whale talker

2012-01-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

Natalia Avseenko

Years ago I taught Russian History as a sideline to my Natural Science classes at the college. One of the many things I came to respect in The Russian People was their almost super human physical stamina in the face of a brutal climate. This was/is of course most tested in winter, and was the true agent of defeat for both the armies of Napolean Boneparte and Adolph Hitler. The picture above is not mine but I can vouch for it’s authenticity. The woman you see diving with some Beluga Whales is Natalia Avseenko, a Russian yoga instructor and World Class Free Diver. She had heard that Belugas would not swim with Humans because we were always wrapped up in all manner of synthetic dive gear and therefore unpleasant to be around. She decided to test the theory by diving naked in Arctic waters after a hole had been cut in the ice to allow her access to The Belugas underneath. This picture is one of a handful taken of her during her swim….need I say more.

A few weeks ago, on one of the rare days I can go out to The WZ at this time of year due to wind, I came across a small herd of Dolphins and started singing “Boop Boop be do”. They seemed to like it so I was able to kayak with them for a while as they swam slowly beside me. I’ll have to try that again, it might mean something in their lingo.

More and more “Street Art” is showing up worldwide. Personally, I LOVE IT! For me it is an expression of creativity, joy and hope during a difficult time of change. An era is coming to an end, thank The Great Mystery, and it is nice to see the human spirit continue to flourish.

Went in to Los Barriles with Alan and Marilyn Pomeroy to catch the 49er’s winning their final game of the season and assuring a week off before The Playoffs. Saturday next they play The New Orlean’s Saints, always a tough go for them.

On the 6^th I was able to kayak again and came across a large herd of Common Pacific Dolphin. I made a perfect intercept and had them on all sides of me for a good 5 minutes as I paddled along with them. Definitely one of my favorite things to do here in Baja California Sur. Waters are too cold for me to go in at this time of year. Didn’t used to be but the chill factor really gets to me nowadays.

Common Pacific Dolphins

Just finished an extremely well written historical novel titled, “Falls the Shadow” by Sharon Kay Penman. It is the story of the true life Simon de Montfort, a Frenchman who became England’s Earl of Leicester in the mid 13^th century and, as much as anyone, was responsible for introducing parliamentary law after centuries of the indisputed authority of kings. Terrific read for anyone interested in the politics, intrigue and daily life in the middle ages.

Simon de Montfort, 1208-1267

On the 8^th I took a group of folks out in the panga to help me search for whales. I had been out twice before without success but it was the family and a good friend of one of my past interns, Elizabeth Plumb, and since there was a weather window that day we went out.

Eric, Jim, Elizabeth, Evelyn, Iris

The weather was ideal, Sea as flat as a lake, sky clear and a good number of whales had been spotted just about 40 miles south of my grid during the previous week…..well, longshot but maybe, eh? We went south as far as Los Barriles and saw a number of Mobula doing their acrobatics and a very placid Sea Turtle that allowed us close alongside and even to be petted, that’s rare!

I decided to go out further to deeper water and head back north towards Boca del Alamo. As we were passing Las Tinas Vicente spotted a dorsal fin cutting the water nearby. At first he wasn’t sure what it was but as we got closer it turned out to be a good sized shark. Vicente maneuvered the boat to get closer and the shark seemed to be as curious as we were. At one point it followed us, passed just under the stern and then came up real close to the gunnel on the port side as if to get a closer look at us.

Short Finned Mako

It showed no fear and was clearly not intimidated by the boat. He was close enough to touch but we all were more than satisfied to just look at him “eye ball to eye ball”. I have dove with sharks before but this one gave off such a PRIMAL energy I didn’t seriously entertain swimming with it. Vicente was certain it was a Great White but I was skeptical. I sent the above picture to a number of my colleagues and the consensus is that it was a Short Finned Mako. It was about 8’ long and absolutely beautiful. It was a real treat to be in his presence and feel that primordial energy.

So, we had seen Mobulas, a Sea Turtle and a shark…..not bad. Soon after we spotted a Sea Lion and there was fear that The Shark might just get it but if it did we were not witness to it. AND THEN Elizabeth and Vicente spot……YES, a Humpback, no two!! HOOHAH!! It was not difficult to follow them, they were youngsters and maintaining a classic 3-4 blow series with “flukes up” after the last blow. I got two IDs, HB# 1 12 and HB# 2 12, as my first whales for the 2012 season. HB# 2 12 is the better picture so I'm posting it.

HB# 2 12

I'll leave you with this cartoon, tickled me.

2011-12-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

A gift from my daughter Kersti this morning

Every semester before teaching environmental science at Mendocino College I had to make a decision as to exactly what would be my method for instilling the importance of the subject to my students. There were two avenues that I had whittled it down to after 20 years of teaching. One was to use The Mother Earth Theme, the other, The Careless Disregard theme….one to awe, the other to frighten. I never knew which I would choose until I met my first class and the disposition (hopes) I had at the time. Worked well for me and my students too I believe. In this Solstice post I had to make the same type of decision. The incredible beauty and peace I am finding in my life here in my beloved Mexico or a more serious post, not to necessarily frighten but to nevertheless embrace my responsibility as an ELDER (I am now 70) and “speak my truth” as I was encouraged to do by one of my Native American Mentors some years ago. I will do both.

I will begin with the “good stuff” and those of you who have heard enough about the many difficulties we face can skip the second part.

Pre-Dawn Solstice Fire at my place

Today is The Winter Solstice. It is the MOST ancient communal celebration in the entire history of humankind throughout the world……..ALL peoples, everywhere! Reversed in time with The Southern Hemisphere but nevertheless shared. It pre-dates the communal celebrations of The Mythical Religions (Judaism, Christianity and Mohammadanism et al) by at least 20,000 years, and that is very conservative. Please reflect then on this day, it is to celebrate the “returning” of The Sun.

The Humpbacks are definitely beginning to show up here in my grid. Almost every day for the past week or two people have been seeing them in front of El Cardonal, Punta Pescadero or Las Tinas. Not many, one or two at a time but they are here, and I of course rejoice.

I was lucky enough with my friends the other day, to come across a lone Humpback about two miles out while kayaking in The WZ. That was EXTRAORDINARILY lucky and we were able to get within about 300’ of it. It fluked up 3 times during our encounter and at one point must have gone just underneath us (no telling the depth) before continuing out of our area. With me was Charlie and his son Danny and daughter Carolyn and Robert with his daughter Jinny. A fine group of people and strong kayakers as well as being adventuress, great day for me for sure. Three days later I took them out with me in the panga for a real search but we didn’t see anything.

My dream world has been very active the past few weeks with lots of Dolphin and Whale images. That is partially due certainly to the anticipation of The Whale Season and also because I have finally started writing my Whale Book. I am into the second chapter already and I think it is going to be a most delightful project. I believe my last post got my creative juices flowing and I am excited about what will come from this.

Here is the most well remembered Whale Dream

I’m on a big sail boat in The N. Pacific, heavy seas, icebergs, I’m at the bow with “tourists”. There is a big breach in front of us, big wave too, I think dangerous. Then 3 HBs breach in front of us, I call down below to get everyone on deck, one kid is on outside of bow and in a precarious spot. I tell him to get back in, he won’t, suddenly a whale breaches right next to him and he’s overboard. Seas are too rough and cold for me to just jump in…….moral question of diving in or not, water not clear enough to see him. My son Zack is there in the bow and I ask him to stir, I finally dive in but can’t see the kid, a grey whale swims next to me, I know this is the whale that dislodged the kid, the whale is sorry, wants to help, I have no mask, can’t see anything, Navy arrives, I’m pulled out, I have no suit on, get my black one, then find I’m walking into a church (?) to be interviewed, and then dream deteriorates.

Here’s the critters I would be studying if I wasn’t doing Whales. This was sent to me by my daughter Kersti indicating the totem spirit she sees as hers. So right on!

Here is another picture she sent recently, incredible what nature offers us genetically sometimes.

Albino Peacock

And how about a REAL dragon

And for those of you who read The Tintin Books to your kids, isn’t this a nice vision?

Ok, now for the other stuff.

These are some things to consider as we approach Christmas and the coming decade.

The 6 Walton children (Walmart) have more wealth than the bottom 30% of Americans COMBINED

The Banks have melded into a small group of very powerful people,

and are perpetuating and encouraging the incredible gap between the First and Third Worlds.

The environment is eroding faster than any of us in The Sciences anticipated and it is due to The First World’s consumerism and the fuel needed to provide the goods. We MUST stop using FOSSIL FUELS completely at some point. The Planet is a CLOSED SYSTEM, there is no faucet out there to let in clean air and water, nor a drain out to The Cosmos for our garbage. Think NEW PARADIGM.

When you have an arbitrary economic system that has at it’s core, not only an accommodation for greed but an encouragement towards greed, and masked as somehow equivalent to Democracy, Justice and Freedom, you cannot but have social injustice.

When you have a government beholding to corporate power and a corrupt banking system that denies basic human rights and dignity, you cannot but have social injustice.

When you have a common religious mythology (Judeo-Christian-Muslim) that implies sin, retribution and superiority as acceptable tenants of belief, you cannot but have social injustice.

When you have a professional military that is ready to invade any country, torture it’s enemies, turn on it’s own people and devise increasingly heinous means by which to kill, you cannot but have social injustice.

The only FREEDOM is freedom from the above!

LOVE THE PLANET, FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS, BE JUST AND KIND

2011-12-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

On the 22nd of December The Earth begins "tipping" back to the vertical

Please be good to yourselves. This year, the 22^nd of December is The Winter Solstice. It will then be MIDWINTER and Grandfather Sun will begin his journey North to bring us light, warmth and rebirth. Do not despair because of the commercial and religious insanity of The Judeo-Christian-Corporate Mythology, it IS the return of The Sun that makes this period of the year truly sacred…..and that is as REAL, SOLID and DEPENDABLE as the heart that beats within you.

My birthday dinner with friends, Roxanne, Darrel, Dawn, Carla and JC was great fun. The food was excellent (I had Cajun Bacon Wrapped Giant Prawns), the conversation lively and I was allowed to tell some stories.

A few days later, on Dec. 1^st , we had the clearest water all year. I did laps over the reef and once again thanked The Great Mystery for my good fortune. I went kayaking the next day hoping that the visibility would hold but no. The WZ was not stirring either and I actually got cold out there. Fortunately I had taken my windbreaker with me and I was comfortable, so I was able to enjoy the power of Grandmother.

Big news, NASA has released information that a nearby Planet, Kepler 22b, could be very much like Earth. It orbits a star similar to our own and is at a distance from it’s sun that is called The “Goldilocks Zone”; the zone where a LIFE sustaining Planet could be found. It is a fond hope of mine that we discover Extraterrestrial Life before I pass into a different part of my journey. I’m not talking about anything but simple microbial life, that’s all we have to find just once off Planet and we can be assured that life will be found everywhere in The Universe.

Kepler 22b Artist rendition

You are all aware that for the past 8 years I have been engaged in “Scientific” research into Humpback and Blue Whale population numbers, migration routes, health and surface behavior. I have done this in collaboration with Dr. Jorge Urban Ramirez of UABCS in La Paz. Recently I have been delighted and proud to post that our work has resulted in the recognition of our area as a unique and invaluable breeding/calving ground for a large population of North Pacific Humpbacks.

Since 2007 I began to realize that these magnificent creatures deserved far more than simple “Scientific” study, they deserved to be recognized as the “OTHER” sentient species on this planet and to be treated as such. I was led to this conclusion by first hand experience, various readings and deep contemplation and meditation. In order to further my own interaction I therefore began to dive with them in that same year (2007).

Before my very first Whale Dive Courtesy Susan Janssen

First Humpback "close encounter" 2007, I'm the smaller surface object on the left

"Eyeball-to-Eyeball" with this Blue Whale 2009

"Eyeball-to Eyeball" with This Orca in 2011

Since then I have dove with many Humpbacks, Blues, Bryde’s and Orcas. I have also dove with 3 different species of Dolphin. My “close encounters” now number in the dozens and I expect will increase as the years go by.

These experiences have reinforced my belief that they are indeed a sentient species on an order certainly equal to ours and perhaps even more sophisticated.

With this in mind I have begun to relate to The Cetaceans as the “OTHERS”. Let me explain. Some 50 or more million years ago, a number of members of The Taxonomic “Class” Mammalia, began returning to The Seas to hunt for food. Exactly what influenced that move is not known for sure and it need not have been anything necessarily dramatic. The results however were. These terrestrial, lung breathing, four legged mammals began to adjust to the Ocean environment and slowly evolve body shape and physiology to better accommodate their search for food. This evolution led to The Taxonomic Order Cetacea; the Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises.

Probable Evolutionary Development of The Great Whales

The critical factor here is that within The Class Mammalia there are only four species known to possess what are called “Spindle Cells” in their brain tissue.

The cell on the left is the key to higher consciousness

These species are: Humans, Great Apes, Elephants and WHALES. It has been determined by Neurophysiologists that the Spindle Cell is necessary for “cognitive” thinking, “Free Association” and other generally recognized higher order intelligence functions including recognition of SELF and one’s relationship to others. In other words true sentience!

Of course the Great Apes and Elephants are terrestrial as is the Human, but in the case of the Cetaceans we are talking about species that have evolved this intelligence over a period at least 10 times longer than we Humans. Their brain size and hemispheric connections are also equal or greater to our own. If one were to visually compare the appearance of a Human Brain next to a similarly sized Cetacean Brain they would have a difficult time discerning which was which.

Human Brain

Sperm Whale Brain (6-8 times larger than Human Brain)

Evolution does not favor the retention of a genetic factor if it does not benefit the species. The sophistication of an organ (in this case the brain) does not evolve and get passed on UNLESS IT IS USED. The Sperm Whale actually has MORE Spindle Cells than a comparably sized human brain. Surface behavior and more recent underwater behavioral studies have also indicated sophisticated intelligence, and that doesn’t even include the “Songs” of The Humpbacks or the dozens (and growing in discovery) sounds and frequencies that The Cetaceans communicate in.

The point then is this; we live on ONE PLANET but a Planet with TWO WORLDS. Within the Terrestrial World the Human Species is THE DOMINANT intelligence, within The Marine World it is The Cetaceans that are THE DOMINANT intelligence. It is time to recognize that, honor it, and learn to live with them in a more intimate and loving way.

The other day I took my camera to the beach and took some shots, enjoy…..I did.

The "Perseverance" of Life

Beach Texture

A hunting Whimbril

And here is The Shangri-La “Fleet”, always ready, swift and loyal. The two yellow ones belong to my Quebecois (my extended family; Jean-Luc, Brigitte, Antoine, Tristan and Quentin)

The Shangri-La "Fleet"

2011-11-29T06:26:00.000-08:00

So, today is my 70^th birthday. As The Grateful Dead said, “What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been”! Born into a WWII War zone in Tallinn, Estonia, refuge camp in Sweden, New York, San Francisco, Menlo Park, Tucson, Sebastopol, Palo Alto, Ukiah and now El Cardonal (Mexico), and this is where I make my “stand”; working with The Cetacean Nation, swimming with The Critters and very literally living the simple life. My thanks to all of you that graced my years during this journey, none of you are forgotten. May The Great Mystery bless you all.

This is not my pic but I had to put it in. The “ART” of nature!

We received some blessed rain a while back and the desert responded in every imaginable color of green. Later on the 25^th we got some real rain and the desert went ballistic. I love to watch this transformation, it’s breath taking……and the smell, hoohah!!

The desert behind "Shangri-La

One of the young girls in town, now a woman (?), had her Quincenera on the 12^th. Big affair, music, costumes, dancers, food, tequila…..amazing! Each year I notice the families trying to outdo each other on the extravaganza. It’s tradition, and I honor that but the money spent is ludicrous. No different than HS graduation in The US but these folks are village people. The “lucky” girl gets one of these on her 15^th birthday. Of course not ALL the girls get one…..ah, same old, same old.

The young "woman"

Last blog post I talked about my Scorpion friend in my bootie (no, not that kind of bootie), a couple of days ago I was putting some kayaking gear into my ditty bag and when I stuck my hand in I felt something soft and hairy…..BIG spider! Not a Tarantula but definitely one of our bigger spiders. No bite though, so I let him go.

By the 19^th of the month I had been out in my kayak 5 times to The WZ without any critters of any kind to swim with. Totally cool though because I love the solitude and QUIET out there. On the 24^th however I finally came across some of my Cetacean friends. As usual I went out to the 2 mile mark and greeted the Four Sacred Directions and their guides. Then I waited. After about an hour I started a slow paddle in, Sea was flat, took my time, stopping every now and again to listen for a blow. About a mile in I heard the faintest blow. For a while I couldn’t figure where it was coming from. Definitely Dolphin, not Whale…..but where? As it got louder I finally saw their dorsal fins coming toward me from the north and well within intercept distance. At first I thought there were only 2 or 3 but then I saw that it was a good sized herd of maybe 20. I kayaked into their midst and they playfully scooted under my kayak and seemed perfectly happy to have me kayaking along with them. After they picked up speed I decided to go in and on the way ran into 2 more. I dove in with these two but was only able to swim with them for a short while. EACH time it is delightful and new.

Common Pacific Dolphins as my kayaking buddies

The Humpbacks are coming. My friend Ian who runs Exotikite down here said he saw 3 HBs while kite surfing off Los Barriles a couple of days ago. I expect to see them any time here in El Cardonal.

Urmas vs Scorpions, 125 to 4.

I’m going to dinner tonight with a few friends at our local gourmet restaurant here in El Cardonal to celebrate my birthday. While I was there the other day to make reservations I struck up a conversation with a couple of guys who had just had a Cajun Gumbo for lunch. When they heard that my birthday was coming up they bought me a take out order of the gumbo so I wouldn't miss it. Turned out I had met these same guys at a party in Cabo Pulmo 8 years ago, how cool is that? BTW, the gumbo was OUTSTANDING.

Once again, thank you for your kindnesses, support, love and respect. Que les vaya bien!

Oh, BTW, I have moved my entire website onto this blog. It’s my record of the past 35 years of research and adventure. Lots of pictures, stories, whale facts etc. The pages are to the right of the beginning of the blog under “From My MioSah Website”.

2011-11-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

The other morning I was preparing to go to the beach for my morning exercise and putting on my rubber dive booties. I gathered up my other gear and started across the flat to descend the bluff to the beach. About halfway across the flat I felt a sharp pain on the side of my left foot. I suspected I had stepped on a thorn (always a possibility in the desert). This was one mean ass thorn though and I couldn’t see it sticking outside the bootie so I pulled the bootie off and out comes a good sized scorpion. I was real lucky he didn’t sting me more than once. After squishing him with a handy rock, I continued to the beach and did my workout. The sting swoll up a little and then in the afternoon it really began to hurt. The pain traveled up my leg to my knee and then just throbbed there until cocktail time. About half way through my cocktail the pain just disappeared; hah, yet another gift from The Vodka God! Score is now 115 to 4.

On the 18^th of October a good sized contingent of Mendocino County folks arrived. Though there were good times to be had, there was also work to be done and then a celebration of the grand opening of THE MEDICAL CLINIC in El Cardonal that Lynn Dress-Meadows et al have strived and succeeded in putting together during the last 10 years. Congratulations Lynn et al…..WELL DONE!

Work well done!

Play well deserved!

I was asked to give a small slide show of my whale work to some of the visitors and it was a treat for me as always to talk about The Whale People.

Always ready to talk about The Whale People

I was sent a wonderful gift from my daughter Kersti and her husband Bill; a visitation by a group of ArchAngels that were to stay with me for a few days. The picture below is the altar I was asked to prepare for them. I am always open to gentle, loving energy from wherever it comes. Thanks Kersti and Bill, I enjoyed their visit.

Altar for my "Angel" visitors

On the 26^th I kayaked out to The WZ and came across a couple of Dolphins and two Sea Turtles. No encounters, The Dolphins were moving too fast and The Turtles dove too deep; always nice to see some of my critters though.

Had another terrific dinner and conversation with Alan and Marilyn the other night, I do enjoy their company so much.

Also on the 26^th some Humpbacks were spotted just off El Cardonal but I missed them.

Saw my first Tarantula for the year a couple of days ago, a good sized female on my top step near the trailer door. I’m sure glad they are not aggressive or poisonous because they look like HELL.

First cool night on the 28^th, actually used a thicker blanket.

I have found, and destroyed, 10 Wasps nests to date. Score: mas o menos 230 to 3, one got me on the arm while I was working in my bodega.

On the 2^nd of Nov. I decided to do a full on kayak out to the far edge of The WZ. I hadn’t done that since I hurt my back 3 months ago. Did fine, great confidence builder but didn’t see any action…..nada. I went out a couple of days later and took a nice swim in THE DEEP but again no action, even very little plankton to see. I did notice lots of Cormorants heading north, I did today too.

Part of my extended family from Quebec is here; Jean-Luc and Brigitte. They joined me in a kayak this morning and though yet again we didn’t see anything, it was a delight for me to just have them with me in the zone.

Brigitte & Jean-Luc

The following is not my picture nor do I know if it is REAL. People are photo shopping all kinds of things and I have been taken in more than once. Nevertheless, I am putting this in as a metaphor for how I FEEL when I swim with members of The Cetacean Nation. I am anticipating lots of water time with my Whale and Dolphin friends again this season.

Grateful & Honored

And last, but the proverbial, “not least”, how bout them Niners?

2011-10-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is a reminder I use now and again when I feel a little fear.

I suppose the biggest news at this point is that after 2 ½ months of chronic back pain I seem to be well again. I actually had the confidence to go out kayaking this morning. A short one, maybe a ½ mile out but I did do two egresses and returns into the kayak (sit on top) and a bit of snorkeling. Right now my back feels fine so I am more hopeful than ever that this episode of physical discomfort is over.

On the 10th I had my first scorpion in the trailer. No big deal, I’ve had as many as 6-8 in a year and this is the first in 2 years. Found him in my sink in the morning….annihilation! I’m at 93 cosmically challenged Scorpions since the 17th.

Right now I am sitting on the roof of my dear Q’s home, looking out to Sea (binocs ready), Vodka at my side, music on my iPod…..and I know, as “Suzy Q” starts playing (the music playing when I hit my “Stride” on Mescaline for the first time), that my Whale People are coming!!! HooHah!!! Yeah, I’m definitely feeling better. AND I have a SWEETHEART!!!

