A Long Time Ago......

Recently a friend sent me this picture via Facebook and it triggered some strong memories from my past.  During my 20's, I lived 15 lifetimes in one decade.  Every day was new and exciting...and different.  To this day, I can still remember them with vivid detail.  It was the Peace Corps that changed me, but not in the way I had thought it would.  I look back on this time with fond regard, but I also look at it as a time that transformed me into the person I am now. Something inside of me "snapped" into focus.  Recently I found some letters in a box that I had written back in the late 90's. I'll be visiting those letters in January.  We are having a reunion in Spring on the East Coast, but I'm not sure where it is.....just that it's there in that cold tundra.  I haven't seen many of these people since this picture was taken back in 1999.  There are several exceptions of course, like my beautiful roomie below who lives up in Washington. I'd love to go and visit over the summer. 

It seems like yesterday.  It seems like so long ago.  I don't know anymore.  The other day a student of mine asked me during a lecture on Costa Rica if the person in my slides was me.  And I replied, "Yes it is."  The kids all looked back at me and then again at the pic.  It was quite hysterical....and not.  I was young and full of adventure and it got me thinking....."Have I changed that much?"  I sometimes think that my family doesn't have a realistic picture of me today.  They remember me as I was years ago, and when I go home to visit, and because they're family, I find myself reverting back to that person that really isn't me.  I don't even like to label myself as a Spanish teacher....just a guy who is trying to live his life quietly during these terrible times.  And it is here in this blog with photos and writing that I find I am able to write and reflect on a quite productive and full life. I always hope my students can take my life messages and hidden lectured meanings for their own use down the road, but I am not 100 percent successful.  I've lost several wonderful students over the years to drugs, car crashes, cancers, the war, and brain tumors.....people that had the potential to do good things, but were taken too early.  I know I know.  I can't watch over everyone....just do my job, but there is still a piece of me that hurts a little everytime I hear about a former student who has suffered a bit.

A former student discoving the amazing city of Barcelona.  I'm not sure he should be standing there, but I know I saw him come alive during our student trek to Spain in 2004.

The simple fact is that I'd love to tell them all, "It's going to be okay."  But it's not.  There are no guarantees in life and that is why we shouldn't wait for "retirement" or vacation to do things....we should do them now because we don't know what tomorrow will bring.  When I look at the Peace Corps pics above, I remember it was during that time I wanted to settle down and buy a house and go back to Tucson.  And that is exactly what happened.  I don't regret the decision because I am very happy today, but I do miss the spontaneous things that happened regularly everyday.  If you asked me what I did last week, I wouldn't be able to tell you.  I liked the 30's, but I'm ready to bring a little spontaneity back into my 40's.  Older people will say, "You're not old."  I'm not. But looking back at things, I remember a lot of the impulsive and selfish decisions I made that I certainly would not make today.  But then again it's all a part of being young.  I try to convey that to the teenage population before they leave their parent's nest.  Go.  Explore.  Do the things you've always dreamed before settling down.  Be a little bit selfish and do take a little time to do the things you want to do before you have house payments and other bills(aka children:).  If you don't, you may regret it. I never regret joining the Peace Corps and am thankful for the opportunity.  If I hadn't done it, I would always live with the disappointment of not having the experience.  However with that being said, I wouldn't ever try to do it again because the person I was then died a long time ago on the desert islands of Cape Verde.  My next several pieces over the next couple days are reflective works that I'm sure many of us have experienced in our lives.  I'd love to hear your own. I put them into a series of personal writes from my past.  More tomorrow....

Serendipity

Inspiration comes from those small moments in life.  No blog captures this better than Onenezz .  This is a nod to you my friend for all those simple little joys in life you present regularly on your blog. You've taught me how to capture those macro shots over the past couple years....exposing the basic truths that capture the deeper meanings of our lives.  One day while drinking my coffee, I stared out my window and saw this little guy on my roses. A very serendipitous moment.

So in a "Onenezz-esque" nod, here's my attempt to capture this moment while giving you all a little insight behind how my blog operates:)

"Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for." Lawrence Block

Work It!

Recently I headed over to the Tucson Botanical Gardens to sign up for some volunteer work and this lizard was hanging out on the cement.  He looked over at me and waited for me to snap his pic.....and so I did.  It was almost comical and reminded me of my cats. 

