The Journey is the Destination...
"Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight? "
"A man may do both. For not we but those who come after will make the legends of our time. The green earth, say you? That is a mighty matter of legend, though you tread it under the light of day! "
(from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings)
"A man may do both. For not we but those who come after will make the legends of our time. The green earth, say you? That is a mighty matter of legend, though you tread it under the light of day! "
(from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings)
facebook me, art, writing, etc: www.facebook.com/swordwhalewalking/
and kayaking and exploring Planet Water: https://www.facebook.com/groups/261596567988625/
and kayaking and exploring Planet Water: https://www.facebook.com/groups/261596567988625/
~~~~~~~~~~NEW! Gramma Swordwhale's Mermaid Blog~~~~~~~~~~
Mermaiding is a thing, for anyone, any age, any size, any shape, any color, any gender. So put on your tail and explore some cool places on the DelMarVa Peninsula, learn some weird facts about life underwater (and how you can protect it), oh, and how to mermaid...
This site is kid friendly, parents please cruise the pages!
Follow the menu at the top of the page for where stuff is.
All art, photography and "scrivenings" (writings/stories) on this site are mine mine mine...
unless otherwise noted ...as in movie images for fan memes etc or pics of me taken by friends (like that header of me in the kayak by Dave Tristan) or others.
Every effort has been made to proofread these pages, but, as a friend pointyed out when I made a rather horrenduos typo... I cannot typw.
Follow the menu at the top of the page for where stuff is.
All art, photography and "scrivenings" (writings/stories) on this site are mine mine mine...
unless otherwise noted ...as in movie images for fan memes etc or pics of me taken by friends (like that header of me in the kayak by Dave Tristan) or others.
Every effort has been made to proofread these pages, but, as a friend pointyed out when I made a rather horrenduos typo... I cannot typw.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NEW! Horse Color 101~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pictures and descriptions of all the colors of horses for artists, aspiring horsefolk, and the curious. Click on the blue words "Horse color 101" above. Below: a sample (my photos and art).
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art and stories and stuff
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~~~~~~~~~~~Earth... Life... Fandom~~~~~~~~~~~
On these pages you'll find:
Earth: art, crafts, photography and stories rooted in the natural world... plus some real life adventures with scuba diving, pirate ships, sled dogs, kayaking, horses and wild places in the Chesapeake Bay area that you can visit, mostly FREE!
Life: how to watercolor and sketch and take your toys, eh, collectibles on a photographic adventure in the wild, and writing and weird crafty stuff and coloring pages and kayaking and mushing and stuff about horses and pirate ships and mosquito infested salt marshes and birds and...
Fandom: mostly science fiction and fantasy; things like Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Avengers, Narnia, Middle Earth, Sherlock, Doctor Who etc. with random appearances by vintage oddities like the Lone Ranger... fan art and fanfic and essays and other brainfarts...
and yeah, it spells ELF.
Because there's a whole story cycle about the E.L.F. some of which is on Inkitt right now for free.
https://www.inkitt.com/teanna
Earth: art, crafts, photography and stories rooted in the natural world... plus some real life adventures with scuba diving, pirate ships, sled dogs, kayaking, horses and wild places in the Chesapeake Bay area that you can visit, mostly FREE!
Life: how to watercolor and sketch and take your toys, eh, collectibles on a photographic adventure in the wild, and writing and weird crafty stuff and coloring pages and kayaking and mushing and stuff about horses and pirate ships and mosquito infested salt marshes and birds and...
Fandom: mostly science fiction and fantasy; things like Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Avengers, Narnia, Middle Earth, Sherlock, Doctor Who etc. with random appearances by vintage oddities like the Lone Ranger... fan art and fanfic and essays and other brainfarts...
and yeah, it spells ELF.
Because there's a whole story cycle about the E.L.F. some of which is on Inkitt right now for free.
https://www.inkitt.com/teanna
~~~~~~~~~~~stories~~~~~~~~~~~
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Meditation is supposed to be good for you.
