Travel Adventures
It seemed like the universe was trying its best to keep me from New Zealand, first with health problems, then with travel hurdles. On the day of the trip I had both a cold and a migraine, but managed to find those quiet lounges hidden away in airports for executives and for surprisingly small amounts of money, was able to rest in them, take medicine, get water and food, etc. Priority economy class allowed me to skip security lines and preboard, at a time when it was extremely helpful. Sometimes throwing $$ at things actually does help…
But nothing was going to get me around my cancelled flight to New Zealand. Apparently a cyclone was hitting Fiji (where I was routed through) and the entire 727 was being diverted onto Qantas – an airline I initially hadn’t chosen because it was so expensive. Unfortunately they were routing us through Sydney – and our huge planeload of people quickly filled up all the Sydney to Auckland flights on yet a third airline, who had no real interest in our story of woe and thus was not particularly helpful.
Thanks to my early arrival in LAX, I managed to snag a flight with “only” six hours layover in Sydney. Some people weren’t so lucky, nor were the people just trying to transfer to their own flights standing behind us at the Sydney international transit desk. I have to say, Sydney is ranking right up there with the worst airports I’ve ever been in, along with Heathrow and Houston. The restaurants were actually quite impressively good (oysters, caviar, and sushi), but there’s not an airline representative to be found to answer any questions, and the layout is sprawling, confusing, under construction, and extremely noisy. But, after some excellent espresso and a good lunch, the last vestiges of my migraine finally disappeared and the cold was tailing off.
Along with various other baffled customers just trying to get to Auckland, we eventually located the right gate and found out how to get our boarding passes (a story all its own). Finally on the plane – only to encounter thunderstorms and be in a holding pattern on the ground for about an hour. I thought we would never get there, and worried quite a bit about the B&B people who had arranged to meet me at the airport, as it was getting now ever later at night.
However, the quite comfortable Air New Zealand plane finally took off, and finally landed, and I got through customs easily thanks to the excellent instructions of my guides, and it turned out that they appreciated my late arrival because it was the birthday of my hostess. They had planned a fancy dinner out, which the original arrival time of my rerouted flight would have disrupted, but since it was late, the timing was perfect. They checked in advance, happily enjoyed their excellent meal, and picked me up just at the right time.
I slept wonderfully at what seemed like my usual bedtime, and it appears that I’m all adjusted, time-wise, due to the gradual 36-hr travel process. Today I spent most of the day walking in the beautiful parks of Auckland, getting an early start on my bird list. The B&B has an amazing view of the Harbor and is well located for restaurants, etc.
All’s well that ends well! Neither cold nor migraine, nor cyclones or thunderstorms could keep me from my appointed vacation :)
To blog or not to blog (from NZ)
In just a short 10 days I will be heading off to the wilds of New Zealand for a month-long birding/nature trip. I’ve been thinking about how to pack for this for a long time. It’s a bit challenging with all the many habitats from tropical to glacial that we’ll be encountering, and being out in the weather everyday – layers and weatherproof gear mandatory. Then there’s the bulky equipment – binoculars, field guides, camera, journals, hiking boots, etc. Can’t get those any smaller – so clothes are going to have to be very efficient to avoid over-packing. Since we’ll be moving nearly every day, that’s important.
Now comes the real dilemma – technology. I already decided to leave my cell phone at home. My family would beat me about the head and shoulders if I did not take ANY pictures, so a very small (but high-tech) camera was purchased, which talks wirelessly to… the netbook. The subject of my dilemma. I bought this very light and small netbook exactly for this trip – though I now use it for traveling anywhere and everywhere. My whole idea here was that I could use it in the evenings to upload pictures from the camera, blog about the trip, and also to start back up writing my books (which have suffered lately). We’ll certainly have wireless at least part of the time, so it would get used if I had it. No matter what, I’ll have my Kindle with many, many books loaded – a huge improvement over trying to carry enough books to read on a long trip in the past.
