May this holiday season be free of strife and full of love and happiness for all. Blessings abound and as this year ends we are reminded of how much we have for which to be thankful.
Jingle all the way!
The Baja is a special place for sure. I’ve written many a time about the splendor that is The Baja. We haven’t been the only ones who have known this, but it seems that now the entire world is looking for a cool spot to settle in and enjoy retirement or a second home or some such thing. Not just us. Sigh. Oh, I know what you’re thinking. What a selfish person I am.
I guess if you are thinking that, you are somewhat correct in your assumption. I would prefer that nobody else moved here. I loved how “sleepy” our little area was when we moved here eight years ago. But, time marches on and things change. A lot. Okay, so I get it. I don’t have rights to say it should stay “sleepy” and I can’t afford to buy up all the land to keep it natural. After all, I bought and built. Why can’t other people do the same? Well, they can. And they are.
And no wonder. It is beautiful here.
The Sierra de La Laguna Peak
The turtles aren’t having as good a year this year because the ocean washed most of the nests away. But I’ve seen two hatchings and got a video of a couple of the babies (out of about 100) on their way to their ocean life.
Hatching 12-14-2018
It’s always a thrill to witness these babies heading into the sea. Like watching the sunset every night, I never get tired of it. Early this morning the moon was over the water and dipping into the clouds. The moon show was worth being out at 6AM.
Moon set 12-22-2018
The simple pleasures of living here give me reason to be grateful for this place. But now we’ve been discovered BIG TIME. Once we were the only people on our road who were here in the summer months. It gets humid in July through September (September is pretty horrible). But we love the summer because it’s so quiet again when everybody goes on their merry ways back to their “other” lives. This summer was anything but quiet.
There were five places being built at one time…all within ear shot and sight. There were more than five places being built in our area, but some of them I can’t see from our house. The growth that was once gradual, has exploded.
The construction this summer was relentless. The noise was bothersome, as was the construction debris all over our roads. We had two flat tires from it. The number of vehicles parked all over our neighborhood doubled and tripled on occasion. It all took away from the peaceful, easy feeling I usually have.
Guess I have a lot of growing to do myself in order to embrace the population growth. I do a lot of work on myself, but sometimes I let it all out. It just gets to me. Selfish? Want to keep it to ourselves? Yup. Guilty on all counts.
So I have to start teaching myself about what’s truly important and how I can remain grateful for everything.
Watching the whales breach and blow can help. Seeing the rays jumping out of the water is always a treat too. Often we spot a pod of dolphins and lots of baitfish in the water. We are treated to gorgeous sunrises and sunsets and we have many wonderful friends.
Sunset
Sunrise
Rojo Pequeño, Little Red, takes us on adventures.
Olive Ridley covering her nest in 2017 on “our beach”
One year there were lots of seahorses that washed up onto local beaches.
As seen from my deck.
A woodpecker enjoys the sun.
Rays jumping
I’m going to end today with a photo of a little kid who was playing on the rocks at the beach. If I had grandchildren I know they would love it here like this little boy does.
I don’t know this child, but he reminded me of my youngest when he was this age.
I’ll keep focusing on the natural beauty, and what I can learn from all the new people who are coming here to enjoy paradise too. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
One minute you are a baby.
And the next minute you’re 72.
Where did the time go?
Usually there aren’t any rocks showing like this, but the sand has been disappearing. The beach is narrow now. Many of the turtle nests have been washed away.
As you can see, this marked nest has been damaged by Mother Nature.
There’s about 15 yards of beach left, where once it was 100 yards.
We can still walk on the beach and we remember one year in the eight we’ve been here where you couldn’t walk because the water was all the way up to the bluff.
I have to be careful throwing the ball for Isabela, as she keeps her eye on the ball and not where she’s going.
It’s fun to witness all the changes every year. The beach will return to its “normal” before long.
The French have a saying, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Sounds about right, don’t you think?
The Olive Ridley sea turtle is sometimes called a beautiful dancer, because after the female lays her eggs, she bounces on the sand, pounding it flat to seal the site where she has deposited her eggs. She props herself up on her front flippers and hind legs, alternately bouncing her plastron side to side in a little dance.
Watching the mother laying her eggs (we saw two last year, both around 7AM) and seeing these hatchlings come from the nest is a thrill.
It never gets old. This day (9-18-18) we even got to witness some of them struggling out of the nest. Fascinating! Here’s the video. (It may take a bit to load, but it’s worth it).
Here are some still shots.
These little ones are said to weigh only 0.6 oz. (17g).
Isabela, our sweet dog, just sits and watches with us as we marvel at the babies on their way to their ocean home. She never bothers them, but she is often the one who spots them for us.
