Plantas Y Maderas - Garden Benches

 Three children from every kindergarden class in all of San Jose del Cabo were selected to attend this special occasion put on by the Municipality.  Although the event was judged each individual, was given a certificate for participation and were aplauded individually as they walked up and shake the officials hands.  The TV was their filming as well as the newspaper taking photographs.  It was a classic event allowing the children to create a collage with the materials provided by their teachers. The collage was in celebration to Dia de La Marina including life under the sea worth protecting.

This has become a beautiful occasion, an annual request from the Maestras of La Playita Kinder, since February of 2008.  This day gives me an opportunity to paint with the children  ages 4 to 6....giving me an incredible opportunity  educate the youth the imortance of protecting our waters, tierra (earth) and air, thru painting..and best of all they love it!!!.

On our final painting day three years ago I was accompanied by the Maestra of Maestras!..with guest artist and master teacher Annie deBrynKops and grandchildren (proteges)  ...Baily, Kristin and Kirby ....we already have an invitation for their return next spring....Unfortunately this year we missed out on their presense, but their invitation is open anytime they are available.....

The final product of 2008 was displayed at various tiendas in La Playita, La Choya, the organic market, and in front of the municple palace during our May 6th Meeting with President Rene Nunez.... http://loszacatitos.net/news/communitymeet08-3.html
also see http://www.loscaboscontaminacion.com

One thing all children love to do ...is paint, and the more free you are with them, the more beautiful the experience.  What an honor to be a part of this and what an opportunity I take on full heartedly.  Thank you Annie for your beautiful heart and experience....and Thank you Maestras Vickey, LLuvia, Serenia, and presently Maestra Bernice!

This years painting are in the works to be displayed at the marina for Dia de La Marina....this coming Friday 3 children of each class will be selected to paint a collage at the marina, these works will be included.  The works will be seen by many, including the Municipal President and Port Captain of San Jose del Cabo...Gracias A Dios 
photos from our archives to come...please check back

"We are a part of Earth and it is part of us.  All things are connected this we know.  The Earth does not belong to man; man belongs to Earth"
"Man did not weave the web of life, he's merely a strand in it.  Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself"
Cheif Joseph's Testimony 1854

Get involved...see Protecting our Waters at the bottom of the more category on this website...it doesn't take much, information is knowledge..pass it on.

In seven generations we are the ancestors, what we do or don't do is an instrument to help create our future....doing nothing is also a choice.   Inspired by Voices of our Ancestors...a book of native american teachings.... 

I have passed these murals done by children countless times...It always is a beautiful site!  Yesterday I stopped and took some photos after dropping off the recycling (on the way to the airport....take a right directly after Calle Ernesto Arambaro, directly before the overhead walkway.) recycling top of street..now taking plastics    :)  !!!!!
These Murals are on going...the latest day celebrated was Dia de la Agua...  basically these are about the values/valors we are educating our children/ or perhaps they are educating us...Paintings done by children ages 6 thru 12.  These are some courageous children and no doubt their educators have a heart of gold.  Escuela Primeria Justo Sierra T.M.

Today is the 40th annual celebration of Earth Day in America. This by far was one of my most favorite holidays while living in the states!!! On my Calendar here it shows on this day ...22 April 2010... Earth Day is celebrated in United States, Canada and in Mexico.  Although It is my view through the eyes of the La Playita Kinder these past 3 years, this day is not world wide recognized, at least not yet.  We have more or less a similar celebration in early June.... We are in America too, actually North America,...there is Central America, there is also South America...we together are connected as a continent....So, somehow it amazes me to think on what day throughout our planet do all of the countries specify an exact date to Celebrate our Mother Earth...I can only imagine....

 Can you imagine....... if we gathered together in the Americas alone, then poco a pocito throughout our planet to celebrate...What A World Party that could be...