Here’s a shot of my new Spiny Tailed Iguana friend Gomez in front of his house. He’s lost his adolescent green and is launching into REPTILE WORLD, so cool!

Gomez

Now, every now and again I see something on FB or sent to me by someone that REALLY cracks me up. Don’t know exactly why but this one, well, for me I “laughed till I cried”. Don’t know what it will do for you but check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw

On a bit more “awesome” level, check this out….the glory of nature, why I became a biologist (is that what I am?)
http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/

The other day I took my camera down to the beach in case I might see something “special”, hah! Check these shots! I am blessed!!

Caracara

Looking North

Texture

Plover

Stick Insect

And how do some people in this world deal with their connection with this GRAND, BEAUTIFUL experience? Watch and know, THERE IS ANOTHER WAY!! BTW: this is an “UPPER”!
http://www.snotr.com/video/7331/The_Living_Bridge

Well, I got my 15 minutes of fame, two paragraphs in a slick magazine in La Paz for my “Orca Swim”. Page 32-33
http://issuu.com/paradisemags/docs/paradise_magazine_ba_10aa56

So, not only has my work for the last 7 years (eighth season coming up…HOT DOG!!) helped initiate an MMPA, it appears that our work indicates there are more Humpbacks than we thought. They are coming back after all those years of killing them (1500 in The Entire North Pacific in the 60's). I am on my knees with gratitude, I face the Eagle Nierca to The East and The Arch Angel Raphael, The Divine Healer who also resides there, and the tears stream, I have done something, I am content!!

Grateful and HAPPY, see why below
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-10-higher-endangered-humpback-whales-north.html

None of this would have been possible without every and ONE of you. May The Great Mystery embrace you as I would.

And on a completely different note....how about those 49er's? As a kid in the 50'sI used to watch them practice at Keasar Stadium in SF and I am still a fan!

2011-10-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Apparently my Spiny Tailed Iguana land partner found a mate some time ago because I have seen, only briefly, two very young STI’s near Bub’s place. I really enjoy having them about and I hope the young ones take up residence here. This one has been named Gomez by my Sweetie, it was perfect and cracked me up. He’s a little hard to see in the photo but it was the best I could get without harassing him.

Gomez

Finally got to see The Mexican Curandero (healer) in Santiago. Here’s a part of the story.

Since I had been to the Curandero's home twice before (without luck finding him home) I made it there in record time and caught him before he was.....showered and shaved!! When I walked up to the house, he looked out the upstairs window (with shaving cream on his face) and called down, hola. I replied and asked, are you the Curandero? This is all in Spanish form this point on. He said yes and when I asked if I could see him today, he said yes and would be down pronto. Waiting in his front yard was an elderly Mexican man and we struck up a conversation while we waited. This man lived in Cardonal years ago and now lives in LB. An old Caballero (cowboy). He was there for some foot work.

When The Curandero, Rubin Burro, came out he was a surprise. Not the old, grizzled wise man I expected but a nattily dressed younger (50's?) man in a baseball hat. A little chunky, about 5'8", lots of dark black hair, nice smile. I explained the problem and he took me right away into a small room downstairs with a single bed and a hard backed wooden chair. No dark abode with shells, bird wings, incense etc. As plain a small room as you can imagine. There went my imaginary classic "Curandero". He had me take off my shirt and lie on my stomach on the bed. He put his hand on my neck and immediately said, "ah, malo (bad), malo". As he worked his fingers down my spine he found EVERY hurting place I had and a couple I didn't even know about. At each one he pushed deep with his fingers and kind of "shoved" stuff around. Then he had me sit in the chair and messed with my right arm a bit, found two more REALLY, REALLY sore places and brought me almost out of the chair when he moved some of that stuff around. Then he took my head and cracked my neck loud enough I'm sure for the neighbors to hear.

On my stomach again and same routine with him saying, "bien" (good) and "mejor" (better). Back in the chair again, same routine. Back once again on the bed. Then he said to come in again tomorrow because today was to "open" me up and tomorrow we "heal". All in all I would say it was about like going to a Chiropractor but I did feel something else going on too. Maybe just wishful thinking. I know way better than to think that the pain can just be relieved, Curandero Power" or not. $18.00 American dollars.

So there you have it. I was all ready for a quasi-mystical experience (perhaps with some sacred mushrooms) so am somewhat deflated. Nevertheless, I am hoping that tomorrow will be a breakthrough. Right now there is a fair amount of pain due to his ministrations. Not a surprise.

That's it, he said NO exercise today so back to reading NGM again (ALL the books have been read, big delivery on the 18th Oct).

BTW, it is now the 10th of Oct. and I am definitely on the mend from the refrigerator episode…..NEVER AGAIN.

Having not been out in my kayak for a couple of months I had another visit from my “Pangero” Vicente. If he doesn’t see me around for a week or so he always comes over to see if I am all right. Makes me feel real, real good to have someone in The Village checking to see how I’m doing. Vicente has of course become more than just a friend. He is my partner in the study of The Humpbacks here and has become a true Whale Aficionado.

Mi especial amigo, Vicente Lucero

Due to our severe lack of rain this year (only ONE tropical storm so far) the insects didn’t get their full season of reproduction. My least favorite animal, the fly, has been almost non-existent, same with mosquitos. The BoBo’s (gnats) were pretty much gone a week ago and were nothing like last year. Truth to tell, all in all we get VERY little in the way of insect problems here on the East Cape anytime…..just too dry, it’s desert after all!

I have continued to hunt Scorpions and am up to 76 killed since June. There are over 1700 species of scorpion in the world and only 25 that are lethal….ours aren’t. Nevertheless, as I have said before, they are not welcome around the property. They eat other Arthropods and are in turn eaten by birds, lizards, mice, rats and centipedes.

Did some laps on the 4th to see how my back would react….not good but I did see a beautiful Zebra Moray Eel and a Green Panamic Moray as I was swimming. The Sea was very flat, perfect temperature and very clear; I could not resist the swim. I also saw lots of baby fish in the shallows.

Zebra Moray Eel, not my pic

Green Panamic Moray Eel, not my pic

Isn’t this a wonderful sculpture? I love it, so very evocative of human life at this time.

"Freedom", not my pic

Did another kayak on the 6th but my back STILL not up to it. I so need an “ADVENTURE” out in the WZ but I can’t risk re-injuring the back…..DAMN!!!

Me and "Haldjas", The Estonian Goddess that protects us from harm

Nights started cooling off on the 5th and news of a hurricane (Jova) moving our way. Last prediction however carries it well to the SE of us so maybe not even any rain.

Jova as of an hour ago

Went to the itinerate chiropractor again in Los Barriles and I think I am now truly on the mend. Ironically I could have paid for some men to come and do the heavy lifting work that started the problem with all that I have spent on pain killers, chiropractors, Curanderos, Doctors and gas. Something to think about!

I know that my Humpback friends are starting to return already and I would sure like to be out there in The WZ to greet them and take a swim with them. You have no idea how that “powers” me up!

2011-09-25T11:46:00.001-07:00

Well, here it is the end of September and as before, there are still some whales about. My friend Roberto (whose boat Vicente and I use during The Season) saw a Humpback 2 weeks ago. Clearly some of our Whale population here in The Sea of Cortez remain throughout the year. Probably young 2 year old males on their own. I enjoy knowing that some of my Whale Friends are around somewhere nearby during the whole year. If I come across “Odin” again it will be the 4th time and if so, he is a candidate as a “local”.

"Odin" this year

Even though we have had only one good rain this year so far, we are due for more (Hurricane Hilary is passing by next week, the 27th-28th Sept.). Nevertheless the desert continues to “Green Up”. It is very lush right now and literally bursting with life of all kinds. The other day I passed a bush that had 4 species of butterfly on it, all within inches of each other. One bush must have had 30 bright yellow ones on it, looking more like flowers blossoming than butterflies.

Possible rain?

View to the SW form the top of my bodega

Mimosa Yellow Butterflies.....or Blossoms?

Queen Monarchs

Time again to start raising funds for my Whale work here in Baja Sur for the 2012 season. As most of you know, this work has born fruit in that it has compelled The Mexican Government to extend their proposed Marine Mammal Protected Area about 30 miles north of their original plan in order to include a good 2/3 of my grid. In order to insure compliance and to continue monitoring the overall numbers and health, my photo ID work continues to be valuable. Please donate whatever you can to my work. As before, every cent goes to just ONE thing….paying for my boat and pilot.

The donation is tax deductible and can be made out to MioSah and sent to: MioSah, C/O Susan Janssen, 106 Canyon Dr., Ukiah, CA, 95482

The Humpbacks appreciate your support and love, as do I

Urmas Kaldveer, PhD
Exec. Dir. MioSah (The Mendocino Inst. Of Science & History)

I came across a most interesting graph about the prevalence of certain words in human languages. Take the TIME to look at this closely and just think, “why this word”?

Word graph

Lots of Black Witch Moths around right now. They are only here for a short period of time and a delight to see. They are larger than the common butterflies with beautiful but subtle markings on their wings…..a joy to behold. Considered lucky by The Indigenous Peoples of Mexico, they were renamed as “Witches” by The Church in order to discourage “pagan” beliefs.

Black Witch Moth

I have been approached by our local entrepreneur to be the guide in his plan to develop a “Whale Watching” program here on The East Cape. I have distanced myself from that aspect of tourism down here but I also recognize that it is inevitable that my Whales will be affected. This being the case, who better than I to be the “on board expert”? My agreement with Octavio will be that he donates his pilot and boat for that day towards my research and the people will act as paying “volunteer spotters” while I do my regular photo run. This is a win-win situation for everyone including The Whales. And I get to lecture to people about The Whale People, how cool is that? It will not therefore be a “Whale Watching” excursion but an actual research day.

We have had pretty intense heat for the past week starting around the 9th and still with us. It has been over 100 degrees every day. Fortunately the desert cools way down at night and mornings are lovely.

I had my first Scorpion in the trailer in a long time, maybe 2 years? Found it in my sink the other morning, Damned if I can figure how it got there. I immediately put out new “Bounce” sheets everywhere. I have eliminated over 60 scorpions so far this year that were on my land. Having been stung three times, I have no interest in being magnanimous in sharing this part of the desert.

I saw this poster on Face Book the other day, I have to share it. Now that’s what I call a good “attitude”.

Hope you are all well! Let’s see what kind of a show comet Elenin is going to put on.

2011-09-11T08:05:00.001-07:00

Is this not a cool shot. Obviously not mine but taken by The Cassini Spacecraft as it passed Saturn. This is a REAL photo, no enhancement of any kind, just the beauty of our neighborhood.

For the last two weeks there have been a number of Sea Turtles coming in to nest on our beaches down here. On Aug. 27th I found 6 nests and two sets of tracks. Unfortunately there were no tracks leading back in and the nests had lots of evidence of human disturbance. I am afraid The Poachers have been busy. There are laws but few personnel to enforce…..same old, same old.

On the 29th I kayaked up the coast to check a few more spots but found no other obvious nesting sites. The refrigerator I moved 6 weeks ago did some damage to my back and my physical activity has been limited. I have not been out to The WZ, well, for 6 weeks. Fortunately there are no Whales at this time so…..

When I came out of my trailer the other morning I must have been on a mutual trajectory for a Paper Wasp on it’s way to it’s hive about 8’ away. Thinking I was a threat, it stung me twice on the top of my head. Not as bad as a Scorpion sting but a bit more painful then a Yellow Jacket. I decided not to destroy the nest out of revenge and am living peacefully with the hive nearby.

Paper Wasp nest under my palapa roof.

Now that we have had a bit of rain and all the plants are green and full of blossoms, The Reptile’s are becoming more active and many, like my Spiny Tailed Iguana “Bub”, are taking on their “courting colors”. Here are some pics of Bub before and after.

Before his colors

After his colors.

I received a request to submit a short article and pics of my swim with The Orca’s in February to a La Paz magazine called “Paradise”. I have submitted it and now we’ll see. This might be my 15 minutes!

The other day I went down to the beach to take an evening stroll and saw a Green Sea Turtle coming in toward my beach.

Look in the center of the frame for a slight bump in the wave.
I gauged it’s progress and figured I could get back to my trailer and get my camera before it landed on the beach. I did that, also getting some chow and a cocktail for comfort (I may be there for a while after all). As she was coming in I got another closer pic that shows pretty good detail.

Alas, the tide and surge carried her past a safe pull out so she circled The Reef and went on North. For a while there though, I had the great good fortune of just hanging out with her. Blessed,eh!

We had our first and only, at this writing, significant rain on the 5th of Sept. 2-3 hrs straight of consistent medium heavy rain…..perfect.

Rain dripping off my palapa's hurricane net.

My plants were all so happy.

The rain also brought out the Dragon flies again by the thousands, except now most of them were “coupled” up…..aah, fecundity!! My friend the Millipedes are out again too, right on schedule.

2011-08-26T17:16:00.001-07:00

Cool shot, eh? I took this 4 years ago but I include it for “color”. The reason it is here is because my bud Vicente saw one of these guys just 2 weeks ago out about 18 miles from Punta Pescadero. Very, very late in the season for a Blue Whale to be around. It was going north too. That was August 12th. Time is becoming more and more irrelevant as I live down here, gotta tell you!

On the 14th we had a “Corn Moon” or any other of a number of ancient names for the full moon in August. All having to do with the same thing of course; bringing in the harvest, fall is coming. In today’s 1st world that means little to anyone, but bottom line folks, nothing has changed, The Seasons are our LIFE BLOOD.

Not my pic

I found a way to compete more effectively for the Cerruelo Plums on my trees. I pick them when they are still hard and raw and let them sit in the sun by my window, voila, they ripen!

My friend Michael Fishbach and his extraordinary rescue of a Humpback Whale north of me drew so much attention on U Tube that he ended up on 20/20 and PrimeTime….too cool. Lots of good publicity for our Humpbacks.

On a less positive note, the country of Costa Rica, that claims such a great environmental record, still allows the taking of turtle eggs from their nesting grounds. I was in this area about 10-15 years ago and heard about it but couldn’t believe it. Sea Turtles are genuine dinosaurs for Christ’s sake!!

Females coming in to lay, not my pic

Humans killing thousands of the babies, not my pic

We had our first rain of any significance, 15 minutes, on the 24th and was it sweet. The picture looks way more intense than it was, but oh, did The Desert smell good after it passed.

Taken from my bodega roof top.

Same day as this rain The Red Darter Dragon Flies returned. Not like last year but significant numbers.

Many of you know that my work here with The Humpbacks of The East Cape has not been just for scientific enquiry (which is totally respectable in my book) but to see if we could get this area declared a protected zone due to the breeding and calving that goes on here every year. I reported here on my blog last year, I think, that we were making head way and that it was even possible that my work was going to have an influence in the decision making process. As it turns out, yes, my work has had an influence. Due PARTIALLY to my efforts and your support (particularly financially) the border has been extended north from Cabo Pulmo to Punta Pescadero. This does not include my entire grid but a good 2/3rds of it. I am F**king THRILLED!!! The map below shows the projected area (my grid is within the stippled border) that will become an MMPA. The darker region will be highly restricted due to the numbers of mother/calf pairs seen there and the lighter area will be a refuge. I am so very proud to have been part of this. Now the work of monitoring and enforcement will be the issue. I will continue to need your support. I feel blessed by The Great Mystery to have been a part of this.

The Proposed Protected Area"

One happy "Ballenero"

Dr. Jorge Urban Ramirez, another happy "Ballenero"! He IS THE MAN!! Not my pic

2011-08-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Had our first good thunderstorm on the 5th. Plenty of rain in the mountains but only a 3 min drizzle here in the desert. Still, it all smelled so good afterward.

I woke the following Sunday morning to the deep, deep quiet of my little village. Extraordinarily quiet, I could literally breath the tranquility of El Cardonal.

The refrigerator in my Airstream finally gave out after a long and faithful service. The trick was getting it out of it’s nook. Airstreams are notable for how hard they are to work on. Removing something put in for life (a Swedish made Dometic refrigerator) as is everything in an Airstream, tested my resolve and to a large extent my strength. After taking out every visible form of possible attachment I still couldn’t budge it. I got online and requested help. They said that Airstream usually put in a silicone sealer around the whole thing and you had to cut that out or simply “rip” it out. They warned that it was definitely a two man job. Well, it’s not a two man job! I was so INTO the removal (hadn’t had a fridge for a week) that I decided on the “ripping” technique. Lo and behold it gave a LITTLE. I was so invigorated by this little success that I put all my muscle behind it and yes, I ripped the f**ker right out of there. I have replaced it with a small, very inexpensive Sanyo unit from Costco and so far am satisfied. I celebrated by having two cocktails (and some of you know what that means) and dancing on the bodega roof under the moon.

Check out the workmanship on this Swedish made fridge.

Before I leave this issue I want to give you an example of the richness of my life here in regard to the above. The new fridge is electric and my trailer works on solar so I had to rig an electric line from my bodega to the trailer. I thought for sure this would entail a run at least into Los Barriles and maybe San Jose. Before doing that however, I hate leaving El Cardonal, I thought maybe, just maybe my old friend Juan Rubin had an extension I could buy. Well, he didn’t have an extension per se but did have a 12 gauge power cord set up JUST EXACTLY as I needed and JUST THE RIGHT LENGTH!! Is that cool or what.

After this it rained a bit so I went into The Medicine Wheel to give thanks with a little dance but seeing as I had a thorn, just received, in both heels of my feet it was a limited demonstration of my thanks.
This morning (9th) The Sea was slate grey and flat as glass, clear also, better than a long time. No wind at all, dark skies to the south heavy with rain and the rest of the sky with a pretty dark overcast. Water was like velvet, warm…Grandmother again. I held my laps to a reasonable amount (considering my back) but I felt I could swim forever, totally effortless! Then it began to rain gently. Once gain, like yesterday I just didn’t want to get out so I took off my suit and just drifted with the Sea (I really, really like to swim naked). ANYWAY…as I was drifting I saw one of our Ospreys coming my way so I waved and called out to him, “hey , brother”. He did a circle around me, dived for a closer look, about 20’, and I could see his eyes and their clear “knowing”.

Brother Osprey

This of course was very cool and as I started in to the beach I saw a Great White Egret hunting the shallows along the beach and coming my way. I sunk down to my neck in the water and let him make his way toward me until only a few feet away, he probably thought my head was a coconut, and got a good look at him too.

Last years shot but you get the idea

At this point I couldn’t resist a naked walk down the beach towards Carla’s (no neighbors here right now) and marveled at the richness of The Nature surrounding me. The next pic is one I took a few years ago but no harm in sharing it with you. Caught this Pelican in the early morning just about to hit the water.

Can you believe this shot? It's not anything to do with me....it's the camera! Taken with a 35mm digital single lens reflex at 3 frames/sec

The Turtle Project is on hold until I see what the permit issue looks like but here’s one of them I took while with Vicente last season. I’m told by the villagers that the next few weeks is high turtle time. I may go out tonight for a look see. Didn’t get out but had a visit from a fellow by the name of Ramon in Boca del Alamo who has been monitoring the turtles there for some time. We had a great talk, he brought his whole family, my Spanish was well oiled by some Vodka and we may end up working together.

Green Sea Turtle. They will be coming shore anytime now to lay their eggs.

Throwing this one in just so you can see my "Pangero" and amigo, Vicente Lucero. 8 years working together with "The Whale People".

Urmas/Vicente, photo courtesy of Tyler Cook

2011-07-31T11:59:00.001-07:00

It looks like I may be getting involved in some turtle work. While John Schaeffer and family were here a few weeks back (I was in Charlotte), they spotted some turtle nests, tracks and possible shell fragments in front of their home. They brought this to my attention and after a cursory investigation it appears that indeed there is a nesting area there and therefore my interests have been aroused. The problem is, is that there are poachers about as well as town dogs, Quads etc damaging the nesting grounds. The various Sea Turtles worldwide are endangered and need all the help they can get. At present I am meeting with some of the local turtle monitors to see how I can help. I have found that it is all about PERMITS. We’ll see how that works out. The Mexican Government is very touchy (and justifiably so) about who and how Norte Americanos do their work down here.

I have been helped by Dr. Isa Posner who is visiting from Ukiah and has been my companion on a few turtle searches this past two weeks. In fact we ran off a poacher about a week ago. She also contributed the money necessary to go out looking for any errant or residential HBs. We saw no whales but she did catch a nice Dorado which she shared with me….delicious!

Dr. Isa Posner

Hurricane Dora (category 4 at one point) petered out before getting to us so still no rain here. August is our big month and I just saw online that there is another tropical depression a bit south of us that might develop into our next hurricane. Dora’s influence did however bring in a fair bunch of Agua Malas (Portuguese Man O Wars) but I didn’t get stung except for a small one I stepped on while walking the beach. I walk barefoot all the time now (unless I go into Los Barriles) so my feet have toughened considerably.

Track of Hurricane Dora

My Cerruelo tree in front of the trailer has begun putting out fruit that I will soon be able to eat. It is a small, yellow-orange plum. Somewhat bitter but my body seems to love them because I really enjoy eating them. I will be in competition with the Bird People but there’s plenty for all of us.

Cerruelo tree

My Algodones (Cottenwood Trees) are putting out beautiful blossoms this year. I look forward to the rains, this year should be extraordinary! I really do love it here in the summer…..sultry, still, exotic.

Algodones blossom

It also brings out more of The “Reptile People”. Here’s a Desert Horned Toad that came by for a visit while I was reading under my palapa.

Desert Horned Toad

My palapa and beloved trailer

On the 28th there was a small plane crash just about a mile north of me. Apparently some “Druggos” trying to make some extra bucks. Either they ran out of gas or weren’t familiar with the plane they stole so they are now no longer with us. The beach in front of my village was inundated with Federales, Municipal Police, Mexican Marines, Navy, Forensic units etc. I saw the bodies brought in, very grim, very grim.

Two days ago I did the “unthinkable” (in a desert environment) and left the water running on my plants until the cisterna was dry and the pump heating up. I woke at 1:30 am and suddenly realized what I had done. The good news….pump not burned out, cisterna full again, a reprieve.