I sure wish we could convince people not to drive on the beach. It is hard to see these little guys if you are just speeding along. Who wants to run over these sweet creatures? I’ve personally spoken with some of the gringos who drive on the beach. They just don’t care. It’s illegal, but not enforced, so these people drive over the nests where the mother turtles only dig down about 10-12 inches to lay these eggs. These drivers could potentially be driving on the babies as they head to their ocean home. It’s not that easy to see them, they are so small.
These little creatures (hatchlings are about 0.6 oz or 17g) have such a hard way to go as it is. Only about one in a hundred will make it to maturity. Olive Ridley turtles reach sexual maturity at 35 years or more. So many things can go wrong for them, and it is important to protect them so that they can continue to come back to our beaches and lay their eggs.
They work so hard to get to the water. The males never return to the beach, but the females come back to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs. A miracle.
Here’s video of the run to the ocean.
If ever you are blessed to witness this, how could you not be thrilled?
How could you not be convinced to stop driving on the beach?
My husband purchased for me a comprehensive book, Sea Turtles, A Complete Guide to Their Biology, Behavior, and Conservation, by James R. Spotila, at the Tecolte Book Store in Todos Santos. It is a wealth of information and has glorious photos of all types of the sea turtles. According to this text, most olive ridleys lay 2 or 3 clutches of eggs each year–each clutch can be up to 110 eggs. Another interesting fact is that the eggs that reach the highest temperatures (86-88 degrees) become females, hence they are mostly found in the center of the nest.,
Adult ridleys eat crabs, snails, clams, barnacles, algae, fish, fish eggs, and jellyfish. Sounds like they might like the sushi bar.
Here in southern Baja on our beaches the turtles come up to nest between July and December. It can take from 6 weeks to 2 months before turtles hatch. It depends on a lot of things, but mostly temperature.
The first nest I came across this year was on June 8th, long before the season is said to start. So far this year, my husband and I have marked 30 nests. The hatching we witnessed yesterday was a nest we had not marked.
Sea turtles are magnificent animals. There are many people who work on the beaches and in the ocean to study and save them.
If you live on the beach, turn your lights out at night, or at the very least, use turtle friendly lighting. The hatchlings head to the light. You don’t want them to go the wrong way and have less a chance to make it to the sea.
We can all do our part to keep trash, not just straws, out of the ocean, and keep our beaches natural.
Throw your trash in the ocean or on the beach? Drive on the beach? A resounding, “NO!” The turtles will thank you by living to come nest on a beach near you.
Often I hear young parents telling their children, “Use your words.” What wonderful direction.
They must be implying that those “grunts and whines,” and other such noises that often come from the mouths of babes (as they point at something they want), just won’t get it.
We can tell each other to use our words, but remember, words are important. Use just the right ones.
Today I’m telling you to play, sing, and dance your words.
Playing with Words:
Crystalline, or Transparent?
Visceral or Primitive?
Singing with Words:
Caprice or Quirk?
Insouciant or Carefree?
Dancing with Words:
Spellbound or Mesmerized?
Eccentric or Peculiar?
Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but when it is time to use them, make them count.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I’ve been trying for seven years to photograph a roadrunner. I’ve learned some things about them, but haven’t had the pleasure of getting any photos until yesterday. On the way up to the mountains in the morning, a roadrunner was in the mood for posing.
Got this as he was jumping up onto the rock.
Like all creatures, he has some great camouflage going on.
I love how he showed off his tail.
Here’s a short article from Audubon: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/greater-roadrunner
According to everything I’ve read, they can run about 15 mph+ but it’s no match for the coyote that can run more than twice as fast. So the cartoon show is misleading. Road runners eat beetles, worms, scorpions, rattlesnakes, and lizards, among other things, and never need to drink water.
This shot is my favorite. You can see the orange on his head in this photo.
We took a leisurely morning drive into the mountains to see Marcos, who makes the pottery we like. He made me some spoon rests and we drove up to get them.
As usual, Greg asked him if he had any other pieces to show us. He did. I bought them. I’m so spoiled.
One cool thing about Marcos’s pottery is that you can put it on the burner or in the oven. It’s beautiful too.
You can almost smell the lasagne can’t you?
I’m going to paint the spoons and give them as gifts.
These are some of Marco’s small spoons that I painted.
Yesterday’s trip to the mountains was delightful. Isabela loved playing in the little streams, and the sights were heavenly.
When I was three years old, my grandpa died. I don’t remember him, except for what Mom has told me about him. She says her dad was a boilermaker, had a wooden leg, and regardless of that, he danced and he played the harmonica. I know a lot about my grandma though.
Ethel and Walter on their wedding day. She was 16 years old.
