The Undiscovered Country

This week, we've been exploring the tropical world of plants for your landscape in Tucson. Monsoon is about to begin and the rains will arrive soon.  Currently I'm out of the country and in a very tropical and rainy Panama doing some conservation work with turtles, plants, and birds. I look forward to bringing back stories of our adventures on several islands and from the inland.  I'll be back in July and it will take me some time to break down the pictures and themes.  It's looking like I'll be presenting this information during the month of August.  Until then I'll be continuing with several interesting visits that I've taken over the past several months around Arizona and I hope you enjoy them as it was a lot of fun meeting people and their places of work.  This blog is about the adventures in our own gardens, lives, communities, travel, and about that which inspires us.  Life can be a routine sometimes and I personally need to remember that it doesn't have to be that way. Routine establishes itself over the years and creates comfort.  So to spice things up, I like to pick a place and get lost in the chaos enjoying every moment.  We've scheduled some exciting things that we'll share with you when we've returned like our conservation project with turtles in Bocas Del Toro or the prison island of Coiba covered in 82 percent virgen rain forest.  We'll be in Gamboa at the wildlife discovery center as well as Colon on a memorable train ride.  Let me just put it this way......there's a lot share and I'm excited to share it with you all.  It's the first time that this blog will be traveling with me outside of the country.  While I've shared stories of my adventures abroad, it didn't have the focus of Las Aventuras.  This time it will.  Plus I have a great camera that has been taking some great shots.

Taken in Oaxaca, Mexico

The Undiscovered Country is the one we all have to keep in mind.  Well....not the death reference by Hamlet but literally referring to that which we don't know about(well okay death fits that criteria:).......discovering places that are different and unique from our own environments.  It's about leaving our comfort zones for just a moment in time and seeing things from a different perspective. Eventually, I'll get the nerve to travel to places in Asia, but for now, I'll stick to Central and South America.  I just saw an amazing country that makes me curious yet hesitant to visit......Nigeria.  There is too much to see and do in this lifetime. During times of anger or sadness, I think of these magical trips which calm me down and keep me from shouting or screaming at life's difficulties. We all have them and therefore develop different coping strategies during intense moments of emotion.

Cidade Velha, Cape Verde, West Africa

I am hoping to get some pics of humpback whales and sharks on a scuba diving trip as well as some shots of our turtles on the beach.  I'll be careful to take shots without flash.  Thank you for reading this blog.  I hope you are doing something fun this summer or maybe just working out in the garden. Whatever it is, stay cool and take a moment to live a little. I look forward to sharing what I've learned on this trip(which is A LOT!!) and reporting on our world's little miracles that are happening everyday.  This will be my last personal blog until I get back.  Until then, I've scheduled some fantastic writes on plants, places, and animals from around Arizona.  "See you back" in July. 

Río Dulce, Guatemala