Then yesterday the refrigerator in my trailer finally gave out (45 years old) so I have to go to Cabo next week to see about a rebuilt. No big deal really, just inconvenient and will cost some.

My life here continues to amaze me as I meld more and more with nature. I am absolutely convinced that my good health and healing is because of this intimate relationship with The Natural Forces here.

2011-07-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

So…..once again it has been a while since I posted. My life has changed dramatically due to the fact that there is someone I have grown to really care for. Enough said.

I do want to mention a visit I had with Laura Hamburg, her brother Kirt and their friend Kirk. Laura is of course and old friend, and a “Whale Diver”. I had the pleasure of getting to know her brother Kirt who I had only met briefly before. It took only a short while to find that we are “brothers” and I now consider Kirt a dear friend. We all spent the day and evening together and I crashed at their rental in Los Barriles before going back to El Cardonal the next morning.

I love this pic of Laura. I didn't take it but it was down here in Mexico.

Jennifer, Kirt, Cassie & Gabby. Not my pic and I didn't meet the whole family, but this is a great pic.

Some of the desert plants are throwing out blossoms and I caught this one before it was gone the very next day. This is on a Pitaya cactus next to my adopted family's (The Q’s or Quebecois) home next to mine.

On the 29th of June we got our first rain here in the desert....2 minutes only but started some of the plants thinking. Also got my Iguana friend “Bub” out of his home for a look around.

On July 3rd I flew to Charlotte, N. Carolina to see my sweety. Plane delayed in San Jose, missed connection in Dallas, arrived 12:30 in the morning. The week went by far too fast but every minute was a joy and a delight…..every minute. I also lucked out by motor sailing in Charleston Harbor, SC, and seeing Ft. Sumter. For a Civil War buff a definite treat. I also saw THE Corporate Head Quarters of B of A in Charlotte….different interest eh?

This morning, July 14th, is my second day home and I went out for a sunrise kayak to The WZ. I haven’t been in The Sea in almost two weeks! Had a beautiful view of the sunrise, did a meditation ( a very special one) and then returned in by way of laps across the reef. Water was real murky and lots of little stinging jellies but not painful enough to get me out of the water.

Now sitting under the palapa, writing, reading and absorbing the tranquility of my “Shangri-La”.

This last pic is not mine but taken recently here in Baja Sur. Check out the bubble pattern on this Orca.

I love Orcas!

This last pic is yours truly, courtesy of Ashley Schaeffer

I hope all of your lives are as rich as mine!

Morning kayak, boobies, dolphins, jellies

2011-06-23T12:45:00.001-07:00

We have had more Orcas in the area then in previous years. At least this has been MY experience and I have heard it said by others also. This does not necessarily portend anything but if my observations are correct then indeed something is going on. I do recall however that last year people were telling me of all the Orcas they had seen and I had seen none.

My first experience since the fantastic Orca Swim I made some months ago was on June 5th. I was doing my morning workout on the beach when I sighted what I thought at first were a small group of young HBs, Pilot Whales or large Dolphins. As I continued to watch them I realized that they were in fact Orcas. I knew I couldn’t get to my gear and back out in time to intercept them in my kayak but I was close enough to my neighbor Leslie Cook’s house to hail her. I did and she responded by getting her SUP board launched and off she went on their trail. They were too far away for Leslie to catch them but I sure have to admire her “gumption” in going out after Orcas at all. “Good on ya”, Leslie.

There was a huge solar flare on the 7th of June, very impressive. I don’t think there were any particularly dramatic affects here on Earth though.

Not my pic

My very special friend Terry Kerr from N. Carolina came to visit me on the 8th, and I will just say that my world has been brightened, expanded and made more beautiful.

Terry Kerr

On the 12th, Terry, Alan, Marilyn and I went out for a day of searching (always looking for whales), diving and fishing. We had an unexpected and terrific encounter with……yes, Orcas again!!! There were between 4-6 of them, no big males that I could see, all females and a couple of pretty young ones no more than 10’ long. They played around the panga and at one point, one of them surfaced for a blow, a look and a dive no more than 5’ away from where Terry sat at the bow of the boat. The look of ecstatic joy on her face was too good to do anything but enjoy, so no picture. Here are some shots that will give you an idea. These were taken by Alan Pomeroy except for the first one, that's mine.

Later we went to the restaurant, “1535” (the date of Hernan de Cortez first landing on the Baja peninsula) on the beach at Bahia Los Muertos for a great lunch; all in all, a wonderful day.

Pelicans at the Bahia Los Muertos boat ramp, Terry's pic

I haven’t been out at Sea much lately, wind has been up again, but plan to make a tank dive with Alan on Saturday. I did get out to greet The Summer Solstice Sunrise in my kayak on the 21st and that was nice. I had intended to do my BreathWave and Meditation out there but The Sea was a bit too restless, so I paddled in and did my beach workout and laps.

It’s starting to heat up down here so I have been out at night hunting scorpions. If I get them now there will be less when it turns wet. I am borrowing a UV flashlight from Alan that LITERALLY makes the scorpions shine like bright yellow neon, easy to see from a long way off.

My good friend “Bub”, my Spiny Tailed Iguana friend checking out the action.

"Bub"

That’s about it for this go around. Hope you are all well and that life is good!

2011-06-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

I had a nice kayak experience in early May when I went out and encountered good numbers of both Pacific Common Dolphins and Mobulas. I did swim with The Mobulas but The Dolphins were moving far to fast for me too catch up to and go in. As I was returning I heard a snort and figured it was one of my Sea Lion friends and there he was, about 50’ away and cruising the other way. I called out to him, he turned his head to me and I called again, saying, “yeah you, come on over”. Well he looked curious so I said a few more things and damned if he didn’t come right up close, dove under the kayak and then scooted off.

This is not the Sea Lion I am writing about but one I photographed about 5 years ago, same situation though.

The other day I was working in my yard and stopped for a moment to prune one of the Acacia bushes. As I looked closer I saw that the stems and leaves were covered with insects of all kinds just busier than could be. I saw 3 or 4 different species of wasp, 2 species of ant, 2 species of beetle and about 4 species of fly. I mean it was crowded! I have very little training in Entomology but I am a biologist (sometimes) so I tried to get some photos. My camera is not made for this kind of shooting so I didn’t get too many good shots but here are a couple. I went to a N. American guide to insects but could not definitively identify anything…..frustrating! Interesting nevertheless.

2 different wasps I believe

The other day I also was inspired by an early wakening to go out to The WZ before the Sun came up. It was a beautiful morning and I got out there just before Grandfather rose. I practiced my BreathWave and then meditated, as always, way cool. No encounters except with Grandfather Sun. Coming in I saw my good friend Alex Cook launching his SUP (stand up paddle board) so asked him if he would like some company. He said yes so we paddled to the south end of our little inlet and back talking about everything from “nuts to bolts”. Great time.

The other night some friends took me to dinner at Antonio’s in Los Algodones. While there I asked Antonio if he had seen any whales recently. I was surprised to hear that during the last 2 days fishing he had seen 5 Humpbacks. I mentioned how my funds were finished for this season but I’d sure like to go out one more time if there was a chance for an ID and/or swim. He said not to worry, he would take me out just for the cost of the gas. Now that’s kindness! We are going out next week to see if just maybe there is a straggler about.

El Cardonal’s annual fishing tournament is this weekend. There will probably be around 40-50 boats competing. Then a big fish feed in the village with all monies going to the school. I went out once with Alan and Jorge and we did all right, in fact Jorge won a fishing pole and reel for his Dorado.

Start of the Tournament from my roof

Local kids hanging out after the tournament

Here’s a recent picture of my daughter Kersti that could become my favorite

Ain’t she somethin'!

I went out on the 27th hoping for an encounter with some critter and lucked out. About 1½ miles out I saw a Blue Whale! Late in the season going North (?), too far away for me to try and intercept but just being within a couple of hundred yards of one is exciting. I love Blue Whale energy.

Not the Blue I'm talking about but one of the 2 Blues ID'd by me this season

My Sweet Thing from N. Carolina, Terry Kerr, sent me this picture of a snake that confronted her on her driveway. Not a viper but quite a snake, no? Bit the hand of her neighbor boy Ryan, who came to the rescue….a real Southern Gentleman.

"Mr. Black"

I was saddened over The Memorial Day weekend to see all the hoopla about heroic soldiers and not a mention that in EVERY war EVER, civilian casualties outnumber military by at least 2 to 1 and more often 7 to 1. These people did not “volunteer” to take a bullet for their country. These are men, women and CHILDREN who are simply “collateral damage”. INSANE!! I would like to see THEM memorialized!

June first I went out with my friend Antonio to look for Humpbacks. It was of course very late in the season and I was out of funds but Antonio offered to take me out for just gas money. Now that’s generosity. He appreciates my work and gets a kick out of watching me swim with critters. We went out and after not seeing anything for 3½ hrs I decided to make one more sweep in front of El Cardonal. Just about when we were ready to come in we get a call on the radio from one of Antonio’s buddies down at Los Barriles who just saw 2 HBs go south by his boat. Well, Antonio turned right around and we hustled back the 15 miles we had just come and found them. I got two reasonable but not world class IDs and then as a celebration of Sweet Thing’s Birthday I dove in with them. No close encounter but always damn fine to be in the water with The Whale People. It looked like they were probably two young males on their first solo to the Arctic without their moms.

Flank shot of HB# 46 11 & 47 11

I’ll end by wishing my son Zack, HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY, finest young man I know! June 2nd, 2011

My little "Golden Boy"

My son, the man

2011-05-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

HB# 44 11

Here is my last ID of the season; the picture even has the look of a goodbye doesn’t it? There are still a few whales in the area, 3 were seen (not by me) 5 days ago but not enough to spend precious funding on. Out of the 45 whales encountered by me this year while searching, I only got maybe 11 really good fluke IDs. A good half of the whales were mother/calf pairs so no fluke shots there (mothers won’t dive deep when with their calves who can’t) and as always the bright, high Baja sun often makes the exposure impossible, particularly of a black fluke. Great season nonetheless, how could it not be, with lots of close encounters, Orca swims and special treats like a “singer” under our panga. I am indeed blessed by The Great Mystery and am very appreciative of my unique place in life and Grandmother Ocean at this time.

On the 6th my good friend Jorge (George Sievers) and I actually got the reef study in gear!! It is what I had expected to be putting my research time in on until I began seeing all the whales. Well, year-by-year, a little bit more preparation was put into it and this last week Jorge and I did the first serious work. I must thank Jorge for keeping me on track with this project, if had not been for him I may never have really gotten it off the ground. I include Alan and Marilyn Pomeroy in this too because their help last year was invaluable. This study requires a great deal more finesse and includes SCUBA diving, underwater photography; transect development and at times just brute strength. I am proud to say that we “old timers” were both up to the task and had a ball doing it!

As with all field work there are unexpected glitches in the plans and that held true for us when we actually started laying out the rope line that was to run between our two anchor points at each end of the transect. Now most of you are probably not interested in such procedural technicalities but believe me they are both infuriating and exhilarating when overcome and make up 90% of the field time. In this case there was a significant current running and we could not get the bow out of the line to get it stretched between the two anchors. After adding lots of extra line, many dives by Jorge and my paddling my ass off trying to drag the line to the second anchor we actually did it!

Here’s a picture of the line that we laid or at least part of it.

Visibility has not been good at all as you can see. At least the water is warm, which it NEVER was when I worked for The UC Marine Lab in Bodega Bay, talk about bad conditions to dive in! We left the buoys out overnight, took a days break and then went out again on the 8th to do our first test pass over the transect. Jorge picked me up on the beach with all my dive gear and we motored out to the reef. Jorge set the timer on his camera to capture this all important and historic moment just before we went under.

Visibility sucked but there was little to no wind and a lot less current. While I tested my recording technique, Jorge tested his camera. He also got shots of us and I am beginning to get a sense of what the critters think when they see me. No wonder those Orca moms (see archives) came real close with their calves to check me out last month.

Jorge

Me. Do I look completely demented or what?

We both learned a few things and number one was that we have to do this in July or August when the waters are clear and then again in October/November. The reef does not look particularly good and unfortunately that is the case worldwide. I won’t go into a long dissertation about this but BELIVE me, we’ve got a real bad SITUATION here folks!!!

Not a healthy looking reef!

Even worse!

NEVERTHELESS, I am by nature a positive person and we still have time…but not much. After we collected all our gear from the bottom, and did a damn fine job of it, we got back aboard for a little R & R.

End of the first transect test

It was still early in the day and Jorge wanted to hit a few special dive spots between our reef and Punta Perico so we motored to them and did some additional diving. Here along the cliffs of Bahia los Muertos Jorge did some spear fishing and I finished the air in my tank just checking out the area.

Oh, and before that we came across a bunch of Mobulas that we dove in with and had a ball checking them out. As well as some Pacific Common Dolphin that went by in a herd of about 200.

Beautiful.....no?

Then on to Punta Perico where Jorge finished his air and I snorkeled. By that time we were both pretty tired so decided to head for home. By the time we got back to the beach where I could be dropped off the steering on Jorge’s boat went out and he couldn’t get back to his mooring. I helped as much as I had the energy for and then Jorge had to deal with the boat. Fortunately, like myself, Jorge has endeared himself to our Mexican community and help was available.

It was one of those days that men (I know this sounds chauvinistic, so be it) dream of, testing ourselves physically, accomplishing what we set out to do and doing it with camaraderie. Thanks Jorge, it was a special day for me.

2011-04-29T09:19:00.001-07:00

It’s been a while since I posted. Took a trip back to The States to honor my daughter Kersti’s birthday. Great time had by all. Kersti has a way of bringing the family together and then treating us to her and husband Bill’s hospitality. It was truly a wonderful day and evening, thanks kiddo.

Kersti Marie Kaldveer, age 1 day, April 23rd, 1969

Kersti Evans, just the other day taking a break in Las Vegas

Talking with Kersti's first cousin Jimmy & wife at the party, more pics to come later

Went out on my first full day back, 27th, and met up with a mother & calf while in my kayak…very cool!! Tried real hard to get close but too far away.

Went out with Vicente on the 28th, yesterday, and got three more IDs, all three moving north which was a surprise but picked up two of them again later going south. No really good fluke shots, but good comparisons. Vicente dropped me off in perfect position to swim with the mom & calf (#’s 41 & 42) but they dove just before getting to me and the water was again not clear enough for me to see them. Vicente said they passed right underneath me, oh for Hawaiian clear waters!

HB# 41 11

HB# 43 11, check out the scarring on this guy, young but been doing some fighting or gotten entangled
Going out for the last time tomorrow if winds hold.

The following was written before I left on the 14th of April.

For a number of years now I have been attempting to intercept and have close encounters (get within 10”-20’) with the Humpbacks in my kayak as they are migrating through my area. Though I’ve had maybe 4 or 5 during that time it is the result of a large number of times out in my kayak, lots of patience and most often just good luck. I have been within 100’ many times but there is something real special about being right alongside one.

The other day, April 8th, I was paddling out to The WZ as usual and hoping for a sighting, maybe an encounter, when I saw what looked like a HB dorsal fin go under. I figured it was about ½ mile away and heading south. I was really not at all sure it was a whale but my instincts said it was. I chose an angle of intercept and a location where I thought it might resurface.

About 10 minutes later this whale came up literally 30’ away from me, to my right and a bit behind me. Couldn’t have been more perfect! I started paddling to stay with it and get a bit closer when I see that the whale is turning and coming to me. Before I could get in the water, I was really taken by surprise; it dove just before getting to me and without even a ripple, passed no more than 6’ underneath my kayak. The water was very clear right there so I saw it’s whole body glide past. Talk about cool, I had never had that happen before.

I thought about trying to meet it again but then I saw 2 more HBs coming towards me from the north and pretty much to the same spot. I waited and then saw them again but they had veered to the SE and passed about 60’ away. I chased them for a while but just couldn’t paddle fast enough.

Feeling good already I thought I would wait a little longer and see if I was going to be even luckier. Well, here comes another one. Again I calculate my intercept point and…yes, I’m right on it, the whale surfaces only 30’ away and like the other one this one turns toward me and glides underneath my kayak even closer than the first one. I thought for sure it was going to lift me right out of the water he was so close! Beautiful sight to see it’s whole body slip by and my kayak didn’t even move.

Two close encounters like that in one day is a totally new experience for me and I am stoked! I look north again because that’s where they should be coming from at this time of year (remember, I am in The Sea of Cortez) and damn, there’s a big splash from what I know is a breaching HB. This one is far away, maybe 2-3 miles, but I am sure coming my way. I’m in THE WHALE ZONE and they are here, hurrah! I put on my gear this time in anticipation of a swim with it. I wonder what gringos in passing fishing boats think when they see me out there where there is certainly no diving (I’m 2 miles out from the reef), yet sitting in my kayak, fins on my feet, mask on and red bandana over my head.
As I wait I continue to see it moving closer and I adjust my position accordingly. But wait, it’s not one, it’s two…no three and they are coming just a little to my right. I paddle to match their movement but then two of them fluke up about 100’ away and I know they are lost to me. I know there is a third and they were close, YES! here’s number three now on my left and only 30-40’ away. I start paddling to intercept and then this one TOO decides to take a look. This time I bail out of my kayak before it reaches me and I have the distinct pleasure of being no more than 10’ from it and right over it’s back. I swim with it for just a few seconds and it is gone into the depths.

By this time I’m a bit warn out and I still have a couple of miles to kayak in to the beach so I choose to go in. Best day I have EVER HAD in my kayak for encounters. PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS! Of course it doesn’t hurt to live 150 yds from The Sea and have all the time in the world to kayak (barring the wind). I am thankful to The Great Mystery and all The God/Goddesses who have blessed me.

I went out with Vicente the next day and got 5 more IDs so my season has not been that bad at all. 40 is a righteous number. Here is one of the recent ones (April 9th)

HB# 37 11

And here’s a pic of “Odin" and me (HB# 34 11, April 6th) just before I decided to go in. Courtesy of Ann Marie.

Glad to be back home in Shangri-La, carrying the love of my family with me.

2011-04-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

On the 26th of March Alan Pomeroy invited me to dinner to have one of our “Dinners with Andre” series. He cooked a delicious shrimp linguini and suggested the topic of dreams, memory and sleep. I cannot even begin to describe how much I enjoy these times with Alan. The atmosphere is so very “ civilized” that I often feel transported into another dimension and the dialogue is so refreshing.

Went out to look for whales on the 29th and found 3. Good day but I was feeling a bit weak and that always both disappoints me and to some degree frightens me. It is my 70th year and all that but damn, I’m not ready to feel like this…..even occasionally! Yeah, I know…..surrender to the inevitable.

Mom & Calf

Good ID, HB# 14 11

Two dear friends from many years, Nancy & Janet

April first however I kayaked out to the whale zone, and though saw little, decided to do some laps in. I did 20 over the reef and then got cold but felt a certain delight in having done it at all.

Ah, but…..something wrong with my eye. Oh good, I have a cataract developing in my left eye. Surgery indicated……damn!!! OK, got to surrender to that now.

I am also suffering from the disappointment of a very, very light season on IDs……and then, I go out on the 4th of April and get 14 IDs, almost a record. Here are two of the better ones.

HB# 20 11

HB# 27 11

So I go out again on the 6th of April and conditions are exquisite. The Sea is like glass and there are whales about. Our third encounter is with a whale that is putting on a breaching exhibition.

We approach him/her to get a fluke shot and it gives us many, sort of like…..”hey, watch this, and now let me show you who I am” (a flukes up).

HB#1 08, HB#8 09, HB#34 11 "Odin"

Then I get this idea that I want to go in with this whale, it is like inviting me into the action. he is definitely calling me!

I suit up and Vicente tries his best to get me in good position but the best we can do is about 75 feet. I dive in and see him on the surface but can’t swim closer, he’s moving to fast. “He” did I say? Exactly, because when I get home and put the photos on my computer I recognize him right away….it’s “Odin”, the whale my son Zack adopted in 2008! This is the ONLY returnee whale I have gotten into my grid not only once but twice, AIN”T THAT A HOOT!

I am going out again Friday afternoon if the winds hold. Who knows what to expect, eh?

2011-03-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

With a pretty good start in early and mid February of a few (10) IDs of Humpbacks, a combination of winds and deeper water transits (?) and my whale friends all but disappeared. It is now March 25th and during the intervening time I have only ID’d 3 more. The last week the winds came up once again and I have not been able to get out to The Whale Zone for some time. There have been few whales seen by the local fisherman also. The whales are fine and in good numbers, as indicated by my colleagues and friends in other parts of Baja Sur, just not here. I may hold in reserve what is left of this years funds to go out next season. Disappointing for sure especially as I had a banner year last season.

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

2011-03-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

My adopted family from Quebec are here so an additional flag is flying at the entrance to Shangri-La. I have always been partial to the Fleur-de-Lis and the history it represents.

The whale season is definitely not as it was last year. I still have only 10 IDs while last year at this time I had 36. It is not of concern due to reports of large numbers around Todos Santos, Cabo and San Jose. Vicente and I believe that they will still come here to our area, just a bit later than usual. I am just happy to know they are back here in Mexican waters after their long and arduous migration back from The North. The other day however, I saw three Blue Whales and two Humpbacks within a ½ mile of shore. I couldn’t get out to them due to the wind but it was sure nice to see them cruising by and thinking I might know one or two of them.

Here’s a pic taken a week ago however, of another mother and calf pair to show up this year. This is always a good sign (this calf is probably another yearling and will be weaned down here this season).

While not out at Sea I have had the opportunity to spend time with my adopted grandchildren from Quebec. The youngest, Quentin, loves nature walks so we went on three such while he was here. Here he is scoping the arroyo for critters and then later discovering a great cache of bones.

This is his older brother Tristan who I had over recently for a discussion about chemistry. An earlier talk with him prompted me to give him The Quantum Foam Lecture. I talked for 2 hrs straight and he barely got a word in. Those of you who were students of mine might remember this lecture so you know what I put him through. He accepted all graciously.

Some of you won’t believe this but I had a visit from Jehovah’s Witnesses the other day. Now I have often commented on my views on religion but these people bring out the devil in me. Before they had a chance to even begin their spiel I gave them a discourse on the history of The Church, my delight in being a “Born again Pagan” and shooed them on their way with a somewhat sarcastic “Namaste”. I mean come on……here at Shangri-La?