Do you ever have days like this?  When you just want to chill and shut your curtains, turn off your phones, lock your doors, and just not do anything?  That's me this time of year. Sometimes I'd love to live the life of a hermit:)

Lighting the Torches

A great plant that endures the winters frosts, intense western and southern sun of summer, and takes very little watering once established, the Torchglow Bougainvillea makes the perfect plant for our Tucson gardens.  This compact plant grows tall and shines bright with plenty of sun.  In fact, this bougainvillea outperformed several other bougainvillea varieties from our historic frost. 

I have a western exposure with very little space.  Recently I completed one section and I'll be working on the 2 other skinny planters this winter.

This is a tall plant without the big thorny thorns that are traditionally found on most bougainvilleas.
I rarely water this section at all, and they thrive on the neglect.  Again, this all happens once they have been established.  Check out several of our bougainvillea around the property from over the past year.

I look forward to the growth and color that this structural plant will add to our sunny sides at El Presidio.  Torchglow or Bangkok Red Bougainvillea do well in Tucson.  For colorful bracts, plant any bougainvillea in direct sun.  The more shade it has; the more it will just produce green leaves.  If the plant freezes back, don't trim until spring.  The root system is vigorous and will produce new leaves and stems in April.  With some fertilizer, the plant will grow fuller, lusher, and sexier than before!  Plus I also love how this plant looks again stucco. Stay tuned for more! 

Decay

Today's post is an artsy one.  I took these shots durng our Panama trip, but I saved them for a later time.  The day I took these pics, we were boating on a clear blue ocean.  The sky was an intense turquoise and the ocean a reddy brown.

This photo shoot was one of my favorites as the sun was intense.  Some of the pictures remind me of FKH Photo Journal.  I love Kathy's pics and unique focus on the little details that are all around us.  Many of her pictures center around our core feelings and the past.  This narrative takes place near the area where the Coiba island prison once stood.  Today, as you can see, the concrete pillars of the pier are all that remains to remind us that there once was a prison population here.

Sandwich Terns

These seabirds are cool.  There was a bit of green on them, but I wasn't able to capture that in the shots.  Once of the trickiest things about taking pictures is figuring out which shot is the best one to post!!

I saw a lot of geometric shape with color and nature.  As our boat was approaching shore, I had to think quick or miss the shot.  I don't know why, but I really love these photos. 

There are many places on this Earth that are extremely beautiful.  Coiba Island and her mostly untouched forests will enchant you and take you to another time and space. My personal opinion is that this island will become the next "Galapagos Island" for travelers. 

But for today, while sitting at work, these pics take me back to the beautiful country of Panama. 

Río Dulce Guatemala

Before I begin my write on Río Dulce(Fresh Water), Guatemala, I have to tell you that I just received my new camera.  Of course, I am writing this particular post in October as we prepare for the month of November(which is now:).  I like to keep a buffer of at least one month so that I can sit and think about my writing and make sure it's the best quality before publishing.  Well while all of that is going on, I'm traveling all over the place doing photo shoots. There's so much to see in this world.....and now I have a new camera which allows me even tighter control of the functions.  This will enable me to take truly professional shots that are of the highest quality and style. However, today, we are going to go back to a time when my camera wasn't so good.  It's the basic camera most people have on their cell phones. Let's begin our journey....

Getting here was a bit tricky and there were times when I questioned whether it was a safe bus route as the driver had pulled over to the side of the road twice to pick some "things" up!!!  Of course, I was looking around as were all the locals on the bus because we all knew that is exactly how people get robbed!  Thankfully nothing like that happened and we arrived on a dusty road by the Río Dulce.  To be honest, the little town of Río Dulce is nasty and not much to look at.  There were kids running all around us and it was kind of annoying to be overwhelmed by these little demons.  Watch your stuff.  One kid will distract you while another grabs your wallet.  However, we headed for the docks and made our way on the boat to a private area across the river at a placed called Hacienda Tijax.  It was a little piece of heaven on Earth.  This place was secluded from the public on piers over the water.  There were all kinds of critters in the water, air, and forest.

But the whole purpose of going to Río Dulce is for the ride on the long and bendy river.  Here you'll see all kinds of birds, fish, manatees, and the Caribbean town of the Garifuna known as Livingston. This a great opportunity to learn about another culture isolated from the rest of the country.  They have a long and interesting history that is drastically different from the Mayan populations of Guatemala.

