Desert Days

Well I’ve finished my 8 days of Spanish torture – 2 ½ hours of class and then 5-6 hours of homework every day! Whew! I’m totally bilingual now – right…. I did learn lots though and am really feeling excited about learning more Spanish so have been watching a little Mexican television. They speak so darn fast it’s hard to follow so I’ll have to find some children’s program or one of the popular telenovelas (soap opera) I guess.

We have had some nice kayaking days – flat crystal clear water – and have paddled to the spots where thousands of tropical fish hang out. Very cool, we saw several coronet fish – about 3 feet long and very skinny, schools of small needle fish about 6 – 8 inches long, large blue parrot fish, trigger fish, angels, sergeant majors, puffer fish and balloon fish and lots that we have no idea what they are called. To and from these spots we paddled over many huge schools of sierra (a kind of mackerel that is excellent eating) and what looked to us like young yellow tail. Our neighbours think they were lady fish that we saw but who knows. I tried catching some from the kayak but they didn’t bite, the only thing that I saw interested in the lure was a puffer fish – sure didn’t want that. So, I guess we got skunked too.

We have been seeing whales from shore this last week, one that looked like a killer whale spy hopping. There are also lots of dolphins – one day we saw a huge school of them leaping along – the biggest school we’ve ever seen, maybe a hundred or more of them. There is also a sea lion that appears from time to time for lunch. There are very few eagle rays leaping, we saw quite a few when we first arrived but it was very windy and choppy so we didn’t venture out to visit them then and now they have gone somewhere else. Last year there were many of them and Mike and Kate paddled out to see them; they got some great pictures of the rays jumping and swimming right under the boat.

Our days have been so busy – read, check the computer, play guitar – only I do that, read, watch a movie, exercise for a few hours every day – cycle, walk, or paddle, eat, bask in the sun. We’ve had some nice walks up the arroyos and into the “bush”. The big excitement this week was moving house from CM (the house we had last year and where we have been for two weeks) back to T&Ts. We took T&T to the airport in their old truck then drove on to Cabo to shop at Costco and the new Super Wal-Mart. We also stopped at our friends Stan and Sharon (that we met at the border) in San Jose for a short visit – didn’t get home till after dark. The desert looks so different in the dark under the almost full moon. It turns everything silver, very beautiful.

Did you see the lunar eclipse!? We have had night after night of clear skies and bright stars with a spectacular moon rising out of the Sea of Cortes right in front of the house. Of course on the night of the lunar eclipse it was cloudy. We sat out on the patio with the binoculars and were able to catch glimpses that were in themselves quite spectacular, however, disappointing as if it had been clear what a sight we would have seen……!

It has been quite windy most days and cool at night, today it is 90 degrees outside; the hottest yet, but breezy so it not too hot – in the shade anyway.

Incidentally, the word in town is that the skunk (see previous post) succumbed to alcohol poisoning....

Strangers in the Night

Stranger Number One:

Its 2 am in the small enclave of Rancho Pescadero; 7 houses side by side along the beach, no other houses around – about 6 miles north of a small town on a very narrow, single lane, bumpy, sandy road going to?.... yet another much smaller town many miles away.

Two sleeping people, dreaming in the night…. Our next door neighbours wake to the sound:

Unfortunately due to confidentiality concerns I can not tell you anything more about this stranger.....

Stranger Number Two:

It’s about 4 am two sleeping neighbours, dreaming in the night…. awake with a start to their protective dog barking furiously and what appears to be a skunk attached to the screen door of their bedroom. Said protective dog then leaps right thru the screen door. Next, the dog tears back into the bedroom with the skunk in hot pursuit. A spotted skunk!

http://www.calmzoo.org/stories/storyReader$186

It is very aggressive, it hisses, it stomps its little feet, it sprays the dog, it sprays the bedroom, it sprays our neighbours. It doesn’t smell nice. The dog approaches, Ms Skunk sprays, the dog retreats, Ms Skunk pursues. On his/her way by Ms Skunk takes a bite out of our neighbour’s foot. After much leaping about Ms Skunk is swept out of the door only to leap up on another screen door. He/she is trying to find another entry point. In it comes, out it is swept. In it comes, out it is swept! It really wants in the house! Our neighbour continues to sweep – he sweeps Ms skunk over the 5 foot wall and down onto the beach – he turns to go inside only to see Ms skunk scampering up the stairs from the beach and back into the house – many times she/he is swept over the wall to the beach and like a boomerang she/he returns. Our neighbour calls for a shovel, thinking more serious dispatch will be necessary the next time Ms skunk appears - the wife searches the property (at least ½ an acre) flashlight in hand for said shovel, finds it, but Ms skunk has thought better of her return and all is quiet for what little is left of the night. Whew!

When morning arrives a rabies shot is scheduled for the following day in La Paz. These shots are not easy to come by and there is only one Doctor for all of Baja Sur who administers these shots. Fortunately he only administers the first one and lets you take the rest of the vaccine (4 more) back home to have your own doctor or clinic administer (as long as the appropriate paperwork is completed).

Stranger Number Three?

This is not the end. At about 7 pm that evening these same neighbours are visiting at another neighbour’s home, no doubt retelling the adventure of the morning. There is a great deal of barking (normal for Baja dogs at night) and then the dogs run up the stars; thinking they are safe, they pause on the landing to look down – up comes the hissing skunk! It marches right up the stairs passing right by these two large Baja dogs who are now barking furiously. Needless to say, the ceremonious arrival of said skunk to the second story has rather disrupted the atmosphere and the consumption of after dinner dessert for the 7 adults relaxing on the approximately 15x25 foot deck.

Ms Skunk has scampered through the large walled yard (at least ½ an acre) successfully avoiding two good sized Baja dogs (one of these dogs is experienced with skunks, having had the early morning encounter already). Once again Ms Skunk is very aggressive. It hisses, it stamps its little feet, it sprays its lovely scent around, on both dogs, and on everyone else. One of the adults (a medical doctor) leaps up on a chair and provides much needed direction. The neighbour with the most knowledge of wild animals (PhD level) and his recent early morning sweeping experience, fortified with his beverage of choice, wields the broom. After much to do – about an hour or more of whirling and twirling and much coordinated effort involving brooms and a frog gig (sort of like a spear gun) and a hefty garbage bag placed inside a large garbage can, the dogs and the guys (there are 4 of them) manage to get Ms skunk blockaded in a Mexican style down spout that empties into the outside shower below. Ms skunk is finally manoeuvred through the spout and drops down into the shower where the garbage can has been strategically placed to catch him/her. Good plan, however, he/she misses the can and is scampering around in the shower, still ready for a fight – fortunately one of the other MDs (a visting friend, not the La Paz doctor) has thought of this possibility and has the only skunk sized exit blocked. Somehow they manage to get him/her swept into the bag and all 4 guys plus Ms Skunk take off on the quad into the dark depths of the arroyo. Hmmm. Is he/she rabid? Is this the same skunk of the morning? Quite possibly on both counts. Where were the women? – Inside the house with sliding glass door closed of course – very sensible. With two MDs a PhD and a business man at the task the best position was inside the house watching – unfortunately no pictures were taken!

Lorne and I are very disappointed to have missed out on all this. We have had no unexpected visitors at all! I think the cats are keeping all unwanted guests at bay. Perhaps our turn will come…..