![](http://www.alexshapiro.org/blog/blogpix/windypassage.jpg)
…listen
…info about the music
The title of this movement says it all: “Act.”
A week and a half without a blog posting? How irresponsible of me. But life is not quite normal right now, and in a newly chaotic swirl of changing seas, a few strands of kelp passed by without a report. They float along just the same, regardless of my musings. I float along less enriched without them.
The news: I’m moving to new kelp, in different waters. In less than three weeks.
Charles and I decided months ago that despite our great love for the immediate environments in which we live, Malibu and Santa Barbara, our temperments were no longer suited for life in the larger world of southern California. There are a myriad of reasons why, but to avoid a pedantic, whining tirade I’ll be brief and simply say that the area has reached yet another tipping point. Too many people in too small a space with too few resources. Sociologically, this does not always bring out the best in people. If one more driver honks at me while I wait for a pedestrian to cross the street rather than mow them down in the crosswalk, I will get out of my car and scream. Or worse. There are healthier ways to live. And we’re choosing one of them.
This, above, is the ride I’ll be trading for Los Angeles’ congested streets and freeways: The Washington State Ferry, headed back to the mainland yesterday, as Charles and I returned from what will be our new home on San Juan Island. It was exceedingly windy and exhilarating. And whether one sits snugly inside with a book or laptop, or braces against the gusts in awe of the view, there is a general sense of peace and calmness that floats like kelp among the people here. I already feel like I’m home.