This is quite the beautiful local as our patio doors opened up to water that had caiman swimming in it.  We also got to experience some really nice monsoon storms here that made everything a bit more interesting.  A wind storm blew these doors open one crazy evening and we almost lost our backpacks to the water.  Scary.

The cabanas are built on these docks which makes for a really fun and unique experience.  However, the bathrooms are also located in cabanas on adjourning docks.  I recommend bringing a flashlight so that you don't fall into the waters.  While walking to the bathroom at night, flash your lights into the waters and see if anything is staring back at you.  It's cool:)

A mosquito net is provided as there are bugs inside these cabanas.  Not a lot of them...but there are some.  During a rain event, we heard screaming in the cabin over. Apparently, some New Yorkers discovered a tarantula by the door.

My little sister did a lot of posing on this trip, but she makes a better model than I do:)

There are hikes around the grounds.  We did one with a guide and had a nice tour.  Here we were able to see the town from on top of a hill.  It was also on this hike that we got to see how rubber was collected from trees.

A bridge crosses through a canopy of trees.  Best time to go is early morning or at twilight for potential monkey sightings.  And of course if you love birds.......:)

We took this amazing boat tour and saw so many beautiful things.  There were many homes on little islands in the river that were very isolated from the mainland....and other people.  In fact, the town of Río Dulce is actually more of a hub for the river people living here.   The actually town of this fresh water river is spread out along its shores.

There are birds everywhere so bring your camera on this several hour boat ride!!

Also bring a poncho as it can get rainy in this area.

There were parts that made us feel like we were in Jurassic Park.  There weren't any homes....just a thick expanse of rain forest!  The river got choppy in some parts and grew quite wide in some areas.  I made sure we knew where our life jackets were....just in case:)

After a couple hours, we arrived in the tiny isolated town of Livingston for lunch.  It rained off and on, but I was able to see the Caribbean coast.  It reminded me a bit of the Bocas Del Toro region in Panama.

Here a kitty sits on her throne looking over the gardens of Livingston.

If you get a chance, take about 3 days and spend them in this region.  Tijax is a really nice place to stay.  However, if you just want to relax, they have a pool in the rain forest for you to use.  It's a great place to escape for a few days.  I could easily see myself doing a bit of reading and relaxing here again:)  More tomorrow....

A Plant's Defense

Naranjillo

While hiking in the rain forest on my past trips, I've encountered some nasty plants.  Watch where you place your hands or you'll find yourself stabbed and bleeding.  The above plant, the Naranjillo has thorns on its leaves.  I had several times unwittingly pushed a leaf out of the way and pricked myself. 

Sometimes the struggle for life happens from above as a plant, like the Strangler Fig, crawls up a tree and sends roots down from the tree's branches(above pic).  Those roots will touch the ground and create a new plant....eventually killing the host by strangling it to death. Also be aware that some skinny and smaller snakes can pose as vines....so watch where you're grabbing:) 

It was on this day that we hiked into the forest and discovered all these fascinating plants on Coiba Island off of Panama.

This video shows how the plant, Mimosa, protects itself from rain overload on the forest floors.  The leaves fold up to keep moisture from building up on the leaf and killing it.  The Mexican Bird of Paradise in our Tucson sun has a similiar strategy.  Two more posts on Guatemala and some interesting tropical finds and then we'll be heading out back into the garden and around Arizona in December.  There will be several special posts dedicated to Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon and Colorado Springs.  We'll also be heading back to the frigid Northern state of Wisconsin looking for owls and other birds.  Stay tuned for more from Las Aventuras....

Nature's Bullies

Lately I've been in a reflective mood as is the case during this time of year.  And this month is a showcase of images that I've snapped from over the past several months.  Today's photo feature deals with bullfrogs in Tucson.  I grew up catching frogs and then releasing them back into the water.  So while at times they gross me out, I think they're quite fascinating.  Here in Tucson during our monsoon, the Colorado River Toad can be seen after a good rain event.  Or during a hike, you might spot a Canyon Tree Frog, but it's the rare treat to actually hear and see bullfrogs around our Sonoran desert.