Lately, I’ve been wondering if the computer is incompatible with the whole purpose of this trip. For various reasons I have come to look upon the daily immersion in nature as the part most looked forward to, deeply healing and potentially life-altering. At the very least, a much needed break from my “normal” life, and at best, a way to build new habits and ways of living that get me out in the natural and social world more. Would having a computer with me keep dragging me back into my old world? And what about shlepping it around every day? It won’t go in my daily backpack – that will have all the aforementioned birding gear, and layers of clothing. Of course, it is pretty small and light, and very easy to manage in airports and such compared to most computers. Presumably it would survive packed in the middle of my suitcase. Hrm. It really seems like less would be best on a trip like this. But, hrm.
Take the Computer
- Somewhere to put all the pictures I could take, otherwise have to get more memory chips
- Allows blogging about the trip, which would be fun for me and others
- Can receive e-mails in emergencies, can send e-mails if I get lonely, otherwise pretty much unreachable
- Would minimize the horrible backlog of e-mails I’d have after a month offline (thousands, literally)
- Might mean that I’d make progress on my books (not at all sure of this)
- Ways to look up weather, check flights and train timetables, info for the non-tour part of the trip
Don’t take the Computer
- Freedom from excess stuff, weight, cords, etc.; easier packing
- Almost no technology/real-world intrusions into vacation/nature
- Might help me spend more time socializing and being where I am
- With Kindle, probably would have enough to do even in remote places
Hm. Both sides are pretty compelling. I’ll just have to turn it over in my mind for a bit. It’s telling all by itself that the decision of whether or not to take a computer on my travels is such a big deal. For years there has been no question – I always take it. On the other hand, I’m usually not packing and moving every single day or being so outdoors focused. So…
Culture and values
My friend Judith has recently started a new job with a Native American tribe. She has been reading some articles that suggest that people turn to their cultures to answer the following five questions, and asks us to respond:
• What is basic human nature?
• What is the relationship of humankind to nature?
• How should we perceive our relationship to time?
• What is the value placed on activity?
• What should be the relationship of people to each other?
Each of these seems like a giant essay to me :) But I’ll try to come up with some fairly succinct thoughts, below. I don’t know how relevant they’ll be to my cultural context, however, as I suspect my personal views are not mainstream in my culture at all.
What is basic human nature? I’m not sure I know what this question means. But I guess fundamentally I see us as swirling particles of aether, made up largely of energy. I mean this in terms of both our physical nature and our conscious nature. I don’t subscribe to any religious belief systems, and I feel that our basic truth is largely unknowable or unperceivable, at least in our physical form. I consider myself agnostic in that sense. If there is any one basic human nature, it exists far below the level of consciousness, will, right, or wrong.
What is the relationship of humankind to nature? I see our energy as interacting with that of others, with animals and inanimate objects, all as one large system. In that sense, humankind and nature are inextricable and the same. We manifest differently, though I don’t know why energy should differentiate itself into various different patterns. Therefore, I see no real hierarchy among mankind and nature.
How should we perceive our relationship to time? I strongly suspect that time has multiple dimensions, as does space. Physics tends to support that, in that the equations work out better that way. I imagine that our mind is only geared to experience time linearly and in one direction – with occasional glitches like deja vu. Nevertheless, multiple time-space stretches out all around us, and we go along within it in a straight line, not knowing how else to go.
What is the value placed on activity? Hmm. This is another one for which I’m not even sure where to begin. Societies, cultures, and religions all do seem to place “values” on specific activities, as in some having more value than others, and some being actively good or bad. However, the question seems worded in the sense of activity vs. inactivity. We need a certain amount of activity to maintain our physical needs. Beyond that, it seems that each person develops their own personal value system that determines which activities have value or priority over others. These may be compatible or at odds with those of the greater society – those that are at odds with society being designated criminals or other pejorative terms. On a more benign level, how each person decides which “work” or “leisure” activities are chosen to pursue is something of a mystery and may be largely circumstantial.
