Thursday, July 31, 2014



This is my most recent “rock painting”. It is an ancient Aztec symbol for night and day. Definitely taxed the steadiness of my hand but great fun to attempt. I have been "re-inspired" to do these due to my son Zack’s creations while here.

The one below I completed shortly after he left and represents to me our mutual experiences with the dolphins. It comes from a Minoan wall painting on Crete.




It’s all about recognizing the truth of things isn’t it. All my life the same message runs clear – connection to Nature and the simple things is where my peace lies.

This too is a simple thing and part of the quest to connect and appreciate. Telescopes, microscopes and all the other scientific technology we have as tools for discovering the “nature” of our universe.

Saturn as never seen before

Not only was I blessed with a scientific education that allowed me to FULLY appreciate the scope of the universe, now I live in a veritable garden of delightful life forms. These are some of the critters I spend my days with intimately.


Spiny Tailed Iguana


Desert Iguana


Walking Stick


Greater Road Runner


Unfortunately I cannot dismiss what is being done to our planet. This is a visual of the North Pacific Ocean Gyra of plastic debris collecting off our shores.



This is very serious! You can see that the gyra is beginning to impinge on the migratory route for the humpbacks between Baja and Alaska – these are my OTHERS “The Whale People” and I am angry! In my darker moments I feel an intolerant disposition towards all those who could not truly care and I feel combative.


Personal and otherwise!

But then my daughter Kersti posts something that brings me back to my center and I know that if I stay in my core, then and only then am I living my “I Am”.


Here’s the young lady (center) that always, always finds the exact right words to bring her father a greater peace.

Most recent photo with a couple of dear friends.
Speaking of young ladies:



Some years ago this young lady (then Kirin Riddell) joined me for a magnificent day with The Whale People – 11 Blue Whales and 2 Humpbacks. Recently she was married in Alaska where she now lives. This is a picture of her “running the bases” the day of her wedding. I love this picture! “Good on ya”, Kirin!

The other day I was out in my kayak and decided to paddle north close to shore to see how far the reef extended in that direction and if there were any especially good dive spots there. I passed the northern edge of our reef and continued further because I had been told by Nantzy Hensley that there were some good spots in front of her place. The water was especially clear so I could see down a good ways. Almost exactly in front of her place I saw a deeper crevice in the reef and many, many fish. I dove over the side (my kayak is always tethered to my ankle and my paddle to the kayak so that I am free to dive anywhere without needing to worry about drift) and was treated to one of my best reef experiences ever. Part of it was due of course to the clarity of the water but man was it great. I counted at least a dozen different species of fish - and in really large numbers. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!

On the 29th of June I came across turtle tracks on the beach about ¼ mile south of my place.

Hoohah - turtle tracks!!

It must have been a good sized female because the track was wide and deep.....and new. She probably came up in the very early morning. I followed the tracks to her nest, marked it (unobtrusively) and then covered her tracks from the water and back (some poaching still goes on down here so I do what I can). I peed all around the nest and peed again later to deter local dogs. The eggs should be hatching right about now – hope some make it - it’s a tough life journey for the little ones.

A few days earlier the Red Skimmer dragon fly migration began. It’s hard to capture the extent of it but here’s a try.


They were passing at about 2500/minute (very, very conservative estimate) within 30’ of my trailer.

I volunteered to play on the local baseball team next season but then promptly twisted my neck and re-evaluated the offer. I’m going to the itinerate chiropractor (used to be the team chiropractor for The 49er’s) in Los Barriles in about 10 days and I’ll see where I stand. The local “jock” is Nelson Verdugo Angulo and he and I have become friends due to both of our intense interest in sports. He always joins me at Alfonzo’s cantina for 49er games and I join him for soccer and baseball.....or anything else sports-like. While talking to him at the cantina the other day I found out that he has been a professional boxer, a jockey, and had been a pitcher for the semi-pro San Jose Del Cabo baseball team. He now drives the school bus, works with our local carpenter and does any kind of pick work including of course fishing. Then we started talking about various sports injuries we had sustained over the years. What a hoot! The guy is a walking physical witness to what the body can endure. He even showed me all the surgical scars to prove it – I was absolutely amazed. He is also one of the friendliest and most courteous men I know. Truth of it is – just about every male in our village is like that. I am really proud to be part of this community.

"Nelson" Verdugo Angulo at short stop on the local Cardonal team

On the 19th of July I made a dive (snorkeling only - I have become more cautious about SCUBA diving alone) on the reef and got into a large (30-40) school of King Angel Fish. They are one of my favorite fish and though I see them often I have never seen a school like that. Shortly after I spied my old friend the Hawksbill Sea Turtle and swam with her/him for a while.

Not my pic but exactly what it was like

Some Trivia:
I may or may not have been inspired to write a children’s book. I am struggling to get started but I have gotten some words on paper. 
I saw this in a book I’m reading, can’t remember which one now but I thought I would share it.
I am the Wind that blows over the Sea;
I am the Wave of the Deep;
I am the Bull of the Seven Battles;
I am the Eagle upon the rock;
I am a Tear of the Sun;
I recently discovered that 20% of Estonians prefer to embrace ancient Pagan concepts (nature worship) than Christianity etc. Hoohah! 
NASA is 12 billion short on the funds needed for the development of a deep space rocket. This rocket would help open up vistas undreamed of in space before. That’s the cost of 6 Stealth Bombers – WTF!
     
Check out this sculpture by John Lopez of Eagle Butte, South Dakota. He creates these from pure junk found in his area. Google him – you will be amazed.


Here’s a great shot of a Gannet I saw the other day on FB. Not my photo!


And it reminded me of a pic I got of a pelican at about the same moment early on a beautiful morning down at the bluff.


What an innocent child I was, but Mother Nature has remained the same – always healing.



"Keep on truckin" folks