Just a few science contributions - speaking of entering caves where enlightenment lies.

Divers have discovered a primeval forest beneath 60’ of the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The forest became exposed when Hurricane Katrina struck that region and removed 50,000 years of sediment from the forest. The opportunity to discover all kinds of things regarding the natural conditions of The Gulf Area in that time is breath taking – of course you have to be a scientist to understand the excitement generated by this. It is a perfect vindication of the value of Marine Archeology – another SCIENCE!

And now we have found that our solar system was not born within The Milky Way Galaxy at all, but a system ripped from the fabric of the neighboring Dwarf Sagittarian Galaxy by the gravity well at the center of our own Milky Way. For those of you who have no knowledge or interest in astronomy and therefore do not see the wonder in this you have my sincerest condolences. This site will help explain if you are interested: http://viewzone2.com/milkywayx.html

                        
Blue is The Milky Way Galaxy, the yellow dot is our solar system, the red is what is left of the Sagittarian Dwarf Galaxy

Another scientific observation: the termites here in Baja Sur are champions of their species. The posts that I covered with a thick coat of asphaltum and then stuck in the ground as supports for my carport palapa have been totally eaten away. I couldn’t tell until I happened to lean against one of the posts the other day and the whole palapa leaned with me. I cut them shorter and have embedded them in a casing of cement. I have been told by one of my neighbors (btw: when I use the term neighbors I refer to my Mexican community since I am the only Gringo that lives here in El Cardonal) that that should hold them for a couple of years. Gotta hand it to those termites, eh!

I am also delighted to report that there has been a glorious return of the birds, chipmunks, lizards, snakes and other small critters that I used to see here now that the feral cats in the area have been controlled. The “flow” of the natural world has returned – hallelujah!

                 
             
Here are two of my new friends that frequent Shangri-La once again - and the birds have been a sight to behold.

We had a VERY short but sweet rain on the 17^th of last month. As always everything in the desert started greening up immediately – a wonder to watch. Unfortunately we seem to be having another possible draught year – not one tropical storm has hit us yet.

I was reading some Carl Jung the other day and once again realized how sad it is for the human race that we decided to go with Sigmund Freud’s tortured notions of the mind instead of Jung’s much broader and natural interpretations. Of course Freud’s sick mind was exactly what fit the agenda of The Orwellian World we now live in. Sorry – a little dark I know but I am now half way through the 4^th volume (The Age of Faith) of Durant’s epic work and see ever more clearly the immense harm that religion has done to the human journey – particularly the mythology of The Judeo-Christan-Muslim faiths. OK, enough darkness!

                             

                                     

I have had some real nice days in the water with my amiga Terry. I did some snorkeling around Punta Pescadero (usually don’t dive there but I wanted to share that fantastic beach with her) and found it a delight – will definitely go there more often.

                          

A small school of Chancho Surgeonfish - "Barbero"

Then a couple of days ago we went out to the south point of Isla Cerralvo and swam with some Sea Lions there. At one point I had three of them within reach and one literally in my face – grand experience. Forgot my camera yet again but did have it on a second dive when Terry came in.

                        
This is the group we swam with. The big guy on the right with the light brown head was to lazy to investigate us. BTW: these are California Sea Lions.

                       

Terry getting up close and friendly. That's the male I had my eyeball encounter with.

I heard about a week ago that a large pod of Orcas were working La Paz Bay. I went out in my kayak the next day hoping to maybe have an encounter if they passed my way but the only critter I saw was a Masked Boobie. And yes, Alan, I did do the “paddle call” and damned if he didn’t buzz me! Some folks out in a boat caught some pics of the pod hunting a group of Bottle Nose Dolphins and here is one of their pictures.

                    

Female Orca leaping 15' to zero in on a Bottle Nose Dolphin

Can’t you just feel the power, focus and skill of this Orca. She was successful by the way. Ah, the circle of life, the flow of energy, one creature to the next – a beautiful dance.

                  

So, as another sun sets here in El Cardonal and I prepare to watch for the Perseid Meteor Shower up on my bodega roof sofa, I send you all warm greetings and love from Baja.

                 

That's my funky old sofa you see on the roof - people pay huge amounts of money for my view. Some of you have spent a good evening or two with me up there - cherished memories to be sure!