But I find sitting still fairly maddening and itchy. So I move: I ride horses, I run sled dogs, I do tai chi, and I paddle. Many years ago I did a backcountry paddle down the inside length of a barrier island called Assateague... ...solo. I was prepared (even though I did 4-H and not scouting) with gear and food and water and first aid and What Would I Do If I stepped on a stingray or Thor began slaying frost giants (thunderstorms) or I sprained a wrist... I had no cell phone, only friends on nearby Chincoteague who would call the coast guard if I didn't show up by a certain morning. Here's how they nearly did, and why I will never ever laugh at inspirational posters of lighthouses again. click here for the story |
The stories are mostly aimed at middle readers and up, and are about the adventures of various young people who become part of the Earth Life Foundation's efforts to save the world. The tales may contain a grumpy Shetland pony who is more than he appears, Possum Woman, kayaks, pirate ships, Bran-Ravenkin-Sailor of Wind and Sea, sled dogs, a swordbroad, a 167 year old teenager with a short attention span, wild mustangs, pookas, Dragonkin, Elves, Dwarves, really cool technology that will save the world, mosquito infested salt marshes, mermaids and merrows, travel between worlds, magic swords, and a swordwhale. Stupid Gravity (a mermaid's blog) is picture book format and may be suitable for younger kids too. A few are Middle Earth based fanfics of the PG or PG-13 variety. One original short story is suitable for older teens and adults (Following Raven). Nothing is over what we'd call PG-13. Click on the blue type to go to the stories.
Stupid Gravity: A Mermaid's Blog: So I thought I'd check out some cool beaches, like Eastern Neck Island and Slaughter Beach where the horseshoe crabs come up to lay eggs... but stupid gravity! What's a mermaid to do? Get a seahorse of course... (picture blog of east coast and Chesapeake Bay beaches...with mermaids...and occasional guest stars like Otterlock and Hedgejawn, Hank the Septopus (and his zen gardens), Toothless the Night Fury, two Black Panthers, and possibly Maui, Moana and Legolas).
Black Horses: Valerie Swartz (rhymes with warts) is a huge dork. Until she comes to the aid of a strange horseman one winter night, beginning a journey to save a world. But is she the Hero?
A stand alone tale that takes place in the same ELF world after the events of the Barrier Island Trilogy, it gallops over much of the same Chesapeake Bay and DelMarVa land and seascape, but with new surprises. As the title suggests, it's full of the sound of hoofbeats on sand.
Barrier Island Trilogy part 1: The Merrow's Cap: Stranded on a touristy island in Virginia, Sharkman is going to have a summer that really bites...
"Sharkman" isn't the only one stranded on Chincoteague VA; Jason wants to be a comic book artist and NOT a cowboy, Cait wants to be taken seriously as a cowgirl, Zan wishes people would stop treating him like the fourteen year old he appears to be, and Morgan the Merrow just wants to go home... to the bottom of the sea. But there are mysteries and pirates afoot... pirates, isn't this the 21st century? Yep, pirates and wild horses and weird lighthouses that do more than glow in the dark.
Barrier Island Trilogy part 2: Manannan's Horses: The Roane is gone, and with it Bran, Ravenkin's last feather, grounding him for eternity. Can Jason, Cait, Zan and Morgan solve the mystery around the Roane, and regain the Ravenkin's powers?
The adventure expands beyond Chincoteague's shores, and, wait, what century is this again?
Barrier Island Trilogy part 3: Mak-eh-nuk's Fin: coming soon: The third part of the Barrier Island Trilogy. Cait, Jason, Morgan and Zan continue to unravel the mystery behind pirate ship Roane, (named after a seal shapeshifter), Margo (who is apparently stuck in the wrong century), and the End of the World. For this journey they're gonna need a good boat... or dogsled... or two... can the fin of their orca shapeshifter friend carry them on the biggest journey yet?
Fins: Landlubber Nai'a must make a dangerous voyage to save a life. Harder still is finding her place in the world her mom loves. Marine biologist/filmaker Michael Shaughnessy is partnering with Nai'a and her mom to study swamp goo or something...when Nai'a has to take his kayak on a dangerous voyage, she discovers there's more to him...and the sea... than meets the eye.
Following Raven: When evil befalls a family pet, the mundane world holds no justice. But Raven and Wolf are far from mundane... This one was inspired by an actual newspaper headline, and the desperate need for justice for animals... suitable for older teens and adults.
If Wishes Were Elves, Even Fangirls Would Dance: We've done it now! Our favorite Elves are blundering around 21st century Pennsylvania. Sweet! But we have to put them back; we've horribly changed the tales they came from. Only we don't know how... A LOTR/Marvel Comics fanfic... or at least I've borrowed a couple of their characters and dropped them kicking and screaming into the world of the ELF...
Leave a review on Inkitt, or email me here!
More will appear on Amazon as ebooks and real books you can hold and smell and wrinkle later.
