I've never lived far from the ocean.  I remember my dad occasionally taking my sister and me to the beach when he had a free afternoon.  We'd play tag with the waves, look for interesting shells or sea life, then brush off the sand and go home.  My initial practice, when we first moved to within convenient distance of this spot (about five miles south of Point Mugu Naval Air Station) was essentially the same--a few random trips that followed the same perfunctory pattern.  I had no idea what I was missing.

One day several years ago, when I'd become involved in writing a rather long story, my protagonist had an overwhelming desire to go to the beach.  He'd been suffering from a fever for several days and I think it was the idea of the cool air and the waves that appealed to him.  I got in my car and went to the beach, trying to experience the place through his eyes.  It was the beginning of opening my own.

Listening to my characters became more and more a part of my beach experience.  The more time I spent there, the more my own beach experiences became woven into the story I was telling, and the more, in turn, the characters thought back to this background of theirs... which sent me back to the beach in search of my characters, who always seem to speak clearly to me there.  The more time I've spent there, whether walking or just sitting and observing, the more I've learned about the ocean.  Any place is ready to teach you about itself if you give it a chance. 

Of course, I always take my camera along on these trips, so on the following pages you'll find a collection of pictures that I hope will enable you to share in this journey and sense of place.  Enjoy the virtual tour.

                                                                                              

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