Just in case you missed that last photo above...here it is again.  Because the whales are one of my most favorite creatures on this planet...I have no problem in saying it would be a tragedy to see them being killed for any reason... Period.  Here is an e mail from Avaaz informing us of the threat of the Whale population in our waters here on this planet.  Please take an opportunity to take a small moment of your time today and sign your name, like anything worth fighting for, nothing worth having comes easy. 

http://www.avaaz.org/en/whales_under_threat/?vl

 Each one of us is small, but we do have a voice and together united we are a powerful army...empowering us as a whole to fight for the truth, justice and in a non-violent manner.  Join the good fight...there are so many good things to stand for.  http://cpaf.repoweramerica.org/page/invite/earthdayremix?utm_source=crm_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20100422bizremix&utm_content=linkbox



"In wildness is the preservation of the world"  Henry David Thoreau

 Seems to me spring has arrived... although there is still little to no surf, you can find fields of purple lupin along the shoreline, just now our native christmas trees are ready to harvest (the agave flowering stock) perhaps mother natures timing is off kilter, but obviously I just understand what happens in this tropical desert on a small scale of the big picture.  One thing I am thankful to see is the shrimp boats have departed, perhaps the fishing will get good again.

No spring is definitely here.  The oriels and hummingbirds are sucking the sweet nectar of our aloes in bloom.  After the abundance of rains we have thankfully received since Christmas the flourishing yellow flowers have reached incredible heights, the stalks are providing a new beautiful fenceline for our property.  Here we have just one more example of our creative landscaping methods, utilizing what we have and making the most of it.

The cardinals are back, the combination of their brilliant red feathers against the clear desert blue sky is outlandish.  This year for the first time we have spotted a black cardinal nearby, no doubt once I retrieve my camera it flies away after sitting in one spot singing for minutes on end.  It just one of the countless photo opportunities I have let pass me by, words by no means compare.  "A picture is worth a thousand words"  so they say.

This past Sunday I took an unusual day off, went for an afternoon swim and a walk along the shoreline with a good friend.  We both confirmed that was the most amazing whale show either one of us had seen this year.  It was phenominal, a mother whale was teaching her young, splashing her tail numerous times in close to shore, the baby would attempt 1 to her 10...all I could say was "Thank you Great Spirit"  No doubt they are preparing for their journey back towards Alaska, like my good friend.  I will look forward to their return. 

Just days ago Ellie Fort and I went for a little venture thru the desert to the shoreline, no doubt Fort is barefoot...maybe one day he too will figure out that shoes aren't so bad.  We saw a school of dolphins just along the shore while we were playing in the field of Lupin...Truely, Simple Pleasures is Where It's At.

"To live only for some future goal is shallow.  It's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top.  Here's where things grow."  Robert Pirsig

We received another beautiful desert winter rain this week, what a treat. Already at ages 4 and 6 Fort and Ellie are pretty savy at how to protect our environment, planting trees provides shade, building material as well as oxygen for us to breathe...it's all connected.  Just before we planted all of our palo de arco seedlings ...nice timing on the munhckins part, now the little trees have a head start in getting their roots established.  While digging and planting they sing their little song "What's it gonna take?  TEAMWORK"  They are so classic together, never a dull moment around here....what a blessing.

During the winter, the rains are all together different than those in the summer.  Although we don't get the intense humidities, bobos, dragon flies, butterflies and velvet colorful desert...we do get happy plants and cooler weather.  The skies are crystal clear the next morning, it's as if a cleansing has occured, the lighting is incredibly intense...it's breath taking and beautiful. 

The next day on our normal daily journey into town, some of the roads are as smoothe as butter, while others have obviously seen better days. The first photo below is just behind our place, after this summer we have nurtured a tree to grow in the center, along with the rugged drainage...the advantage, less traffic!  

Along the coast road we saw a bobcat/lynx cross somewhat slowly in front of our truck.  Although I was so stoked to see him/her, the camera didn't make it for the shot in time....at least Fort and Ellie also got a good glimpse of something beautiful and wild.  We also hear the coyote nearby, get a glimpse of the red fox, and the random rabbit hopping accross the road which our faithful dogs Rubby, Dora and Thunderbolt gladdlly chase after.

In the early mornings we are starting to see tons of whale spray, as they expire their breath at the surface...it's beautiful as the sun is rising behind, the mist is lit up.  Today we caught a mama with it's baby just off the shore (within swimming distance) *staying close to the surface...she must of just had her calf and teaching it how to swim...I'm only guessing...I just am always excited to see the return of the whales...yearly they make an incredible journey from Alaska to Baja......and back again.... Mother Nature at her best.

Our usual weekday morning goal is to be on the coast road by 7:30 am to make the journey to the the nearest village where our children go to school.  Today we had a few extra minutes so we pulled over to watch the whales breaching (jumping out of the water) just off the coast.  As we got out of our old trusty beat up toyota pickup, it was impossible to overlook what lay at our feet.  Fort and Ellie asked me to take a few photos of them, it turns out I shot a video....

