I
call this a “world class” ID
First
the whale news for the season so far. I have 22 ID’s, some of them truly world
class (ego). I intend to go out at least four more times and hope to catch some
late migrators as they pass by. In May 2014 there was an actual “pulse” of
humpbacks going by (dozens) that I unfortunately missed due to health issues.
Perhaps I will be lucky and have another pulse go by this month.
On
the 16th of Mar. I came across two large (when are they not) blue
whales only a mile or two off shore. That was a treat. They have been in my
grid before but they are so magnificent that you can’t ever not be impressed.
The “Q’s” were with me on that run.
Blue Whale
I
have been lucky also in seeing some real fine surface activity in the form of
breaching by humpback mothers as they taught their calves a few tricks. We know
that breaching as well as tail lobs and pectoral slaps are for more than just
play, although that’s part of the purpose, but we are not sure of all the
nuances of that behavior.
The
other day my pangero and good friend Ishmael asked if he could bring his son
Juan Diego along. I said of course – he’s was my first local student volunteer
spotter and did real well, ah those young eyes! Four IDs that day.
Before
leaving the whales check out this video, it’s worth it.
Here’s
a picture from a few years back that caught my eye while going through my
albums. These are two of the towns young ladies during the independence day
parade. What do you suppose is being passed on with such authoritative posture?
I have to chuckle every time I look at this photo.
Spring
and lots of critter activity in the desert too. Beautiful Cardinals (BTW: the
birds are Cardinals – the town is El Cardonal named after the Cardon cactus)
and Orioles, Flycatchers, Thrashers, Cactus Wrens etc. Plus the wonderful sea
birds.
And
of course the reptile people like this Black Coach Whip that cruises the yard
daily around evening time. They are harmless but have a strong defensive
behavior so best not to get your fingers to close to their mouth.
Coach whip
Occasionally
I am visited by some pretty good sized spiders. This lady showed up under my
outdoor shower towel as I went to dry off a few years back. It’s the only one
of this size (about 5” total length) that I’ve seen since moving here so a real
treat.
Female Tarantula
Waiting
for the winds to change direction soon – from north to south so we get our sand
back at this end of our little bay (inlet). It seems that we have had more rock
exposed this year at our end due to the consistent north winds that blew this
fall – just took all our sand away to the south end of the inlet.
My
car is still running though is looking the worse for wear lately. It has been a
true and loyal vehicle thus far – 10 round trips from Ukiah to El Cardonal
(1700 miles) without a hitch. I sometimes miss that long drive – last one was
in 2009. I often pat the dash and say “thank you old buddy”. It’s a non-gender
car, sometimes female, sometimes male – refreshing!
Odds
and ends:
The
Prince of Bhutan (a visit there is on my next life-time's bucket list) and his
wife had their first child recently and declared a celebratory tree planting in
honor of the birth. Bhutan is known for it’s devotion to the environment – what
a perfect way to incorporate consciousness into the people. Years ago I sent a
letter to the minister of education there offering anything I could do it aid
that country into the modern world. No response but I sure had some wonderful
fantasies about living there – kind of a classic “Shangri-La”.
Real Princely people
Another
issue of consciousness: trying to save the wolves of the world. Recent research
has proven the critical role they play in the proper functioning of an
ecosystem. There are some real surprises in those studies – worth checking out
and supporting their preservation. Just Google wolves and enjoy.
Intelligence
Which
fits in nicely with this Native American sentiment.
The
following is not written by me and could be well worth your reading. It may be
of no interest to you due to it’s subject matter but perhaps worth a quick
perusal.
Saturn in Sagittarius is turning up the heat for all of us
because the stakes are just too high to play by the rules—or fears—that we’ve
become accustomed to letting rule our lives for the past few years.
This time, we are feeling pressured by circumstances and a
“now or never” type of feeling, it’s a type of situation where everything has
finally peaked and now we are faced with the choice to abandon how far we’ve
come or to continue on into the unknown.
Both Saturn and
Sagittarius are very virtuous
entities—yet Saturn does this by playing strictly to the rules, and Sagittarius
by what his heart and soul are telling him, often justifying whatever means necessary
as long as in the end he feels that he was true to himself.
When Saturn is in forward motion, it can be very strict,
often creating boundaries that feel unnatural, and similar to the ultimate buzz kill.
When Saturn is in retrograde motion, it’s completely
different. Planets that rotate more slowly have an opposing effect on
us once they turn retrograde—although Saturn is all about boundaries and rules,
in retrograde motion it tosses them into the wind, ready to recreate reality
itself.