When I was almost five years old my grandma came to live with us. She was supposed to take care of my brother and me, and she did, but she also did EVERYTHING else in our home. She was the best cook ever and she let me “help” her in the kitchen.
Even though Grams only got through the 8th grade in school, I learned a lot from her. She read to me before I could read myself, and then she listened to me when I was learning to read. Dick and Jane was my first reader. If you’ve ever sat with a beginning reader, you know it can be a bit painful. She had the patience of a saint.
Using flash cards, Grandma helped me learn my math facts and every week we worked on my spelling words. Her diligence meant that I got 100% every time. Grandma never tired of being my study buddy. She also taught me the finer points of cursive writing.
They don’t teach cursive anymore, do they?
Me, Grandma Ethel, and my brother Ronnie
For special times, she and I took the bus, a block from our house, to downtown San Diego. Sometimes we’d go to movies, or go shopping at Walker Scott. (Gone now, but not forgotten.) But we always went out to lunch at the US Grant Hotel where they served the best banana splits, as my memory serves.
I either ordered a grilled cheese with hot cocoa, or fried shrimp and hot cocoa. But it is the dessert I remember so well. I can still see the three scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream scooped alongside bananas in the banana-shaped bowl, heaped with three sauces (hot fudge, marshmallow, and butterscotch) and topped with maraschino cherries, nuts and whipped cream. Oh my!
This is the coffee shop where Grandma and I always had lunch.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheWayWeWere/comments/4hhdpb/coffee_shop_at_the_us_grant_hotel_1950s/
A short and sweet article (with photos) about the US Grant Hotel can be found here:
http://www.historichotelsthenandnow.com/usgrantsandiego.html
Grandma had the type of diabetes that is kept under control with diet, so she wasn’t supposed to eat banana splits. I was sworn to secrecy; not supposed to tell my mom (her daughter), but I always did. Mom never scolded either of us, but she would appeal to me to keep Grandma on the straight and narrow next time. Impossible. I loved having those banana splits.
This is the Grant Grill. It was famous for good food back then.
My grams was a Democrat because the Democrats brought in the unions, which made work life and times for people like my grandpa a whole lot better. Say what you will about unions now, back then they were saviors for the working class. I was encouraged by my grandma to vote as soon as I was legally able. She was a strong and capable woman, even though she only had an 8th grade education.
My Grandparents in the 1940s.
It is with fondness I recall when Grams held and kissed my first born son a few months before she died. She taught me so much and I remember her with big love in my heart.
I made bread today. “Thanks, Grams, for teaching me how to knead the dough and bake bread, and for all the other things you taught me.”
This is a tiny sample of our collection of beach glass.
Collecting beach glass has become an obsession. When we have company, they get right into it too. Mostly we find clear and brown pieces, but we also have a few blues and two colors of green–one of them that Greg calls Coke bottle green.
Over the last 7 years, we have amassed quite a bit, and now the time seems right to make something besides my little turtles.
Isaac, the young man who made my frames shown in a previous post, framed two pieces of glass that I have been holding onto for a couple years. Yesterday I worked on one of them. I attempted to put a turtle in the first one, and a couple of fish. But you have to play “Where’s Waldo” to find them. The first window came out okay, but not exactly what I had been hoping for. I wanted the turtle and the fish to show up. I can see them, of course, but you probably can’t. Oh well. It was great fun to make.
It looks better in the window, but I had trouble getting a photo to look right. You get the drift.
My second attempt at this messy project (glue on every part of my fingers and hands and clothes) was more fun and the abstractness brought me great pleasure. It created itself pretty easily. If I were to continue to do this kind of thing I’m sure it would get to be even more fun with practice.
It’s a shame I didn’t get very good photos of the frames. They are beautiful drift wood and so appropriate for the beach glass.
I “got lost” in placing all these little pieces and finding just the right ones for each spot. This is my kind of way to while away the hours when I have nothing special to do. Retirement is the best job I’ve ever had.
In times of uncertainty about where my life may be headed, I find solace in reading. Even when I am certain about where I’m going, what I’m trying to accomplish, how I should proceed, I use much of my time daily sitting with my face in a book. I want to taste all that life has to offer. Books help me to do this. Maybe my poem will give a better understanding of my love affair with bookstores and books.