While at the Sweetwater facility, I found several of them wrestling around in the water.  I'll call it "wrestling", but it could be something else they were up to....:)

Here they are locked in an embrace of some kind.  I had arrived at this facility totally unaware that bullfrogs were swimming around, but I heard their sounds and saw some "action" going on near some reeds.  And so it was.....I came to get duck pictures, but ended up with some fun bullfrog photos. 

                                              

Fountain Possibilities

Greetings El Presidio Homeowners and Blogger friends,

Today's post is an official one and a time for some decision making.  This past weekend, I took the time to go to the Ft. Lowell corridor for fountain ideas.  I also received some pricing on various things and spoke with some very friendly people.  I'm taking your past ideas, the landscape designer's plan, and my own eye for detail and putting all of this together.  I need your feedback on the central area.  The HOA gave me the green light to move forward on pricing and fountain options.  Here are some things I saw and along with each picture, I'll share with you several ideas.  Nothing is concrete or set in stone:)

Here's the space.  The central area is where the fountain will be placed.

First off, some of you may not be aware that El Presidio hired a landscape designer to come into our courtyard to write up a design for our now defunct pool.  We are saving a lot of money every month by not having this money consuming beast.  I'd like to assure homeowners that things are looking up and El Presidio is on the right track.  This past year we've made significant movement forward on the property and you all can look forward to several planned improvements like replacing rotted wood beams etc over the course of next year.  For our courtyard design, you can click on this link or see the HOA President(Shane) or myself for the larger prints.  The above pic is the space we're looking at and before any fountain is added to this spot, I would recommend one more tamper or "stamping down of the ground" to make sure all the soil has settled.  The proposed fountain would weigh a little over a ton.

Base styles.  Depending on our style choice will determine the overall cost.

Several things to consider are our beautiful oak trees.  They have begun to drop acorns and while the fountain doesn't take up the entire space, it is possible for leaf drop or acorns to enter any open water areas.  Pete, our landscape designer,  recommends a square base with a spherical cobalt blue water feature.  I searched and searched for the sphere needed and couldn't find the right one, but it doesn't mean there's not one out there somewhere.  I also could not find a pre-made square base.  This could be done by hand with flagstone.  The fountain will NOT be placed into the ground but rather above ground so that it attracts the eye once someone enters our courtyard area.  The space requires a 5 to 6 foot diameter base.  Here are several ideas that I found for people to think about.....

Here is a modified idea.  We could have a CIRCULAR premade base done by Zona Fountains.  They do not make square bases.  This also could be stained any color we choose.  We also have several outside base design choices. 

There are 3 parts to the fountain.  There is the actual artistic piece that will have water coming from it.  There is base that will have a planter for homeowners to put their seasonal flowers.  And there will be an above ground water basin that will collect the water and recycle it within the fountain.  There are several easy access panels to help clean out scum and other items.  Cleaning will be required from time to time and the HOA is aware of this extra cost.   We would use the BlueLake Fountain Reservoir for our larger artsy fountain piece.  We could keep the water fountain open as an open pot like above or utilize a sphere as suggested by our landscape designer.  The water fountain will have have to be leveled so that the water does not list from one side or the other.  In other words....balance.  Here are some more ideas.....

In the right color, this could be cool......

Or what about this?

This is interesting but it doesn't fit our space.  One homeowner was thinking about this style, but it would underwhelm the space.

  Of course there is the "pond" idea which is my favorite design, but it wouldn't flow with our courtyard style:)  When we purchase our second home, this will be something I'll pursue on my own:)

Here is the sphere idea, but I kinda like the open pot on the above pic. 

And what about clumping 3 different fountains together?  I've spoken with the people of Zona Fountains and Glazed Expressions.  Zona makes the base.  Glazed Expressions have our cobalt designs.  I went to Pottery Blowout on Grant and wasn't impressed with what I saw.  Installation and delivery vary for each place.  I have all the details, but it looks like the cost would be around 2500 dollars.  For the top pic with the closed reservoir base, we are looking at around 469 dollars for that piece and the cobalt pottery blue piece at $420.  The base, which we would have to purchase from Zona, would cost around 900 something depending on the material used.   Homeowners and blogger friends what do you think?  Here is one final pic that made me smile during this fun little adventure......I'd love to have one of these on my own property someday:)   This shot was taken at McConnell Nursery and Landscaping off of Ft. Lowell Rd.