What should be the relationship of people to each other? A loaded “should” question :) Different cultures do place different values on individualism vs. collectivism, which I am guessing is the context of the question. However, I personally feel toward this question much as the previous one. There is no activity or type of relationship that inherently “should” be of higher value than another, except to the extent that it makes a person feel fulfilled and happy within the context in which they exist (whatever that is – culturally or otherwise). It is a mystery to me why some cultures have self-organized along individual lines and others along community-oriented lines. That suggests that both are evolutionarily adapted for success. Perhaps those people that don’t fit within one or the other are less well adapted and are selected out, until there are entire communities that are more or less one way or the other.
Anyway, a set of odd thoughts for the day :)
Onward to a brave new decade…
or at least we may need to be brave to live through it :D Seriously. Greater politics and global warming aside, it’s time for an annual retrospective/prospective. Normally I do this a little sooner, but I found my thoughts strangely fallow this year. I feel very happy to have met so many of my life goals over the last several years, that I was almost reluctant to make new ones. I felt sure that they would come to me when the time was right, and so they have. A friend did her retrospective monthly, which was really neat. I’m not sure I have enough in the way of records to do that, but here are some highlights (or lowlights, depending).
This has been the year of house repairs, and it started off with a bang in January – the repeated series of bangs being my washing machine developing a crack in its drum and having to be replaced. Since then, I’ve replaced the furnace, the water heater, the oven, the DVD player, the laptop and the computer, repeatedly tried to fix the cheap parts inside my toilets (some jury-rigging there), the back-yard fence (due to a tree falling on it in last year’s snowstorm), added weather-stripping, added AC (due to the heat wave in August), and removed the insulation under the floor (because mice were living in it). I still have yet to replace the insulation and am also getting new gutters (with leaf-guards) in a week or so. STILL managed to save more than I spent, somehow or another. Whew. Houses, sheesh.
Of course the main event in January was President Obama’s inauguration, which was so inspiring for me. For once I was glad that I was forced to have basic cable by the evil Comcast (to lower my internet bill). I am still proud of him. His list of environmental accomplishments (in one year!) is incredibly long, and the country is on much better economic, moral, and international footing than it was. There is still a long way to go, but hey guys, he has three more years (at least). Give him some credit!
In February I took the bold step of giving away all my books (OK, except the pretty ones and the bird guides) and moving to Kindle. I’ve been really, really happy with it. I travel a lot, and it couldn’t be better for that. I use it all the time while out and about too, and it’s easier to read while eating, sitting in bed, etc. It’s the first step of a transition to new technologies that will most likely continue this year. I also became active on Twitter and Facebook, and found that it is actually fun :)
March found me with a new, nearly full-time mediation contract with the Natural Resource Trustee Council at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. I now spend about a week out there every two months, and do work in between as needed. I had done some work for them before, but now it was more permanent, and the contract was renewed in September. Aside from it being interesting, challenging work, I am very grateful to have had this opportunity during this period of economic difficulty.
In April I enjoyed a fabulous trip to New York for the Reader’s Studio, and almost simultaneously participated in organizing my first scientific conference for the regional chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. That was a whirlwind month, not least because in the middle of that I got REALLY sick – looking back, almost certainly came down with H1N1 during the trip to NY – that being just when it had first arrived there from Mexico. Hopefully that makes me immune now! Oh, and I refinanced my house, as if this month needed more complexity.
In May, I had some free time to really think about my life. This is when I started to really feel happy – like every day, all the time. That’s kind of a new feeling for me :) A lot of my goals had been achieved – I was in a house I really loved, in a city I really loved. I had successfully changed my career, even in the midst of the recession, and was earning all my income from it. I had a LOT more free time, and was even getting excited about exercising.
