Sunrise the morning after my return.
It has taken me a while to start this post. All is good - so good that I have hesitated talking about it in order to SAVOR it. My trip to California
was the best I have ever experienced (more on that in a bit) - yet I was so very
ready to come home. Once home, my energy carried me through a week of further
good news and developments resulting in many members of the village commenting
on my exuberance. But like all things there was some darkness and that I will
share too.
First let me catch you up on some very cool things happening
outside my own individual reality.
My son Zack has been doing a Helluva job in being a
spokesperson for the anti-GMO movement and the return to a healthy, non cancer
inducing food revolution. I am very proud of my son, he has been “in the trenches”
all his working life and getting few rewards except the feeling of being a
warrior for the light – how well I know that role. Here are some recent radio
interviews where he speaks his truth and all of us are benefited.
Zack Kaldveer - Assoc. media director, OCA - my son!
wbai.org
(after 31
min mark)
Another of Zacks greatest "fans" - his sister Kersti
Last post I put up a pic of
the first black woman astronaut – well, here is the first Hispanic one – Dr.
Ellen Ochoa, mission specialist on two flights and commander on a third,
logging 1000 hrs total in Space. She is now Director of The Johnson Space
Center – you do know about that place, yes!
Dr. Ellen Ochoa - astronaut +
My resident spiny tailed iguana “Bub” has been a successful parent once again. I’ve got little “Bubs” darting around all over the place.
Young Spiny Tailed Iguana
Cool new technology: probably only interesting to a very few
but has many GOOD possibilities.
Is this wonderful or what? You will need to watch it on the
site below. The ultimate in male/female energy in synch.
Just before leaving for California
I hit the reef and was gifted with a number of days of super clear water and
the beauty of my “Shangri-La” took my breath away.
A day on the reef
Here are some special examples of
“my” Mexico:
I needed to pay my car insurance
and was told by the agent that I could pay it at the local Bancomer in Los
Barriles. When I tried I was told that it had to be paid by check and with an
account at the bank – neither of which I had, I thought cash would be fine,
right? It could have turned into a long and complicated process until the bank
manager said, “you deposit the money in my account and then I will pay your
insurance with my credit card”. Try that in The States!
The local cantina proprietor,
Alfonzo in El Cardonal, paid extra money so that I could watch The 49er games
on Sundays. He also sets up a lounge chair for me, makes me an Estonian style
vodka and parts the crowd at the bar so I have a good straight on shot to the
TV. Now there are a group of young bucks that come to join me and root for The
Niner’s. When it was still hot, the fans going (it is all outside) and thunder
all around, I felt just like Hemmingway.
The other day I went to pick up
The Q’s at the airport. As always I was way early. I sat down and a group of
Mexican hotel hustlers sat down near me for their lunch. They respectfully
asked me about myself (one said, “yeah, you look native” – what a compliment!)
and soon I was into a full on lecture about whales, climate change, American
bullying etc. Fantastic!!
That same morning I went to The
Q’s to make sure all was in order for their return – oops, toilet didn’t work.
That would be a bummer, no? I go to my neighbor Jose Martin (it’s Sunday
morning) and ask for his help. One hour later and 100 pesos (about $8.50) all
is good and I can start my journey to the airport with a calm mind.
Some science stuff:
It appears that the comet that
struck the earth 65 million years ago was not the only one. There is now clear
evidence that another “tear ass rattler” of a comet hit Egypt around 28 million
years ago. Some of the stone from that one has been found in an ancient Egyptian
broach.
Discoveries in astronomy continue
to be just mind boggling!
They have found a newborn planet
drifting all by itself 80 light years from earth – meaning orbiting NO STAR!
"It is going to provide a wonderful view into
the inner workings of gas-giant planets like Jupiter shortly after their
birth." The astronomers stumbled across it as they sifted
through a mountain of data produced by the Pan-STARRS 1 (PS1) wide-field survey
telescope on Haleakala, Maui.
Also this: 3,000 extraterrestrial planets now known –
conservative estimate – 1 billion HABITABLE planets in our galaxy.
Planets in the "Goldilocks" zone
I said in my last post how The French Foreign Legion
was one of my three great interests when I was a boy. Well, I just finished
reading a book by Simon Murray titled “Legionaire”. It is the true life journal
of a young Englishman from good family who decides at 19 to join the legion and
actually does it. He serves for the mandatory 5 years (begins in 1960) and tells of his life in Morocco, Algiers
etc. An incredible read – and convinced me that I may have done as he did but I
am quite sure I would have deserted at some point.
Had another nice swim with one of The Hawksbill
Turtles on the reef just before I left. No picture this time, just enjoyed the
moment. They are such ancient creatures!
Here’s a plug for my whale work, needs to be done.
Soon the east pacific humpback and blue whales will return
here to Mexican waters to breed and calve. Many have swum as many as 4000 miles
to reach the area of the east cape of Baja Sur and it will be time for me to
begin monitoring their identities, numbers and general health. It is also time
to request donations to assure the continuation of my work. This will be my 10th
season with these whales and the research has resulted in an extension of the
marine mammal protected zone, the publication of my book, THE OTHERS “The Whale
People” as well as plans to develop a marine laboratory here in El Cardonal. My
work has also moved more and more into personal and intimate interaction with
these gentle and highly intelligent creatures. If you cannot attend my lecture
in Ukiah on the 27th of this month please send your donations to:
MioSah, C/O Susan Janssen, 106 Canyon Dr., Ukiah, CA 95482.
I am deeply appreciative of the generous donations that have
allowed this work to continue – Gracias!
