The magic of the desert is never lost on me … the stark open spaces … the tenacity of plant and animal life … the stately cardon .. the amusing cirio …
These photos were taken on Mex 1 near Catavina in the middle of the Baja ..
Sunrise, Loreto – 21 January 2015
roosters crow in the distance … so blessed to be in space where i can hear their call to morning
dogs begin their own conversation one house to the next .. a woof/bark that reaches all the way to Buster, who adds his voice to the symphony of canine expression
in the hour before light, each sound echos across the flat basin that flows to the sea from the foot of the sierra
i hear the chatter of early beach walkers, their figures shrouded in the dark, their voices announcing their presence before i can make out their shadowy forms .. girl talk, boy talk, start the day talk.
the crunch of footsteps on the gravelly sand – the neighbors and their dogs out for morning ‘duties’
pre-sunrise light paints the sea and the sky with corals, periwinkle blues, deep reds and brilliant yellow gold
a pelican splashes
the wind begins to ruffle the surface of the tranquil sea
a cruise ship waits to unload their guests for an exploration of our small town of Loreto.
morning. wednesday. for those of us with breath, we begin again.
early morning kayaker
tranquil seas .. quiet heart .. soft breezes begin to ruffle the water’s surface .. a solo kayaker sets off on an exploration ..
We Begin Again
With open arms, open hearts and (hopefully) open minds, we begin again. The calendar shifts, we turn the page, and leave the successes and wreckages of the past year behind us.
In the New Year – hopes awaken, dreams rekindle, and we give ourselves the opportunity to peer into the future with fresh eyes. Slate clean. Begin again.
What dreams and hopes do you have for 2015? What challenges are you willing to embrace?
The year began for me, south of the American border with rain and dark clouds – unusual for Loreto, BCS, Mexico. Today, the second day, blustery winds whip the seas into a froth of whitecaps. Butterflies tangle in the winds and birds make fast for secure branches. Like my life at times, holding on tight with an illusion of security, or letting go .. flying freely .. letting change be the watchword.
For me, this year, my intention is to let go of all things that keep me small ..
And to embrace and celebrate my personal authenticity …
Welcome 2015.
Arrived Christmas Day, so technically, “home” for the holidays.
Home for the Holidays
Horricane Odile’s Track up the Spine of Baja
I am a storm watcher/lover .. but this one, Odile, may be hard to love. While I’ve been stateside for the duration, my heart and energies have been focused on Baja – the long skinny peninsula that is my second home.
Odile – as you can see from the graphic – drove straight up the spine of Baja and has been called ‘the most powerful hurricane to ever hit Baja’. Her track was unusual – the bulk of her interaction with land was on top of land, not at sea. She maintained hurricane status for the bulk of her journey. The desert cannot absorb rain when it comes too hard and too fast, and rushes down canyons and flashes out arroyos to the sea. And then there was the wind …
Power is out. Phones are down. The early photographs of Cabo show horrible damages – and to a city that has a very substantial infrastructure and in new construction, modern building codes. The rest of the Baja – maybe not so.
It’s horrible not knowing what happened to my neighbors and the town. One video shot from the top of the Mission Hotel shows waves breaking on to of the malecon. I can only imagine that the streetfront businesses had minor to major flooding.
A brief cell phone call late yesterday afternoon from my next door neighbor – how it got through I have no idea – said that her house was totally flooded from the horizontal rain – that she’d gone through all the towels – wrung them out – and the water was still coming in. Her fans had been ripped off – and then she had to go. No power to recharge her one lifeline to the outside world.
Loreto was hard hit – that’s obvious from the storm track and early reports before power was cut. But Loreto, too, has a decent infrastructure – and some of the most resilient people I have ever known. All of Baja for that matter. Shovels, mops, bulldozers will be hard at work before the rain drizzles have stopped.
The most pressing issue will be the roads and flash flooding that Odile has likely caused. Mex One is the lifeblood of the peninsula and trucking of supplies has the one route north and south. Unlike the states, when the roads was out, everyone that is able jumps into help. Tractors tow semi-trucks through washing and mud-laden arroyos. Boulders get moved off the road. New paths are created around obstacles. There is no shutting down the highway for months while surveyors decide what to do and budgets have to be settled and contracts awarded. Nope. Just get on with getting on and move people and goods. Detailed repairs will happen later.
This morning, all prayers to those who lost homes, autos – whatever Odile threw at them. And hopes that hands together, a speedy recovery can be made.
And then .. there is the next storm. Really? Polo? Please please head west …….
Hurricane Odile set to make landfall / Cat 3 Storm
With Odile just miles from Cabo San Lucas, winds and rain blast their way across the region. 22 airlines canceled flights in and out of city. Evacuations of up to 30,000 people are possible. Forecast is for up to 18″ of rain – okay – that’s a LOT OF RAIN!!! And sustained winds at around 135 mph. The imagery looks as if the storm is swallowing the Baja.
Hurricane Odile – Cat 4
“Odile” is the latest in a string of late-season hurricanes with similar paths – off the west coast of Baja. But each one seems to have been moving slightly closer to land – and Odile looks as he he’ll skim the coastline, wreaking havoc with winds and rain. On Sunday morning, the storm has already intensified to a Category 4 – a “major and dangerous hurricane” – with sustained winds at 135mph and gusts up to 160mph. Batten the hatches. Put up the storm shutters and bring all the patio furniture inside.
Even in their fury, the storms seen from satellite are mesmerizing.
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.
Baja Dreaming 
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