I have a visitor here for a few days, Deborah Siciluna from Malta.

I met her in San Jose some months back and invited her to join me for a whale search. We went out two days ago but didn’t see any Humpbacks or Blues. Did run across a couple of really good sized Bryde’s Whales though. Bigger than either Vicente or I had seen before. Due to this being the second time out without an ID I decided not to go out again this morning and instead took her kayaking out to The WZ. No whales but on the way in we ran across a pod of 10-15 Common Pacific Dolphins. “Debbs” made a perfect intercept and the pod had a great time “playing” with her in her kayak. They were moving to fast to try to get in with them but they were all around and under our kayaks…..even bumped Debbs once. I’ve never had dolphins bow ride my kayak before, great fun of course and the dolphins were getting a real kick out of Debbs joy in the moment.

Some of you might enjoy this also. Sent to me by Debbs.

2011-02-23T16:51:00.000-08:00

A week has gone by since my last post and it has been both busy and very good. Not to say that the whale season has been anything like last year ( I have 10 IDs this season whereas I had 28 by this time last season) but that does not necessarily signify anything but vagaries of weather (my being able to go out) or simply a later arrival. I heard from one of my fisherman friends the other day that there are large numbers of Humpbacks off of Todos Santos right now. That would put them here in another two weeks or so…..if they decide to come into The Sea of Cortez this year.

Here are some whales I did encounter and get photos but the water was too cold and it was too early in the day for me to swim with them. I am at that age now where if I go in the water early in the morning and then search for the next 4 to 5 hours the wind chill from the moving boat gets right into the core of my bones, just can’t do that anymore.

This is another really good ID: HB# 8 11

And here’s another mom & calf: HB# 6 & 7

The mom put on a great show of breaching and tail lobbing for the calf and the calf responded by doing a damn fine job of learning. I suspect this may be a yearling that will be weaned this year here in Baja. Come April/May the calf will be making it’s first solo swim north for the big krill feed.

I am once again treated to a month with my adopted family from Quebec. It is an enormous pleasure for me to have them here. They are all intelligent, active, creative and loving. I am a very lucky man to have them as my “extended” family. We are all going out Saturday for a whale search and maybe a dive…..it is time. I had the special pleasure the other day of taking a morning nature walk with the youngest of the boys, Quentin. He is interested in critters, rocks, trees, fossils etc, etc and I am a retired teacher without an audience. Well, you can imagine the fun I had! Here they all are perched on the Hopi style ladder I built for them instead of steps to their roof.

From the top: Jean-Luc, Brigitte, Antoine, Tristan, Quentin

Also in town last week were a group of people I had not met before and came to know and enjoy. Four were from Ukiah (Tiffany, Kirsten, Micheal and Desmond…..and from hills of N. Carolina, Whitney). It was such a treat to have all these really wonderful people here. I had an especially delightful conversation with Whitney on the drive from The San Jose Airport. She came in later than the others and I agreed to pick her up, lucky me.

I pulled my kayak the other day to try to improve the repair on the keel. I found myself spending too much “head” time worried about another break while out at The WZ alone yesterday, no amount of Cliff Bar would save my kayak this time. I think it’s good now and from this point on it’s up to The Great Mystery (Huichol for whatever is in charge of this fantastic journey).

I did try some BreathWave exercise while out there in The WZ the other day and I have to say it was terrific. Total silence, lightly bobbing on the Sea, eyes closed and filling my cells with pure energy, way cool!

You may recall a statement I made a post or two back about whale entanglements and why I always have at least two knives with me whenever I am in The WZ. Here is what happened a week ago to a colleague of mine, Micheal Fishbach, who monitors the Humpback and Blue population north of me outside Loreto. I will let his e-mailed pictures and comments tell the story:

Hi Everyone, I have been so busy, 10-11 hours on the sea every day so I apologize for the delay. Bt here is the humpback we saved finally for you all to see.

First image is as we found her, you can see a float from the net behind her. It is the video that really shows the entanglement not any still I have.

Second image is of her fluke identification and this whale has a pretty unique one, very complex.

Third is of her breaching shortly after being freed.

Last is just before we left her, maybe goodbye maybe something else but a grand sight.

We have looked long and hard in the past 6 days and twice found a young humpback but in neither case was it our Valentines Day whale.

We will keep searching.

This is a picture from NASA passed on through FB by my dear friend Karen Hensley.
To me: The Great Mystery, The Creator, Grandfather, Aten

Namaste'

2011-02-16T14:14:00.000-08:00

On January 18th I took a few friends out to look for whales and I have been awaiting photos from that day to include in a post. So here they are with a nice little story to go along.

One of the nice things about living down here full time is that every now and again some really special old friends come through and I am able to give them a rare experience. What I call, “The Whale Experience”. This does not necessarily mean diving with them, though many have, but it does mean getting closer to Humpbacks and Blue Whales than is possible for most people. My reward for this is not only their pleasure but also my belief that they will then become “friends” of The Cetacean Nation and spread the word about the wonder of these fellow earthly travelers. Since starting to do this since 2004 I have had the pleasure of introducing dozens of old, and new, friends to The Cetacean Nation.

So about 3 weeks ago these old friends, and one new one, were in the area, the winds were right, and we went out. In anticipation of possibly diving with them they all suited up before the adventure.

From left, Susanna Pepperwood, Laura Hamburg, Addison (?) and Carrie Hamburg

I can’t remember exactly but I think we saw some dolphin, turtles and Mobulas but my recollections dim as I get older. We did however indeed cross paths with a Humpback Whale. This guy as a matter of fact.

HB# 2 11, "Laura's Whale

I call him a guy because we had the distinct pleasure of coming across a “singer”. This is a male Humpback carrying last years song of The East Pacific Humpbacks and inviting some new verses (or introducing them) from other male Humpbacks and/or just announcing his intention to engage in combat for a lady this year.

To hear the song of The Humpback in real time is a treat that I continue to find almost too much to bear in it’s beauty. We could hear it clearly on the surface and vibrating through the hull of the panga. He was clearly near, and to me, announcing his willingness to meet. After getting my ID shot (I was so wanting to go in that I rushed my shot so it is not a world class shot but…I’m only human) I turned to my friends and said, “I’m going in, suit up if you are coming”.

Within minutes I was ready and I saw that of the group it was Laura Hamburg who was going to join me. What I didn’t know was she had never had a mask and snorkel on or worn a wet suit….we are talking novice, and she is going in to 500’ of water in front of a full on 40 ton Humpback…oh well, she’s a grown woman! I tell her where to sit on the gunnel of the panga to do a reverse flip into the water and ask her if she has done this before (talk about a stupid question) and she say’s no. Well, we are nearing the whale and I am explaining to her the technique, she is nodding as though she is just about to do her first dive into a pool and we go in. I tell her to look for me right away, clear her snorkel and mask and there we are with the whale coming at us.

Laura hamburg and I......and HB# 2 11

We do this twice and get within about 50’ of the whale but visibility is bad. Nevertheless, that whale was within a distance of us that it knew full well our position AND ATTITUDE, and gifted us with a close pass. Here are two pics of Laura and me in the water after the whale has passed. I really admire the willingness and courage of this young lady to do this. It reminded me of how proud I was of my son Zack last year when we dove into a veritable circus of three male Humpback fighters and their 40+ Bottlenose Dolphin audience (and raucous to say the least) and he also never having done anything quite like that before!

Two other recent adventures (my but the year is full of excitement already) to relate. On the 9th I went out and did get a “world class” ID on this Humpback. Ain’t it a beaut!

HB# 3 11

Shortly after the above photo we received a call from El Cardonal on the radio that there were some Humpbacks in front of the village. Vicente and I high balled over and found this mom and calf. The mom is HB# 4 11 and the calf, HB# 5 11.

First mom and calf for me this season.

The next day I go out and find no Humpbacks but when we go further out into the Blue Whale Zone (8-15 miles) we come across two Blue Whales. What makes it special is that two new friends, Lon & Liz Fitton from Los Barriles are with me and get to have “The Whale Experience” with these very cool critters. The day was beautiful, the Sea calm, The Whale cool and I went in. Same old problem, visibility, but Vicente said I got REAL close, maybe 20-30’….I could FEEL it, just couldn’t see it underwater.

B# 1 11

So….the adventure continues, can’t wait to see what’s over the next horizon.

2011-02-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

Bigtimes in the water with my "friends" this last two weeks

It has been a very special two weeks for me in a number of ways. My first experience took place on the 30th of Jan. There was another break in the wind so I went out to The WZ to look for an encounter. I did't see anything for quite a while so I just lay back in my kayak and listened with my eyes shut. I heard what sounded like the surface activity of a "bait ball" but louder than usual. I see coming at me from about 1/2 mile away a large herd of dolphins. As they get closer I see that it is a a herd of at least 100 maybe as many as 200. I paddle directly in their path and bail out of my kayak just before they reach me. Visibility is bad so I onle see a few go by but definitely more than ever before. I climb back into my kayak and chase them but they are moving too fast. Oh well, it was cool. But then the whole herd turns around and heads right back at me.....the whole herd! I dive in front of them again and this time they come much closer so I really get a lot of encounters. They are clearly checking me out. I chase them, make noises, wave etc to let them know I am one of them. After they pass I climb out again, start paddling back to the beach and damned if they don't turn AGAIN and come for me. Well, out I go and this time they are everywhere around me, closer still and I FEEL I have been accepted. Incredible.

The next day was another good one wind wise, so I went out looking for Humpbacks with my neighbor’s daughters, Tyler and Lexie. The Cook family has been one of my longest and most generous supporters of my whale work here in Baja, and it was a delight to take two of their three charming and intelligent daughters out for a search.

The day was a bit dark and cold but they were game and ended up on our route south bundled up as best they could. We ran pretty fast because we had received word from one of the fisherman near La Ribera (Vicente has all his buddies looking out for whales for us) that there were two Humpbacks there. La Ribera is a good ½ hr haul from El Cardonal so we were traveling fast….therefore the cold.

Lexie on left, Tyler next to her. They are two very attractive young women, I promise to include a photo of them in a later post.

Lexie

Tyler

Tyler & Lexie's dad and my good friend, Alex, kite surfing the big wind this week

When we got to the area the whales were not there of course so we moved further south a bit since that was the direction the fisherman told us they were going (this part of the story becomes more relevant a bit later). Unfortunately (fortunately???) we didn’t go far enough and missed them by minutes because on our way back north we got a call that they were now at Punta Arena and we could have easily found them had we gone just a little further south. Field work can often be disappointing that way but I love being out at Sea so much it’s all good for me regardless.

On our way back north both Vicente and Tyler see blows in front of us about 100yds away. I see some dorsals (fins) but they look like dolphins to me….and no real blows but they are both certain they are whales (Tyler has been out with me before so she knows what to look for). Well, they are whales but ORCAS!!

Now I saw some Orcas about 5 years ago while kayaking but they were at least a half mile off so no encounter. These are right in front of us and there must be at least 6 maybe more…and they are very active! When we close on the pod we see that they are hunting/playing with a good-sized herd of Mobulas (rays related to the Manta Ray but smaller). Tyler and I start taking photos as fast as we can because this is way out of the ordinary experience one gets even if you really, really work at it and have lots and lots of money. Vicente is blown away too, he has never seen this before and it is going on all around the panga. It is also clear that there are more than 6, perhaps as many as 10, or even more. Most are females but there are one or two males in evidence for sure; one does a full breach only 10 ft from the panga to take a look at us (and NO I am not anthropomorphizing).

While I am photographing I am suddenly struck by the thought that this is on my “Bucket List”. I have been talking about swimming with the Orcas for years. I called it the hope for the “swim of a lifetime”! However, I am a bit trepidacious because I am only human. And then Lexie says, “Urmas, this is your chance” (or something to that effect because neither of us remember what was actually said). I put my camera away, donned my dive gear (no tanks) and ask Vicente to get me near them. Vicente decides to put me in THE MIDDLE of them. We stop, I bail out and suddenly I am surrounded by frantic Mobulas and joyous top predator hunters having a good old time.

I try to remember now as I write this, “was I fearful at this point”? And the answer is no, NOT AT ALL. This is not because I am brave or courageous believe me, it is because I FEEL that I am now part of something ELSE and that the Orcas as well as the Mobulas are accepting me into their “world” and will do me no harm. Not because I am “good” but because…..well, I love them all.

At one point a large Orca passes by me no more than 5’ away with a Mobula in it’s mouth, looks at me, releases the Mobula and takes a closer look at me. What passes through my mind is her voice saying, “my, my, will you look at that, it’s a human”, kindly and with more than just some degree of surprise.

After the pod moves on a bit, the visibility sucks, I can only see about 30’ so Vicente pulls the panga over, I climb out and he asks, “Un otro tiempo”? So we get back in their middle and he drops me off again. Now I’m really into it. I want to be part of the Orca mind so I dive as though chasing Mobulas (think of the Caribou scene in the movie, “Never Cry Wolf”)…..way cool, now I’m getting some real interaction. We don't see any blood or body parts in the water, and from my perspective under and on top of the water amongst them they did not seem to be feeding as much as playing/training the young ones.

I have Orcas all around me checking me out. At one point 6 Orcas pass within 4’ of me (not a ripple do I feel) and all turn on their sides to get a good look, I wave and yell through my snorkel some unintelligible thing meant to say, “hey amigos”! Then I get the feeling that they are getting used to me being there and just occasionally glance at me while harassing a Mobula, I have experienced Orca mind. They are after all THE MOST INTELLIGENT CREATURE in The OCEAN WORLD.

By now I’m pretty tired and cold so I climb out. Tyler looks at me and with not a waver in her voice asks, “can I go in”? I had to say no, the responsibility was to great. I don’t recommend this for everyone, it is dangerous. They are large, have big teeth and personality. I am at heart a biologist and have a certain trust in the animal world, particularly whales and dolphins…..and I have led a good long life already. Please understand this has nothing to do with courage….or a death wish!

Oh, the mother & calf Humpbacks down by La Ribera. You see, they should (?) have been continuing north but didn’t, they returned south. Vicente and I agreed that she knew the Orcas were just north of her and she needed to protect the calf (one of The Orcas favorite meals is baby Humpback tongue) so left the area. If this bothers you then I certainly hope you are not a biologist or you must be suffering terribly in your work….or you are in denial.

The movies of the encounter just take too long to upload so you'll have to catch the show at another time.

My good friend and whale mentor, Dr. Jorge Urban Ramierez at UABCS in La Paz, is checking my dorsal photos against his from last week where a large pod of Orcas were feeding near Isla Espirito Santo north of me.

The Great Mystery has once again blessed me. I MUST assume I am deserving, or it makes no sense.

Later in the day, after a hot tub at Lynn and Bob’s and a good strong screwdriver I am famished for a hamburger. I drive to Los Algodones (the village 1 mile south) to see if my friend Antonio’s restaurant is open. It isn’t but they are preparing for a political meeting. Antonio asks if I want to take a burger with me. I think he means just the meat so I can cook a burger at home. No, he gets his wife too cook me a “grande” burger as I tell the assembly stories about whales, my Orca dive and why they must not let the development company from Monterey fence the arroyo.

As I drive back to my village on our dirt road at a stately 5 miles an hour, eating the best hamburger I have ever had I think…..I am “HOME”.

*Addendum: Orcas in The Sea of Cortez are known to eat the Mobulas.

2011-01-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

just something pleasing to the eye and the spirit (not my photo)

Had a great visit from my friends Susanna, Carrie, Laura, Nantzy…and a new friend, Addison. The day after their arrival was an excellent Whale Search day so on the morning of the 18th we got into Vicente’s panga and started for the WZ. Within ½ hour we received a call from one of Vicente’s friends that there was a Humpback near Punta Pescadero.

It didn’t take long for us to see the blow and we were off. By the time we had gotten in good position for a photo it was almost 10:00 and the day was warming up. The water was also very calm and there were very, very few Aqua Malas (Portuguese Man “O” Wars) around so as I was taking a last photo I turned to my friends and told them that after the next picture I was going in for a whale swim and anyone wanting to join me needed to suit up.

After my last shot I turned to get on my own suit and there was Laura Hamburg all set to go in… suit, mask and snorkel. What I didn’t know was that Laura had never snorkeled in her life nor even worn a wetsuit. I was very impressed and not just a bit trepidatious at taking a “first timer” with absolutely no experience into the water to meet a 30-40 ton mobile critter coming her way. Nevertheless she was determined and after all she is a grown woman so the decision was hers. I asked her if she knew how to bail out of a skiff with mask etc and of course she hadn’t so I explained the procedure to her. Someone remarked that it might be easier to put the ladder out but Laura refused that, said she wanted to do it “right”…I loved that.

Vicente got us into position (difficult because this whale was changing direction after each breath set) and we bailed out. I asked Laura to meet me as soon as she came up and we would see how things looked. She had a little trouble with her mask but with the whale in sight nearby she took off with me in an attempt to close in. The whale however dove again before we could reach it and the water was not clear enough to see more than 20-30 feet so no underwater viewing. We were close to the whale topside (maybe 60-70 feet) but not near enough for me. Laura was ready to go again with great enthusiasm so Vicente put us in position and this time we were dropped directly in front of the whale and within maybe 50 feet of it before it dove. Still couldn’t see it around us but Vicente said that we were real close with the whale underneath us somewhere. Oh, by the way this whale was a “singer” and that was a special experience for everyone because he could be heard distinctly. He then moved on somewhere else and Laura and I reveled in the wonderful feeling of having been that close to a creature so large and so intelligent. For those of you who know Laura have her tell her side of the story, I’m sure it will be a treat. I should be receiving some photos of all this soon and will post immediately, both here and my next post.

I did get a fairly good photo but definitely not a world class ID (but a good “comparison” shot though).

This is HB# 2 11, I’m calling it “Laura’s Whale”

This is his right side and you can see the damaged dorsal fin, probably from earlier combat. As a “singer” he was calling in another male.

We also saw Turtles, Mobulas, a Marlin and a herd of Dolphin…great day! I was treated the night before to entertaining everyone for dinner at my trailer and enjoying the wit, humor and intelligence of the group. I swear I haven’t laughed so hard in years…it was shear delight.

In a recent post I mentioned how and old motorcycle injury has kept me from attempting kite surfing down here. This is a picture of the amateur class moto-cross race I was in while a graduate student at The Univ. of Arizona in which I layed my bike down in a turn and wrenched my left knee; put a big dent with that knee into the gas tank. This was 1967 or 68 I think so I was about 26-27 (before I developed an eco-conscience).

I just finished reading a book given to me by Gwen Riddell called, “Born to Run”. Fascinating, and though it is about running, it is about so much more…and not the Lance Armstrong type stuff. It is about The Tarahumara people of Mexico and what their kind of “running” means to us all. I myself am not a runner but I was deeply affected.

Another book I recently finished is “The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail”. This is a scholar’s approach to this ancient legend and if it does not connect some dots for you I would be surprised.

Speaking of “legends” there is a myth I would like to clear up. I do this because as the myth is perpetuated more of our Whales will die, as well as a great many other Sea Creatures. The myth is that there is not enough food in the world to feed the continuingly growing human population. DON’T GET ME WRONG (misquote me!), over population is a huge problem, if not the greatest we face as a planet, but the myth that there is not enough food for our billions is a lie. What we have is a HUNGER PROBLEM not a FOOD PROBLEM. There is plenty of food, more than enough, which is not the issue, the issue is that food production has become a mega business controlled by a very, very few and their ONLY interest in producing food is making a PROFIT. In setting up agriculture as a business they have made it continuingly more difficult for the masses to purchase it. In another words you can’t grow your own, you have to BUY it and they control all the pricing. The food is there it is a matter of DISTRIBUTING it. Based on Capitalism food has become something that a great, great many people simply can’t afford.

The perpetuation of THE MYTH allows them to increase the length of their longlines and drift nets, double the boat traffic every 20 years and trawl the bottom of The Oceans keeping 10% of the catch and discarding (now dead) 90% as “By Catch”. All of these techniques are to increase the food for the “masses”….bullshit. It is to increase profits. In the meantime, boat strikes and entanglements already scar 50% of our North Pacific Humpback population. This will not only continue but also increase as long as The Myth holds people in fear.

Fishing of all kinds takes place in pretty much the same areas that the World’s Whales migrate (which they MUST do) so THERE WILL BE MORE STRIKES AND ENTANGLEMENTS. During the 7 years now that I have studied our local Humpback population I have come across one still swimming entanglement, two dead Humpbacks from entanglement on our beaches and have been asked to assist in two more entanglements south of my grid.

I will continue to monitor this population of whales and do all I can to discourage the continuation of “The Myth”. The Great Mystery has brought me here to live in this most beautiful place and has given me the chance to pay back a certain Humpback Whale that saved my life off Bodega Head in 1971.

2011-01-16T06:33:00.001-08:00

How can I not start this blog without the most exciting news? I ID’d my first whale of this 2011 season on the 10th. Here he is….”El Primero” and adopted by my good friend Jorge Sievers in Colorado.

"El Primero", first Humpback ID of 2011 Season

I believe “he” is a 2-3 year old male due to various combat scars on his dorsal fin. Had it not been for Marilyn Pomeroy’s suggestion we go out (very short wind window last week) and Alan Pomeroy’s “spotting”, Vicente and I would have missed him. He was real close but a short way behind us and his blow was not heard by any of us. We followed him for about an hour until I got this shot and then Alan asked, “now can we go in”? (he loves to swim with them as much as I do). Unfortunately we missed our chance because by the time we were geared up he went down and we lost him. I’m going out again Tuesday or Wednesday, as the winds are dying a bit.

The winds have been real good for the world class “Lord of the Wind” kite/wind surfing competition in Los Barriles right now. I went to watch the Masters Free Style event and got some photos but the wind wore me out before I could enjoy the after competition nightlife. After dinner tonight I may just drive back in and check out the scene. Some friends are in town and I may see them. They are coming out here to El Cardonal Monday to go with me on my search Tuesday. The more eyes the better!

