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Just finished this rock painting. Thought I would copy one of the images created by a Paleolithic artist some 15,000 years BCE in a cave in Altamira, Spain. If you haven’t seen the vast cave art of that period I suggest you get online and check it out. It is truly amazing, incredibly powerful and beautifully rendered prehistoric art.

I’m going to devote the majority of this post to sharing some of my favorite whale shots over the years but before I do here are some interesting articles to check out.

This is a wonderful and fruitful example of really creative science using astronomy as a guide to the past. It will be interesting to see what comes from it. At the very least it will require a reevaluation of ancient cultures in The Americas.

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2016/05/10/canadian-teenager-discovers-ancient-mayan-city-by-studying-the-stars/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=PostShare&utm_campaign=CollectivelyConscious

Seemed appropriate to throw the pic below (not mine) in here. Not just because I find it relating to the above article but because I have done this here in the Sea of Cortez and it is one of my most loved experiences.

A Moonlight kayak into Grandmother's embrace.

And that leads me to honoring this man.

Dr. Edgar Mitchell

Not only for his accomplishments as an astronaut but for the way he embraced the experiences he had and how he saw so much more in them than just the science and shared those revelations with the public.

February 9, 2016 - In Memoriam

“You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense
dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something
about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want
to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million
miles out and say, 'Look at that, you (censored).'”

- Edgar Mitchell, Ph.D., The Way of the Explorer © 1996 
about how seeing Earth from space changed him

Edgar Dean Mitchell, Ph. D., Apollo 14 astronaut
and 6th man to walk on the moon, died Thursday, February 4, 2016, on
the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 14 mission that launched January 31, 1971,
landed on the moon on February 5, and returned to Earth on February 9, 1971. His daughter Kimberly Mitchell confirmed Dr. Mitchell died at night in a
West Palm Beach, Florida, hospice after a short illness. Edgar Mitchell grew up in
Roswell and Artesia, New Mexico. He graduated in 1948 from Artesia High School, was a U. S. Navy veteran who earned several degrees in aeronautical engineering, aeronautics and astronautics plus a Ph.D. from MIT before joining NASA.

As a last addition to this train of thought I suggest you read this article about some ideas (a bit disturbing) coming to us from Stephen Hawking.

http://collectivelyconscious.net/articles/stephen-hawking-warns-humanity-leave-earth-before-the-ruling-class-destroys-it/

As a segue into more pleasant realms here is a shot I got the other day of one of a cardinal pair who visit me regularly at cocktail time (red wine only now-a-days....”mores the pity”). 

They were bathing serenely when a Ladder Back woodpecker usurped their tub (the watering moat at the base of one of my palms) so they had to move aside until the woodpecker was finished with his bath. As usual at this time of year there are birds everywhere and are truly valued company. When I think of them as the evolutionary product from the dinosaurs I am even more grateful for their presence. Watching the reptile people (turtles, lizards, iguanas, geckos and snakes: themselves the evolutionary predecessors of the dinosaurs) in the yard at the same time it’s like going back in time and watching this amazing feat of nature unfold in front of my eyes. Especially when I have a Road Runner (think Velociraptor) pass through. Even though I sometimes regret not having become an archeologist, I am so glad I chose the biological sciences as my academic field – especially now while I am surrounded by nature 24/7.

And finally this nice image I took off of FB – ah, serenity! It also captures (at it's best) how I feel while sitting in my lounge chair watching this “nature show” every evening.

Below is a photo that was in The UC Berkeley student newspaper in 1970 when I was working at The Bodega Marine Laboratory. That’s Macy, my first wife and our daughter Kersti posing with me. It was that year that I had my very first “whale experience”.

And here’s a shot of Kersti and me a couple of years ago at my brother’s home in Danville – all grown up and a lovely person.

 

 It has now been 16 years that she has been Mrs. Evans. Here's a favorite pic from that wedding. Happy Anniversary.

 

Bill and Kersti .....with respect and dignity, so refreshing! appy Anniversary.

 In 1992 when I had become the Exec. Dir. Of Pelagikos (an NGO focused on whale research) we went out to The Farallon Islands to do a sea lion release and happen to be there when a large group of humpbacks were passing through. I was lucky enough to see, and it has been my only time, an example of “bubble netting” by the feeding whales. I wasn’t this close and had no camera but this is what it looks like up close! One of my colleagues was this close and after returning to our vessel he just sat and looked out to sea for the rest of the voyage – he was “mind blown”!!

Humpback feeding strategy....'Bubble Netting"

Some more common and often seen behaviors are below. These were all taken by me.

 Fin Slap

 Tail Lob

Spy hop

 Flukes up

 Full Breach

Blue Whale sounding

  Orca Pod - this is part of the pod I swam with, there were 12 all together

                           

  Sperm whales "logging"

Propeller strike: I got a pic of this whale 3 years ago and found that it had been ID'd in Alaska 5 years before that with the damage already done. 50% of all the north pacific whale population has evidence of boat strikes and/or entanglement (drift nets and long lines).

This is what drives my work. "The Whale People" need our protection. Thanks for all the support over the years. I hope to be strong enough to engage in the 2017 season next year.

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This is one of my very favorite pictures (not mine). Thought I would join it to the following little ditty sent me by my son Zack (not his), seemed right somehow.

“We did not ask for this room or this music; we were invited in.
Therefore, because the dark surrounds us,
Let us turn our faces toward the light.
Let us endure hardship to be grateful for plenty.
We have been given pain to be astounded by joy.
We have been given life to deny death.
We did not ask for this room or this music.
But because we are here, let us dance.”