So what's the next step?:)

The Kan'Bah Caves

Day 2 in Lanquin.  We went into the mostly uncharted caves of Kan'Bah.  A deep river flowed through the cave and unfortuneatly, my pics are poor quality.  This was another mistake on our part, but it was one that we shared with others and so it didn't feel as dangerous as our river incident the day before.  But it would be.  That monsoon storm picked up the river current and shot it down into this cavern.  Guatemalans tell you it's safe when they should warn people who can't swim well about the dangers.  We entered this cave with only candles.  I was okay as long as I kept moving.  I've done caving before and love it.  But the minute we stop, I get anxiety attacks.  Now put that with my sister not being able to swim and you've got trouble.  Today's post is a sad one because these pics remind me about another brother/sister team from Tucson who did not make it.  And it all happened the same time we were in Guatemala.  Here's our Kan'Bah story.....

Our new friends planned a day trip into the caves of Kan'Bah and invited us along.  It seemed like a great idea because I had been to several caves before and had a great time.  My favorite part about caves are the bats that drop down right above your head.  There's something really cool about these mammals.  At the mouth of the cave, we encountered several bats flying around the Kan'Bah ceiling.  But we also noticed a river coming out of it flowing into the same Coban river that we nearly lost our lives on the day before.  Now add that with candles and we have a potential issue.  As we entered the dark caves, we waded through water up to our waists.  Until my sister, got into an area over her head....literally! Out went her candle and my own because I went in after her.  The group pulled her up onto a ledge.  She panicked and then....so did I.  Why?  I don't like feeling trapped.  I hate crowds or crowded spaces.  Elevators are not cool.  Car rides after several hours take their toll on me. And concert halls can cause anxiety attacks.  The group went on into the caves leaving us behind with one candle burning.  There was darkness.  Water flowing down a ledge.  Bats flying around our heads.  And candles placed along the sides of the cavern to the exit.  The only issue was that my sister would have to swim through the deep areas of the cave to get out.  In her state of fear, it wasn't going to happen.  The group went further and further into the cave and their voices echoed to a silence eventually.  We wondered if they were going to come back.

The candles to the faint light of the entrance slowly burned out.....as was our own candle.  I thought of things to make us laugh and pass the time.  Eventually, the others returned.  Several people did the same thing we did and stayed on ledges waiting for the group to return.  The others made it into the secret waterfall cavern where they jumped into the darkness of the cool pools below.  Our group helped my sister get her footing on solid rock...slippery....but solid rock nonetheless and we made our way out of this extremely dangerous cave to the people down below.  Open air made me relax and smile.  My sister vowed never to go into water again.  And unfortuneatly to this day, she won't go into unknown waters without being able to see the bottom. The pic below shows the Coban river after the monsoon storm.  Never ever ever again.  And to my Tucson readers, this rule applies to all of us here.  Recently a man was swept to his death as a wash suddenly filled after a microburst formed on the East side of town.  He was taking his dog for a run in the wash like most people do, but during that day a storm hit one side of town while it was sunny where he was at......and yet the wall of water caught him unaware.

Sadly, I'd like to bring this post to a close and remember two siblings from Tucson who did die during the same time period that we were in Guatemala. Stunned, I collapsed on my living room floor after hearing the news. But they were thought to still be alive at the time. So I went on the internet right away to read the Peruvian articles which confirmed that they actually were dead, but their parents still were hopeful.  Even though I didn't know them personally, I understood the pain and sadness around the event.  That could have been easily us.... They had been mountain climbing and fell through an ice crack where they froze to death together on a cave ledge.  Dustin and Kristen Yoder were experienced climbers and their deaths really hit very close to home for me.  Today there is a Dustin and Kristen Yoder Memorial Foundation set up in their names. After all these years, I haven't forgotten these two siblings.  Imagine being a parent and losing both your children.  I can't imagine the pain that they went through during this tragedy and continue to feel as the years pass by without them.  I imagined my own parents in the same situation and it broke my heart.  Life is precious and we can't take it for granted because you never know when your time is up. Their story and example reminds me to live each day to my fullest. And you know what?  If you watch their slideshow, they lived and had wonderful lives....and they did what they loved best.  We can't dictate how the cards are dealt, but we certainly should play the game the best we can. And that's all we can do.  More tomorrow.