Sultry .. the air thick with moisture but still. No wind ruffles the palm fronds. Splashing fish jar the glassy sea surface and small shorebirds call to one another in their morning search for food. Golden sun drives trails across the water, free from her stormy yesterdays. A low bank of clouds hangs over Isla Carmen’s craggy shape. At the water’s edge, tiny rolling bumps curl and roll into sand and stone. The passing of the storm .. the beginning of a new day.
Sunday dawn .. after the storm
I admit it .. I’m a storm junkie. Something about the drop in barometric pressure and the wildness in the skies. I became edgy. Can’t sit still or focus. Pace the perimeter. Waiting. Watching the sky. Watching satellite photos and charts. Norbert was to be small .. A category 1 storm for a short time and then a tropical depression. He fooled us all by building to a Category 3 – but all of it off the west coast of Baja – and with no serious impact. We had 3″ of rain in Loreto and an amazing 49mph gust. I was awakened at 3am by what sounded like a bucket of water thrown at the window. Palm fronds bent agains the weight of the wind. The normally placid Sea of Cortez whipped to a wind-chopped frenzy. A wild alertness that accompanies a storm. Yes, a junkie – particularly when they have some punch but no destruction.
The storm sent clouds north from south and west of Cabo San Lucas on the afternoon of the 4th. By dawn (okay it was dark with no real sunrise) the storm had moved up the peninsula and after the 3am slam, rain and winds began to affect Loreto. By 3pm, the skies had opened, the wind had laid low the palm trees and ‘game on’ – the storm raged through and into the dark of night. Morning, the 6th, still dark skies, but by afternoon – clearing skies. Then sunset, an arm of the storm – now directly west of Loreto – laid a thick band of grey which intermittently spit water. Seas calm. Storm now a memory. We wait for the next circular disturbance.
wash of sea stones
oriole squawk / talon clatter
horse hooves clomp
Zen Float
Predawn paddle on shimmering seas.
I float with the sea. The sky envelopes me.
A baby bat ray dances, his ‘wings’ like tiny shark fins breaking the surface of the water. He swims toward me–another morning gift– and after a brief exchange of glances, he dives beneath my board and gracefully undulates toward deeper waters.
Blue-footed boobies dive for his breakfast. Their aqua colored feet always surprise me.
A pelican flotilla glides inches from the sea’s surface. How can they hold steady so close to the water?
I am so blessed to have these moments .. and thank you for letting me cryptically share them with you.
simple pleasures : visual clues : surfaces with their own mysteries
Winter Sunrise
18 January 2013
Cloudy skies press close to the sea and a blanket of grey envelopes the morning. The scent of salt water permeates the air. To the east, the first hint of color .. giving hope to breaking skies and the warm caress of sunlight.
Cold and wintry – even in Baja.
The crow of the first rooster.
The rattle of my car on dusty rutted roads.
The wafting scent of baking bread mixed with the salty sea air.
The cry of the osprey, the tern, the small brown hawk.
The swoop of pelican.
The splash of flying fish.
The glow of reds/pinks/oranges/golds as the sun climbs from behind Isla Carmen.
My own coffee sipped slowly as I honor the dawn.
Morning comes round again ……
sunrise : october : loreto
stop
inhale the morning
listen
bird chatter and the tumble of beach stones
gull chatter and hammer of woodpecker on palm
feel
moist / dry
desert with a hint of breeze
watch
blue becomes orange becomes red becomes pink
yellow orioles, diving terns, rummaging godwits
night ending
day opening
yes
again
East Coast/West Coast
Dawn :: East Coast of Baja. Dusk :: West Coast of Southern California.
I must be nuts!
Cynthia and Cal Wagstaff rolled into Casa de Catalina late Saturday morning. They’d been making their way down Mex 1 through missing asphalt, torn up roads, water filled arroyos, and detours in the wake of Hurricane Paul. The drive from Hailey, Idaho is part of their annual re-migration their beautiful casa in San Juanico. I’d worried about their drive – and was glad to see their smiling faces on arrival. Chica Bonita and Pancho piled out of the car behind their owners.
Cal wasn’t as convinced that they should stay – he was pretty much about ‘let’s get home,’ but Cynthia prevailed. We swam, SUPd, laughed, we played with dogs, ate and enjoyed cocktails in the patio. Love my friends – and all the spontaneity that seems to be what Baja is about.
Baja Dreaming 
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