In a Book
Blaring from the shop’s façade
A neon sign claims “OPEN”
Step in here; please search the
Shelves that cradle books for you
Revisit pain; life’s pride and purpose
Devour pages one-by-one
Eat words slowly—as you wish
Satisfy your long-held search for meaning
Books bound by fragile, wrinkled hands
Or joined by man’s devices
How little it may matter to a reader
Aching only for a sweet taste of wisdom
Lines fill with letters meant to squeeze
And ring their finest colors
Hear the soft, faint sounds of solitary breath
Collected vapors singing— in a book
Yesterday I finished reading Alice Hoffman’s The Story Sisters that came out in 2009. What took me so long? Hoffman’s writing is superb, and I am a big fan of her novels. This one did not disappoint. It’s more than a thematic story about navigating motherhood, sisterhood, and daughterhood, and I got so caught up in their lives I am sad to have finished the book.
That happens to me a lot. I find myself missing the characters when the story comes to an end. This is one of the things I consider magical about reading. But I don’t solely consume novels.
Alice Hoffman website: http://alicehoffman.com
I recently read A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by the former director of the FBI, James Comey. Aside from being defensive and somewhat self-serving about how he came to his decision to disclose that the FBI was reviewing more Hillary Clinton emails 11 days before the presidential election, it is full of details about the time Comey was a career prosecutor helping to dismantle the Gambino crime family. He deftly makes the analogy between the Mafia bosses and our current president.
What does it mean to be an ethical leader? This kind of leadership is what drives sound decisions. Comey admits his faults and failures, and discusses painful events in his personal life (his son Collin died from strep infection at 9 days old in 1995.) as well as his professional life– his role as FBI director, his service as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and as the U.S. deputy attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. His is an enlightening book that helped me understand Comey as a man, and how being an ethical leader is more important than ever.
Here’s a short bio of James Comey from the internet: https://www.biography.com/people/james-comey-051217
I’m never without a book. I usually pack one in my purse when I go out, just in case I have a minute for reading. How about you?
Here’s the advice I always gave my students once upon a time:
Never judge a book by its movie.
I’m learning The Rainbow Connection for the ukulele and I keep hearing different words. Want to Sing Along with Kermit and me? Just click on the link and sing with my words. Have fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awhyiBv-oQc
The Russian Connection
Why are there so many stories about Potus, how he’s on the Russian side?
He says they’re visions, about his collusion, and how he has nothing to hide.
So we’ve been told, and some chose to believe it but I know they’re wrong wait and see.
Someday we’ll find it, the Russian Connection—Mueller, the FBI and me.
Who says that every lie, would be heard and answered
When heard on the twitter site?
Potus has thought of that, and some will believe it
But look what it’s done so far.
What’s so amazing is he keeps denying, what does he think we might see?
Someday we’ll find it: That Russian Connection, Mueller, the FBI, and me.
All of us under this spell, we know that it’s probably tragic.
Have you been fast asleep or have you heard voices,
I hear them calling his name,
Is this the sad truth that calls the young voters,
The truth that is one and the same
We’ve heard it too many times to ignore it,
it’s something that we’re supposed to know
Someday we’ll find it—The Russian Connection…Mueller, the FBI and me
La da da dee da da doo
La la da da da dee da doo
(Okay, I can’t help myself).
Rustico Frames
I learned about a young man who is using what he finds in the environment for creating picture frames! He’s amazing. Seed pods, parts of palm fronds, drift wood, palo de arco, and other organic things make for rustic, delightful frames for some of my (dare I call it?) art.
Our friends, Carlos and Paula, gave me Isaac’s cell number and I made arrangements to visit his shop. It was full of all sorts of wood and local organic finds. He showed me some of his work, and we talked a little about what he might do for the frames I wanted. I gave him only minimal directions, as I could see he was a true artist and his ideas were going to be perfect.
Isaac is a strong, but gentle young man. He is a fisherman and carpenter, and in his shop are beautiful pieces of wood for a bench he is working on. Plus he has many gorgeous fish prints; some of which are framed in drift wood. I just knew he would make my stuff look amazing. And he did.
This is a photo of my paper mosaic I did quite a few years ago in a class taught by N.E. Hayles, an extremely talented local artist in Todos Santos.
You can find her at http://www.nehayles.com
I can’t say enough about how talented and sweet NE (Nanette) Hayles is. I’ve been inspired by her work, but more importantly her humanness. She is an amazing woman whose mission is to share her art classes with anyone who wishes to receive. She makes an amazing lunch to go with the class and the experience was so much fun that I’ve done it twice.
Water Color Sunflower
My acrylic painting is only 5″X7″ and I asked him to make this one plain with drift wood only.
Water Color Desert Sunrise
I did this and some other water color paintings with Linda. I think Isaac’s frame is perfect, don’t you?
Here’s Isaac:
Like most men, he doesn’t smile for the camera. Check out the Corona poster.
One of his fish prints (pargo) framed.
Dorado, but not framed yet.
Trigger Fish–unframed.
This one is my favorite:
Gotta go practice my ukulele now. Life is so darn sweet.