Ken McAlpine
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About Me:
Ken McAlpine’s latest book “Together We Jump” was praised by Sunset Magazine as “lyrical, evocative and deeply moving…a luminous American novel.” He is also the author of the novel “Fog”and the non-fiction works “Off Season: Discovering America on Winter’s Shore” and “Islands Apart: A Year on the Edge of Civilization.” His magazine articles have earned three Lowell Thomas awards, travel writing's top award. He is based in Ventura, California.
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These kinds of people, they reside in the places that last. In our character. In our choices. In our minds and our hearts.
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How often do we step ahead when standing still is what matters?
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Starving sea lion pups are washing up on Southern California beaches in record numbers -- at a rate five times the norm. It has gotten so bad the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared an "unusual mortality event."
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What happened to us? When did we become so elevator-silent, so dour, so proper, so scrunch-faced, so mature?
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The words just kind of snuck up on him. Words can do that. Depressing, inspiring, uplifting, unsettling, erotic. Life-changing.
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In these graduating times, cause for celebration and remembering: smeary handprints won't forever stay messy or small.
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We all crave reassurance, the knowledge that a scrap of us will last beyond the flare of our life.
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College shouldn't just be about how much money you should make. The questions are far grander. What barrier will I break? How can I change the world?
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Sex. Anger. Lust. Now I know you'll read.
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We are a strange and sometimes beautiful species.
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We all know what happened to New England cod and, before that, the great whales. The oceans are not what they used to be.
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On March 5th I will raise my glass to Channel Islands National Park and my friend James, who have both reminded me of a simple but infinitely valuable lesson.
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I looked down at my son and I lied. "Sometimes things are meant to die and there's nothing you can do."
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Mist blew in. I tasted salt on both our lips.
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There's a new Walmart in Simi Valley. It's the second Walmart there -- on the same street, miles away. What do all these big boxes in Ventura County mean?
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It's the people you never hear of who really make a difference. And the boys from New Jersey and the California surfboard shaper fit that bill.
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I do worry about the children. How do they see a bulletproof backpack? What do they think about a playground fenced off on the weekend? What does this look like to someone who still believes in Santa Claus?
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There is no place I'd rather be than here in salt-laced, downy-soft nightfall. There aren't words for this sort of happiness. It is like falling in love. Huell understood.
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What is right, wrong, innocence, guilt?
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As the world marks another year's passing, life, the onrushing gift, might best be unwrapped with a moonlit neighborhood walk.
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Did it or didn't it? The end of the world, or a new beginning?
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Looking for the perfect Holiday gift? Here it is, courtesy of a Benedictine monk with a marvelous sense of humor.
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In this world where so many things are going wrong, so many things are also going right -- like this choir program in Ventura County.
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The end of Jalama Road in Santa Barbara County may be beautiful, but dawdling along it can be just as rejuvenating.
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I whistle as I drive because this road makes me happy, and long ago I ascertained that getting lost presents no problem if you don't care.
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Should you travel to Morro Rock (and you should), you are apt to meet Bob Isenberg. He's been there, off and on, since 1969. He's easy to find. In his words, "Look for the guy with the tripod."
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In this cacophonous age when almost everyone is shouting to be noticed, quiet speaks loudly.
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There's so much debate, din, and shouting in politics. But beneath all the noise, I hear the whisper of things lost.
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"Hearst broke down social strata," says Jim Allen of Hearst Castle. "He was definitely a Californian."
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Something is seriously wrong when our most important asset -- the education system -- has to ask for money.
Recent Actions from Ken McAlpine
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These kinds of people, they reside in the places that last. In our character. In our choices. In our minds and our hearts.
-
How often do we step ahead when standing still is what matters?
-
Starving sea lion pups are washing up on Southern California beaches in record numbers -- at a rate five times the norm. It has gotten so bad the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared an "unusual mortality event."
-
What happened to us? When did we become so elevator-silent, so dour, so proper, so scrunch-faced, so mature?
-
The words just kind of snuck up on him. Words can do that. Depressing, inspiring, uplifting, unsettling, erotic. Life-changing.
-
In these graduating times, cause for celebration and remembering: smeary handprints won't forever stay messy or small.
-
We all crave reassurance, the knowledge that a scrap of us will last beyond the flare of our life.
-
College shouldn't just be about how much money you should make. The questions are far grander. What barrier will I break? How can I change the world?
-
Sex. Anger. Lust. Now I know you'll read.
-
We are a strange and sometimes beautiful species.
