the work in between

at the end
of august
i spent
a week
in puerto escondido
mexico
setting up
my experiments.



it was
a very short week.
i saw
a lot of sunrises.




i saw
a lot of sunsets.

i worked
a lot in between.

we return
at the end of
november.

more photos
here.

xo

a mobile souvenir

it all began
when i was
in puerto escondido
this january...



i saw
this mobile
at a little
vegetarian
restaurant
near our apartment.



i usually
think
that things
made with shells
are pretty
cheesy...
but for some reason
i loved this mobile.

i decided
that
i wanted to make
a similar mobile
for wee grub
from the shells
i collected
on her first
big adventure.



i have always
loved walking
by the ocean
collecting
shells
and other
souvenirs
from my travels.


sea ranch, california




quintana roo, mexico

each morning
and
each evening
in puerto
escondido,
when i walked
along the water
with
grub
and wee grub,
i searched
for
smooth pieces
of
beach wood
and
shells with
natural holes
to use for her mobile
(i also collected
other things 
that caught my eye).


puerto escondido, mexico

when i returned
home
to switzerland
they sat in
a little box
in my office
for months...
until
finally
this weekend
i was determined
to make
the mobile.



i was surprised
how meditative
and enjoyable
it was
to string
the shells
one by one
together.



i like the idea
of having
my souvenirs
out
where
they can remind me
daily
of the places
we have gone.



a 3D
photo album...



i love
how it turned out.

i may just
have to make
another one
next winter
in mexico.

xo

the blue dolphins that took her home

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




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



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



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.



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?





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

there were
moments
during
this trip
i felt that way.



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






i imagined
how she must
have felt
leaving
the island
behind her
as the dolphins
swam
alongside the boat.



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



and
sea turtles
like
the ones
released
a week or so
ago.



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



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



xo

tortugas

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.



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





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



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.





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



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





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...



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



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



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