BTW: I will be giving a slide presentation of my most recent whale work and developments regarding the marine lab here in El Cardonal on the 27^th of October at UPT in Ukiah. Please pass the word and come and enjoy an evening of story telling and whale lore. That’s a Sunday – 2-5 pm. The lecture itself will be about 1 ½ hours.

AND here are some quotes I just could not leave out – courtesy of my daughter Kersti from FaceBook.

               
I try to do this every morning!

              
I've been here - so have you - so has EVERYONE! I'm with all of you in spirit.

                   

This is the big one and the toughest. Still workin' on it.

Just so you know - my life is good. May The Great Mystery embrace you.

 

Kayaking into The Solstice Sun – what an incredible way to great the dawn on such an ancient celebratory day. A tradition going back 100, 1000, 10,000 perhaps even 100,000 years ago.

And just the next day the largest (closest in proximity to Earth that is) full moon of the year – HOOHAH!

                   

A couple of days prior to these events I was out at the WZ in my kayak and since it was so still and peaceful I did my Mer-Ka-Ba meditation while drifting slowly north. When I opened my eyes I saw a good number of Mobulas jumping nearby so I paddled over and joined the group. There were more than I thought so I rolled in and got these pictures with my new PlaySport camera. Not particularly good shots but fun.

                          

                        

While still out there I heard a whale blow to the east and paddled out another ½ mile or so but could not spot him. Heard him blow twice again but no luck spotting it’s blow or back. It must have been way out there because the blow was loud. I suspect that because the sea was so flat the sound carried and/or it may have been a blue whale - so hard to distinguish from the sea/sky.

Speaking of whales, my 2013 humpback data is now up on my website but best to access it from the title page of this blog.

About a week later I was out at The WZ and once again, after meditation, a group of about 20 Pacific Common Dolphin came by and I was able to swim with them for a spell – always a delight.

Saw this on FB the other day. So true, so true.

                           

Does anyone remember Errol Flynn in the classic “Captain Blood”. Sure had me running around the neighborhood with sword in hand for a while.

                                 

The protagonist is the sharp-witted Dr. Peter Blood, a fictional Irish physician who had had a wide-ranging career as a soldier and sailor before settling down to practice medicine in the town of Bridgwater in Somerset where events lead to his becoming a pirate.

It is well worth renting the movie just to see the ultimate sword play between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone – extraordinary!

This morning, 7/6/13, Terry and I went kayaking and these two critters flew over, landed about 20 ft away and slowly drifted toward us to within about 5 ft.

                   

The larger is The Brown Pelican and the smaller is one of the gulls but out of my league to identify – anybody? What was so exceptional was their hanging out together and then choosing to fly over and hang with us. On our way in they made a second pass overhead and couldn’t have been more than 4 ft above Terry’s head as they flew by.

Also on a cosmic scale here’s a couple of developments in astronomy that are rather interesting:

For some time now we have been observing the star Gliese 667C. The reason being is that it is a nearby star (about 40 light years) and was one of the first to show signs of having planets orbiting it. No big surprise to anyone with a background in HS science but for the Creationists a real revelation. Well, there’s more to Gliese 667C than we had thought.

               

 The Gliese System

The three planets orbit a star called Gliese 667C, part of the triple-star system Gliese 667. They are between four and eight times the mass of the Earth, making them "super-Earths."

If you were standing on any of the potentially habitable planets in this system, that sun would appear as a bright red star. The other two stars in the system "would look like a very bright pair of stars providing as much illumination as the full moon on Earth," Anglada-Escude said. The planets are likely either rocky or water worlds, meaning they're entirely covered in water. These particular planets also appear to be "tidally locked," meaning the same side of a planet is always facing a star. That means one side of the planet always gets light and the other hemisphere is always in darkness.

"With three terrestrial-mass planets in the habitable zone, the likelihood of one of them actually being habitable is tremendous," Seager said.

And if that’s not cool how about this – there appear to be as many as four astronomical Black Holes in the center of Andromeda Galaxy (2.5 million light years away). Can you just imagine the Space-Time Warp in there!!

              

Andromeda Galaxy's core. 

By the way, you can see Andromeda with the naked eye if you know just where to look and if you have some 8X35 binocs it's no problem. Remember you are looking BACK in Time 2.5 million years ago!

More down to Earth, here’s a picture of my daughter Kersti (left) and her dear friend Michell. 