The following picture is mine and has the same flavor. I took it in Ireland while attending an environmental conference in ’92. I’ve posted it before I know but I just love it. A wonderful story goes with it but too long for the post so you will have to catch me sometime when I can tell it – it’s a favorite.

 Young fairie dancing in the ruins of the university on Innis Fallen....unbeknownest to her!

The whale season is almost over though a few stragglers (or maybe “residents”) are still about. My friend Luis told me he saw one out in front of Cardonal just the other day. I am going out this coming Thursday (May 5^th) due to what appears to be a very calm day and if there are any whales around I have a good chance of spotting them. It’s been a good but not record year by any means. My best year was about three years ago when I got 82 IDs. In the back of my mind I’m holding out for 100 IDs someday – not an obsession, just would be fun.

There’s been a fair amount of press regarding whales lately and though some of it is sad it is terribly nice to see “The Whale People” beginning to be recognized as to who and what they really are. Read my book – THE OTHERS – to get a taste.

There are more whale strandings, entanglements and boat strikes than ever but action is being taken to prevent those as much as possible. The problem continues to be that what I told all my classes at the college regarding most all environmental problems – human over population and its consequent habitat destruction. But let’s keep on fighting for them and all the other critters out there that are finding it tougher to make do than before.

 

Stranded Sperm Whales filled with plastic

These two sperm whales died stranded on a beach and when autopsied their stomachs were filled with plastic.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207409517930197&set=a.3727054208978.2146711.1054609017&type=3&theater

That’s all of the negative stuff for this post but we must stay vigilant and speak up against the crimes we commit in the name of progress.

Here are a couple of wonderful whale related stories to peruse.

A very, very rare whale species (Omura’s Whale) has been “rediscovered” – recall that by best estimates we humans have only investigated 10% of the oceans volume, might there be yet more to discover out there? The site below has some great footage.

 Omura's Whale

http://blog.therainforestsite.com/omuras-whale/?utm_source=trs-trsfan&utm_medium=social-fb&utm_term=20160414&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=omuras-whale&origin=trs_trsfan_social_fb_link_omuras-whale_20160414

Here’s another really informative and beautifully inspiring article describing the process by which a dead whale’s body nourishes an entire ecosystem as it descends into the abyss – fascinating.

http://discovermagazine.com/2013/september/16-deep-sea-secrets

Last piece of whale news. A couple of weeks ago I posted on FB that I had a great day searching for whales with my buddy Alan Pomeroy. What I didn’t say was that not just once but twice I “called up” a whale. Now Alan doesn’t believe in that kind of thing and ribs me about it when I do it but he’s my friend and he does it kindly.....however, we were on our way back to El Cardonal after checking the south end of the grid and as we were motoring along I said to Alan, “there’s a whale very near here”. Granted that’s pretty general but I could just feel it in my head. I gave a knowing smile to Alan and waited. Well just a few seconds after that - yes! Lo and behold up comes a humpback only a few hundred meters to the starboard. After following it for a while it fluked up and went down. As we waited for it to come up again I once again said “he’s coming up now” and yes he did. I laughed along with Alan as he gave me his skeptical look and I tucked the experience away in my “special memory” section.

Here’s the ID I got from him.

 A "called up" whale?

An interesting bit of archeology for those Egyptophiles out there – of which I am one after seeing my first National Geographic years and years ago. Thank you, thank you National Geographic for so many years of pleasure.

Tutankhamen?

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2016/04/09

BTW: I would like to recommend a book to those who have an interest in history. It is titled “Hero” by Michael Korda and delves deeply into the events (military and political) of the Arab Revolt against The Turks during the first world war and the very complex character of T.E. Lawrence (The Lawrence of Arabia). Perhaps some of you have read Lawrence’s book “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom” in which he describes, absolutely candidly, his role in that revolt. Korda’s book fills in all the political background (think oil, Israel/Palestine) both of the revolt and of the intelligence, courage and terrible internal conflict of the man Lawrence for those who wanted to know more after reading Lawrence’s book.

 Well worth reading!

For we Californians “The Big One” has become a legend of our time. Now it appears that it best be called “The Really Big One” because new geologic evidence shows that there is a fault line nearby that is so huge that if it were to slip it would be truly cataclysmic or as my skiing and climbing buddy from long ago, Darrel Hammerton, called “a tear ass rattler” when describing earth quakes.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one?mbid=social_facebook

The “Baja 1000” race goes through El Cardonal each year and for about 8 hrs it is mayhem on our road. My old friend Vicente got hit by one of the competitors last week. He’s OK but his truck needs some work. I caught this guy, “War Horse”, going by my drive.

 "War Horse"

 I’ll end with these two beauties:

 Helen Mirren at 70

I fell in love with Helen Mirren after seeing the movie Excalibur where she played the part of the terribly evil and incredibly luscious Morgana and I find her just getting more beautiful, magical, clever and sensual as she ages. Here she is at 70. And this is how she makes me feel.

And this beauty – talk about RED!!

Northern Cardinal

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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 16^th 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.

Ishmael and his son Juan Diego

Before leaving the whales check out this video, it’s worth it.

http://tearsofamermaid.com/splash.html

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.

Great Blue Heron

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!

"Old Reliable"

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.

Ultimately we are being given the gift of time.

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.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154816115747818&set=a.10150191180707818.365196.533307817&type=3&theater

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.