More about the characters here: http://www.swordwhale.com/tales-of-the-elf.html
All the stories, and their descriptions, here: https://www.inkitt.com/teanna
~~~~~~~~swordwhale~~~~~~~~
The Swordwhale of "Swordwhale Walking" appears in several stories:The Barrier Island Trilogy and Fins.
The largest of the oceanic dolphins (dolphins are toothed whales, the other kind is baleen whales) is orcinus orca, aka orca, killerwhale, swordwhale, and a thousand other names in each language. My European ancestors would have called them swordwhales. These intelligent, social creatures live in nearly every bit of ocean, come cultures saw them as the wolves of the sea, living in social groups, helping each other with hunting food, raising the young, and caring for other members of the pod/pack. In places where there are seals, there are legends of the sealfolk who take off their sealskins to walk on land in human form (selkies). Similar legends exist of the whalefolk, who take off their fins... the fin becomes a boat.
Swordwhale (walking on land): David Michael (Mike) Shaughenssy: Marine biologist, underwater filmaker, educator... and orca shapeshifter. He won't say how old he is, but he did watch the first humans cross the Bering Land Bridge. He often deflects questions about his specific ethnic identity... since he isn't actually human. He is most familiar with peoples of the Pacific: he hung out with Polynesian navigators, lived on the various coasts of North America (northwest coast is a recent favorite, where in Kwakiutl, he was known as Mak-eh-nuk), and he swam to China more than once. In orca form, he lives in a world of sound. On land, in human form, he lives in a world of vision: he's Deaf. Martial artist, immensely strong (what part of "orca" do you not understand?) and can use sound to stun opponents (as real orcas do). Loves kids, hates ceilings (you can't surface through them). Likes boats if he doesn't have to go belowdecks. When he shifts from orca to human form, the six foot dorsal fin becomes a surfboard, kayak, canoe, waka, skipjack or other non-powered small boat. To return to orca form, he must have sufficient water, and the fin.
There are several Grandmother Swordwhales as well. Most are the orcafolk shapeshifters. One is a whale mermaid who breathes air and can shapeshift to human form. The other merrows are half fish, breathe water or air as needed, and do not shift shape.
The largest of the oceanic dolphins (dolphins are toothed whales, the other kind is baleen whales) is orcinus orca, aka orca, killerwhale, swordwhale, and a thousand other names in each language. My European ancestors would have called them swordwhales. These intelligent, social creatures live in nearly every bit of ocean, come cultures saw them as the wolves of the sea, living in social groups, helping each other with hunting food, raising the young, and caring for other members of the pod/pack. In places where there are seals, there are legends of the sealfolk who take off their sealskins to walk on land in human form (selkies). Similar legends exist of the whalefolk, who take off their fins... the fin becomes a boat.
Swordwhale (walking on land): David Michael (Mike) Shaughenssy: Marine biologist, underwater filmaker, educator... and orca shapeshifter. He won't say how old he is, but he did watch the first humans cross the Bering Land Bridge. He often deflects questions about his specific ethnic identity... since he isn't actually human. He is most familiar with peoples of the Pacific: he hung out with Polynesian navigators, lived on the various coasts of North America (northwest coast is a recent favorite, where in Kwakiutl, he was known as Mak-eh-nuk), and he swam to China more than once. In orca form, he lives in a world of sound. On land, in human form, he lives in a world of vision: he's Deaf. Martial artist, immensely strong (what part of "orca" do you not understand?) and can use sound to stun opponents (as real orcas do). Loves kids, hates ceilings (you can't surface through them). Likes boats if he doesn't have to go belowdecks. When he shifts from orca to human form, the six foot dorsal fin becomes a surfboard, kayak, canoe, waka, skipjack or other non-powered small boat. To return to orca form, he must have sufficient water, and the fin.
There are several Grandmother Swordwhales as well. Most are the orcafolk shapeshifters. One is a whale mermaid who breathes air and can shapeshift to human form. The other merrows are half fish, breathe water or air as needed, and do not shift shape.
~~~~~~~an art sampler~~~~~~~
more here: (click)
~~~~~~~contact us~~~~~~~
BLOG: You can follow my blog on Wordpress. The same posts also appear on my facebook, tumblr and twitter accounts. https://swordwhale.wordpress.com/
FACEBOOK: You can follow my random blogs, brainburps, art, stories, adventures (be inspired to go on your own) here: https://www.facebook.com/swordwhale
or the "art page" here: https://www.facebook.com/swordwhalewalking/
or the kayaking/explore Planet Water page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/261596567988625/
aka: "Kayak Chesapeake Watershed" on facebook: this is an open group for those interested in kayaking, in learning about kayaking, or otherwise exploring southcentral PA, Maryland and east coast waters, from boat, pool noodle or shore.
