The Downside to Warm Water
While on my way to my beach walk this morning I ran into two women from NYU Film School who are making a documentary about a specific ray found in the Sea of Cortez. The Italian who discovered it, who I spoke with briefly on the beach a few days ago about the project, named the ray for his friend, the oldest living marine biologist who happens to reside right here in Cabo Pulmo. He is 92 years old. These women, both instructors at the film school, said the marine biologist is very spry and was hopping in and out of boats with them during the filming. They were able to see this particular ray during filming, but the plethora of rays we usually see this time of year are mostly absent; a result of the increase in water temperature. The nutrients they need are not present in the warm water and so they travel north to colder climes. So no glorious leaping rays this time.
One of the filmmakers took my e-mail address, as they will be fundraising to get this film to market. I asked her to send me the information and I mentioned that we have photographs of rays in the crest of the waves in Cabo San Lucas. With the photographer, Charles Sherman’s permission (and certainly accreditation) I’ll forward them to her. And I might also mention Charles for narration work on their documentary!
The gila woodpeckers have found an interesting way to communicate. Cabo Pulmo has installed solar streetlights on the main road through the village and down to the beach. We have one just outside our gate. Yesterday morning we heard a pinging sound, like fast hammering on metal. I remarked how the poor woodpecker must have hurt himself with that one. But then we heard a pinging reply from the streetlight down the street, and then another from one to the west. They were signaling each other! Perhaps to let each other know fresh oranges were available for their dining pleasure. When they talk they sound like squeaky toys.
Saturday was laundry day. I haven’t used a clothesline since I was a kid at Mashpee and we didn’t have a dryer. Hell, we were washing our clothes in a washtub with a scrub board and a manual ringer back then. Here everything is solar, propane and generator operated so you use the wind and sun as much as possible. So we had a good sunny day (to not overtax the solar panels) and had at it. I was amazed at my lack of acuity with a clothesline. Do you hang things by the middle? By the top? I figured it out, but not without re-hanging things multiple times. By the end of the day things were dry, albeit a bit stiff. Mary’s jeans could have walked into the house by themselves.
Other than that we did a whole lotta nothin’. Reading in the air chairs, napping in the hammock, laughing at the birds doing a mating ritual in the bird feeder while Mary yelled “No sex in the kitchen!” and at the rock wren who showed up to the feeder with nesting materials in it’s mouth AGAIN; “these guys don’t know whether to do housework or to dine.”
Speaking of dining, I used the leftover grilled chicken in a salad with celery, apples, tamari almonds and a dressing made of mayonnaise and mango jam. Tasty lunch!
We had a visit yesterday from Edmundo, son of Tito of the infamous is-it-or-isn’t-it-open Tito’s restaurant. As it turns out Tito is no longer with us. He had leased out the restaurant for a few years and the lessees were not reliable with their hours of operation. Since Tito’s death Edmundo has taken over the place and came by with the Saturday Night Buffet menu, so we opted in. The meal started with chips and a tuna dip, smooth and creamy and not at all fishy. Very good, indeed. The buffet included stuffed fish, shrimp in poblano peppers, chicken enchiladas with a delicious hint of cinnamon, rice, beans and an amazing green salsa. Probably one of the best meals I’ve had in Cabo Pulmo. We’ll visit them again this week.
As it is Sunday I will say to all – Vaya Con Dios,
