I had my first flat on the road the other day. I had just picked up Alan and Marilyn at the airport, had a dynamite dinner at Apolonia’s Greek Restaurant in Los Barriles, done our grocery shopping and were almost home as the sun set and then the rear tire blows. Bummer! No flashlight but Marilyn used her palm pilot to light things enough to find the tools etc. Fortunately I did have a full donut so with a fair amount of grunting and groaning Alan and I got the spare on and we were off again.
This is my new and very dear friend from North Carolina, Terry Kerr, who arrived here about two weeks ago with some friends of mine from Ukiah.
Even though Terry is a total non swimmer and never before in a kayak she trusted me to take her out to The WZ. That’s two miles out and a depth of around 600’. Terry was a bit nervous at first, talk about pushing your fear envelope, but after a bit she was clearly enjoying the experience. We didn’t see much out there that day but it was a really beautiful time. I always marvel at the courage of other people!
The next day I went out on a search in the panga and Terry volunteered to come along. This was after 4 times out without a sighting but we were no sooner launched than Alan spotted some blows directly out in front of us and about 1 ½ miles out (Alan is becoming one hell of a spotter). It was a group of 3 whales, one of which may have been a yearling. This year around 50% of the Humpbacks encountered in our area had either new borns or yearlings with them. The largest of this group (female probably) has a “stunning” tail. Terry suggested the name “Dottie”.
The smallest whale did not fluke up and the other adult only gave me a “short shot” with it’s flukes so not a good ID but sufficient for a comparison someday maybe. Here’s the other two with one of the two giving me the “short shot”.
Last Monday (21st) my old friend John Erving (his pic was in an earlier post in the cockpit of a biplane) brought his charming and lovely wife Kristine, son John & his wife Jeanine and their two children, Mary Jane and Grant for a visit.
From left, John Jr., Mary Jane, Kristine, Grant, Jeanine, John
The idea was that I would give them the full on Baja experience; whales, kayaking, snorkeling and hiking. It was not to be. The day after they arrived the wind began to blow and here it is Friday and the wind has not stopped!
I did get a chance to do a bit of snorkeling with his grandson Grant among the rocks around Punta Pescadero and that was a treat, though I had to occasionally grab his leg and pull him away from getting too close to the rocks….well, he is 9 and knows no fear, right!
Even the trip out to the Native Indios pictographs didn’t happen because of a faulty car battery requiring a long walk through the desert back to the nearest village and getting someone to take us back to El Cardonal.
Hoofing it through the desert to Boca del Alamo
Later in the afternoon we went to Alan and Marilyn's for a poolside get together and that was real nice, everybody had a good time. Here's Alan and marilyn in front of their home "kicking back".
not my pic
Now during that whole time, The Erving’s were jovial, gracious and indefatigable. I of course was deeply disappointed that I could not give these fine and deserving friends a real memorable experience. Yet in all sincerity they thanked me with kind and appreciative words for my efforts. When I was just a boy, and John and I hung out together, I was often in the presence of his family. It was always their graciousness that made me feel so at home and part of their clan. John’s mother especially, to me always “Mrs. Erving”, extended her gentle soul to me and softened the loneliness of a boy whose mother worked very hard and was gone most of the time and whose father was missing since the war. That graciousness is a mark of the Erving clan and I feel grateful to have been a part of it again.
Yesterday I watched two Hooded Orioles fighting for nesting space under my palapa. Though there was some serious fighting that took place on the ground it was their “dog fighting” (ie. Airplanes) that literally left me in awe. The way they flew so fast and so sure as they barreled through the foliage was really remarkable. I got my camera out but hopeless to catch them. Here’s a pic I found online because I couldn't find my bird pics from before.
Hooded Oriole, not my pic
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