TWITTER: I never look at twitter, but my wordpress automatically posts there. So if you follow twitter, there I am. https://twitter.com/swordwhale1
TUMBLR: http://swordwhale.tumblr.com/ Tumblr is more suitable to older teens and adults.Other people's posts may contain language not suitable for kids. I often reblog various fandoms as well as automatically reblogging my own wordpress posts.
All contain lots of photos and art, expeditions into the local natural world (southcentral PA, DelMarVa Penninsula, Chesapeake and Delaware Bays), random horses, sled dogs, stuff that didn't die in my garden and other wonders. Earth... life...fandom.
PINTEREST: Lots of reference for drawing horses (colors, breeds, gear etc). Also animals, fandoms, crafts and other fun. https://www.pinterest.com/swordwhale/boards/
BUY: You can buy my art and photography on zazzle and deviantart. https://swordwhale.deviantart.com/ https://www.zazzle.com/swordwhale
COMMISSION: email me to do original art for you:
portraits https://www.swordwhale.com/just-animals.html...
environmental education, I've done work for several parks, see https://www.swordwhale.com/environmental-education.html...
business cards and more
CLASSES: for your group, park, school, or group of friends. Watercolor (for beginners or more), sketching (especially horses, other animals and wildlife). Sip-n-paints.
EMAIL: me at swordwhale@yahoo.com.
FACEBOOK: You can follow my random blogs, brainburps, art, stories, adventures (be inspired to go on your own) here: https://www.facebook.com/swordwhale
or the "art page" here: https://www.facebook.com/swordwhalewalking/
or the kayaking/explore Planet Water page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/261596567988625/
aka: "Kayak Chesapeake Watershed" on facebook: this is an open group for those interested in kayaking, in learning about kayaking, or otherwise exploring southcentral PA, Maryland and east coast waters, from boat, pool noodle or shore.
TWITTER: I never look at twitter, but my wordpress automatically posts there. So if you follow twitter, there I am. https://twitter.com/swordwhale1
TUMBLR: http://swordwhale.tumblr.com/ Tumblr is more suitable to older teens and adults.Other people's posts may contain language not suitable for kids. I often reblog various fandoms as well as automatically reblogging my own wordpress posts.
All contain lots of photos and art, expeditions into the local natural world (southcentral PA, DelMarVa Penninsula, Chesapeake and Delaware Bays), random horses, sled dogs, stuff that didn't die in my garden and other wonders. Earth... life...fandom.
PINTEREST: Lots of reference for drawing horses (colors, breeds, gear etc). Also animals, fandoms, crafts and other fun. https://www.pinterest.com/swordwhale/boards/
BUY: You can buy my art and photography on zazzle and deviantart. https://swordwhale.deviantart.com/ https://www.zazzle.com/swordwhale
COMMISSION: email me to do original art for you:
portraits https://www.swordwhale.com/just-animals.html...
environmental education, I've done work for several parks, see https://www.swordwhale.com/environmental-education.html...
business cards and more
CLASSES: for your group, park, school, or group of friends. Watercolor (for beginners or more), sketching (especially horses, other animals and wildlife). Sip-n-paints.
EMAIL: me at swordwhale@yahoo.com.
SWORDWHALE'S YOUTUBE: here's one now...
