Thursday, February 02, 2012

the blue dolphins that took her home

island of the blue dolphins

the sun
was just
rising
as
we ate breakfast
and headed
out on
a little fishing boat
to see dolphins.

el cafecito
bugheart_feb1_morningboat3

the sun was
so incredibly bright
and
the boats swayed
on the water.

bugheart_feb1_morningboat

as we moved
farther and farther
from shore
the waves
slapped the boat
and
my heart
quickened.

bugheart_feb1_dolphingirl1

for some reason
it reminded me
of a book
i read
and loved
many years ago.

a girl alone
on an island.

the island of
the blue dolphins.


Islandofthebluedolphins

i don't remember
the story
that well
but watching
the shore
fade into the distance
reminded me
of
the dolphins
following
karana
as she left
the island
.

do you
remember
the story?

bugheart_feb1_dolphins2
bugheart_feb1_dolphins4
dolphin watching

something
about
the loneliness
of being left
to forge
for oneself...

there were
moments
during
this trip
i felt that way.

bugheart_feb1_marinersreven

but
in the end
there are
friends
to help
you
through it all.

the boat
bugheart_feb1_dolphins3
bugheart_feb1_dolphins1
bugheart_feb1_mariadeb

i imagined
how she must
have felt
leaving
the island
behind her

as the dolphins
swam
alongside the boat.

bugheart_feb1_bytheboat1

far away
from the shore
there were
other
animals.
sting ray males
dancing
for the females.

performing sting ray

and
sea turtles
like
the ones
released

a week or so
ago.

and turtles, oh my!

and
i remembered
a line from
that book
i read
so many years
ago...

bugheart_feb1_karana

more than anything,
it was the blue dolphins
that took [her]
home.


bugheart_feb1_boat

xo

Monday, January 23, 2012

tortugas

turtle egg  enclosure

it's times
like this
that you
feel like
you are
riding a wave.
exhilarated
and then suddenly
pulled under...
tumbling down
and around.
a
mouthful
of
sea water.
then
you reach
and come
back up
into
the sunshine.
breathing
the air
again.

i look
at the
calendar
and
the month
is
two-thirds
over.

soon
we will
be back
in switzerland.

grub & i often
talk
about
the two
different
types of trips.
relaxing trips
and
adventure trips.
relaxing is
like going
to sea ranch.

mexico
is
always
an
adventure.


i have had
moments
that were
relaxing,
but
it is all
so new
and
so different
that
i can
never
be
totally relaxed.

my eggleston

there are
moments
that make
up for
all the
stress
and worry.
for all
the fear.

bucket of baby turtles
tortuga
21_turtleface

one of
them
was
watching
the
baby sea turtles
desperately
crawl
towards the sea.

bugheart_jan21_turtles

watching
these
turtles
disoriented
and
so very small
against
the backdrop
of the ocean,
i thought
that
compared to them
my life is
so easy.
my struggles
are few.

bugheart_jan21_phototaking1

we couldn't resist

their struggle
is the embodiment
of all that
i have studied
in biology.
the struggle
to survive.

bugheart_jan21_moreturtles

it's so
much more
than just
making
it to the water
because
the water can
be just
as dangerous
as the shore.

sunshine_turtles
21_fisheyeturtles
21_fisheyeMe4

some people
thought
i was crazy
to take
my 3.5 month
old baby
to mexico
but
even though
i have
wondered
if we did
the right thing
when
i cannot sleep
at wee hours
of the morning.

there is one
thing
i have learned
and
hope to teach
my daughter
by example...

21_fisheyeMe1

all
the most
wonderful
things in
life come
with some
risk.

21_fisheyeMe5

don't be
afraid
to catch
that wave
even if
it may pull
you under.
you can reach
and find
your way
back up
to the surface
and
into
the sunshine.

xo

lapunta

{all fisheye photos & panorama above by my friend maria ikenberry}

Saturday, January 07, 2012

from one extreme to another

6jan_bugheart_mirror

happy new year!

. . . . .

i spent
new years eve
crossing
the atlantic
from
switzerland
to mexico.

6jan_bugheart_man
6jan_bugheart_clothesline
6jan_bugheart_vee_blue
postcard from mexico
6jan_bugheart_buildings
6jan_bugheart_sunset

i flew out
of a cold
rainy
switzerland
on
december
31st
and
arrived
at a tiny
airport
with
a thatched roof
&
the sound
of tropical
birds
on the morning
of january 1st.

quite
a shock.

it all
still feels
a bit like
a strange
dream.

as i drive
with my research
partner
up & down
the coast
collecting seeds
the view
from
the passenger side
is
a slow-paced
movie.

6jan_bugheart_cat
6jan_bugheart_nonadar
6jan_bugheart_dog
6jan_bugheart_dogbeach
6jan_bugheart_moredogs

i am in
a bit
of a haze.
lost.
overwhelmed.

but

all
my senses
are peaked.

these are
the times
when
the world is
big
and
i have
so much
to learn.

it's
damn
exciting.

puerto escondido, mexico

xo

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

postcard from gruyères

gruyeres1

it was
a rainy &
cold day
right before christmas
when we took
a day trip
to gruyères
with
our friend jes.

the train ride
to gruyères
was something
straight out
of how
i imagined
switzerland to look...
mountains
covered in snow
and cute wooden
chalets with
carved & painted
details
.

on the way to gruyères
gruyeres3
gruyeres4

jes had
always wanted
to see how
cheese was made.

gruyeres5
gruyeres7

we had
fondue,
of course.

gruyeres_cheesepair

we braved
the nasty weather
and
walked
around
the town.

gruyeres11
gruyeres12

we learned
that
the name
gruyères
comes from
the french
word for crane
(la grue).
more here.

gruyeres13
gruyeres14

then we
walked up
to the
grand château.

gruyeres15
gruyeres16
gruyeres17

but
the weather
got
the best of us
so we headed home.

gruyeres18

. . . . .

on the way
home
we stopped
briefly
in Montreux
to see the
christmas market.

montreux1
montreux3
montreux christmas market

we warmed up
with some
glühwein
before
the last leg
of the journey
home.

xo