                

Michell just opened a store in Healdsburg containing items of her own design that she has had manufactured and imported from Italy where she now lives. I remember these two as bare bottomed little “hippy” girls swimming in The Eel River in Mendocino County back in The Days – what a time it all was!

I will leave you with this delightful painting by my dear friend Nantz Hensley.

               

And one little bit of proselytizing:

                 

Let us not forget that ALL of the western hemisphere, ALL that is north, central and south America was once inhabited by an indigenous people whose various CULTURES and NUMBERS rivaled anything in The Old World. They were intentionally almost entirely exterminated in the largest holocaust the world has ever seen - from 90 million to 1 1/2 million.

Mom and calf humpback - not my pic

This is not my photograph – I found it on FB and was totally taken by it. Though I have seen a number of mom/calf breaches from a distance and I have kayaked and swum next to a good half dozen pairs, I have never been this close to a breaching pair. Perhaps next season I will be gifted to see this up close and personal (maybe even breach with them) – isn’t it utterly beautiful!

And speaking of whales, which I often do, I mentioned in my last post that I had seen my second ever fin whale about two months ago. We were close enough (30’) to really appreciate it’s great size, sleek body and incredible grace while swimming but the picture I posted didn’t do it justice so I’m posting this picture – again not mine – to give you an idea of their size and shape.

                 

Fin whale (Rorqual Comun) - Balaenoptera physalus - females up to 70'

Staying with animals a bit longer - here is a shot, this one IS mine - of my first ever sighting of a Baja Spiny Lizard.

                 

 Baja Spiny lizard

This is not the same as my resident Spiny Tailed Iguana Bub, and as a first it was very exciting. It reminded me of my Herpetology professor whose specialty was lizards and how interesting his lectures were – a real reptile aficionado and wonderful teacher.

Some of you already know this but on the 28^th of last month I was invited by SEP (the government agency over-seeing all the secondary schools in Baja Sur) to give a presentation of my idea for a marine lab in El Cardonal. The Telesecundaria 26 of our community (the secondary school) had offered to donate land adjacent to the school for the lab but needed to have SEP authorize the donation. It was up to me to convince their council (about 20 people) that it was a worthwhile project. I put together a power point presentation and with my mentor Dr. Jorge Urban for support, went to the meeting and presented my case.

                

  

 Here I am doing my “thing” (all in Spanish by the way) and I am delighted to report that there was unanimous agreement that the project should in fact go on. I want to thank my mentor and friend Dr. Urban for his eloquent support of the project.

This is me the day after hearing about the decision and a good kayak/swim out to The WZ – elated doesn’t quite capture the feeling. Perhaps this picture does!

                     

 Good news!

Then on the 10 of June I learned that ISIFE (another educational agency in Baja Sur) has donated the funds for the design, permits and plans. A complete surprise!

                   

 A rough floor plan of the proposed building - the site has been moved away from the arroyo!

By the way talking about feelings, this is how I feel when I am in my kayak in The WZ where it is absolutely quiet and all I hear is The Sound of The Great Unknown – Celestial Music to be sure.

                              

 I absolutely love this picture

And then if I am very, very lucky I will hear the blow of a great whale nearby and time becomes rich beyond measure – HOOHAH!

Just a few days before my presentation, my son Zack had been one of the keynote speakers at The March against Monsanto in San Francisco.

                

 Zack at the rally in San Francisco

Here he is doing his “thing” in front of a whole lot more people then I have ever spoken before. He is currently working as an assistant media director for OCA (Organic Consumer’s Association) and getting some real airtime on TV, radio and the press. Needless to say, I couldn’t be prouder - he's doing "the Good Work".

A few passing things regarding my life here in El Cardonal: Bub is back. He was gone for a good three weeks and I thought I had lost him to better accommodations but not so. He seems to be willing to stay next door (about 15’ from my trailer door) and continue to receive my offerings of fruit and vegetables. Here’s a shot of my accommodations or at least a third of my accommodations. Compared to my berth on Dariabar this is the Captain’s cabin!

                   

 My bedroom through the kitchen - 24' 1967 Airstream Trailer

Next January I will have lived here in El Cardonal fulltime for 5 years. I have been accepted, respected and now kind of adopted by this generous Mexican community. This is my home – this is where I feel more at home than any other place I have ever lived. Interesting for a born and bred Viking.