swordwhale's very short films
(kayaks, sled dogs, horses, pirate ships and nature stuff)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCihSl7gOlCW5rRAeDzS7M9w
~~~~~~~~~~Who Perpetrated All This~~~~~~~~~~
(a brief bio)
From a young age, other people's stories; in books, on film, in pictures, inspired me to imagine worlds beyond the one limited by the tidy farms and wooded hills of southcentral Pennsylvania. They also inspired me to go out and have a few real, grungy, sweaty, mosquito-bit, saddle-sored, paddle-blistered, tiger-noshed, owl-taloned, my-air-tank-is-redlining-at-ninety-feet adventures of my own. Flipper, Sea Hunt and Jaques Cousteau led me learn to dive, snorkel, kayak and mermaid. Fury of Broken Wheel Ranch, The Black Stallion, and Tornado (Zorro's trusty steed) led me to train my own wild black mustang. The TV cowboys of the 50s and 60s (Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger, others) inspired my own horsemanship. J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings inspired me to learn swordfighting, archery, camp rolled up in a wool cloak, and teach my patient half-Arabian gelding to work without saddle or bridle. Wrestling a (very small) tiger and extracting a recalcitrant barn owl named Barney from under a wildlife rehabber's fridge happened to me because Mowgli and Tarzan made living in the jungle look like so much fun (I cannot tell you how much I wanted a thirty foot python...). Star Trek (ToS:1966) opened up the universe (and a world of diversity beyond my small town) to me in 6th grade. Star Wars opened a universe of wonder and like-minded fandom as a young adult. Even as an adult, Pirates of the Caribbean led me to spending Halloween on a pirate ship (technically, a privateer: the Pride of Baltimore II), and taking the helm (and painting the gun doors, and checking the bilges), watched over by a young sailor woman who had walked the same planks as Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom (when she sailed on the Lady Washington, the ship Bloom and Depp, stea...er, commandeer in the first film). There are others that inspire me: Disney at its best, Pixar, Aardman, Dreamworks, Dr. Who, Narnia, various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, comic book superheroes like Spiderman, the Avengers or X-Men, Harry Potter, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While those are the main inspirations, there are many many more good books and films that open doors to fantastic worlds and journeys that can change the one you're in.
I hope my own stories, fiction or fact, illustrated or written, might inspire someone to have their own adventure, their own learning experience, and to reconnect with the world of wind, water, earth, and fire and other living things. That's why we're here.
Go have an adventure of your own!
My backyard is: southcentral PA, USA, near the mighty Susquehanna River that leads down to the Chesapeake Bay, and to the barrier islands, like my favorites, Chincoteague and Assateague, of the Mid-Atlantic Coast. We are in a farming valley, rapidly being overtaken by development. We have a great park system though, gamelands and wild places not far from home, lakes and rivers to paddle, trails to hike, bike, ride and sleddog on (though we mostly use wheeled rigs, it doesn't snow much). Fin Fun made it possible to shapeshift into a mermaid. My cats edit my stuff, my dogs drag me kicking and screaming into the winter wilds, my horse keeps me grounded in the realities of being a sooperdooperpooperscooper, and my kayaks, Mak-eh-nuk's Fin, and the Tardis (it's blue, it travels), carry me on the Journey.
Header photo: by WhovianAvengerJediTrekkerDwarf, professional filmaker, Gimli clone, and Longship Captain Dave Tristan.
I hope my own stories, fiction or fact, illustrated or written, might inspire someone to have their own adventure, their own learning experience, and to reconnect with the world of wind, water, earth, and fire and other living things. That's why we're here.
Go have an adventure of your own!
My backyard is: southcentral PA, USA, near the mighty Susquehanna River that leads down to the Chesapeake Bay, and to the barrier islands, like my favorites, Chincoteague and Assateague, of the Mid-Atlantic Coast. We are in a farming valley, rapidly being overtaken by development. We have a great park system though, gamelands and wild places not far from home, lakes and rivers to paddle, trails to hike, bike, ride and sleddog on (though we mostly use wheeled rigs, it doesn't snow much). Fin Fun made it possible to shapeshift into a mermaid. My cats edit my stuff, my dogs drag me kicking and screaming into the winter wilds, my horse keeps me grounded in the realities of being a sooperdooperpooperscooper, and my kayaks, Mak-eh-nuk's Fin, and the Tardis (it's blue, it travels), carry me on the Journey.
Header photo: by WhovianAvengerJediTrekkerDwarf, professional filmaker, Gimli clone, and Longship Captain Dave Tristan.
follow us to cool adventures
(click on Nikki and B'loo)
stuff I care about
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the Chesapeake Bayand the Chesapeake Mermaid
follow that canoe!You saw the boats and the navigation techniques in Disney's Moana! You can follow a real wa'a with The Polynesian Voyaging Society of Hawaii. They launched their traditional wa'a in 1975, and she has voyaged worldwide since, navigating and sailing in the traditional ways that enabled Polynesian explorers to find tiny islands in the vast Pacific. In the summer of 2016 she visited the Chesapeake Bay (though my friends and I didn't catch her). You can follow her on her website and facebook: read crew blogs, learn about the star compass, and see great pics of life at sea on an ancient boat bringing all of us a message of Malama honua (caring for Island Earth). (and yes, that's a mini Moana boat floating off Rock Hall MD). You can get more of that awesome Polynesian vibe music from Te Vaka (different island, same word for canoe), who did music for the Moana soundtrack.
Follow here here: https://www.hokulea.com/ |
Schooner Sultana
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