Outdoor activities groups near Seaside, CA
Bite Club K9 Training Pack Walk
Monterey, CA

Speakeasy Monterey Toastmasters
Monterey, CA

Toastmasters offer an enjoyable and affordable way to become a better speaker, to develop your leadership skills, to build your competences to succeed in all areas of your life. The educational program of Toastmasters has proven to be effective and efficient, and will be beneficial to you, whether you are a professional, student, stay-at-home parent or retiree. All clubs are unique so please come to our meetings to see what works best for you. Attending as a guest is free and (always!) fun. Please, come and see for yourself.
Currently we are only meeting via Zoom.
If you wish you attend our meetings, you can register here:
https://bit.ly/SpeakeasyRegister-2
Plant Based Food Friends of Monterey Bay
Monterey, CA

Join Us! - Anyone who wants to enjoy - delicious - colorful plant based food! - Our Meetup postings will be about delicious meal ideas and recipes. Our food meetups will be: eating at favorite restaurants that offer delicious plant based food - salad lunches - food tastings - theme dinners - potlucks and picnics. Our fun events will be hiking, other activities, movies or community events - with eating delicious plant based food - before or after - the event.
The photo for our *Plant Based Food Friends* group - represents - our goal of meetup members being a group of fun *friends* who are happy, healthy, naturally younger looking (colorful plant based food benefits) and enjoy eating together - delicious - plant based food!
Our Meetups will provide support for the plant based diet that is best for the body and our Earth, which is the grain-free and legume-free plant based diet. Why? - Grain and legume based food requires - deforested land - for crops. Warning - U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/08/08/748416223/to-slow-global-warming-u-n-warns-agriculture-must-change - "Deforestation - contributes to global warming, and reversing it will be necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change.(How?) ...significantly increase the amount of land that's covered in trees and other vegetation..."
What can people do? - Eat food from trees (fruit, nuts) and vegetables that can be grown together, for example - Alley Cropping: https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/assets/documents/workingtrees/infosheets/WT_Info_alley_cropping.pdf
A Healthy Body - Grain-Free, Legume-Free Plant Based Diet
Dr. Herbert Shelton, N.D., Author - Superior Nutrition:
"In fresh fruit, greens, vegetables, nuts are - ALL - the vitamins, minerals, proteins and other substances the human body needs to - BRING - it to a state of - PHYSICAL PERFECTION - and to MAINTAIN it in that state ā INDEFINITELYā
See our our associate colorful plant based diet Meetup support groups:
* LOOK 30 Diet - Age 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s+ - In the - What we're about - section of the website are links to FREE Recipes, a FREE Weekly Meal Planner and Success Stories. See the Meetup website: https://www.meetup.com/look-30-diet-carmel/
* LOOK 30 Women - Age 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s+ - See the Meetup website: https://www.meetup.com/look-30-women-age-40s-50s-60s-70s/
Please tell your friends and family they are welcome to join us!
Kay Star - Meetup Organizer - Plant Based Food Friends
Monterey County Skeptics
Marina, CA

