I am afraid that I have little to report or convey regarding this years whale season. I have only gotten out once but did get a good ID and had a very short swim with a mother and calf humpback. I can however say that the eastern pacific humpback population is looking real good. They appeared here in their southern breeding/calving ground in large numbers, looking healthy and with lots of offspring. Hard to say if this is to be a continuing trend or a short reprieve as it appears there is talk of taking them off the endangered species list and therefore making them more accessible to the whale hunters – we shall see. There are of course still the questions of boat strikes, entanglement and affects of pollution, ie. The north pacific garbage gyra (see earlier posts).
At any rate here is my one and only contribution to this
seasons whale monitoring. Most of you are aware of my recent medical problems
and this is what has prevented me from submitting my usual yearly contribution
of 40-80 ID’s. I hope that this will be remedied next season.
My one ID for the 2015 season
Mom and calf that I swam with this season
My pangero and amigo Ishmael
Another piece of news that you may find interesting is that
I have been informed by the principal at our local school that SEP (the
secondary education authority here in southern baja) has gone ahead with plans
for the marine laboratory project that I initiated last year and intends to
definitely build it here in El Cardonal – starting in September(?). This is
great news and if it comes to be I will be terribly pleased. It will mean that
“our” whale families will be cared for and protected long after I am gone and
that there will be a place for students to discover the grandeur and extent of
this unique bioregion. There are endless marine studies that could come from
this and so much to contribute to our knowledge and appreciation of the area.
It won’t just be whales that benefit. The appreciation for
all of the natural world in this area will be encouraged by the programs that
could be developed here. Even my friends the “Reptile People” will benefit, for
they too are an integral part of this bioregion. Here are a couple of Zebra
Tailed lizards that just mated in front of my palapa the other day – what a
dance they put on. In the 10 years I have lived here it is the first time I
have seen this.
Zebra Tailed Lizard
OK – a little astronomy just to be sure we don’t limit our
imagination and interests to planet earth alone – though a delightful planet it
may be.
1000 possible planets in our galaxy w/ intelligent life
This was a favorite topic when our dear departed Carl Sagan
was still alive and his energy and revolutionary ideas still prevail in our
search for extraterrestrial life – thank you Carl! I am still of the hope that
I will live to see the day when the first discovery is made. Perhaps not
intelligent life but ANY life.
Space Craft Messenger orbiting Mercury
This is an artists rendering of the space probe “Messanger”
that has been orbiting the planet Mercury for the past 10 years sending
invaluable information to us about planetary evolution, plate tectonics and
solar radiation. Getting to know the neighborhood as we approach the day of
freedom from being earth bound.
And finally this article and some wonderful pics of our sun
– THE CREATOR. For a treat also google Ahkenaton (an Egyptian pharaoh) and find
his beautiful prayer to the sun – truly ahead of it’s time.
The pressure of the waves on the seafloor generates seismic
waves that cause the Earth to oscillate, said Fabrice Ardhuin, a senior
research scientist at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France.
The continuous waves produce sounds lasting from 13 to 300
seconds. They can be heard by a relatively small proportion of people - who are
sensitive to the hums - and also by seismic instruments.
Sorry you will have to google the above for more info, try:
Earth’s Hum (?)
Only got to visit with my Q’s for one week this season (again
due to medical complications but always a such a treat for me). The same day
they left two of their friends from Quebec came in to stay in their home for a
few days. Patrick and Annie took to El Cardonal and the sea as though born to
it. Kayaking and/or snorkeling every day and lots of hours of rooftop
tranquility. They were very kind to me and I like to consider them my friends.
Here we are at our local tacqueria the night before they left.
New friends Patrick and Annie
This is a recently excavated site in a most unlikely spot. A
bit of a mystery – not as in extraterrestrial – just interesting.
Far removed from archeology or maybe just a different kind
of “digging” here’s a little something from the world of physiology and
genetics that is very exciting. It is not surprising that there is so much more
to discover about the mysteries of life and DNA is a cornerstone so when a new
discovery is made it brightens our perceptions. Always remember however, not to
be blinded by hyperbola.
DNA - the core of life on earth
I am learning a great deal about myself as my physical
reality changes. I may very well be returning to California in the near future
to begin a new phase in my journey. I feel a desire to be near family – as you
might expect after my medical affairs – perhaps to return here to Shangri-La during
the whale season to continue my monitoring and to also help develop the path of
the marine laboratory if it is indeed to become a reality. I have reluctantly
given up my romantic/melodramatic ideal of a “last kayak”. I am simply not
ready yet and I have found that living here alone has become just difficult
enough in my weakened state to discourage my staying here and waiting for a
sign to launch into the sunset. At this point I have decided not to have
radiation/hormone therapy for my cancer because I intuitively feel that it
would weaken me beyond repair. The stroke too has left me with a far less than
satisfactory physical presence for the life I have led here for the past 10
years. I find that I have a deep desire for family.
I am trying to remain strong of body, mind and spirit but
change is upon me.
This says it quite well:
Acceptance is the road to all change. If resisting has
failed and frustrated you, try to accept what is. As hard as it is to believe,
acceptance can open different opportunities for change than resistance.
Struggling can sometimes swallow us even deeper into the quicksand of our
problems. Difficult problems take time to resolve. The more frantically you
pick at knots, the more entangled they can become. To untangle yourself try
relaxing. Gently and patiently work with your difficulties and in time you will
be freed from what now seems impossible. You are being called to heal yourself,
not to agonize over your mistakes. Quit over thinking; this is what
surrendering really means. Don't focus on your problems and don't obsess about
"fixing" things. Avoid forcing "positive thinking." These
thoughts can be psychological irritants. Just leave yourself alone! When you
pick at things they never heal. Simply relax and give yourself some time.
—
Bryant McGill