A couple of posts back I mentioned an old friend, Frank Denney, who I buddied with as a kid and later off and on as a fellow traveler on this trip called “Life”. While rereading a book from the past I found this picture stuck in the pages. That’s me on the left and Frank on the right sitting on the deck of a place I built in Potter Valley, CA, must have been around 1975. I was in a REAL low place in my spirit at that time and Frank helped me out of it. Muchas gracias, amigo.

Me & my buddy Frank Denney, 1974

On a bit lighter level, this is what can happen driving in an arroyo around here. This is not my vehicle but one of a friend. Finally took another friend, Jose Martin and his backhoe, to get the SUV off the rock. One of the things about it all was that there was not even a grimace on anyone’s face the whole time. John Hensley was there too and it was just 4 friends solving a problem while still enjoying the beauty of Baja.

I don’t have a picture of the next event but Alan and I went out to his mooring buoy the other day to retrieve his anchor. He was going to tank dive down to it (it was stuck) while I watched from above to help lift, clear etc. All went well and I mentioned to Alan on the way in (each in our kayaks plus an extra kayak for the anchor, buoy and 100’ of rope) that we pulled that off like old pros. Alan laughed and said we weren’t through the surf yet and on the beach.

Well, I went in first, beached and waded out as he came in to stabilize the second kayak so it wouldn’t broadside in the surf (it was roped to the stern of his kayak). All looked good, Alan went in fine but I couldn’t steady the second kayak because a bit of a roller was coming in just then so I shoved the second kayak so it would ride as straight as possible and not mess up Alan as he was pulling out (remember he is still roped to the second kayak). Bad decision,

I shoved the kayak right into Alan as he was getting out and suddenly both kayaks are askew, Alan is trying to control them and I am in the surf unable to do a goddamn thing. Alan goes over on his back and does a graceful backward somersault and I stumble out of the surf like a shipwrecked sailor. We really must have looked like The Keystone Cops and no one appreciated it more than ourselves. For about an hour after we would break out laughing just thinking about how we looked after all that “professional” appearance out at the mooring.

This last picture is of my daughter Kersti and her husband Bill Evans. I put it in just because I think they look so good.

2011-01-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

If you missed the kayak rescue story, go back one post.

Winter north winds are starting to blow, so very few chances to either kayak or swim. Luckily I have a bunch of real good friends that keep bringing me books, DVDs and movie downloads so I am not at a loss for entertainment. I miss the exercise but the work in the garden makes up for some of that and I can always walk my beautiful beach.

Here’s a picture of a very friendly and fearless Sea Turtle that let us visit with it a few days back, we saw three that day which is always nice.

Not so nice is a dead Humpback that washed ashore north of us wrapped up in a gill net day before yesterday. We tried to find it so I could get some shots and maybe some ID from the gill net but as hard as we searched we couldn’t find the whale. This is becoming an increasingly serious problem as the myth of “not enough food for the planets people” is perpetuated by the food industry. There is way more than enough food to feed everyone, it’s simply distributed according to profit, therefore the majority of the worlds people simply can’t afford it. As long as THE MYTH prevails, there will be more gill nets, more entanglements etc.

This is a whale similariy entangled in a gill net and dead that washed ashore during the 2009 season.

I have posted pictures of some of my really good friends off and on and the recent HS reunion has inspired me to show you some of my very dearest men friends. Alan Pomeroy and George (Jorge) Sievers (Mexico buds) I have posted before and in my last post I had my old buddy Frank Denney on the blog…..well here’s another.

This is John Erving who I started school with in the 4th grade. We went to different high schools and Universities but always stayed in touch and still see each other now and again. He was a real fine athlete, as were all my friends, and we shared some “high” adventure, ie: sailing a small “El Toro” boat on Clear Lake once in a BIG wind. John skippered and I kept some of the younger guys comforted. We climbed Mt. Konocti together and raced jeeps. This picture was taken recently when he realized one of the items on his “Bucket List”, a ride in an open cockpit biplane.

Had some great news from my boy Zack regarding some Native American energy.

In July of 2010, the Feather Dancers of the Tribes joined Friends of the Eel River (FOER) at a swimming hole in the Hearst area, a few miles downstream of the PG&E Potter Valley diversion (PVP) to the Russian River. The dance was to call in the waters to aid the salmon in their migration. The waters came!

Not my pic

For 6 years I crossed The Border on Dec. 31st so I could spend New Years Eve at Hussong’s Bar in Ensenada, Mexico. It is my favorite bar in The World and if it weren’t so far away I would still be going there. Can’t be there but I still put out my new Earth and Mexico flags each January first to replace the previous years wind blown ones (you should see them after a Hurican). This year was not so bad.

Before pic

After pic

Saw some blows from my bodega roof yesterday, really got my juices flowing. Arranged with Vicente to go out after the 15th (depending on winds) and see what we can find. The seasons first ID is always kinda special. May have some spotting help from my dear friends Susanna Pepperwood and Carrie Hamburg.

2010-12-29T20:05:00.001-08:00

I wanted to leave up the last blog so that people that may be “overwhelmed” with The Christmas frenzy might be able to relate to a more peaceful and worldwide concept. I was going to wait until The First to put up a new post but couldn’t wait.

So, a little special story to tell. I have often written about my solo kayak trips out to The WZ (Whale Zone). That is an area about 2 miles out from the beach and where I have had the greatest number of encounters with Whales, Dolphins, Mobulas, Turtles etc.

Whenever some friends are in town, or when I have just met some interesting new folks, I like to invite them to go out there with me and perhaps share in an encounter (unique but well worth the effort).

This past week my good friends Juanita and Mike Riddell have had their three daughters visiting and I asked them to go out to The WZ with me on the 20th. All three are accomplished, intelligent, strong women and a delight to be with. Gwen graduated from Yale with a Masters degree in Nursing and is now a midwife in Santa Rosa at The Community Health Center, Jen graduated with a Ph.D. in Botany from Arizona State and is working for The American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC, Kirin recently graduated from Stanford University in Earth Systems and is an Associate in Research at Duke University…did I say accomplished? I taught specialty classes at The Waldorf School in Northern California in which Gwen and Jen were students years ago.

From left: Gwen, Jen, Kirin

We got out nice and early around 8:30 am and the conditions were good all around. I did notice however that my kayak was acting a bit wobbly but I thought it was just me and because I had a different dry bag strapped behind me changing the center of gravity.

By the time we were close to The WZ, Gwen, who was directly behind me, commented that the stern of my kayak was riding pretty low in the water. When I turned to look I almost capsized the kayak (not at all dangerous in itself, it is a “sit on top”) but it was clear my kayak was taking on water. This meant there must be a leak in the hull.

This kayak has been with me for 14 years and has been completely reliable under a number of different conditions, some of them a bit dicey but never a leak. I called to Jen and Kirin to hold up and that my kayak was in trouble. I dove out of the kayak, put on my mask and went underneath to see if I could spot the trouble (it had to be a hole somewhere). No luck, so I asked the girls (I use that term with great affection AND their approval) to put their kayaks together and we would pull my kayak over the top of theirs, drain it and see if we could find the hole….or at the very least not let it fill anymore and have it sink. If it sank it would be goodbye to my beloved kayak because at The WZ it is between 600-900’ deep, therefore no recovery. Jen JUMPED RIGHT IN to help me maneuver the kayak into position and help shove it across the other 3 kayaks. Kirin suggested that we tie the 3 kayaks together at their bows because we were having trouble lifting the now HEAVY kayak unto the others without them separating. Rope was gotten, Jen tied them off and we tried again. Still very difficult, so Kirin STANDS UP in her kayak so she has more leverage to pull and she and Gwen pull while Jen and I push.

When we get the kayak up I see where the water is now draining out and it is a 2” by 1/8” crack at the base of the keel. OK fine, we know where the leak is, it is draining and the kayak is stable, laying across the other three. We are 1½ to 2 miles out so we still have a problem…how do I plug the crack so I can paddle back in?

A number of good suggestions are made but I am fixated on somehow “calking” the crack, but with what? Then I remembered I had an old CLIFF BAR in my kit and perhaps it would do the job. With Gwen ENCOURAGING ME THAT THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD START, I can tell she, and Jen/Kirin are a bit dubious. Nevertheless I begin stuffing the crack with old Cliff Bar. Gwen then asks if I have anything that might augment the rather tenuous strength of the CB. I do! I have some cotton balls in my kit (as nose stuffers) that I carry if I have another high blood pressure created nosebleed while out kayaking. I work those in with the CB and I am beginning to feel confident! Gwen asks about any plastic I might have and we eventually engineer a repair based on the CB/cotton “caulking”, a plastic sandwich bag over that, my scarf pulled tight over that and tied around the hull with rope from the painter from one of the kayaks.

We agree that it doesn’t look very cool but it does look serviceable for the trip back. Unfortunately all our time had been taken up messing with my kayak and the wind was coming up so we had to paddle in without really having the chance to enjoy the WZ.

When we got back to shore my kayak was completely dry and we agreed (they very kindly) that the trip had not been a disappointment and that to some degree it was kind of exciting. For me, I was real happy that I had not lost my kayak.

But think on this….suppose, the girls hadn’t been there with me. Two things are very clear; I could not have drained the kayak and therefore probably lost it…AND I would have had a 1½-mile swim in to shore. I would have been very sad to lose the kayak in which I have had so many adventures and I am not all that sure the swim in would have been anything but difficult. I am a very good and strong swimmer, and it is part of my almost daily exercise, but the water is cooler now and I am just coming off some health issues, so…

I repaired the kayak the next day and we went out to The WZ again yesterday without a problem. To Gwen, Jen and Kirin…may The Great Mystery always, always watch over you! Thank you just doesn’t quite cover it.

After hearing my story my friend Alan suggested I carry an inflatable apparatus with me when I go out (I’ll never give up my solo times in The WZ) and perhaps a life jacket. I will not wear a life jacket but do have one now strapped to the back of my kayak….I ain’t stupid!

2010-12-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

Not my pic
First off, HAPPY SOLSTICE!! Don’t let them fool you, it is astronomically mid-winter, not the beginning of winter, and this is the oldest ritual celebration of our species, honoring the return of The Sun northward. DECEMBER 21st.

So dance to the return of The Sun, Not my pic

Every now and again when my eyesight fails me a bit I wonder whether I’ll be able to spot whale blows like I used to. Here in my area we don’t have so many whales that their blows are everywhere as in Hawaii, so Vicente and I often have to really be focused to see some of our critters. Well the other day I was doing some work in the garden and as I was moving some pruning, and not looking to sea at all except as a back drop for my view field, I caught an anomalous, faint mist in the air about ½ mile out in front of Alan’s place. There was a wind chop besides but as I stopped and focused, there it was again…a whale blow! I saw two whales out there but couldn’t identify them for certain; could have been Blues. I am now confident that I am in fact just as capable as before and am ready for the season to begin (I may go out next week for a first search).

Alan and I took a little drive to El Sargento (a bit up the coast from us) to attend the local school’s science fair. We both have a fascination with everything that is alive…and a lot of other stuff too like rocks and Galaxies etc. As we expected, it was small but fun nonetheless and I made a great contact with a woman who has lived up there for the past 15 years and has been watching the whales for some time. She promised to e-mail me when there is a “gathering” of them near her. She said that last year, my best year ever also, there were whales of all kinds no more than a ½ mile out from the beach, if that. There were Humpbacks, Blues, Sperm Whales and thousands of dolphins. Vicente and I can get there in about 40 minutes by panga so we are ready! To top off the day, we went to the restaurant at Bahia Los Muertos (now named Bahia Los Suenos so it doesn’t scare Gringos to go there) and had a great lunch. You would not believe how beautiful it is there.

I have met a delightful young Mexican artist, Paulina Vargas Garibay. She attended one of my benefits last year and has become a dear friend. Here are some examples of her work, I suggest you check her blog for more paintings, paulinart.blogspot.com; her e-mail is paintpau@hotmail.com. She has won a number of awards and has shown her work in both Mexico City and Todos Santos. She is extremely versatile and has much to offer….and she is a very sweet person besides.

On the 17th I woke to a very still Sea and of course that meant a trip out to The WZ. Apparently I missed a pod of Orcas that were feeding at the edge of the reef at the same time but I am sure one day we will meet up and I’ll have the swim of my life! I did see one Sea Turtle, and had THREE dolphin encounters. I went in with all three groups but the Sea was pretty turbid so I didn’t see any of them under water (I gave it a hell of a try) but they were all around me on the surface, just not close enough to see when I dove. However, on my first dive out of my kayak I saw the most beautiful jellyfish. I don’t have an underwater camera so here is a picture I got online.

Bolinopsis sp., Not my pic
It was about 18” wide and 20” long, UTTERLY diaphanous, undulating and had four rows of blinking neon florescent beads dividing it into quadrants…extraordinary. If any of you saw the movie “The Deep”(?), where there are these alien water creatures, it looked like the angelic one. When it began to descend I followed it up close and it was just too beautiful to describe adequately; oh do I love this Sea!

Weather looks good next week for my first Whale search with Vicente. I’m hoping to have the three delightful daughters of Mike and Juanita Riddell along. I taught two of them (Gwen & Jenny) as a specialty teacher at The Waldorf School in Mendocino County when they were youngsters. The youngest, Kirin, went out with me about three years ago and we found a group of 11 Blue Whales cruising by and then 2 Humpbacks too, what a day!

2010-12-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for making my past birthday one of the best ever. Though most of the contact was electronic, the love and energy expressed could be felt in every part of me. The day ended at the home of Alan & Marilyn for a dinner of an incredibly good turkey curry, some chocolate, chocolate cake made by my friend Lisa Pedroni, and then sitting back to enjoy watching The 49er’s WIN.

Me at 69 years + 7 days

There were some interesting debates regarding how I figured my age; I have COMPLETED 69 years and am entering my 70 year but of course not yet 70. But my 69th year is over. Oh well, it is of little import but for me, significant nonetheless.

I received two e-mails from friends further south of El Cardonal (San Jose & Vinorama), who are beginning to see Humpbacks in their areas. This of course means they are moving back to The Cape and should be arriving here soon! Unless I spot a number of them from land, I will probably not go out for my first search until mid-January (my first Humpback ID last year was on the 14th of Jan). I am anticipating another good season, but only time will tell, eh?

Two intrepid kayakers passed through here last week, Ken & Wendy from Whitehorse, Alaska. No, they hadn’t kayaked all the way down but they had started far north of me and were reaching their destination at Cabo Pulmo only 40 miles south of here; a total of 3 weeks coastal kayaking along The East Cape.

They are serious birders, check out their blog: www.birdyear.blogspot.com

The Saturday that they left my area was one of those especially beautiful days down here with no wind, skies clear and temperature of air and water just about perfect. Alan and I went out to The WZ and had a nice time talking about a multitude of things, no critters stirring though, not even one Mobula.

Wanted to show you a pic of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Frank Denney, who recently returned from Alaska. He and I challenged the limits put on us and had a great older childhood skiing, hiking The High Sierra, riding the train (before we had driver’s licenses) to San Francisco to catch the Burlesque shows at The 3rd & Peerless, listening to George Shearing at The Gilded Cage with our fake IDs secure in our pockets, sneaking into the public pool at night for a swim…..and a lot of other stuff besides. Frank and his delightful wife Jackie are inveterate travelers and have seen a good part of The World, much more than I. What a time we had....and what a time they are having!

Our local Osprey family has produced another brood. About a week ago the whole family was out (parents + two young ones) doing some raptor training. What a privilege to watch.

My grandfather’s book has been republished and is available through Amazon. It is a true adventure yarn of his time in China as a Sea Captain.

Lastly, this is a pic sent to me by Wendy (of the intrepid kayakers), knowing I would enjoy it so I share it with you.

Sun and moon
On Oct. 7, 2010, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, observed its first lunar transit when the new moon passed directly between the spacecraft (in its geosynchronous orbit) and the sun. With SDO watching the sun in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, the dark moon created a partial eclipse of the sun. Image Credit: NASA

2010-11-29T06:34:00.000-08:00

Today, Nov. 29th, 2010, is my birthday. Yes, this is a picture of me at around 4-6 mths (?) while still in Tallinn, Estonia, where I was born in 1941.

Of course that makes me a Sagittarius and I am certainly one of those.

Today, as of 2:00 am in the morning, I am a full 69 years old and am now, at this moment, in the first few hours of my 70th year. The 60’s are now the past and my 7th decade on the Planet has begun. For me this is a milestone for various reasons. I can now consider myself an elder. True, people live to much older years but I am a strong believer in a quote of Jack London's. “The function of man is to live, not exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time“. So being an elder is significant for me. There were a number of “elders” in my extended family, we all lived together when we came to The USA (forced to do so by WWII) and I had great respect for them all, as well as a certain awe of the lives they had led.

Yesterday I went out to The Whale Zone in my kayak (the one day this week when the wind will be down) and was gifted by The Cetacean Nation with a close encounter visit by 3 Common Pacific Dolphin that swam near my kayak and did not leave when I entered the water. I was able to swim with all of them under the Sea for a while, and as always, it was an absolutely wonderful experience. Every time this happens I find my body, mind and spirit integrated into the whole that is Urmas Kaldveer….it is a gift indeed.

Since starting my breath work as an adjunct to my daily meditation I have begun to see deeper into my past and the journey that I have taken. Overall I am satisfied with my performance as a human manifested Eternal Soul ( when I use this term it has nothing at all to do with The Judeo/Christian/Muslim religions) but I also see a number of times where I have stumbled; at times hurting others, and often myself besides. I am clearly fortunate in the circumstances under which I now live here in Mexico, and I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to discover (or rediscover ?) more of myself, and in the process…..others.

I am most grateful to my daughter Kersti and my son Zack who withstood a classic old world discipline as youngsters and a father who at times was clearly not thinking straight and they both did it without turning the home into a battle ground. We all worked on it together and they made it easy. Here’s a picture of the three of us in Baja about 8 years ago.

I am also deeply indebted to my deceased mother, Erika Kaldveer, for her utter devotion to myself and my brother Peter in giving us standards to live by that were demanding but totally loving and reasonable.

My mom and me in Yosemite, 199(?)

These 69 years have been exciting, challenging, heart breaking, inspiring, painful and all those other things we call life. Now I am on to this decade of my 70’s. I have no expectations, no quests, no hopes to live “a long life”…..only a good one.

2010-11-26T08:43:00.000-08:00

Dolores, if you are reading this, I dedicate the following pictures to you.

On the 24th, I went down to the Sea to swim once again. While there I saw a bird perched on a piece of driftwood and could tell right away it was one I had not seen before. It flew away before I could get close but I got a good enough look to be pretty sure that it was a Kingfisher. Checking my field manual I found that there is a local Kingfisher, The Belted Kingfisher, but that it is generally found near streams, lakes or estuaries; none of which exist here for some distance.

This morning, the 25th, I went to the same spot but with my camera and I was delighted to find yesterday’s bird pretty much in the same spot and got these pictures.

It is indeed a Belted Kingfisher and the first I have seen here. They are a truly an extraordinary bird. I read in Natl. Geo. That they can dive from a limb above the water, snare a fish and return to the limb in 2 SECONDS! That is phenomenal and I still find it hard to believe but NG is quite reliable on it’s claims. I hope I will see it (males & females are both highly colored) again and maybe witness one of these amazing dives.

During the time I was watching I also saw this Whimbrel

an Osprey, a Semi-Palmiated Plover, these California Brown Pelicans

and a juvenile Black Bellied Plover (thereby not having the black belly yet). This Plover was also a first for me.

Then when I returned to my home this guy showed up, yet again a new bird for me. This is a Rufous Crowned Sparrow. I’m not 100% certain on this one and if I find later I made an incorrect identification I will let you know.

Not my pic

Thanksgiving was a delight with a traditional turkey dinner at Alan and Marilyn’s home down the beach from me. It was without question one of the top three turkey dinners in my memory and I did it justice…..just a little too much justice but not too bad either.

The wind is going to die down on Sunday and I hope to go out to The WZ to see what’s up. I am beginning to scan the Sea for blows now. A bit early but I am anxious to see my whale friends return. Actually in the 6 years I have been taking photo IDs only one whale has returned from a previous season. That was the whale adopted by my son Zack that he named “Odin”. Perhaps this year I will see more old friends. I am quite sure to meet some new friends!

Today is the 26th and it is grey, cold and windy…..well, comparatively speaking that is.

This is the first flower I have gotten on this transplanted Hibiscus. I thought for sure it was a goner.

2010-11-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

I am sitting under the palapa this morning and reveling in the clean Sea air, the sounds of the desert and the warmth of a bright November sun. I have just come through a difficult but not particularly serious health episode involving my blood pressure and a significant back strain. I feel much better this morning than I have in weeks and even swam some laps the other day.

While in SJD last weekend to give my annual Whale Presentation I was treated to a massage and then a bit of breath training by my friend Robin. Whenever I stay over in San Jose now I always take a room at Raices y Brasos where there are clean, comfortable rooms, a first class organic restaurant and a group of the finest young people you could find anywhere. I am always treated with kindness and respect and have come to see them as “family”. I feel once again blessed to have such fine friends. I most highly recommend that anyone visit their facility and enjoy the terrific food and good company.

Brigitte and Jean-Luc (the young couple that have adopted me) from Montreal were here for 10 days staying in the beautiful home they built next to me.

It was a delight to have them here as always and I am looking forward to their return in February with their boys, Antoine, Tristan and Quentin. Their family’s love for the Sea (and it’s critters) and their joyful immersion in it daily warms my heart.

They have also built this Inukshuk on their property next to our Medicine Wheel.

It is from The Inuit and other Arctic Circle Cultures. They were used as reference points for navigation across The Tundra and sometimes as food cairns. The pictures below shows the Spiny Tailed Iguana that uses it as a place to sun himself.

Due to the health matters mentioned before I have not been out much in my kayak but I do have some new friends coming Fri/Sat and I have promised them a tour out to the whale zone and then the reef. I will take it easy but I am “chomping at the bit” to get out there again.

I haven’t seen any more whales for a while and neither have the local fisherman but I am sure they will be showing up soon. I would love to go out further (15-20 miles) to see if there are any Blues going through but alas, insufficient funds for that. In regard to funds, I would like to personally thank The Backman family for their generous contribution at my presentation. They also adopted a whale, HB# 9 09, a handsome black tailed Humpback that they will soon name.