Carmel, Monterey and Big Sur Photography Meetups
Monterey, CA

For beginner, intermediate and advanced photographers that want to get maximum leaning in the shortest possible time! These 'fun-shops' are taught by Michael Seewald, a working master fine-art photographer, and painter. He's created, and shown, photographic art the world over. His passion for teaching equals his photographic art skill level. Says who? Say the grads who've come from all all over the country to join him, from New York to Miami, and from San Francisco to San Diego. For some 35 years he's been sharing his knowledge gleaned from a degree in photography and, now, 50 years of practice in it. He's won dozens of national and international awards. We hope you take the opportunity to join Michael in one of his rare workshops in the Monterey area, or join him a little further out of town, in Yosemite or Napa, or even in his home town, based in San Diego.
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"This exciting class turned my digital camera into an artist's tool! I learned the difference between 'taking a picture' and 'creating art'. ... By taking this workshop Michael will open up a whole new world of photographic possibilities for you, he did me." Troy Garrow, San Diego, CA.
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ā...Michael was great! 20 years of photography and I learned more in his two day 'A-Z', and his one day 'All about portraiture' class,
than I had in my previous 20 years of trial and error!" Rhonda Mazurek, professional photographer, Temecula, CA _______________________________________________
Welcome to the exciting world of master photographer Michael Seewald's photography workshops. These are 'too fun' to be called workshops his students say, so they call the 'fun-shops'!. But as fun as they are, they are super informative.
Lessons and gatherings for Beginners , Intermediate, advanced or pros...
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From 3 hour classes on 'Intro to your camera' or 'Night photography made simple', and 'How to compose to make award winners' to the all encompassing 'Everything you ever NEEDED to know' (A-Z of both composition and technical). An intense, yet fun, three day class. Either here in San Diego, or Yosemite, or Carmel or Napa-Sonoma.
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In the two and three day classes, Michael basically transfers the knowledge gained from his college degree and 40 years of practicing it, all into YOUR brain - no broth, no potatoes, no veggies, just MEAT! (Sorry vegans, meant no offense ;/)
Folks from the other side of the country have heard, word of mouth, that it's worth it to travel across the country for them, and many have!! But you don't have to, he lives here!
"The outdoor part (Days 2 and 3) gives the student real-time feedback and the opportunity to practice getting it right, sometimes using Michael's setup as an example. ...Practical advice about equipment and lighting too."
Eric Yee, advanced photographer. New York, New York
Weekend class of 9.28-29.'03
and our One Day Portrait class he flew back for later!!!
"...I leaned so much from Seewald's A-Z class, I knew it'd be worth it to come back for the one day portrait class, and it was!" Eric Yee
Michael Seewald has been teaching film, and now digital photography classes, since 1985. He's had hundreds of students take their skill level, not just up a notch or two, but right to the top.
These classes are taught with enthusiasm from a master. They are for photographers, and painters, that want to start winning art competitions, be they photographic or painting ones, or just make much stronger 'photo-art' during travel. Maybe you want to start selling or exhibiting your photos, or start making money shooting portraits and weddings, as many of Seewald's students have. But they also are for beginners that have a yearning to learn everything possible in a very short amount of time, and at a very reasonable price.
Your instructor has been winning awards as an artist since childhood, in both painting (since age 13) and photography (1st national award at age 19), and has a degree in it with 40 years of practical knowledge stacked on top of all that.
ā... one of my favorite quotes: Someone once said, "Kindness without honesty is sentimentality, and honesty without kindness is cruelty". Michael was kind AND honest when critiquing our photographs ...ā
Don Haake, intermediate photographer, Carlsbad, CA, San Diego class of 2.14-15.ā09
Does he really know what he's doing/teaching? Good question, you'll be happy to know your next instructor/friend is the only photographic artist that has won EVERY major local, national and international competition there is in San Diego:
- 'First Place Color' Museum of Photographic Art's 'Int'l photo competition sponsored by the S.D. Reader
'Best of Show', San Diego International Photo Competition, besting over 3,300 world-wide entries.
'Best of Show' from the San Diego Art Institutes Southern California juried competition, besting hundreds of paintings, sculptures and photos combined, and judged by a sculptor.
Hundreds of first, second and third places in various local art / newspaper and magazine competitions.
"Michael Seewald is amazing to work with! ...the class was so very helpful and surprising to someone like me who 'thought' they had a good eye for composition. He pushes you to the limit of frustration to better bring about the artist in you. At the same time he is fun, generous and kind. And most of all, PATIENT! I am amazed at his graciousness with everyone no matter what the skill level or equipment brought to the class.
His suggestions are never without merit and always helpful. Oh, and his story telling isn't bad either. At the end of the class you will want more and guaranteed you will want to go on at least one trip with him in the future. Very Addictive. Very fun! Very educational!
Thank you Michael for all your generosity!"
D'Arcy Lewis, Temecula, CA
Class of 5.'06
He has also created the most extensive collection of art portfolios of any photographic artist alive. With over 55 trips, usually a month per place, to various world-wide locations ... from Australia to Iceland, from Portugal to Costa Rica, from India to Molokai, and from Russia to Peru, just to name a few - hey, that rhymes, cool ;/).
And he recently has had a bit of acclaim for all this creating, as he was invited to exhibit his art at a major fine art museum in Kunming, China. Entitled 'Life Elsewhere', he exhibited 50 of his personal favorites from all his travels to date, a tiny selection from the hundreds he's created.
He has been interviewed on many of the local TV 'magazine' programs, been written up in the San Diego Union Tribune , North County Times, Rancho Santa Fe and Del Mar Times newspapers, as well as the national fine art photography magazine The Photographers Forum.
"...I learned more in 3 days than I had in several school classes ... Tamara Ames, beginner, San Diego, CA.,
Yosemite class of 3.20-23.'09
More info, images of his latest released series, Vietnam, and hundreds of student testimonials, at www.seewald.com
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Yep, this is for beginners, intermediate, advanced AND PROS too! Hundreds of testimonies
from all the above levels are on our website: www.seewald.com
"I really enjoyed the class and I came out with a lot more value from it than I thought I would. It made me want to use my camera for other uses besides my commercial photography too. It opened the door to the joy of photography ...."
Rick Whitehead, Professional photographer.
N. San Diego County, Class of 11.'05
_____ Click here to check dozens of testimonies...
Sign up or contact Michael to do so at 858.245.0485
Contra dancing in Monterey!
Monterey, CA

So you think you can't dance? Think again!
Contra dancing is a wonderful activity for anyone who enjoys live music, dance, socializing, fun, etc. We hold dances twice each month at the YMCA of the Monterey Peninsula. All skill levels and ages are welcome. No prior dance experience is necessary, and every dance is preceded by a lesson. The dances are very social by nature and all are welcome here ā married and unmarried couples; singles, alone or with friends; people of all ages! Children are also welcome at dances if supervised by a responsible adult.
We occasionally have special themed dances, potlucks, and dance workshops. Our motto is: "If you're having fun, you're doing it right!"
Dances are sponsored by the Monterey Country Dance Community ā an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization dedicated to keeping traditional live music and dance thriving on the Monterey Peninsula.
Please note our updated COVID policies, which are in force for every in-person event put on by the Monterey Country Dance Community:
- Open to vaccinated dancers only. Boosters are not required.
- Proof of vaccination will be checked at the door (photos of vaccination card ok), and will be noted for easy admission to future dances.
- Well-fitting masks must be worn throughout the dance whenever indoors, except briefly while taking a drink. Acceptable masks: N95, KN95, KF94, or P1000 with exhaust filter. Masks will be available at the door for those who need them.
- Water will be offered outdoors during the break. Sorry, no potluck snacks yet.
More information at: montereycontradance.org