Wednesday Morning Beach Report Post Women's March

Clouds copying the shape of Santa Cruz Island

Snowy Plovers hunkered down in any old depression in the sand that they find (in this case, footprints)  This is probably why they're endangered. A little more planning and forethought  would be better. 

The dredging operation in the harbor seems to be churning up food for the gulls and skuas.  They seem quite a bit larger and way more complacent than normal.

I'm resolving not to be complacent, choosing wisely where to direct my energy, and looking for good examples. I plan to keep my pussyhat visible.

Do you know about the  POSTCARDS? You don't have to print them in color. Black and white is way cheaper.

More Women's March on Washington Signs and Photos

Of all the signs, the one immediately below is the one I found the most moving.

 
The sign above covers  a lot.

 There was a photo I saw on instagram of a big golden retriever wearing a sign that read, "even I don't grab pussy."

How about those UAW workers?

 Look closely. See the polar bear in the background? He's fighting for his life.

We Marched! --The Women's March in Washington D.C.

The bus let me off a few blocks from the Capitol. I made my way to a church square and made plans to meet my family. When I looked up from my phone, I saw the streams of people heading toward the rally. I was at an intersection where two streets came together in a point so I could see the crowds on two separate blocks filling both sides of each street. A lump rose in my throat and then I  shifted into joy at being  a part of it all.

The crowd was so dense that it was impossible to see the stage, but we could at least hear the festivities after we changed positions a bit. The plans to formally begin an organized march from point A to point B morphed into the everywhere march. Marchers were visible in every direction for as far as the eye could see and way beyond

We were peaceful, kind, enthusiastic, compassionate, serious, and determined.

Some of my favorite signs are below. I'll post more tomorrow.

At the end of the day, thousands walked back to RFK Stadium to catch our buses. Some people came out of their houses to thank us for coming, Many of the houses had signs with Martin Luther King quotes.

Then we went home. Some of us anyway. On 1200 buses.

Here I Go!

I'm actually going to D.C. by plane, but this is more what it feels like. I hate to fly.

I'm terrified, but...

My dentist knitted a pussyhat and gave it to me!

What to Pack for the Women's March on Washington: Part Two/ the roller bag

My Equal Writes t-shirt from Shebooks seems like a no-brainer. Wooly stuff may not be necessary given the weather predictions, but I'm taking one sweater and some wool leggings, just in case. But honestly, it's gray and 59 degrees here in paradise right now; it's only supposed to be a few degrees cooler in D.C. on Saturday. Snow boots? probably unnecessarily heavy. A polar fleece hat with an attached balaclava?! Nah. It's weird though...that warm-ish weather. But lucky. Very lucky.

A few years ago, I barely made it make to CA between Snowmageddon and Snowpocalypse.

BWI airport in 2010 when the snowplow had to drive up to the roof of the parking structure in order to dump its load of snow on top of the pile.

View from my brother's front door in suburban Baltimore.

What to Pack for the Women's March on Washington

Part I: The Plane Ride

Books and more books. Inspiration is good.

Vitamins. Because being healthy is good.

Drink coupons. Because.

My mom's wristwatch. Because she would be over the moon in favor of this March.

Here's a poem from "When She Named Fire." This is a volume of poems subtitled "Contemporary Poetry by American Women," edited by Andrea Hollander Budy whom I had the pleasure of meeting in residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts a few years ago.

What We Need 
by Pamela Alexander

A roof over
three squares.
Warmth to wear, 
something to burn

in winter. Water
music: sheets
of rain hung out
to dry. Time, or

the habits of light,
A road that thins
in hills. Hills.
Once an image

sufficed; now I see
we must speak.