On Friday, the local nightly news announced that there were a pod of rare endangered blue whales swimming off the coast of Long Beach.
Blue whales are the largest thing that has ever lived on earth and they have a heart the size of a Volkswagen bug. They also weigh over 100 tons.
Due to their enormous size and power, blue whales have virtually no natural predators. They are endangered because they were hunted down by men with harpoons.
Thankfully, blue whale hunting was banned in 1966 when they started to become extinct.
I had an overwhelming desire to see a blue whale. My first phone call was to my God children. They are always up for a new experience and they said “Lets go tomorrow.”
Every time I get together with my God children – it is like going down the rabbit hole… always an unexpected fun adventure and this trip was no different.
We headed to Long Beach ticket less because all the harbor cruises were sold out because of the blue whale sightings.
That morning, I woke up with the great idea that we should take the train to Long Beach. Off we went. As soon as we arrived at the dock – there were hundreds of people in line. I said lets just get in the line and see what happens.
This one lady, standing behind us, was telling us to get out of line because there were no more tickets left and only people who ordered tickets should be in line. We didn't let her discourage us. I was willing to wait and wished for a miracle.
Sure enough, suddenly there was an announcement that they found another boat and the people in line without tickets could get on. When the line started moving, people were escorted on to two different boats.
One was kind of old and not as luxurious and that is the one they put us on. That same lady who tried to talk us into getting out of line was escorted on to the old boat with us.
She started yelling that she bought her tickets in advance, and she should be able to go on to the nicer boat.
They finally put her on the nicer boat to shut her up. We were all relieved she wasn't coming with us. The boats left the dock and went out to sea. The two boats went in different directions.
As soon as the boat descended out to the ocean we got to see dolphins swim by and adorable sea lions hanging out on the buoys.
The day was beautiful, and we were having a terrific time with or without a whale sighting.
Then suddenly, right in front of us, a gigantic blue whale jumped out of the ocean. Than another one of the other side. It was fantastic.
There were blue whales everywhere. Every time one came out, there was a small quake in the ocean and the boat would roll back and forth.
You could feel their power.
All the children and adults on the boat were in awe. A couple of hours later, the boat headed back to shore.
Everyone on the boat couldn't stop talking about seeing those whales and it was an encounter we will never forget.
When we reached the dock, the other boat was also docking.
The angry lady was getting off and was even angrier because the boat she was on (and the one she insisted to be on) didn't have any blue whale sightings.
That experience is a powerful reminder that we don't have to always control things.
If that lady had just let the universe take her and didn't fight it – she would have been on the boat who saw all the whales.
My goal this week is to allow the universe to take me where ever and when ever it wants.
PART 2 tomorrow – Crazy train people
Today I woke up thinking about a burger. This hasn't happened to me in a long time. Why? I thought. I knew it wasn't meat I was missing but maybe the textures, thickness, gooeyness, the roll, the cheese??
I had to make something that would satisfy me in the same way and a veggie burger wasn't going to do it today. I decided to make this vegan version of a philly steak.
I enjoyed it and my craving for a burger was definitely satisfied. Vegan day 142 – wish me luck.
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 6--8 Portobello Mushrooms sliced (on the thicker side)
- ½ onion sliced
- ½ red pepper sliced
- ½ yellow pepper sliced
- 1 TSP thyme
- 1 TSP red chili flakes (optional - I always add chili flakes because I like things spicy)
- 3 Garlic cloves chopped
- 1 Garlic clove
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce sauce (Annie's naturals organic vegan)
- ½ to 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese (you can also use cheddar but I like the creamy texture of the mozzarella with the smokiness of the mushrooms)
- Pre-heat broiler. Brown mushrooms over medium heat in olive oil for approximately 4-5 minutes, add onion, peppers - cook another 3 -4 minutes - add 3 chopped garlic cloves - cook another minute (everything should look soft & caramelized)
Oh my looks super good! Never had portobello steaks in most of my sandwiches or burgers, but good addition!
Vegan Miam – I love your blog & photos!