Anyone interested in donating funds for my work now is the time. The 2011 Season starts soon and the more funds I have the more times I get out, the more data I gather AND the greater chance I have of affecting environmental policy down here. Remember, these are “our” whales, these are The Humpbacks that migrate yearly through the waters of The East Pacific. Their home is the entire West Coast of North America from Baja Sur to Southeastern Alaska.

It is almost too cool for the BoBo’s but I see that now that it is warming up (in the last hour) they are gathering around my computer, nose, eyes and mouth, definitely not one of my favorite critters.

That’s about it for now, Shangri-La continues to nourish my soul.

Namaste & Peace

s

2010-11-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Have been dealing with some health problems again so I have not been as active as I would like, therefore not much to write about.

Nevertheless here is some news and pics.

One of my friends from the HS reunion found this picture in her files and sent it out. That's me, top row, far right, 1954, 7th grade. Eight of my classmates in this photo were at the reunion.

This is a picture of my "honorary" granddaughter, Lola. Isn't she a beauty! Just starting ballet lessons.

Brigitte and Jean-Luc (my "adopted" family from Quebec) found this guy climbing up the exterior wall of their home this afternoon.

This is the male counterpart of the female I posted last week(?) and indicated as a male; never claimed to be an Entomologist!

I have been out in the kayak only a couple of times these past two weeks but haven't seen much. Apparently missed a Humpback just a mile or so south of me the other day while out but didn't see him. They should be starting to come in another month or so.

Recently found out that my grandfather Peipa (our nickname for him), who was my surrogate father, was awarded The Naval Expeditionary Medal by The Congress of The US for his heroism during The Panay Incident in China in 1938. He was an Estonian Sea Captain and was the Captain of The Standard Oil Tanker "Mei Ping" during that event.

Captain Peeter Julias Mender

Stepped out on my little deck off my trailer door the other morning and found a pile of FOX SCAT on the first step. To do that the fox had to be MOTIVATED. What in the world have I done to that fox that he/she decided to do that?

2010-10-24T15:25:00.001-07:00

I am happy to announce that my website is back. Unfortunately the domain name is slightly different and now does not match my brand new business cards. The difference is minor but of course determines whether you can access it. So here is the new one (note the dash between urmas-kaldveer.com). 2010 data is not up yet but again I am hoping it will be before the year is out.

A number of whales have been seen in the area recently. I have not been fortunate enough to see any of them myself but it is very early in the season and these are either resident whales or perhaps whales that did not go the full distance to Alaska and instead did their feeding in California and have returned early. They are not all Humpbacks but some Fins and some Bryde’s from what I can gather.

It has of course enticed me to go out to The WZ and see what’s up. Yesterday (Mon. 18th) I came across two groups of Pacific Common Dolphins, jumped in with both groups, one veered off and the other I got to see underwater for a few seconds. Short as it was it was well worth the kayak out just to be with them for even a bit. An added treat to yesterday was that when I went in with them I was at about 900’ depth so the Sea is just this vast blue field that gets darker real quick. There happened to me thousands of little fluorescent blue jellyfish out there and to me, looking straight down, they appeared like brilliant stars in a cobalt sky…very cool!

Well, I couldn’t resist going out again this morning and had my second most fun Dolphin dive ever. Numero uno goes to my dive with my son Zack in March where we went in with about 40 Bottlenose Dolphins and 3 Humpbacks for a little “close encounter” swim but today was special also.

I went out a little after sunrise and paddled leisurely out to The WZ, meditated for about ½ hour and then scanned the horizon for activity. Seeing nor hearing anything, and with the wind coming up, I decided to head back in. Before doing so I put a thought out to The Cetacean Nation to come by for a visit. I also wanted to swim for a bit and see if I could attract any curious critter; I usually don’t swim in from 2 miles out but the water was just too inviting not to so I started in. Before going in I thought I heard a fairly good sized splash nearby but couldn’t see anything jump. There was also a Magnificent Frigate Bird stealing a fish from something that I assumed was the splash (seal, Tuna, Bonito???).

So I dropped in and began to swim….it was delightful and I felt very, very relaxed and strong. At about 4 laps the Sea was beginning to get choppy and my snorkel filled so I decided to get out.

Sitting in my kayak and readying for the paddle in, I suddenly saw two dolphin nearby and I got the feeling they had been curious as to what this swimming thing was. I went right back in and though I knew they were very near I couldn’t see them when I dove down.

I got back up into my kayak, saw they had moved a bit, followed them and then went in again. I looked below me and there ahead of me and about 15’ down was a single dolphin maybe 20’ in front of me. I started swimming toward it and as I closed on it, it turned and came towards me.

Not my picture but certainly captures the moment

As it approached to about 10’ I waved, dove down towards it and it swam a bit away. Then it went up for a breath, I followed and we went down together. It came closer and I again went towards it and we did this for about 5 minutes. What I realized while all this was happening was that this was not a Common Pacific Dolphin, Spinner or Bottlenose….this was something different.

I tried to focus on it’s appearance but I was so into the moment that I really didn’t get all the info I should have (as a “scientist”). Now having checked my field manual I am 90% certain it was a Rough Toothed Dolphin; first that I have experienced but not at all rare in the area.

It finally dove deep and it was time to end the encounter (wind still coming up). By the time I got over the reef it had died again so I swam another 20 laps in and was treated yet again by seeing a Zebra Moray Eel, what a life, eh?

On the 21st we had a bit of a quake in The Sea of Cortez a little ways above La Paz. I was in my trailer taking my morning rest after a sunrise exercise session, reading, and I felt the trailer start to shake and saw the palapa outside moving. Being from California you get used to this kind of thing so I enjoyed the second and third tremors and realized once again how secure I feel in my Air Stream. Apparently it was a fairly good sized quake (6.3 I think) and not surprising since The Sea of Cortez IS THE CRACK BETWEEN THE NORTH AMERICAN AND THE PACIFIC PLATES. My son zack e-mailed soon after to check up on me…sweet.

The hurricane season though not officially over does not seem to have anything more in store for us (famous last words?). I see nothing on the computer for at least the next week and by then the waters will have cooled enough to discourage formation. The season was very short with the last “event” being Georgette, which left a fair amount of rain but hardly a “Chubasco”. Last year we got as far as Hurricane Rick (alphabetically) that could have been bad but veered before reaching The Cape Region.

Although my Spiny Tailed Iguanas are still around (the eldest having been recently named “Zeus” by my adopted grandson Quentin), the lizards have been more scarce this year. No where near the number of Desert Iguanas I used to see. Same with Orange Throated Whiptails or Zebra Tailed Lizards. Nothing implied, just different. I did however get treated to a fairly rare (in this region) Western Skink. Very handsome little fella, eh?

Western Skink

The last few times out in my kayak I have also been visited by Least Storm-Petrels. One stayed with me for about an hour the other day while I was out at The WZ; just me and the bird staying within 100’ of each other. They fly very low to the water and remind me of bats though a slight bit bigger; same wing beat.

Least Storm Petrel: not my pic

Speaking of kayaking I went out on the last full moon and enjoyed the special peacefulness of The Sea at night. There were some Mobulas out there but not much of anything else. To be directly in line with the moon and it’s beam on the water, with everything still around you and the kayak rolling with the swell is extraordinaire!! Next time I will wear my kayaking suit; got a little chilled out there (did have the smarts to take a light windbreaker though).

I am having incredibly insightful dreams almost every night. It is as though a window has opened in my mind and all my experiences/emotions are being reviewed and analyzed. So far not too many dark spots; but some for certain.

2010-10-18T13:32:00.001-07:00

I thought this was a rather interesting sunrise. The conditions made the sun look HUGE!

Last week I registered my car in South Dakota because unlike California, SD does not require proof of insurance, smog check and only charges $38 for yearly registration. This saves me over $1000 a year here and that is significant in my life style. I should receive my new plates in the next two weeks; yet another major commitment to my new residence.

Went out to sit under the palapa and do some bird watching, picked up my field manual and a good sized scorpion popped up. Scittered off before I could send him to Arachnid heaven but reminded me to check under stuff. Still no scorpions in the trailer, and that’s very cool!

It was a short stay for the millipedes this year, just a few days and they were gone. I am certain it is a weather (amount/distribution) thing and has been duly recorded in my nature journal.

Water and air temperature has shifted downward significantly. No need for a fan at night and I often even throw a light blanket over me in the early morning.

I was delighted to find that though I am getting older my balance is still pretty darn good. The other day while going down the trail from the bluff I started to slip into the adjacent gully (would not have been at all pleasant) but was able to right myself twice as my feet skidded out underneath me. I was also carrying my snorkeling gear, paddle, back rest and other kayaking paraphernalia but still kept my feet without falling.

A group of some of my very favorite people, and some new ones, were here last week. To :Juanita, Emily, Lynn, Shauna, Deborah, Becky, Becky “the younger”, Linda….so nice to have seen you!

Warning! Be sure to keep up your Website hosting and registration fees for your domain name. The minute you don’t the Chinese buy them and then put them up for sale again at 10 times the price. I have found out the hard way. My website will no longer be www.urmaskaldveer.com but www.urmas-kaldveer.com. This should go into effect soon. It has been a REAL HASSLE !!!

Water has been very clear the past few days, really beautiful but there are some Agua Malas (Portuguese Man O' War) around. I was stung yesterday while getting into my kayak, fortunately a small one.

Went out this morning, Oct.18th, and came across two groups of Common Pacific Dolphin.

I took this picture some years ago but they are Common Pacific Dolphins.

Went in with both groups and was able to see one of them underwater but the other group veered away when I went in. Very cool though because I haven’t had a dolphin swim in quite a while. I was out a bit over 2 miles so water depth was around 900’ and I was treated to a really beautiful site. When I went in to encounter the dolphins I looked straight down and the sea was filled with tiny fluorescent blue jellies so it looked like stars against the dark blue depth of the water….mesmerizing! That alone was worth the kayak out.

Vicente came by to let me know he had seen two Humpbacks down around Punta Pescadero (5 miles south) last week, also a couple of Fin Whales and a Bryde’s Whale or two. Keeps me going out to The WZ, never know when the timing will be just right and I’ll have an encounter.

Please note that my website is back online with a new domain name: www.urmas-kaldveer.com (note the dash)

2010-10-03T10:35:00.001-07:00

For any of you that are wondering what happened to my website I am working on it and hope it to be functional again soon. In the meantime it can be accessed with the following URL: http://linksky78.com/~intrepid/

I expect that the most exciting thing to happen recently is my discovery of a GOOD SIZED Desert Tarantula under my towel the other day.

I have an outdoor shower I use most of the year except during winter, and leave two towels hanging on the fence nearby. The other day I grabbed one of the towels, shook it out (always do that now because of the occasional scorpion that might be hanging out there), and then saw this guy (males are out looking for mates right now) right there where my towel had been. I have wanted to see one of these critters for a long time and so there he was. I have to say they are about as mellow a critter as I have ever seen, I mean mellow. No sign of any aggression as I took a really close look and then I couldn’t help myself, I had to touch him. He remained totally laid back so I talked with him for a while then got the camera and took the above shot. He was still there in the late afternoon so we visited a number of times as I worked in the yard. The last time I saw him I wished him good luck in his search for a mate.

Another rather exciting thing is that I found my lost kayak anchor yesterday. About three weeks ago the line attaching it to my kayak leash separated from the leash and disappeared into the depths of the reef (not very deep, maybe 25-30’). I hadn’t noticed it until I saw that my kayak was not where it should have been. I tried right then to find it but to no avail. So yesterday I am doing my usual swim in from a half mile out but decide to do some crisscrossing over the reef just for fun. Believe me I am not even thinking about the anchor. I decide to do 100 strokes in, 50 to the north, then 100 to the south, etc. On that 100 stroke leg to the south I see to my left a thin white line. Yeah, it was the rope on my anchor and of course there it was. Chance in a million…at best! The anchor itself is only about 6” by 4” and was wedged under some rocks.

The other morning I came out of my trailer door, looked to my left and there was this sunrise.

We are treated to these regularly down here and at times they are truly breath taking. Seeing as I am active before the sun rises I get to see these every morning. Cool way to start the day!

Every now and again I like to take on a construction project (a constant during “The Old Hippy Days”) and this time it was a carport for my trusty Subaru. I finished it in record time and I am pretty sure it will hold up in a hurricane but we’ll see one day I’m sure.
There are 200 10’ pieces of Carrizo (a local bamboo like plant) each secured by 2” wood screws. Each piece had to be cut to length, shaved, drilled to take the screws and then secured to the two beams. All the while The Bobos (small incredibly irritating flies) were swarming around my mouth, eyes and nose and the temperature was in the high 90’s. It was a real labor of love for a car that has been faithful to me for 8 years now.

This is a picture I took, again off my front porch, a few days ago as a small squall was passing through. I was fascinated by the way the wind blew the rain and made it dance….really sweet.

Speaking of sweet, the other day my first wife, Macy, sent me this picture she saw on the net.

Not my pic
She knows I’m a sucker for pictures of little girls after the fun I had in raising our own little girl, Kersti. Interestingly I opened the picture shortly after once again being absolutely dismayed by the antics of the American People and their leadership. I was really pretty depressed and then I saw the above picture and began to cry. Not from depression but from HOPE, they are, as always, the dream of a Just and Peaceful World.

2010-09-25T18:50:00.001-07:00

This pic is just to get your attention. It is my daughter Kersti in her Halloween getup in 1980. Costume by Dana Crumb, my second wife and to a great extent my kid's savior.

Had a nice visit from my new friend Stephanie and her daughter Mary Jane. Took them out to The WZ twice in kayaks, saw 4 turtles, a Mobula or two and one really large Panamanic Green Moray Eel. The eel was about 4 ½ feet long but it’s girth is what was so impressive. I would estimate that it’s dorsal to ventral surface was 9”-10” and 5”-6” broad at the neck, a real elder. I believe I remember someone telling me last year of seeing this same eel (Jorge, Alan, Marilyn)?

Panamic Green Moray Eel, Not my pic

Dry as a bone down here around El Cardonal up until this morning (Tues. 21st). Started raining last night (Tropical Storm Georgette) and it is now 11:00 am and it is still blustery with intermittent rain….yahoo!! We expect more the rest of the day and some tomorrow so every critter happy. Of course that means the BoBo’s will come out again and the scorpions but that’s the way of it, eh? There is no indication Georgette will develop into a Hurricane but people are putting up shutters here and there.

Talk about bad timing, I chose to do a major wash yesterday and all my stuff is out on the line right now. Boy will it smell good when it all dries out!! Just had another quick cloud burst while writing the last sentence. The trailer of course is snug as could be, I even had a cup of hot chocolate this morning.

Oh, by the way, my website is down for a bit but I am in the process of reestablishing it. This years changes will also be up before the end of the year I expect.

I have decided to build a carport for my dependable Subaru Impreza (these are such great cars); it deserves it. 7 solo trips down here and back from Ukiah (1700 miles) without one single problem, ever!

The Sea is supposed to calm way down in the next few days so I’ll be kayaking again soon. I did my first full work out yesterday after a two week hiatus. Also back to 2 meals per day and lots of Creosote/Green sun tea. Feeling revived!

It is now the day after Georgette and I tried a lap swim this morning, bad choice. The sea was full of little stinging critters and before I got 30 strokes in I was ready to leave the water. Not unexpected but I had to try. That gave me the morning to work on a palapa I am building over my car. The work went well and my body feels it. How did I ever put in the 8 to 10 hr days with The Yurt Works??

The millipedes and the black beetles are back. WATER changes everything so, so fast. The plants are of course happy but the insects are just ecstatic!!

Vicente came by a while ago to say hello and promised me some fresh Snapper or Dorado tomorrow, he’s taking some Gringos out for fishing. Although there are a very few hardcore gringo fisher people here occasionally, El Cardonal is in it’s quietest period right now and I love it. Just finished eating the last of the tuna Vicente brought me 2 weeks ago.

I’m rewatching all the episodes of Lost right now and need season 4 & 6, anyone got them? E-mail me: ukaldveer@gmail.com. I never saw season 4 and have not seen 6 and I’m just enjoying the intricacy of the plot. I have been told the season finale sucks but that doesn’t change anything….I’m having a good time with it NOW.

Skimmers yet again, biggest migration yet on Wed. 22nd. Eliminated a good sized scorpion today. He was under my garbage can outside and could have given me a serious grief if stung.

Javier (Jose Martin’s brother) saw 2 HBs going north on this day about 2 miles out, no action or tails but cruising. The pic below is one I took last year from my place at the early part of the season. You just don’t mistake this for a Mobula, Marlin or anything else.

THEY ARE RETURNING!!!!

Great kayak the other day, full moon going down, sun coming up, Friday 24th.

2010-09-15T12:28:00.001-07:00

Today is Mexico's Independence Day and Bicentennial. I'm off to the village tonight for a bit of Fiesta!!

Just returned from The States where I took care of many final disconnects and to connect with my friends from HS at our 50th reunion. Before I get into that though I want to catch up on some of the action down here before I left on the 7th.

On the 31st of August The Sea was real flat so kayaking out to The WZ was a must. I got out before sunrise, greeted Grandfather Sun and then meditated. Very soon I heard the blows of Dolphins and spotting their location was able to kayak with them for a while….always a treat! Then I returned via The Reef, doing my laps and viewing all the life beneath me. Suddenly I saw a couple of rays down about 20 feet below and looking closely realized they were a new species for me. When I turned to my left I saw another 50-60 coming right at me so I got a real good look. For sure they were a new species. For an old biologist this is always special. When I got in I identified them as Pacific Cownose Rays. Totally harmless and quite different than The Mobulas I see every day. The picture below is not mine.

I keep having to change my report on The Red Skimmer (dragon fly) migration. They did finally do the big one on the 2nd of Sept., much later than last year. Both the temperature and the humidity were considerably higher that week and I suspect that that was the mitigating factor…not surprising. There are more insects in general but still only one scorpion that I have seen (almost stepped on him at night while wandering around barefoot). The scorpions here are not lethal but do give a damn painful sting, and having been stung three times in the last 6 years I know it would not have been pleasant. I just cannot stand to wear anything but sandals here and even they are restrictive.

Vicente saw a Humpback in the area on the 2nd of Sept. and my friend Antonio saw 3 Fin Whales around the same time as well as another Humpback. I’m not sure how rare that is but it is unusual. I would sure love to meet up with any of them while kayaking.

I was down at the beach the other day and had my camera in case of something special to photo and while there I saw a bird I couldn’t identify. I took his picture and when I looked in the field manual it turned out to be a Willet. It is a fairly large shore bird and about a foot tall when standing. I got these shots before he flew off, beautiful upper wing pattern, no?

The night before leaving for The States I stayed at the relatively new Holistic Community Center Raices y Brazos (Roots and Arms) in San Jose. While there I was treated to a most beautiful and rare experience. A Humming bird had her nest at eye level in the courtyard of R & B and I watched her feed her babies from a foot away. I did not have my camera so didn’t get a shot but this is what I saw.

Now about the reunion. I graduated from Menlo-Atherton HS in Menlo Park, CA in 1960. A good high school, relatively new and close to Stanford University so we were treated to the energy that emanates from such a prestigious institution in our midst. I however was not much of a student and though not ignorant, I was not particularly motivated. Nevertheless I kept my grades up enough to attend a State University (Washington State U.) and played sports, had a sweetheart and partied regularly.

My family moved to the area in 1951 to take advantage of the excellent schools there. One of the very pleasant things about the reunion was the fact that most of the people attending I have known since the 4th grade. My very first “girl friend” was there, the one who gave me my first kiss and changed my life forever.

I can’t relate all the wonderful things that happened around this event but I can say that if you miss seeing your old friends by not attending your 50th, remember; you are getting older (83 of my classmates have died) and it might just be worth saying those things to dear friends that you always wanted to say but were held back by convention. No need to say nasty things, they are just your own inability to forgive and release.

I do want to mention just a few things though so here goes. I couldn’t afford to rent a car or stay in motels so I called upon friends to help out and here’s what they gifted me: my ex, Susanna Pepperwood gave me a ride from SFO to Ukiah after dropping off a dear friend, Susan Janssen put me up for three nights and lent me her car while I raced around Ukiah with a list of 20 “to accomplish” items, Juanita Riddell worked tirelessly to get a venue at the college for my lectures, Jim Mastin helped to make that happen, Rebecca Kress gave me a lift to San Bruno so I could catch the train to Palo Alto, John Erving (a special friend from the 4th grade) picked me up and he and his beautiful wife Kristine put me up for two nights while driving me to the two reunion events I attended, my son Zack who came down to visit and had the poise and courage to attend the pre reunion cocktail party, Dick Burns, Geoffrey Powell and Bob Beckstrom who drove Zack and me to The Oasis (a classic college hangout we all used to go to for beer and burgers) and then back to John’s after a rousing visit, Sheri (Smith) & her husband who drove me home after the reunion party, Bill Symon (another of the “special” friends from the 4th) and his delightful wife Gloria who took me in for the next night and drove me to SFO the next morning, Stephanie Doran (a new friend) who picked me up at the SJD airport with my car and got me started on my trip back to El Cardonal. Each of the above events was filled with love and mutual appreciation……I am truly blessed by The Great Mystery.

As far as the reunion itself, I don’t think I stopped talking, listening, hugging the entire time. Too many people to mention you all but to Sheri, Lia, Vicki, Bonnie, Gail, Frank, Cynthia, Susie, Rex, Jeanne, Clive, Sue, Sam, Terry, Bob, Carolyn, Stephanie, Kent and those I mentioned earlier…..”Que les vaya bien” (may your path go well)!

You all know where I live now, come on down…and thanks for the memories.

2010-08-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Not much of real adventure to report on but I like to keep somewhat current seeing as this blog is becoming more and more the record of my life at this time. I still write in my journal occasionally but only very private things for my kids.

I will start by throwing in a picture taken in 1962 at my family home in Menlo Park, California. That’s me sitting on the floor with a pipe in my mouth (I was a collegian after all but not yet radicalized) at bottom left. I am 21 and the event is my grandparents 50 wedding anniversary.

