Inspired place

I am on my way to San Francisco for a little inspiration and R&R. I figured since that is where I left my heart, I might be able to find it there again.

{photo credit: snippet&ink}

For Lily

I live in Dana Point, California. We had a gray whale in our harbor this week. We went down to catch a glimpse and were surprised to find news crews, sheriffs, helicopters and excited masses of people. We walked out on the crowded jetty and saw her - a real, live, whale, up close. It was completely awe inspiring to be able to see such a majestic creature just feet away. Locals named her Lily and while we were on that jetty we got the whole story.

At first, it was speculated that she was an old whale and had come to the harbor to beach herself. But as it turns out, Lily was actually quite young and a damsel in distress. Gray whales migrate from Baja to Alaska each year. Lily was caught in a fishing net and the weight of 150 pounds of fishing net tangled in her tail and fins was making it too difficult for her to continue her migration. Whales are social creatures, and she must have been in a pod that left her behind. The folks at Sea World came to her rescue and she remained docile and still as can be, for four hours while they cut the fishing net off her. We, humans, put her into peril, yet she still trusted us enough to let us come inches away - even with the roar of the helicopters and the slew of boats surrounding her.

And once they cut her free we all rejoiced for our self-appointed hometown hero. She picked our harbor as her haven and so many of us were honored to be a part of her story. Lily died today. I am not sure how, because I'm too heartbroken to hear anything about the gentle soul whose story was sure to be a happy ending . She touched the hearts of so many - none of us the same - yet all of us bound together, inspired by her courage. We, the human race, have to do better for our wildlife. A whale shouldn't suffer because we were careless with a fishing net, and an entire eco-system shouldn't die from an oil spill. The Earth's creatures should all be treated with honor, compassion and responsibility. And I'm proud to say I saw people from all walks of life do just that by rallying around a whale named Lily.

If you want to support whale conservation, please send this message to president Obama urging him to stop plans to legalize commercial whaling. Do it for Lily.

Inspired art: Holga Dreams

My S.O. and I have been enamored with the surreal, dreamy imperfection of Holga photography and finally bought a Holga 135BC camera. We have gone on FOUR "photo shoots" and have not produced a single photo yet. After the first three rolls of film were totally botched, we watched a bunch of Youtube instructional videos before our next excursion. We finally felt prepared, so we went to the mission in San Juan Capistrano and took some very magical pictures of sun-dappled gardens, fountains and crumbling architecture. And the film was yet again blank. We are in search of lessons, since it is overtly obvious we are hopeless Holga photographers. The work of these Etsy holga masters is what we aspire to;

Where I found you by Holga Jen

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Spring skies by Beaded Wire

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Route 66 by Futurowoman Photography

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Brighton Pier by Bomobob

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Venezia by Eve Simone Photography

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Healthy lifestyle: Cinnamon

I am a firm believer that when you have a persistent craving for something, it's your body telling you that there is missing nutrient or imbalance in the body. I have been craving cinnamon like crazy these days. I've been gorging on cinnamon toast and Chai tea, and now I'm even been brewing my coffee grinds with cinnamon.

I decided to research the benefits of cinnamon to see what my body is lacking, and was astounded by how many health benefits are in this powerful little spice.

- Cinnamon has anti-flammatory properties that can counteract the effect of eating fried, fatty and processed foods

- Cinnamon has antifungal and antibacterial properties,

- Cinnamon helps those with Type 2 diabetes control blood sugar levels

- Cinnamon lowers cholesterol

- Cinnamon is a source of manganese, dietary fiber, iron and calcium

I guess my body is trying to tell me to eat better... a little less fatty and processed foods. More about that another time... for now, I'm going to go have me some cinnamon!

Eco-lifestyle: green events

I attended a friend's baby shower this weekend honoring the upcoming arrival of a baby girl. It was a cheery, pink and chocolate affair where guests were served with disposable pink paper plates and plastic cups. Once lunch was finished, and guests started tossing their table settings, I put out a separate can for recycling beside the trash. Nobody seemed to catch the difference, so I set up camp taking plates and cups to put in the recycling bin. However, my efforts were thwarted by one of the grandma-to-bes who said "I shouldn't worry about it" and took my little recycling attempt and threw it in the garbage. I was completed deflated. It seemed like such a pointless waste of natural resources (virgin trees which take 25 years to grow) for a party that lasted just a few hours.

Which got me to thinking how for many people recycling is now accepted as a part of daily life, yet large events, which produce enormous amounts of landfill waste, still get overlooked. I have discovered some sustainable solutions for those occasions where disposable products are absolutely necessary (and let's face it - sometimes they are).

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These biodegradable (and compostable) plates from The Green Office are made from sugar cane fiber, the waste that is usually tossed after the sugar is extracted. And for only $7.50 for 125 plates it is an incredible steal!

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Or these 100% recycled plastic plates

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Or these clear "plastic" cups that are actually made from compostable corn. I never realized clear plastic was made from coal and do not biodegrade.