In June, I bought myself a cool new bicycle and was all set to ride a lot more, which for me, is kind of like a minor miracle. Sadly, it was not to be. My heart started to act up, which was very, very scary. Even when I was sitting down, never mind riding my bike. Oddly, of all the things that could be, it turned out to be a thyroid problem. One which runs in my family but which no-one had bothered to mention despite the fact that both me and my brother are well above the age where it could appear (I was weirdly miffed about that)! Apparently I had let it go long enough that it had affected my heart, which thankfully has turned out to be reversible, for the most part. Still, it was a good 6 months before my TSH levels and heart function stabilized to allow exercise of any sort. I’m slowly starting up, but it isn’t easy – I feel like I’ve lost a lot in the meantime.
Not much to say about July, except that I planned myself a wonderful vacation in New Zealand for February (which is coming right up!), and it got so hot in the house for so long (95 degrees!) that both I and my computers started to suffer. In addition to everything else I had spent on the house, I decided that I could not work here full-time without AC, with the temperatures it is getting to in the summer (plus south-facing windows and skylights). I hate having to get AC, but it’s central, very quiet, and I keep it at the highest possible temperature.
In August, I started my new self-publishing venture, Tarotmoon Press, and moved all my esoteric writings there. I’m enjoying that, even if events have conspired to keep me from writing as much as I’d really like to – something to think about for the coming year.
Late September/early October found me in Zihuatanejo for my one international trip of the year. This was a timeshare but one of the more jungly/remote ones I’ve been to – instead of my pretty much annual trip to Puerto Vallarta. It was very hot and humid, with some good birdwatching, excellent food, and a chance to release baby turtles to their new lives in the ocean. I did eat rather adventurously, and something I ate decided to stay with me throughout most of the month of October, until I finally beat it into submission with antibiotics. Most of October was spent planning the WSU faculty retreat, which was a nice change from Hanford work.
In the beginning of November, I went to visit my friends Lisa & Kevin in Santa Barbara, and we had a nice time relaxing, eating out, and camping. I wasn’t feeling great that week still, but they were very hospitable and understanding, and I really enjoyed the long-awaited visit. Later that month I hosted Thanksgiving and made my first ever turkey, which I decided to try brining. It came out very well, and my grandfather pronounced it excellent, which is high praise in our family :)
December was mostly quiet. I had a lot to reflect on in my personal life, and didn’t feel much like holiday parties, other than our small family get-together at Christmas. I’ve been working on exercising more, which for me is always, always work. Although today I went to a yoga class and felt better when I left then when I went, which I need to remember.
It’s already the 6th of January and I am frantically making lists of stuff to do before my trip to New Zealand, which starts in less than a month (and will be gone for an entire month)! But I have had time to think about what is still missing in my life and what I’d like to do more of this year. Aside from following through on the ability to exercise, my thoughts are largely about being more outwardly social – both personally and professionally.
I need more friends – especially single friends. This situation has improved greatly since I moved from Puyallup to Olympia, but it still has a long way to go. At least I know people here and there is a lot going on. But, most of my friends are married and many have kids, and they just don’t have time or the ability to get away spontaneously or even planned to do things. I’m tired of going to movies by myself :) I’d like to be able to call up someone(s) for dinner, movies, plays, kayaking, walks, etc. Not to mention that I am really ready for a good, strong relationship with someone that is available and enjoyable to be with.
None of that is going to happen unless I do something about the amount of time I spend at home alone. I can be pretty reclusive – I have so much to do and so many connections online that I don’t really take advantage of everything going on in this community. Much of this I built for myself when I did not have these opportunities, to keep myself sane and build friendships online. However, Olympia is full of interesting things – arts walks, lectures, plays and movies, kayaking, very active Audubon Society and Mountaineers groups, social Green activities, dances, and on and on. Not to mention just getting out to routine things like yoga classes, gym, and the farmer’s market each week. And just a little further away are blues clubs in Tacoma that I know I would really enjoy.
I moved here for all these things! So if I have a resolution this year, it’s to do the extra bit of work that I need to do to find out what’s going on in the community and get out to at least a couple of events each month. It’s my hope that this will slowly draw me out into the world more and help me get re-engaged with interesting people – and who knows where that could lead :)
I got a llama for my birthday!