Their three daughters are seen, two on either side of my uncle Van (top, who taught me how to work with my hands and instilled the “work ethic” in me…also taught me how to ski, bless him) and my mom in red. My brother Peter is sitting next to my grandmother and seems to be in pain of some sort. Below him is my cousin Redik. Sitting behind me is my great aunt who was the “Bohemian” in the family and tried (with much love and little success) to draw me into the occult. She had been married to a White Russian Colonel during the revolution and after he was killed in battle she, by herself, found her way back to Estonia from Vladivostok. Amazing woman. I am quite sure she would be proud of my journeys in the occult after she passed on. Of course that’s my grandparents in the center, Peipa and Ami (nicknames), the people who were in charge of my well being while the rest of the family was at work. Fortunately for me they had both experienced lives of adventure and yes…. real danger, so I was given complete freedom to do and be whatever and wherever I wanted to. Perfect situation for a kid of my temperament!

Some nature notes: no great migration of the skimmers this year. I am wondering whether it has not been humid enough. We have had one small rain and though two hurricanes have been in the vicinity they left us little in the way of water.

There have been whales about. Vicente saw a Humpback about two weeks ago, Antonio saw two Fin Whales (second largest of The Great Whales) the other day and I saw a blow from my kayak about the same time; must have been The Fins. Antonio also said that some Orcas were seen a week ago but once again I am not in the right place. I am going out in my kayak tomorrow or the next day and perhaps I’ll be lucky. Here’s a picture of a Fin Whale, not my pic.

Relevant to this is the very good news that a multi-billion dollar development just north of Cabo Pulmo has been indefinitely halted due to permit irregularities. This is a direct result of local community action down here and is incredibly heartening.

Staying on the nature theme here’s another picture, once again not mine but so close to what I experienced that I am using it. This is a large school of Herring very much like the one I swam through the other day while doing laps. Just a million shimmering critters all around me…fantastic!

My reef work is coming closer to actual fieldwork. It has taken me (with the help of Amber, Jeanne, George and Cindy, Alan and Marilyn) only 6 years to get to this point…”perseverance furthers”, no?

Hurricane Frank has passed and is crossing north of us over to The Baja Peninsula as a small “tempesta”. There is a possibility of another development in the next few days from south of us. It is after all the Hurricane Season.

The most dangerous adventure of mine recently, actually occurred today. I was driving back from another gifted weekend at The Grand Mayan (thank you John & Nancy) and drove right into the middle of one of Baja’s major “off the road” races. Since much of what used to be the totally dirt road Baja 1000, 500 and then 250 is now paved with the races necessarily taking place partly on the old dirt tracks and partly on the paved highway (this is a road that is one lane on a side, about as wide as a typical residential street and with no shoulders). The cars look like this, again not my picture!

Well, around Santiago I got stopped behind a bunch of cars and could see ahead that there were people all over the road and dust and lots of highly rev’ed engines. I discovered that I had reached one of the many sections of hwy where the competitors had to use the paved road to get to the dirt tracks. I watched with fascination and some trepidation as cars such as the one above came at us at 80-90 mph to do almost a 90-degree turn into the desert and disappear in clouds of dust. I got out of my car and wondered what it would be like for just one of these cars to go out of control or lose it’s brakes right at that point. I was amazed to see people sitting, standing just 10 feet from where these cars were careening past. I asked the fellow with the flag when I could proceed and he said about 15 minutes. I thought OK the race in this part of the hwy would be over so when he flagged us ahead I was confident that the hwy was now mine and safe. No way…. I drove about ½ mile and the next groups of competitors were on the road. This time I was on the road too but going right at them. At first I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Coming at me (no one was in front of me) were a number of these cars, driven by competitors who had visions of T & A, booze and endless amphetamines…and who saw me as “in their way”. The first guy that passed me was pissed, the second gave me the finger….so I pulled off the first place I could and chilled out. Once again I proceeded but found to my consternation that every time I got back on the hwy more of these guys were coming. I got to Los Barriles alive (with many heart stopping moments) and found that that was where the race started. I bought groceries and drove to El Cardonal, my sanctuary.

2010-08-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Due to the lack of wind at this time of year pretty much every day is a “kayak day”. Whether I plan it or not, if I wake up in the morning and The Sea is flat, I cannot resist taking off in my kayak.

Some years ago a very dear friend, Rebecca Kress, gave me a CD called Aquaria. The leading track has a woman’s voice chanting, “I am Aquaria, I am The Sea, Come to me”. The Sea has become my “Muse” and it doesn’t surprise me at all seeing as my country of birth, Estonia (and 8000 years of genetics), is surrounded on two sides by The Baltic Sea, never mind that my mother’s people came from The Island of Saaremaa off the coast of Estonia (recorded by Tacitus, Caesar’s historian, as an island of witches and worshippers of “Nature Spirits” and best to be left alone….which he did). Therefore, it is not surprising that though I am as genetically Viking as one could be I am perfectly at home here in Baja on the edge of The Sea….an Island really (Baja California is essentially a 1000 mile long island with only a small attachment to the mainland on the Northern Border, can’t explain the heat part).

My Homeland

The great island of Baja California

Two recent kayak trips are worth mentioning. On the 8th I went out first thing in the morning, usually just about sun up, and when I reached The WZ I settled in for a quiet wait to see what might show up. After a bit I was moved to acknowledge by words and up-raised hands, Father Sky, Mother Earth, Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Ocean. I then closed my eyes and let their energy infuse my body and soul. It felt so very good and when I opened my eyes, there right next to me was a seabird I had not seen before. Here is a picture of it, not mine; I never carry my good camera in the kayak.

My first Shearwater encounter
He hung around for a while, we talked and then I heard the distinctive blow of Dolphins. Spotting them I was able to reach the “back of the pack” and just keep up with them for about ½ mile before tiring. No chance for getting in with them but always nice to be surrounded by Dolphin Energy, eh?

A couple of days later I made it out to The WZ before sunrise and was treated to a most beautiful color show. The photo below was taken of me some years ago on a similar morning so I’m throwing it in.

We had a very light rain that night and during the early morning Banditos hit some of the neighbors. They are not violent (the banditos), they strike at Gringo homes that they know are vacant (at this time of year I am pretty much the only resident Gringo in El Cardonal) and take cars, ATVs and boats. I of course have nothing to fear because my place does not look all that profitable for a rip off and my continual presence in the neighborhood makes hitting my friend’s homes nearby risky. I am also often seen walking about with my bow or a rifle looking for feral cats so there is that element, no?

I have discovered to my delight the bittersweet taste of the fruit of The Ciruelo (Wild Plum) tree. I have three natural trees in my yard and one in particular gives off some great fruit.

These are about 3/4" wide by 1" in height

I do have some competitors for the fruit however. The two critters below, plus The Cactus Wrens are feasting on the fruit too.

This is a Verdin

As is this

One scruffy Scrub Jay, but an old friend!

In the early 70’s I made my way “back to the land” via a position at the then new Mendocino College (I started as there first full time Biology/Chemistry Instructor in 1972/3). It had not really been planned to move to the country but circumstances made it imperative (or as I thought at the time). At any rate I moved into the hills outside of Potter Valley and became part of The Counter Culture of Mendocino County. In many ways it was an idyllic life. Not that we didn’t work, we all probably worked harder than we had ever known before (living “on the land” is not as easy as one may think) but we made a great many extraordinary friendships and developed a sense of community. Our children grew up in a large extended family and were nurtured by it. I mention this now because I received this photo from my daughter Kersti the other day, that’s her on the left, one of her dearest friends, Michelle, on the right.

This was taken just the other week while Michelle was visiting her mom in Healdsburg and Kersti dropped by. They have known each other for 35 years and when I saw the picture I was reminded of those incredible days in the mountains around Potter Valley (Michelle lived just over the ridge) and the summer’s delight of swimming in The Eel River every day. These two were “children” of that era and one can see in their faces the strength, intelligence and love they manifest now as women.

These last pictures I am showing you are of Kersti’s mother in the 8th grade when I fell in love with her and told her that one day she would be my wife. 8 years later that’s exactly what happened, and 5 years after that Kersti was born…a gift from The Great Mystery. The other is self explanatory.

Macy Loraine Ennis, 8th grade, 1956

Macy and our daughter Kersti, April, 1969

2010-08-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

I find, more now than ever, that when all my friends are gone and I am pretty much the only gringo in town, that I dip deeper into Nature’s Font and am reborn once again into my pagan roots. I have a great deal of time to contemplate, meditate and cogitate on my personal existence in this endless array of Mother Earth’s blessings. I have also come to realize that what I have rediscovered here in Mexico is my 10-year-old self; vibrantly alive, untarnished, free and surrounded by the wonders of nature everywhere I turn. It was just this feeling that drove me into biology as a young boy and was quite frankly the only field of study that made any sense to me.

It is hot enough at this time of year that I limit my physical activities (running on the beach, kayaking, snorkeling, riding my bike, swimming laps, working in the yard) to the early morning and/or the early evenings. This generally gives me 2-3 hrs daily of physical exercise. The rest of my time is now spent reading more (one book every 3-4 days; I’m fortunate to have friends who are voracious readers like myself and while they are gone, they are kind enough to let me go into their houses to replenish my supplies), writing and painting. The historical novel I am working on has not been touched for quite some time but I think I will be inspired again soon. If not, well then “F**K It” as John C. Parkin (author of “f**k it: the ultimate spiritual way”) would say.

That all said here are some of the past few days events…. and some pictures.

The Land:

Flowers, is there anything that sings color more than flowers? These are some of those right in my yard (I don’t call it a garden because it really isn’t so much a garden, it’s sort of a manicured part of the desert that I happen to occupy). I swear that sometimes I just “stop short” while passing one of these and my mind sees math, physics and chemistry sung into LIFE….what a trip!!

The Red Skimmers did not carry out, or at this point haven’t, their massive migration like they did last year. There was a migration but it was comparatively small and sporadic. Next year should be interesting. I haven’t the slightest idea why there was such a difference between last year and this.

The other day as I was lounging under the palapa I noticed something hanging from the Palo Verde tree just a few feet away (about 12). Turned out to be a Paper Wasp’s nest. I didn’t have to get close to take this pic and anyway they are the least aggressive of The Wasps. They don’t bother me even when I am eating nearby so I greet them when I sit down and sometimes watch their antics with my binocs.

Here are a couple of pictures of Mr. Fox. I think it may be a different Fox (Desert Kit Fox) and not The Grey Fox I saw a few weeks back. They are not good ones (the photos), he is very cautious (unfortunately domestic dogs have run off most all the foxes and coyotes) and the minute he heard the zoom lens activate he was on his way. I went up to the bodega roof around 6:30 pm because I had just gotten back from bicycling out to collect Creosote Bush leaves for my healing tea and had seen him cross the road so I knew he was in the area. As I was sitting up there the local goat herder’s dog went by and I thought that he would surely flush the Fox and I wouldn’t get to seem him. The dog passed and I was ready to climb down when I caught some movement, and there he was, just about 20’ from where the dog had passed. Lucky for him he was down wind, the goat dog is a tough hombre. When I turned the camera on the fox and the zoom lens extended then this was all I got.

Never had so many Spiny Tailed Iguanas on the place as this year. This guy is the biggest and lives closest to the trailer so I am always talking to him. I call him “Hey Bub” but have asked one of my Quebecois (Quentin) to name him….or I’ll just keep callin’ him “Hey Bub”.

The Sea:

Before my new friends from London left they were able to get a sitter for the girls and they kayaked out to The WZ together. After some frustrated waiting J “called” for them and in they came; not very close but way cool. They decided to stay out a bit longer; J said she would like to see one more bunch and damned if they didn’t appear again, this time right up to the Kayaks.

I had my own adventure in The WZ the other day when I came across 2-3 whales going south. They were not HBs or Blues, maybe Bryde’s Whales. I tried to intercept but they were a good ¼ mile off and were moving along at a good clip so I fell behind, great exercise though. Rare to see any whales at this time of year. Just hearing a whale blow again was good enough for me, I have come to like that sound a great deal.

Not the other day but earlier this season

On the way in I swam the reef and had a bit of time with a Sea Turtle and that’s always fun.

Went out for a sunrise kayak the next day and mingled with some dolphin and tried for a Mobula swim but nobody interested in coming in close for a hello. I had been thinking of The World’s ills so perhaps my energy was not so good. There are times when I am so very, very angry at the Powers of Darkness (not in a biblical sense) that I know that my aura sucks. If I were any of the critters out there I wouldn’t be compelled to visit either.

On another day I swam from farther north of the reef, crossing it from north to south to see anything new. Best day for visibility in a long time so totally delightful but didn’t see anything new. I did however come across the largest clump of Giant Coral I have yet seen on our reef, really impressive.

Not my photo. Pavona gigantea

On yet another day last week I was doing my laps parallel to the beach and swam head on into a large school of freaked out surf fish. Figured there must be something bigger coming and I was not disappointed, 3 large (2 ½’) Almaco Jacks (or one of the other Jacks) were on their tails and swam past me real close. It was exciting to be an intimate part of a REAL moment!

So there you have it, kind of a typical week. It’s nice to be 10 again. And as a 10 year old I can once again see something like this "phenomenon" and dream of endless possibilities and realities.

And just one more flower

NAMASTE'

2010-07-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

Summer continues to be relatively mild, certainly compared to last year but Aug/Sept yet to come and then things could seriously heat up. The Thunderheads are beginning to show up in the afternoons and the mornings are tending to be pretty humid. I have always loved to see the great Thunderheads build over the mountains; they are so majestic. Here’s one from the other day.

I am coming to Ukiah in September. I will be giving a lecture on the results of my studies and what the future portends for our North Pacific Humpbacks on the 9th. This will be a fund raiser so anyone who you think might be interested I would sure appreciate the support.

The fox that I mentioned in a previous post I have identified as a Grey Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus. This genus has only two surviving members, The Grey Fox and The Island Fox. Using DNA studies it has been determined that this genus is one of the primal members of The Canid Family, showing up shortly after The Wolf (the most primal Canid). I hope to get a photo of it one day but for now here’s what they look like. You can see why they are often mistaken for a coyote.

As long as I am on animals right now here’s a shot of a snake that came by the palapa yesterday while I was visiting with my amigo Vicente. It is a Baja California Striped Whipsnake and like all snakes a joy to behold. Before The Judeo-Christians vilified it as a representative of Satan, the snake was seen as the animal most connected to the Earth and a positive omen whenever seen. I’m going with that! Check out that face.

Saw my first scorpion in a long time the other day, fortunately not in my bed or shorts.

Still have not seen the full on migration of The Dragonflies. It would be so interesting if it actually starts on the very day it began last year.

I was also treated to swimming with a couple of Panamanic Green Morays the other day. Boy are they fun to watch.

Touching once again on Paganism here is the recent addition to my Pagan Symbols collection. I really love painting these. Concentration, discipline and color…..great fun! I also believe that while painting them some of their power and energy is retained by my body.

This is an African symbol called an Adinkra. This one is from The Asante People of West Africa and is called “Aya” (Fern).

Aya is a symbol of endurance and resourcefulness
The fern is a hardy plant that can grow in difficult places. "An individual who wears this symbol suggests that he has endured many adversities and outlasted much difficulty."

How about this for a somewhat more high tech symbol. Just something to think about….carefully.

And some new friends, Nick and “J” (Jacinda) from London with there two little cuties, Clover on Nick's arm, and Matilda on the move. They are on their way to resettling in Australia. J had a special birthday the other day when she solo kayaked out to The Whale Zone and was visited by Mobulas, Dolphins and a Sea Turtle. How cool is that?

2010-07-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to the first “restless” day. No, not me being restless, but the weather. Restless to me means undecided, dark, loaded with potential and filled with raw energy. There was a small squall that passed by yesterday morning so I kayaked out to take a closer look. It was too far away to be of any threat to me but close enough so that I could feel it’s presence, hear the thunder within it, and see the flashes of lightening illuminating it’s clouds…. ah, nature, nothing, absolutely nothing, like it. This morning there was even more “restless” energy. It is now 10:00 am and the Sea is forming white caps and I can again feel the potential. I have been here long enough now to read this as just a minor passing “tempesta” (storm) but it signifies the coming seasonal climate change. I do love to see Mother Earth and Father Sky do there dance!!

Speaking of dancing I sent the picture below to National Geographic’s “Your Shot” program.

I took this in 1992 on The Island of Innisfallen on Lough Le'in (modern Leane, meaning Lake of Learning) near Killarney, Ireland. I was investigating an ancient Monastery (Innisfallen Abby circa 7th century and perhaps Irelands first University), thinking I was the only person on the Island. I heard this Faire like laughter coming from one of the rooms and happened upon this young girl twirling about while singing and laughing. I don’t think I have ever heard such a beautiful, ethereal sound or witnessed such a heart-warming sight. I got this shot without her ever knowing I was there. I have no idea who she was but I later saw her with her parents leaving the island on a small boat. Until that moment I had almost convinced myself that she had been an apparition or maybe a Faire. She was a gift.
Since writing this on the 16th, today being the 19th, it has indeed been chosen as one of today's "Daily Dozen" in their "Your Shot" program. To see it on their site go to: ngm.nationalgeographicmagazine.com/myshot/. Each month one of the "daily dozen" is chosen to be included in the next issue of ngm. If anyone sees it, please let me know.

As long as I am showing some pictures here’s the latest of my Pagan Pictographs.

This is undoubtedly familiar to many if not most of you and it happens to be one of my favorites. This is a symbol that represents the essence of The Native American Medicine Wheel. Various traditions use different colors (red instead of yellow for East, yellow or green for south instead of red, blue for west instead of black, north pretty much always white) the ones I used are those used by The Huichol of Mexico and a number of other North American Peoples. The symbol’s origin is very ancient, most likely predating the entrance of The Native American into The Western Hemisphere (+ or – 20-22,000 BP) and possibly even used by late Homo erectus peoples as early as 200,000 BP. It is a symbol that is also shared by just about all primal peoples throughout the world; possibly one of the three earliest symbols of human’s emerging awareness. Very basically it represents the Cyclical Nature of Existence and The Inherent Energies of The Four Cardinal Directions. Different traditions have different ways of interpreting The Medicine Wheel but the “essence” is the same. I heartily recommend to everyone to at the very least google it and let your spirit be lifted.

I was premature in my suggesting that The Great Dragon Fly Migration has begun. They are here, and in good numbers but I don’t see them all moving north in the constant flow of last year. I think that within the next 2 weeks however it will begin. They are by the way, Red Skimmers. When the sun shines through their wings at just the right angle it is breath taking. Like crystal clear rubies with fine deeper red etchings all over them….a sight to see!

A Red Skimmer, not my photo

My Red Ant friends are here but have not yet begun their march in front of me under my palapa. I became enamored of them last year about this time when I saw how happy they were to receive the flys I swatted and flipped in their path while sitting here (that’s where I am writing from right now).

I have been writing for ½ hour now and the wind has picked up a bit. I think we have a good afternoon blow coming (12-14 knots). Again nothing serious but we have had very little wind for the past month. Everyone is anticipating a rain soon. If we get three good days of rain it is considered to be sufficient for the year. Seeing the desert bloom during that time is awesome (and I mean the REAL awesome).

Due to a reawakened enjoyment in watching movies (friend's CDs) I have recognized a basic truth….TV is indeed very, very bad for the human race. I do not mean this in any jest; it is plain bad, bad, bad. Now that does not mean I will stop watching when I feel like it or suggest you do, but the overall effect of that constant kind of stimulation is really messing with the brains of our children and the brains of our less discriminating (kindest way I can put this) adults. Without question TV draws us away from our relationship with nature. As immersed as I am in Nature, I nevertheless am “over stimulated and distracted” from being “connected” when I watch television. If that is the case for me, a biologist living in a paradise of nature, what must it be like for a child watching TV 6-8 hrs/day? Frightening, truly frightening. Read to your children (grandchildren for many of you) the works of Loren Eisley, Jane Goodall or any number of other naturalists and give them something REAL to identify with. Of course the nature shows aren't bad but that is still not REAL!

I just looked up to see The Red Ants are on the move, they are back and passing by my way again….how cool!! Now my fly swatting will take on a much greater significance. The ants are soooo important to the planet.

A short while back I was concerned, as were my doctors, about my physical health. I chose to surrender to the Healing Forces within and without me. I'm feeling pretty damn good!

Namaste’

2010-07-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

So far it has been an incredibly beautiful summer. We have only had a week altogether of what could be called hot weather. It is just about perfect. No winds to speak of, every day a kayaking day and no major jellyfish action. Swimming laps therefore, is delightful; I’m up to 30 now and that’s as good as I’ve done (with regularity) in 20 years. Speaking of kayaking check out this shot of a dentist, a Doctor Richard Kraft of Sitka, Alaska, with a Humpback coming up right under him while the whale was feeding. No harm done according to the doctor!

I saw the most beautiful fox yesterday at sunset hunting along my fence line. I couldn’t get a shot of him because as soon as I moved he was gone. Really sleek looking with a long bushy tail and considerably bigger than the foxes I’m used to seeing in The States. I think I may have seen him before.

I did get a picture of yet another Iguana/Lizard (?) on the property. This one has taken up residence in one of the cacti. He got curious when I accidentally sprayed his home with the hose.

It is good sized so I’m leaning toward identifying it as another Spiny Tailed Iguana (it also has the classic tail) but I’m going to have to get a better look.

Biggest adventure for me this past week was going in to San Jose del Cabo and staying two nights at the Grand Mayan Hotel.

This was a gift from John Schaeffer and Nancy Hensley and I made the most of it. I had a room with my own small pool on the balcony, tub in the bedroom, two TVs, full kitchen….what fun! I took advantage of ALL the amenities, beach, pool(s), spa, hot tubs and a buffet dinner that was outstanding. I did of course eat too much and suffered later but while I was eating it was heavenly, and worth it. I also went into San Jose Centro and heard a really good Mexican band playing in The Square (one of my favorite places down here) and stopped for some pastries and fresh bread at The French Bakery nearby before leaving.

Nicest of all I made some new friends. In order of their appearance in my life: Jesus who helped me with my bags, Ramily at the jewelry store in the hotel, Marcelina who runs the spa and Fernanda and “Mack” also at the jewelry store. They were real sweet to me and very interested in my whale work.