Urmas Kaldveer
This is why my work continues to be relevant and immediate.
If we want to keep our whale friends alive they must be able to migrate along
the coast – look what’s happening!
Great Pacific Garbage Patch A
Serious Issue - The world's largest garbage dump is in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean. 3.5 million tons of trash make up what is referred to as the
"Great Pacific Garbage Patch." The patch, also known as the North Pacific
Gyre, spans from California to Japan. If you put all the trash floating here
together, it would be twice the size of Texas.
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/important-image-captured-by-hubble
OK – on to my California trip.
Can you imagine 13 days of EVERYTHING working out even BETTER than you had
hoped!! I won’t cover it all but here are some highlights:
First day Frank Denney and I worked out
at the gym, met up with Bill Symon and had lunch at the infamous “Dutch Goose” in
Menlo Park. We hung out there as teenagers. Then we went to see a movie and it
was like 50 years had simply dissolved. I can’t begin to describe what these
guys mean to me – we missed the fourth of our “musketeers”, John Erving – he was in
Oregon. As I have said before, we have been great and true friends since 4th grade.
Bill Symon, Frank Denney and me
Visit with my son Zack in
Oakland, watched the new “Star Trek”, 49er’s the next day and then a pleasant
visit with my dear friend Jeanne who picked me up and got me to Ukiah. That
night I stayed at her home and had the great pleasure of sleeping for a while
with her wolf “Bonnie” – an absolute delight!!
DMV next day and – NO LINE AT
ALL. Renewed my license and out in a half hour. Stayed with my great and
generous friends Leon and Nancy for the next three days and treated to loving
care beyond imagining. Saw my old friend Ed Keller which was real special – a
really good man.
Worked out the next day at The
Redwood Health Club, got a new dive mask, took care of all bank stuff and
walked around Ukiah saying hi to some folks.
Took a walk in Montgomery Woods
with my dear friend Susan Janssen the next day and we had dinner with
Bonnie, Leon and Ed while they told great stories of their Africa trip.
Susan lent me her car the next
day so I could visit my brother Peter and wife Julie in Danville. Best visit I
ever with my bro and it looks like I’ll be joining them in Yosemite in June to
celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary – I was his best man. They
are most generously treating the whole family to 5 days in the valley. I am
really looking forward to this! On top of this Kersti and Zack showed up for
lunch and we had a real fun family get together.
My kids!
That evening I returned to Ukiah
and was treated to a visit out to my very special friend’s “Shangri-La” by Blue
Lakes. The next day was a day of such glorious enjoyment that my spirit is
still vibrating. I had the distinct pleasure of spending three days with her –
ENCHANTING!
The next day was my lecture at
The Playhouse. Everyone was so very kind and generous with their time
especially Laura Rewerts and her husband Richard (Doublewide Productions) and their two
great and helpful kids. Now one of the dark parts. Though the lecture went well
and I enjoyed every minute of it I felt disappointed in the turnout. I should
have, and to a degree was, prepared for it but I have to say in all candor, I
was hurt. Laura had done a magnificent job with publicity (papers, radio,
e-mails, FB etc) and yet only about 40-45 people showed up. I taught in Ukiah
for 35 years, became a part of The Greenfield Ranch Community and always felt a
great loyalty to Ukiah. More than 6,000 students passed through my classes at
the college – I felt I had done right by every one of them. Yet only 45 people
show up? I shared this with my son Zack and he very articulately expressed the
same disappointment in his constant struggle to get people motivated to
recognize and resist “The Matrix”. It was a great relief and salve to have
Zack’s understanding and we commiserated on our similar experiences. Even his
best friends do not bother to listen to his radio interviews or come to the
events that deal with their health and freedom.
His final words to me were
poignant:
"So I feel your pain dad. I'm also glad that you, as I did
at the event (an event he put together in San Francisco), and again in an interview yesterday, had the gift of getting into
the zone, and not about something trivial, but about something so
important, and beautiful. WE're so lucky we get to experience that, very, very
unique gift." Thank you Zack!
Please do not think that my resolve to protect “The Whale
People” and to get a marine lab up and running in El Cardonal has diminished at
all. And for those of you who did attend I am DEEPLY grateful – YOUR energy was
real and you acted upon it.
"It is of great use to the sailor to know the length
of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean."
-John Locke
The next day Susan Janssen picked me up and drove me all
the way down to San Mateo to be picked up by Frank and taken to the airport the
next day. Having the quality time with Susan was great as always and we lucked
out by finding a sushi restaurant in San Mateo where we had lunch. We had
planned on sushi at Oco Time but never made it – another example of just about
everything going right.
The second dark part I found out by e-mail that afternoon.
A very, very dear friend was diagnosed with throat cancer. My spirit is with
him every moment and I know that he knows I love him.
I arrived back home the next day and was picked up by my
friends from San Isidro, Chris and Suzie…..and found an army of ants waiting to
do battle after my absence - we are now in full war mode.
Is there a marine biologist here?
Some of the kids at El Cardonal's Secondario 26
As you can see - all together a fine, fine trip with
wonderful memories - but Mexico is now my home. Everyone here in the community
has been delighted to see me back and looking so happy. I also received news
from professor Caneda that the center for biological investigation (CID) in La
Paz is going to be involved in the laboratory – as well as Paraguay and
Argentina – go figure!
Oh, if you happen to see this online it is a nice video of
mother and calf humpback but is NOT a birth.
And another example of “The
Whale People” engaging with humans. This is exactly why I swim with the
critters and especially the Orcas.
Keep your energy flowing, open
your heart, work on it! We are all in this together.