Some of you may know I have kind of a “thing” about llamas. I used to live in a house with about an acre of grassy land around it, in an area where there were quite a few llama ranches. I really think llamas are cool, and I wanted to have one in the yard. There was enough grass for it to eat, and they keep it trimmed nicely. They take care of their own messes in an isolated spot, they’re friendly (while not tolerating stray dogs), and they are even well-behaved enough to ride in a car (OK, it has to be a van, but still). Oh yeah, they hum when they want to tell you something :) And seriously, just look at that face. What’s not to like?
Well, this was not to be. Llamas are expensive around here, and even to me, I had to think it was harder to keep one than it sounded. It didn’t help my obsession any when I went to Peru and got to see flocks of llamas and alpacas roaming the Andes. So anyway, it’s my birthday, and I went out to lunch with my Mom, and she hands me a little wrapped packet that feels like paper, folded over. I’m figuring this is one of her famous travel journals, since she just got back from a trip to South America. But no, it’s a llama! Well, a llama for a family in Peru. Which really, is even better. I was excited :)
It turns out there’s an organization called Heifer that gives various forms of farm animals (as well as fish, bees, vegetables, etc.) to promote sustainable agriculture and food security in parts of the world that desperately need it. Aside from all the virtues of llamas as a pet, they have far more virtues to a family in the remote mountains of Peru and Ecuador. The give milk and wool, they carry goods to market, provide transportation for children, and need little to no feed. They are very easy on the landscape, which is important in areas that could easily become eroded or trampled by other forms of livestock.
This organization also does a lot to promote the health of both the families and the animals, training, peace among communities (including reconciliation among former enemies), and long-term sustainability. My sister-in-law got a goat for her birthday, which she’s almost as fanatical about as I am about llamas. So if you have a friend or family member who loves cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, llamas, rabbits, ducks, geese, bees, or, hmm… I’ve probably forgotten a few, check it out!
Put your money where your values are – without spending it
Here the latest idea on dealing with one of the most intractable remaining problems of the recession – unemployment. One of the problems with getting people back to work is that the banks aren’t lending to businesses, especially small businesses. Small businesses are really where it’s at in this increasingly decentralized, flexible, entrepreneurial economy. There are lots of people out there with ideas – but a lot of them require start-up money. Lending to businesses basically dried up when the larger credit market evaporated, and this was one of the things that the TARP stimulus money was designed to do – free up credit. However, the big banks had other ideas, and they still haven’t loosened the purse-strings.
All this makes it hard for your average small business, who is already getting hit hard by less business, rising fuel and raw materials costs, and health care costs. Most of them need loans as a matter of course, to expand, buy materials in advance of a job, or whatever. They just can’t get loans right now, which means a lot of good ideas, and hiring opportunities, go unfunded.
Now you may ask, what does this have to do with you? You’re not a bank, or a small business, so what can you do? Lots, it turns out. Remember, this is OUR money they’re choosing to lend or not lend. And banks have different ideas of how to go about being a bank. Local community banks and savings & loans are a lot more likely to lend to community businesses and also be involved in charitable activities, both of which are important. The big national and transnational banks seem to be mostly engaged in figuring out how to charge us more fees to make back what they lost due to their own financial recklessness, and now they’re lobbying for even more deregulation. There’s a difference, and which type of bank you choose to put your money in matters.
Send a message to the big banks – take your money and put it in a fiscally sound local bank where it can do some good in the community, get businesses going and get people back to work. You can read a lot more about this idea here, in a movement called Move Your Money: A New Year’s Resolution. And if you’re in the Christmas spirit, you can watch a fun video based on It’s a Wonderful Life, which is strangely apropos. There’s even a little box where you can type in your zip code and get a list of the highly fiscally sound local banks and savings & loans in your area, taking the guess-work out of choosing one.