In essence Saturn becomes the ultimate rebel.
Saturn is slowing way
down and with it, the way events are
processed in our lives slows down too. We are being taught patience through
learning that sometimes certain things just can’t be rushed and that for every
aspect in our lives there is a purpose as to when it occurs—timing really is
everything.
“You got chemistry, you only need one other
thing: Timing. But timing’s a bitch.” ~ How I Met Your Mother
Just like we wait to pick fruit only once it ripens on the
vine—so do we also have to learn to be patient so that we can enjoy the fruits
our own life will bear. Saturn began playing tricks long before he turned retrograde
this month, forming a square to Neptune in Pisces. In November 2015, the ruler
of boundaries met Neptune, who dissolves boundaries away. Sometimes we have to
be faced with loosing what we most care about, sometimes we lose faith in what
is possible so that we can rebuild even better, and stronger. These are the lessons that Sagittarius and Pisces are
teaching us, and while the square will be exact again in June and September—it
still heavily influences our entire retrograde period.
Don’t be afraid to
let go—because what may be waiting for us
could be even better than what we have now.
Saturn in Sagittarius trined Uranus in December 2015, and it
will do the same once again in May and November of this year. This trine is the
reminder that while we thought we were backtracking (that we had lost
everything), we were really being cleared out so that we could be propelled
into a future brighter than we could ever have imagined. This retrograde isn’t like anything we’ve ever seen before,
and while it’s difficult in many ways because of the lessons of timing,
patience and the breakdown of barriers and fears, we could also find ourselves
quickly moving in the direction of our desires.
Looking more deeply into the aspects that will take us
through the rest of the year, it seems that if we choose to remain where we
have outgrown or to stay where our hearts aren’t honestly invested, that the
universe—one way or another—will end it for us.
We are letting those barriers that felt necessary at one
time break down, realizing that what we were doing wasn’t what we actually
wanted. It’s a time when we will understand how deeply our fears played into
our actions—or lack thereof. Certain situations may be slow going, but the really amazing
aspect is that at the end of our journey, we will see that everything that
happened had to occur in precisely the way that it did. There may be moments of feeling stuck—yet it’s those
situations that can direct us toward where our growth most needs to occur from. Not only are we being given the gift of following our
hearts, we also will be able to build situations brick by brick so that
anything begun during this time will have a solid foundation of truth and
authentic awareness.
During
the next five months, we will be given the knowledge that comes from retrospect
vision, before it’s too late to do something about it. With the lord of karma in the picture, we will start to see
the big picture that we may have missed by sticking too strictly to the
rules. The next five months truly have the possibility to be a life
changing moment in time—so many pieces of the puzzle are finally fitting
together.
We are being given the ability to truly become who we really
were, and to develop that genuine spiritual awareness that only comes from
absorbing lessons and making the conscious choice to do things differently this
time around.
Yet it may not happen overnight.
There may be some push-pull situations and false starts over
the next few months, but nothing will truly come into fruition until late
summer. Once Saturn turns direct we will feel the cumulating of
events that we have been working towards for years, and were finally able to
synthesize during the retrograde period. From August until November, Saturn will still be
transitioning through the shadow phase and therefore will be bringing lingering
innovative and creative energies well into the fall.
Simply put—heading into this retrograde, everything is up
for review.
There are no rules or limits, and boundaries become
imaginary lines just waiting to be erased.
Nothing is for certain—and nothing is out of the question. The only thing we have to decide now is if nothing was
holding us back—what would we do? What would we accomplish? Who would we lay down next to each evening? And what truths are our hearts dying to tell?
And then be ready for the unexpected—because with Saturn in
retrograde, that will be the only guarantee.
A change of pace:
This is a sculpture by Vladimir Queiroz Sejas,
a man of incredible imagination, talent, artistic versatility and sensitivity.
I saw this on FB and was drawn to it immediately. This is carved from stone yet
look what he has drawn out of that stone – look at the veil.
A veil in stone?
I
went ahead and googled him and was astounded at what he has done – a veritable
feast for the eyes.....and the soul.
I
had a real nice Easter dinner with my very good friends from Mendocino Co. A
pleasure as always.
Left
side – Lila, Nantzy, Sarah Right side –
Sailor, Juan Grande, Juan chaparro, Urmas
Most
recent photo of me out with “The Whale People”. No swims yet – those days may
be over but I always carry my gear in case of an opportunity for a "rescue".
Hang in there - the changes that are coming will be significant.....and a challenge.
