and then.

I stopped to think if my emotions were the result of menopause, too much frantic holidays/vacationing/togetherness, a break-down from my working so hard lately, or if they really were just from the sheer beauty I was experiencing. All of those things were probably at play, but I decided to go with the beauty option...

So I mentioned to Dylan that I'd been struck with God's beauty and it brought tears to my eyes. Oh, geez. Huge mistake. He looked at me like I was nuts. Of course it went like wildfire through the family and it was all over. For the remainder of the trip I got seahorse-crying jokes constantly. "Mom, I think I'll order the seahorse sandwich...do you want one?" etc. Oh, well...happy to be the source of entertainment, but I guess that's the last time I spill my soul to those goofballs!

Next stop...a trip down the coast to hang out with my buddy Li'l Jo in Los Angeles.