Wouldn’t it be great if collectively we can send a real message to BofA, Citibank, etc., in the only language they really understand?
Extreme Mediation
I have long been drawn to forms of mediation that are more direct and transformative for the participants and make real differences in people’s lives or in the effectiveness of large-group processes. Most of us are taught mediation in a style that is ultra-facilitative; we are allowed only to elicit the participants’ own thoughts and ideas and are taught never to step in with any part of ourselves or our own ideas or suggestions. Asking questions, providing structure for dialogue, and thoughtful silences are used to guide the participants through a process of their own making.
Most likely, this is a good way to learn. When you’re inexperienced and working with people in volatile and vulnerable circumstances, such as divorce and custody proceedings, it’s critical that you proceed as carefully as possible. Above all, it is important to guide people to their own solutions rather than one of yours that they may seize upon in the moment but later decide doesn’t suit them. It also helps curb the problem-solving tendencies that most of us learn as experts in our chosen field pre-mediation, forcing us to step back and help others help themselves.
On the other hand, as one becomes more experienced, one finds that there are many cases in which a purely facilitative approach does not cut it. It simply does not get the job done, especially in highly complex and controversial situations. It’s just too much like that therapist who always sits back and says, “and how did that make you FEEL?” There are times when you are chosen by a group to carry a message, consciously or unconsciously, because you are the only person who feels safe enough to do it. Or when they are so muddled and the process is so complex that only a person who stands somewhat outside of it can see the common thread or a set of possible solutions.
Then there’s the contradiction between the hiring process for facilitators/mediators, which has become very content- and expertise-specific, and the idea that we are not supposed to inject any of that knowledge or expertise into the process. Generally, the groups we work with expect us to help them in more direct ways than the theoreticians of our profession believe is appropriate, particularly since few groups have the funds to hire both content and process experts when they can get both in one person. One of my greatest skills is synthesizing the work of a group into a coherent, consensus product – which goes well beyond where many “authorities” in the field would have us go, yet I know it is of great value to my clients.
One of my favorite books in the field is Extreme Facilitation: Guiding Groups through Controversy and Complexity. This is all about applying creativity, flexibility, and adaptability to the needs of the parties or the group and crafting a process that works for them. When purely facilitative approaches will do the trick, great. When you need to step in and cut through the muddle, do it. Use every technique at your disposal to help move the situation. Practitioners who get stuck in only one box can find themselves quite at a loss when that approach doesn’t work, as is so often the case in my primary field of environmental mediation.
In addition to environmental work, I do divorce mediations – partly because I am apparently the only professional family mediator in my community, and I feel like it is a necessary public service. However, I do get discouraged that our skills are only called into use at the point where couples have already decided to divorce. While I know that helping two people end their marriage on a positive and constructive note is a valuable service, especially when kids are involved, I know that it would be even more valuable to help people before it gets that far. Not to mention that we have so many disputes and conflicts in daily life, and people don’t even consider mediation. Perhaps it’s because it seems too formal, too expensive, too… something. Like therapy (that comparison again).
Recently, I read a blog that inspired me like nothing has in a long time, about a man who mediates in half-hour sessions at Burning Man. Half an hour – wow. He’s designed a process that dispenses with, well, a lot of the process that bogs down those interminable approaches you learn as a volunteer in divorce court. He sets up his booth right in Burning Man, and takes all comers. Anything and everything gets mediated, in keeping with the principle of radical inclusion that the festival espouses. Several things excited me about this – first, it’s short. This approach could be adapted to an hour and be really affordable – or provided for free in any number of community settings. Second, it’s accessible enough that any and all issues are brought to be mediated – including a lot of marital issues that if not addressed, could ultimately lead to divorce. Yay for getting these early! Third, I just like the idea that people would walk right by, and even if they didn’t take advantage of it, they would know it existed and could be used at any time.