Here’s a little something from Marcus Aurelius, one of the great emperors of Rome (circa 160 AD). I would have been a big fan.

                         

“Everything harmonizes with me that harmonizes with thee, O universe. Nothing for me is too early or to late which is in due time for thee. Everything is fruit to me that thy seasons bring, O nature. From thee are all things, in thee are all things, to thee all things return”.

I have almost completed the third volume of Will Durant’s epic “The Story of Civilization”. I feel yet again how very, very little I know and it troubles me that the men and women who run our country have no idea of the history and the lessons available to them.

                    

 Depressingly rampant

I did my third in a row paddle out to The WZ in wind chop yesterday ( normally I don’t do this) and here’s a little take on this “adventure”.

"Just came in from a rather challenging morning out at sea. I hadn't intended to go out but I was strangely compelled, as I have occasionally been before, to go out in the kayak. I feel that a workout every other day is plenty for me so I have been doing just that - one day doing my beach regimen, rest a day, then out in the kayak. Since both workouts end with 22 laps of swimming I tend to see that as enough - yet there are days like today that for some inexplicable reason I am literally "propelled" out of the trailer and into the sea. It was relatively flat when I got down to my kayak but I could see that it was going to be another one of those mornings when I would get close to The WZ and then the wind would come up and I would have to turn about and come in on some significant chop - not at all dangerous just a lot of work. Well, I was right. On the way in, I had been out about 1 1/2 miles, I realized that it might be too choppy to swim in over the reef and I had done a full regimen yesterday anyway - but again I was as if driven by something outside myself to do it anyway. I got my gear on with the kayak rocking and rolling, rolled into the sea and began my swim. It was undoubtedly the roughest water I had ever attempted this swim in so far - again, not at all dangerous, I am an excellent and strong swimmer. Well, nothing particularly exciting happened but when I finally got in to shore I had in fact completed the full 22 laps  and was not at all tired. I turned to the sea, raised my arms in gratitude to Grandmother and felt very strong - and yet, I felt that a profound loss has occurred in my universe. It is a premonition of sorts and I have no idea what it in fact portends – usually NOTHING.

On the way in I did get this pic of a Cow Nosed Ray – only the second time I have seen one of these critters. Also a group of 6 Cortez Round Sting Rays!

                

 Cow Nosed Ray - apologize for the pic - rough sea and murky water.

OK to lighten the mood a bit, check out these puns. I am not a punster but I sure can appreciate the talent. Some of these are hilarious.

                 

 If my old grad school colleague Bill Cozine is reading this - thought of you dude!

 And remember this:

                     

 This is so scientifically true - enjoy the thought!

I am now in fund raising mode for the laboratory. Donations and/or pledges are gratefully accepted. Here is the local blurb I have put out for the gringo community in the area.

                              FUTURE MARINE LABORATORY IN EL CARDONAL

During the past 10 years I have been involved as a “Collaborador” with Dr. Jorge Urban Ramirez of UABCS (Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur) in La Paz. My work has specifically related to the monitoring, through photo identification, of our local Humpback Whales during their breeding and calving season here in the east cape. This part of Mexico’s marine waters is the second largest breeding/calving ground in The North Pacific Ocean and home to a uniquely rich marine environment.

Some 5 years ago I began developing an idea for a marine laboratory to be situated here in our area for the continued monitoring of the humpbacks (as well as reef and plankton studies) but most importantly to provide a training ground for local students and an inspiration for them to become involved in the marine sciences.

This year, after several meetings and presentations, the Telesecundaria school in El Cardonal has offered a piece of land adjacent to the school to house the laboratory. On the 28^th of May I met with the officials of The Department of Secondary Education in La Paz and presented my idea. I just heard a few days ago that they had unanimously approved of the donation and have given me the go ahead to begin planning the construction. The lab itself will be part of the overall school facility but will be separated from it physically. It will be owned, maintained and operated by the school and I will act as a program developer and consultant. The University in La Paz will also be involved in a similar capacity.

Though there may be some money coming for this project from Mexican agencies ( ie ISIFE) the bulk of the funds will be provided through fund raising by myself initially and with the help of anyone interested as time goes by. Donations are tax deductible through MioSah a 501(c)(3) corporation. Contact me for additional information : ukaldveer@gmail.com

I have a power point presentation that I can give anytime if a group of people would like to get a better idea of the project. I have also recently published a book of my experiences with the whales during the past 40 years that is available in El Cardonal and at The Land & Homes office and Information Center in Los Barriles. The title is: THE OTHERS “The Whale People”, A Personal Journey of Discovery, Transformation and Healing.