All together a great change of pace for me, good for the blood. It also reminded me of the incredible life I lead here in little El Cardonal.

2010-07-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

It’s a rare day here in El Cardonal; overcast and cool, reminds me of a summers day in San Francisco. It is very pleasant and great for drinking hot chocolate and doing some writing. I have pretty much disregarded my personal journal due to the writing I do here in this blog and in my Nature Journal, which is too bad but I think my kids will be able to figure it all out (my doings here) one day. By the way, here are a couple of recent pictures of them. The first is of my daughter Kersti and her husband Bill, the second my son Zack. The 3rd picture is of the three of us in the desert near my place in 2001.

Kersti & Bill

Zack

Me & The Kids

Last year I wrote about this incredible Dragon Fly migration that passed through here in late July; literally hundreds of thousands of them passing in a day’s time. I noted the exact date when they were in greatest numbers as July 24-25th. I have been keeping an eye out for them again to see if I could spot the vanguard for this year’s migration. Well I did. They started coming by on the 29th of June. Now that’s almost a month before last year….however, this is just the vanguard so I am not drawing any conclusions yet. Last year I may easily have missed the vanguard simply not knowing it was happening. So we will see if indeed the massive move will be about the same time of year. In natures migration cycles a difference of a couple of weeks can be a significant indicator of change. Not necessarily bad….just change. The picture below was caught in mid flight by just pointing at a group going by (they NEVER alight anywhere) and shooting, LUCKY SHOT! As I stated last year it is a breeding thing. Just google dragon fly migration if you want more info.

A Red Skimmer I think!

I almost sailed off to the Pacific this week. I considered signing on as a crew member on The Schooner "Talofa" for a run from La Paz to The Channel Islands. I got real excited about it for a while and then realized how very important my space and time has become to me, not to mention my physical capacity for hauling lines, and I copped out. If I can’t carry my weight as a crewman I don’t want to be part of the journey. In 1998 I made the passage to Hawaii from San Francisco as a crew member on The Schooner "Dariabar" and it taught me a great deal about the ethos of being a sailor…..and my capacities. I am sure it will be a glorious sail and I may have missed a really special opportunity but it is what it is and there are some things I just have to let go, eh?

Brigantine rigged tallship "Talofa" 100'

Staysail rigged schooner "Dariabar" 84'

The other day I went out to The WZ again, it was incredibly flat, to see what might be passing by. My first visitor was a California Sea Lion but he was on a mission and only stopped for a short hello and was off again. It was so quiet out there that I lay back in my kayak and closed my eyes, enjoying the moment. Then I thought I heard a couple of small blows. Not anywhere loud and/or strong enough to be whales but maybe dolphins. I looked all around but saw nothing. Then I figured I was mistaken but then heard it again. No question…..dolphins but where? I kept hearing them and getting a little louder but couldn’t see them anywhere. I put on my mask and fins and hoped I would locate them soon enough to make an intercept. I finally saw them and indeed they were coming right my way. I rolled in and swam towards them and I saw that they were Pacific Common Dolphins. I went under but they passed beneath me and the visibility was not all that good so no encounter. But I sure get off on the rush of rolling in, being in the Sea with them nearby and just BEING. I love this Sea of Cortez, it’s a real home to me in every way.
Being fired up like I was I decided to do my laps from about ¼ mile out and over the reef….always something cool to see there! Lucked out again. A big beautiful Sea Turtle swimming right under me, checking me out and then moving on. I am doing all my lap swimming with my mask on now, whether across the reef or along the shoreline, so many things to see.
The other day while doing laps alongside the shore I swam over a low overhanging ledge and I spotted these weird looking antennae sticking out . I stopped for a closer look and it was the biggest lobster I have ever seen. I mean he was huge. I couldn’t make out his whole body but he had to have been 18”-20” long. That’s big for around here anymore. I don’t kill critters, well besides feral cats, so I’m hoping nobody else spots him.

John Schaeffer sent this video and I highly recommend it to all, especially if you are fascinated by NATURE, it is truly beautiful and so instructive. http://vimeo.com/9953368
John Schaeffer sends the coolest stuff!!! Thank you John.

Oh here’s something. I just started watching the series LOST again. I haven’t seen the final season so no hints please. The point is this; I need the whole series 2,3 and 4…especially 4 because I missed that entirely! I have 1 & 5 and I’ll just wait on 6 till it’s easily available. If you have them, or any one of them, and could spare them please let me know (ukaldveer@gmail.com) and we’ll figure out a way to get them to me.

Here’s a picture for my dear friend Dolores Toivonen in redwood Valley. It’s a Verdin, pretty rare up your way but a common and appreciated visitor in my yard.

These guys went by the other day reminding me of the “other” reality.

Mexican Navy Patrol Boat

This is a shot of this year’s forward observation post for whale spotting. We’ll see how it looks after the hurricane season.

Actually looks like the hurricane already came, eh?

And the last pic, the blossom of an Ocotillo Cactus….extraordinary no?

It's the RED man!

Namaste’

2010-06-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may actually be reading my posts (and I am honored) don’t misinterpret from my recent post or this one that I am depressed or loosing hope. Of course I am terribly disappointed in The President, The Congress, The American people and the lack of general intelligence of The Human Race but outside of that I am very well indeed.

Does this guy look stressed?

Before I leave that however I would like you to see this photo (not mine) of the waves breaking on Alabama shores. Not to mention the “peripheral damage” to turtles, sharks, whales, dolphins…..and PLANKTON!!

This is really, really not good!

The BP debacle is only a forerunner of the very real potential for global disaster unless we stop this ludicrous dependence on oil. As a retired Biology Professor I am amazed at the lack of understanding by the common folk of how this planet actually works. The agenda of The Rich and Powerful is so devoid of planetary sensitivity that they are not even worth mentioning but what the hell is being taught in Biology classes that the Common folk aren’t incensed? What don’t they understand?? It’s all so damn simple!

Well I’m incensed. There are plans to build three new marinas (see restaurants, hotels, upscale houses) down here within 30 miles of my Humpback grounds…..and golf courses too….for Gringos! I’m fighting it every way I can with a lot of other folks but we’er talking BIG MONEY here…corporate money. The depth of my hatred for these people and their greed has only grown over the years and I will fight them as long as I am alive.

Today’s diatribe is a result of two things; a report on the damage to the shark population from the oil “leak” and seeing that The Supreme Court of The US has struck down the gun control law in Chicago as unconstitutional. Over 500 people murdered in Chicago last year and it makes sense to provide more easy access to handguns?? I’ve got to stop looking at CNN.

OK, so the cool part again. My friend Antonio saw a Humpback going south in front of El Cardonal about two weeks ago. Very late in the season for a whale to still be here, wish I could have seen it. I still go out to The Whale Zone occasionally thinking I may have an adventure but not much out there right now.

The insect world continues to be moderate even with the increased temperature and humidity. More flies for sure but they and the mosquitos so far are manageable. No scorpions around my place yet….very cool. I had a two day ant war in the trailer but it seems I am victorious. These aren’t my red ant friends but these frantic small black ants that get everywhere. I did see a small group of Dragon Flies going north yesterday but I don’t think it’s migration time yet. No millipede swarm yet either.

My two Iguanas are doing well and seem to be enjoying the fruit slices I put out for them in the morning. I can get within about 2 feet of them now before they scamper into their holes but I am working on a closer relationship.

Here is the third of my Pagan Symbol series that I paint on rocks to have around my place. Although the first explanation of it is the popular one it is also very possible that it actually describes the seasons (second pic). I took the symbol from the net. It's on an old piece of parchment housed at The Icelandic Museum. I copied it as authentically as I could so it is not perfect geometrically.

The traditional Occult Symbol – Aegishjalmur commonly referred to as the “helm of awe” is an ancient Scandinavian runic Viking symbol. The symbol is said be worn over the forehead or used as a tattoo. In history it was said to be scratched or drawn on the inside of one’s battle helmet to give the wielder power. Its magical purpose is said to be protection and “irresistibility” in battle.
Within the symbol is Algiz as shown by the image which is the rune of protection. In the center is the circle most likely representing oneself surrounded by protective energy. This was a very powerful symbol from the pagan era, it is indicated to be used in battle as well as protecting the wielder in general from magical or physical attack including the abuse of power.

And here is another recent crop circle.

June 25th, 2010, England

Dream PEACE into existence and call upon the ANCIENT POWERS. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

And here are two devoted, and lovely, Whale Protector friends. Line Bork on the left and my 2009 intern, Elizabeth Plumb on the right (not in research gear)….Goddess bless you ladies!

The "light" that these young women bring into my life is no little matter.

2010-06-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

It seems that all my life I have been straddling a fence ("Can you bear the beauty with the pain"). There has always been and there continues to be a part of me that is absolutely enraged with the ignorance, greed and evil that was ramped in the world I was born into (1941) and that at 68 I still find determining the future. I was told by my mother that the first two years of my life were spent in a “War Zone” in which my people (The Estonians) were targets for both sides during The “Great War”.

Tallinn, Estonia, city of my birth

Maybe I was “shell shocked”, I really don’t know. What I do know is that the global system that is in effect at the present time (Capitalism, phony Democracy and Corporate Power) is corrupt and destined for failure (thank the Gods)!! Although I have become once again an expatriate, and spend little time agonizing over the direction that The US (and it’s whores England & Israel) continues to take, I am kept abreast of events by my son, Zack. Fortunately, my daughter Kersti mellows my temper when it all becomes too depressing.

I feel it is my responsibility as an elder to speak out in support of what I know to be right and good. What is that? Well……realizing WAR ain’t the solution, it’s the problem!! Fossil fuels HAVE TO BE DISCONTINUED as an energy source. Regardless of religious beliefs, POPULATION CONTROL is a must. Perhaps most importantly Corporations ARE NOT INDIVIDUALS and should not be seen as such under the Law.

Well, there you go, my venting. But it’s more than that. It really is something everyone needs to address personally and spiritually. We are allowing our freedoms and our future to be ripped off by unscrupulous men and women who have only one agenda…wealth and power.

OK so now for the good stuff (the other side of my fence straddling). For years my grandfather’s stories about his experiences as a sea captain have been passed on orally. Now we have an Estonian whose grandfather was also a sea captain translating my grandfather’s book, “30 years as a Sea Captain in The Far East”. To say the least it has been a great read so far (half done).

My grandpa Peipa

I have often mentioned my good friend Jorge (George Sievers) in regard to my life down here, well here’s his picture. A good friend and a good man.

Jorge in Colorado

For those of you interested in the crop circle phenomenon check this latest one from England, Yeah, right…..in the dark, totally quiet and overnight.

Here’s a picture of the Summer Solstice Stone I set this morning. It’s the larger one to the left of the yellow marked (Equinox) stone. The large one to the right is The Winter Solstice Stone. These are constants, devoid of influence from men/women and the key to understanding the workings of this planet. That is why humans have celebrated these moments for tens of thousands of years before the concept of one god and a chosen people, whatever race or religion, was forced on us.

2010-06-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

People coming, people going. Soon the days will be getting hot and the flow of visitors will become a trickle. The Summer Solstice is just around the corner and it will be time to place the Solstice Stone in The Medicine Wheel.

Not much happening in The Sea right now although some new friends at Lynn's saw a good sized herd of Bottle Nose Dolphin while fishing the other day. I'm spending time as usual....reading, kayaking, swimming etc. Lots of layed back time for sure.

Here's the way my place is looking now-a-days....well, part of it.

Some friends were here a few weeks back and we went out to the reef for some snorkeling. They had a camera so they took these shots. Thanks Laura and Jamie.

Preparing to go in

Taking a look

Visibility not so good but hey?

Did I say "laid back"?

2010-06-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

The Baja California Penninsula from Space

I am happy to report that after 10 years of planning to study our reef here I have FINALLY determined the optimum placement of my transect (this is an imaginary line between to stations 150’ apart) and with the help of my very dear friends Alan, Marilyn and Jorge (George Sievers) we have actually placed the anchor stations and I am now ready to begin a “Baseline Survey”………perseverance furthers. Eh?

The Reef from Space

Though I consider the work with my Humpback Friends as my primary conservation contribution at this time in my life, The Reef is possibly a more critical study. We are losing our reefs at a truly alarming rate and need to address this degradation with swift and clear action. A Baseline Survey is the starting point for collecting data that can be used to convince those who are ignorant of the basic dynamics of the Marine World to recognize the seriousness of the situation (BP is a classic example of those who have immense power and are either ignorant or heartless).

I want to thank publicly and personally the help given to me by the aforementioned people (Alan, Marilyn and Jorge) because without their help it would be much, much more difficult. It took 3 days of “teamwork” for the 4 of us to complete the anchoring process and this morning, with the aid of Alan (I couldn’t free dive to the anchor depth without terrible pain to my long ago damaged left ear), we have the transect ready to go. This is going to be great fun and really not difficult work now that the anchors are in place.

Last weekend was Cardonal’s annual fishing tournament and though a good number of boats went out nobody did all that well. In fact the season for fisherman has not been at all good so far this year. Jorge saw some whales that day and so did Vicente. This fired me up for a paddle out to The Whale Zone and damned if I didn’t see a Humpback fluking up about ¼ mile from me. I tried for an intercept but saw no more blows so I just got in some heavy exercise.

"Perla" daughter of one of our village fisherman

I doubt I will be lucky enough to see any more whales for the year but who knows? That is one of the many things I love about being at Sea….you just never know what is going to greet you! The other day while setting the anchors I swam head on (not crashing) into a Sea Turtle and shortly after saw a Zebra Moray Eel. Then I heard Alan and Marilyn announce that there was a Spotted Eagle Ray under them….way cool. It just goes on!!!

2010-05-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

It has been a really beautiful month but then when has May not been beautiful? Haven’t been out to Sea much except to do my laps. One has to be a bit careful about now because The Aqua Malas (Portuguese Man O War) are due back. During my beach run this afternoon I saw a number of them at the tide line and my friend Cindy got stung the other day. Their sting is painful!

We are getting some surprisingly strong NW winds right now and for the next few days but it’s all good if you are lucky enough to be here year round like I am now. I can just wait until the next really great day(s).

I am pretty concerned about the oil spill in the Gulf. Interestingly I ran into a fellow on the beach the other day who is a Zoologist for The Louisiana Fishers Dept. He said it was “overstated” and was really not such a big deal. Wouldn’t that be nice if he is right. But then I am always leery of comments made by government officials around something like this. I am often disappointed at the lack of true understanding by those in power of how this planet actually works. Unfortunately this is generally true for the layperson as well. It is not about scientific arrogance, it is about literally being ignorant of the very basics of Biology, Chemistry and Ecology…..frightening really!

Here is the second of my series of Pagan Rock Paintings. I have seen it in a number of places I have traveled and always found it intriguing.

The symbol is known as a Triskel or Triskelion from the Greek, tri = three, skelos = legs. Though thought by some to originate in the 19th century it’s origin actually goes back to Mycenean and possibly Egyptian times, circa 3500 BPE, and perhaps even further. It is found throughout Ireland as a petroglyph in many sacred Pagan localities (ie: Newgrange).

It’s Pagan meaning is still debated by scholars but one interpretation is that it represents Earth, Water and Sky; the three elements considered by many early cultures as providing the spiritual/physical base for all things (this was before Aristotle formalized the concept of Earth, Air, Fire = Energy & Water, circa 2300 BPE). There are many forms of it besides the one here depicted. This was the one that appealed to me most. I chose the colors to represent those three elements.

"Keep on Truckin"

2010-05-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Biggest news of the week down here is that I saw my first Brewer's Blackbird. I saw lots of them in The States of course but this was the first one here. Always a special event to see a new bird species in the yard. Pretty much all the old bird crew is back: Northern Cardinals, Gilla Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Hooded Orioles, Scott's Orioles, Cactus Wrens, Grey Thrashers, Common House Finches, Pyrolloxias, Phainopeplas, Verdins, Ash throated Fly Catchers and more. The Osprey family is hunting, the Caracaras scavenging, the Magnificent Frigate Birds cruising…..all very cool!

Went out in my kayak this morning and saw two California Sea Lions and one Bottle Nose Dolphin but that's about it. Though humidity keeps rising, insects still keeping a low profile for which I am grateful.

My good friends Jorge and Cindy arrived the other day and soon we will be going out to the reef to do some survey work, really looking forward to that. The nice thing about an MPA or MMPA (see previous posts) is that all species will be covered so my reef work will be of more value than ever….how delightful! The governor of Baja California Sur will be here in a little over a week and I hope to have a short audience with him re the local environment and it's conservation.

My son Zack did a one on one conference with Marcy Winograd this past weekend as part of her run for congress. Check out her website (winograd4congress.com/) and see my son in action. Obviously I am extremely proud of him and his devotion to this planet and ALL it's species.

In order to try to maintain a 15 min period of every day doing some form of creative work I have started painting Pagan Symbols on rocks. It is not like no one else is doing that; the stores are full of them but I am enjoying the process nonetheless. Each symbol is chosen strictly for it's "invoking power" in me. Here is a photo of my first attempt. It is The Greek "Orphic Egg".

The Orphic Egg
From Bryant's An Analysis of Ancient Mythology

The ancient symbol of the Orphic Mysteries was the serpent-entwined egg, which signified Cosmos as encircled by the fiery Creative Spirit. The egg also represents the soul of the philosopher; the serpent, the Mysteries. At the time of initiation the shell is broken and man emerges from the embryonic state of physical existence wherein he had remained through the fetal period of philosophic regeneration.

I will do others as they strike me. The internet is loaded with information and images so it will be a whole new realm of study for me. As a youth I read Jung's "Man and His Symbols" and was fascinated. How sad that Freud became the father of the psychology movement instead of Jung. How much better off we would be not influenced by Freud's personal guilt ridden reality.

Every day I thank The Great Mystery for giving me this time to converse with my Eternal Soul.

"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo"

2010-05-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

So, spring is almost behind us here in El Cardonal. The major plant growth won’t actually begin though until we have had a summer storm or two, then its “jungle” time again. Well….not exactly jungle but green beyond belief when looking out at the desert right now. It will get considerably more brown and dry before then of course. Luckily the 4 years at The Univ. of Arizona back in the 60’s acclimated me to a Sonoran Desert environment so it’s all good by me. The most dramatic period is the Hurricane Season in mid August and thru September when the desert gets rattled by the wind and drenched in water…..very invigorating for the creatures here; animal & plant! I have a big decision to make at that time because my 50th high school reunion is on Sept. 9th right in the peak of the Hurricane Season.

me and my bro Peter, 1956

’60 Varsity Football

I would very much like to attend but I would also feel very bad not to share whatever the season brings with my plant and animal friends, particularly our local community. I am beginning to feel a shared reality with the Mexican People here and do not want to “High Tail It” when it gets a bit dicey.

There are very few whales left in the area, at least that I have seen. Alan saw one breaching about three days ago in front of his place and I have heard that there are still good numbers around San Jose and Cabo but my last 3 kayak trips out to The Whale Zone have been unproductive in the sense of seeing whales….the exercise however, and the stillness, are always a treat.

I had a visit from a dear friend and intern of mine from the 2009 season, Elizabeth Plumb. She is now with Sea Web in Oakland and doing the “good work”. It was a delight to see her and though she had only a bit of time to be here we covered lots of intellectual territory (she is very bright) and even got in a kayak trip out to the WZ and a swim back in over the reef before she had to leave.

Elizabeth 2009 Season

I saw my first Desert Iguana yesterday, which is a sure indicator of the approaching summer. There are 2 different species of bird nesting under my palapa and 2 also under the palapa of my adopted family. I identified 7 species of bird foraging in front of me the other day while breakfasting outside. I can’t imagine why I wasn’t turned on to birds before now; they are so cool!

Northern Cardinal

The insect people haven’t started up yet but I am sure as soon as we get some rain they will be out in good numbers. Will the Dragon Flies migrate by again, will the Millipedes return? These are important questions in my life now. Of course I am interested to see if the use of “Bounce” will actually keep away the Scorpions this year. So far since putting it in various locations in my trailer I have not seen a scorpion but they too are a critter waiting for the rains.

The winds are still undecided as to which, North or South, will dominate. In the last week we have had two good blows from The North so it hasn’t given up yet. I actually wore a long sleeved shirt the other night and sweat pants!!

Just in case any of you make it down here let me give you something to think about that you might enjoy discussing with me. I have come to the conclusion, not without a good amount of contemplation, meditation, altered states, shamanic mentoring, reading (including a good deal of Science Fiction) and studying (as well as simply living life) that THIS is impossible.

Giving it some thought, Red Pyramid, Egypt 2000

THIS being literally all that we believe makes up our reality from A to Z.

A home like ours

Check out the size of OUR sun

Whether on the Quantum Level or The Ethereal level I am, AT PRESENT, convinced that it is impossible to have THIS without some defining first cause. And I will not accept the simple answer, “It just is” or “It is here because we believe it to be here” or least of all that it is a Judeo-Christian "God’s Will” or any of those other (and I respect their origins) sometimes wise but totally unsatisfying refrains. No, there is something much, much more to this, eh? Arrogant as it might seem, I am still asking the question I asked as a very young boy looking at the sky on a summer’s day and wondering how far it went before there was an end. Where is the “edge” of reality? Ah, it is a circle they say, there is no beginning or end in a circle, the universe folds on itself, it is a mobious strip they say. Nevertheless a circle has a circumference does it not? A circumference is a border between what is inside and what is outside the circle. I would like to know what is “outside” the circle? “Infinity” you say! That’s a cop out. I know for many people, and perhaps you are one, this is basic but for me it is still the unanswered question. I do not fret about it, it does not occupy my time and I am not afraid of an answer. I just want something palatable for me. Now here is the REALLY COOL PART. I love every bit of THIS; well, not War and INJUSTICE, but you know, birds, blue skies (or stormy), millipedes, soft breezes, my dear whales and human friends etc.

My good buddy Alan

A new friend from 2 years ago...pointing to The Sea

It does not make me a bit unhappy that I do not yet understand “THE GREAT MYSTERY”. The trick I think is to KEEP ON DANCING and KEEP ON SINGING.

“Women’s Circle Dance” Crow Fair, Montana

"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" (Homage to The Mystic Law of The Lotus Sutra)
Tendai Buddhist Chant circa 750 BP