Maybe I need to stop waiting for cases to come to me (they do, but always at the divorce stage), and get out into the community somehow and do these (a church, farmer’s market, YMCA, community center?). I never thought of a one-hour mediation before, but I can really see it working. It’s like a combination of zen listening, focused commitment, and directed problem-solving. I can’t wait to try it!
Life updates
Well, it’s been over a month since I posted… mostly due to a HUGE editing project I was working on, the first time I have done an entire book. Along with my other work, this pretty much sucked up all my creative writing and blogging time, much to the detriment of my self-publishing and writing intentions. Hopefully now that that’s done, I can get on with it :) Scientifically speaking, it was a fairly interesting project, at least. Once in a while I’d come across a chapter that was written in good English, and that was like a gift (I do ESL editing, and these were mostly Japanese authors).
I did manage to sneak in a visit to Lisa and Kevin Plaxco in Santa Barbara, which was very nice. Third time’s the charm, as the first trip was foiled by being snowed in (here) and the second attempt by a large fire (there). I enjoyed the sunshine and their beautiful temporary home, and we went on a short camping trip to the Channel Islands. The Island Scrub-Jay eluded me, but there were many other unusual plants, birds, and rock formations to enjoy.
Other than that, it’s been a week out at Hanford working and weeks of rain at home. I was invited to join the workgroup to overhaul our state cleanup regulations, which is something of an honor but also likely to be a fair amount of work. Meanwhile I am working on an implementation plan for a local university to develop a low-impact development center and focus on human impacts on the freshwater environment. All this should keep me quite busy until February, when I leave for a month-long visit to New Zealand (yay!).
In other news, I’ve been battling mice under the house, who think this is their annual winter vacation home (apparently it’s been going on for years). So, all the insulation underneath the house is stripped out (in winter!) until I am sure they’ve been adequately excluded, and then I will be putting newer and better insulation back in.
Also, I recently joined a timebank, which is a really neat concept in bartering. Rather than having to find one person to mutually exchange services with, you offer your services to an entire group of members. Whenever you perform a service, you earn hours, which you can then use to “pay” other people to come do services for you. Everyone’s hours are treated equally, which is one thing I like about it. My garden will be in need of timebank hours soon, I’m sure.
Now I’m just getting ready for Thanksgiving! As many years as I’ve cooked Thanksgiving for the family, I’ve never made a turkey. Originally, our oven was too small, and I like to experiment, so every year I make something different with seasonal foods, but seldom very traditional. This year, since I have a new pro stove that actually functions properly, I’m planning to surprise everyone with traditional Thanksgiving fare – turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, squash, green beans, and pumpkin pie! So, I’m making my first turkey at the age of 46 :D Our family has a nice ritual of saying out loud what we’re thankful for each year, which gives the holiday its true meaning to me.
That’s it for now! Enjoy your weekend everyone, and don’t forget to be mindful of what you’re thankful for.
Birds and Turtles
Wow, so hot and humid. So much so that it takes an encounter with wildlife for me to really enjoy it, but Friday was a great day for that. A few clouds in the morning convinced me (erroneously, it turned out) that it might be cooler that day, so I got ready as fast as I could and went out to go birdwatching. It turned out the refuge I originally wanted to visit was not accessible this time of year, as there was no-one there to let you in. However, the receptionist directed me to a bike trail through a different refuge that turned out to be perfect. The trail took about 3 hours to walk (while stopping frequently to look at birds), and led through very nice jungle and mangrove lagoons. An occasional biker or jogger used the path, but not that frequently. It was still very hot and humid, especially as I didn’t get started until about 9 am, but there was constant shade on the trail (yay!).
My favorite bird was this one – the Citreoline Trogon. I don’t know why, I have a fondness for trogons – they’re just so cool :) Seeing one anywhere always makes me happy. There were lots of birds that I couldn’t identify, and yet more that I only heard but never saw. Tropical birding can be quite frustrating – the birds blend so well with the foliage that it is very difficult to ever find them. Yet, despite being hot, sweaty, and having quite a low percentage of actual identification, I was pretty much happy as a clam :D I also did see a Spider Monkey in the bush, which is not that common.