Urmas Kaldveer, PhD

El Cardonal: ukaldveer@gmail.com

Director: MioSah – Mendocino Institute of Science & History

My website is dated but my blog is current and includes my most recent website information: www.urmkal.blogspot.com

               

"Keep on Truckin" amigos!

Pic of HB# 17

April 7^th was my last successful search for humpbacks. Overall my season has been rather short and not particularly productive. This is HB# 17 13 – the final tally for this year. Last year I had 83 whales ID’d so you can see what I mean about short. Do not worry that it is due to some environmental influence, plenty of whales showed up north and south of me, I just didn’t get to the right place at the right time. I will be on site next season as always and may still have some encounters as I kayak in The WZ during the rest of this year. Last year I had one of my very best encounters in July.

Grunts on the move

Alan and I did get in that tank dive on the reef before he left, and as always it was a treat. Snorkeling is great but a tank dive is a whole other world! I still have a half tank of air left so will probably do a solo dive in the not too distant future. The water is warming and becoming more clear, so more to see. At one point Alan and I were surrounded by so many fish that we couldn’t see up, down or to our sides – NOTHING but fish.

 My "Sweet Thing" - Terry Kerr

During April I was once again visited by my Sweet Thing, Terry Kerr, from North Carolina, and the sun shone brighter, the sea was even more beautiful and the sunrises/sunsets delicious. When Terry first visited here two and a half years ago she was reluctant to go in the water due to a couple of serious and traumatic water incidents in her youth - therefore having never learned to swim. On the 25^th she donned wet suit, mask and snorkel and came into the water with me to swim with dolphins in the deep blue – now that’s courage! Later in the week we snorkeled on the reef and again she was game – sweet!!!

T on the reef

We also came across this most beautiful and huge Fin Whale while searching for humpbacks. This is only the second one I have ever seen!

 Fin Whale

We went out one more time in early May on a search for humpbacks with our friends Roxanne and Darrel but no luck.

On the 5^th of May I went out in my kayak to The WZ. Halfway out I heard the distinct sound of a blow. I tried to see the whale but couldn’t place it. I thought I was mistaken so continued to kayak further out. Then I heard it again, turned towards the beach but then lost it again. When I came in much later my friends on the beach said they had seen what looked like a gray whale go by very close to the beach. If I had continued in I would have made an intercept. Oh, well!

 Charlie Patton and Danny Dillon - my mates 1998

I came across this pic the other day while going through my files. I took this of our first mate Charlie Patton (Cornishman) waving the peace navy flag as we passed the USS Missouri as it was being towed to Pearl Harbor in 1998. This was on The ATOC expedition that took me from SF to Baja and then to Hawaii on the sailing schooner Dariabar. I went as a crewman, not a director or scientist, and it became one of the three top experiences ever in my life. That’s Danny Dillon our radioman at the helm.

 Me at the helm of the sailing schooner Dariabar

Me pretending to be a seasoned hand. This was shortly after having weathered a Beaufort 8 gale in mid-pacific – HOOHAH!

 Mi casa

This is my home. Come next January it will be my 5^th anniversary as a full time resident here in El Cardonal. I am still the only gringo that lives here year round. Only Roxanne and Darrel up in San Isidro (3 miles away) also brave the whole year.

Took my new Kodak Play Sport camera on the reef the other day and took these shots. Can’t wait to get in the water with one of my whale friends an get a pic. A couple of days ago while on my second to last humpback search we came across a herd of about 200 Bottle Nose Dolphins. Chris ( a new friend from Montana who has a home in San Isidro) and I dove in and had a great time with dozens of dolphins all around us. I made a bunch of “water-polo moves” on them and they seemed to love the action. At one time I was literally surrounded by as many as thirty dolphins egging me on! I’ve got to tell you – FANTASTIC – and I forgot my camera!!!

However – here are some shots I took the other day on the reef.

Cortez Round Stingray

Guinea Fowl Puffer

Giant Coral

King Angel Fish

Can’t resist a bit of proselytizing:

 

The Kaldveer Method