These are my courageous chidren, they feed me with strength and wisdom on a daily basis, today was no different.  Although we missed the epic potential shots of the whales breaching, we caught a glimpse of our present situation at hand.

Once we arrived into La Playita, I couldn't help myself to take photos of the trash along the local stretts.  Although this problem persists daily, today somehow seemed to be magnified.  It was unbelievable in that all the children, teachers and parents pass by the poluted sidewalks/roads as if nothing were out of the ordinary...and do nothing to make a change...it's now a part of the culture, whether it's a problem with the dogs knocking over the barrels...at this point who knows....It's another culture all together...we have been down this road before.  

After school Ellie stood in the back of the red truck pointing out all the trash I have yet to pick up...As I continually fill up an old shirt with trash tossing it into the barrels labelled BASURA along the walkways, the folks continued to drive by and smile as a greeting no different than any other day. It's only today that I got off my butt, instead of looking at it, being overwhelmed  "What can we do"  and took a little action.

Coming back home on the rugged coast road, Fort and Ellie suggested we stop to pick up the garbage we saw in the am ....before it finds it's way into the Sea...and so we did .
 
"Mom, don't people know where to put their trash?"

Sadly my concern is where it goes even if it is disposed and/or recycled properly.  A challenge not only here, but all over the world.  The question remains for all of us..."What can we do?"

Fort and Ellie are just like all the children throughout the world counting down the days remaining until Christmas.  We have already seen Santa Claus, and Ellie is sure she knows who it is.   We have enjoyed celebrations at the La Playita schools with pinatas and oh yes...mucho dulces para los ninos! Tis the season. That's one thing our children thought candy was a healthy cookie, then came fiestas with all the local children...there is a pinata for every occasion, it's hard not to introduce them to candy...such is life. 

We also have been in the process of search for that one special christmas tree that will be in our home this holiday season.  Here we use the stalk of a century plant, unfortunately this year the choices are far and few between...the stalks are just now shooting up, yet they are a month away from being ready,....perhaps an old stalk will be selected...we will keep on searching throughout the desert, that's part of the fun anyway.

We continue to consider ourselves very fortunate to live where we are.  This morning while overlooking the Sea of Cortez, while feeling the off shore winds...I saw a few boats out there trolling, thinking to myself how cold those folks are while waiting for the sun to rise.  Just then a whale's back was slowing coming out of the water, they are enormous and at the same time incredibly graceful.  What a beautiful site.  We are presently preparing our boat and rig for our annual Christmas celebrated fishing in our panga, perhaps whale watching and enjoying the gifts the Sea have to offer....With a little luck and skill we hope to bring home a wahoo, tuna, dorado..."Chicken tonight"

 Today I saw several whales playing off the coast of La Laguna.  Tis the season, ojala...here they come.  Just yesterday I saw a lynx...(aka gatos de montana para los locals) cross in front of my path after a morning hike up into Punta Gorda.  Life is good.  Mother Nature at her best.

Where do I begin?... 

The leaves of the lomboy trees are starting to fade, the desert is loosing it´s luscious velvet green sensation. The colors of the flowers are starting to fade.  I guess you could say Fall is in the air.  The folks are returning from escaping the intense heat of the summers to enjoy the sunshine, blue skies and clear beautiful waters of the Sea of Cortez.  Only a few weeks ago, if a car drove by it was a major event...who was that?  An extremely quiet summer, it was beautiful!

As the local folks on the East Cape say, the magical date is October 15th.  It´s  as if there is a light switch to turn of the heat, humidity and turn on the paridise for tourists and part timers to come down and escape the intense colds of the north.  A little slice of paridise.

In the early morning walks you can feel the cool offshore winds, the big surf has melted into a soothing lapping of water onto the shores edge.  No longer do you have to escape the intense heat of the day....what a treat, you can actually work outside all day without the need to find shelter from the sun.  The boats have been parked off of punta gorda catching big wahoo and tuna.  This past week a 381 pound tuna was caught by a local from La Playita!!! Gene says it´s been years since we´ve had big fish like this...beautiful. Saving perhaps the best for last, we saw our first whale spray two days ago...hopefully we will see an abundant return of the humpback whales...they are incredible creatures.

We are hoping to get our redneck princess out soon, Gene is recovering strong and our family is anxious to get back out on the water and do some fishing. I hope to share some of our family experiences out on our panga with you in the near future... ohala!