My 5-km or so walk ended at Playa Linda, an estuary where crocodiles swim in the lagoon and a number of local shops, restaurants, and other tourist attractions were set up along the beach. Busfulls of kids from local schools were there on field trips, all excited to see the cocodrillos :) I stopped to talk to an inspector responsible for checking vendor and restaurant licenses, and he told me about his 11 years doing roofing in Phoenix in the 100+ degree heat. Now back in Mexico, his current job is much more enjoyable, well, like a walk on the beach!
Back at the resort I found a notice tacked to the door – their way of letting you know about the latest activity they have planned to entertain the tourists, or the bar specials, or whatnot. Usually I don’t pay much attention to these, but this one was special – it turned out the resort was one of several along the beach to have an active turtle nesting and release program. They collected Green Sea Turtle eggs when they were laid on the beach in November and held them until they hatched, then we all got to participate in releasing them to the ocean. Through this program, the hatch rate has increased from 40% to 90+%, and they are proud of this contribution – plus it was totally fun for us, adults and kids alike.
So, we all stood in a line on the beach with our own little teeny turtle cupped in the palms of our hands, then carefully set them all down on the sand at once and waited for the waves to come along. We didn’t dare move until they were all out, for fear of one getting washed behind us and stepped on. Mine kind of sat there for a long time until a wave reached him, then he kind of perked up and started heading slowly for the water. You couldn’t help wanting to cheer when your turtle made it out to sea – as soon as the waves hit they scooted and swam really fast, like little propellors. It was neat to see their little black heads get further and further out, though I worried as they passed the rocky island full of seabirds :)
Maybe a little touristy but something I really enjoyed anyway. It’s great that all these resorts are getting into the action and helping to undo some of the impacts that development of the beach brings. This was far and away the most popular activity that everyone turned out for and enjoyed learning about and participating in, a good sign.
Ants and grasshoppers and caterpillars (in a tortilla), oh my
Well, I’m an adventurous eater, and figure I should try anything once. So when I found the innocently named “Tortillas Azteca” on the menu and looked up the ingredients (none of which I recognized) in the handily provided translation guide, I decided I should give it a shot.
It’s rare enough that a menu in Spanish has anything I’m not able to translate, but ant larvae, caterpillars, and grasshoppers are definitely among them. These were or are all considered high-protein delicacies in various parts of Mexico at various points in history, much like in Africa.
In this dish, each of these three items is provided in its own little bowl, accompanied by dried oregano, onions, a spicy brown sauce, and small but very thick corn tortillas, from which you assemble your choice of fillings. I was a little concerned that the couple sitting next to me would want to move once they saw what I was eating, but thankfully they turned out to be curious and pleasant dinner companions.
The dish turned out to be a mixed experience. The ant larvae were not recognizable as such, and were crunchy, round, and tasty. The grasshoppers were predictably spiky, very crunchy, and spicily prepared, but were surprisingly quite good in the chewy, thick corn tortillas. The caterpillars, well. I ate just enough of them to determine that they were edible, but they had nothing particular to recommend them in terms of flavor or texture, and were much too obvious in appearance!
In any case, I enjoyed the strange experience, and am considering it payback karma for all the bugs that continually bite me no matter where I am. I found the thick corn tortillas very filling, especially after salad and bread, so was chagrined that I couldn’t eat more of it (even though I would have) – because I’m sure the waiter though it was just too weird for me :) Macho eating at its best, LOL.
Not much else to say at the moment except that I had a very nice massage this morning – one of the best I’ve ever had, which I tried to get in before it got really hot. Now I am indulging in an iced latte and getting ready to wash my clothes. Sadly, the birding guides that I had hoped to use appear to have folded or moved on, so I’ll have to find another option for getting out to the nature reserve later in the week (hopefully on a day with some cloud cover)!
