The sea is a mystery. Its gifts continue to bring delight.
The paper nautilus is one of nature’s magic tricks. A pelagic relative of the squid and octopus, the female builds a semi-transparent shell in which to deposit her eggs, then swims off to let them hatch from their lightbulb-fragile birthplace. Waves eventually wash the empty shells up on the rocks, somehow undamaged. The one in the center is a rare specimen of the animal herself.
The Baja desert creates characters of those who stay too long, whether they be plant or human.
Old growth cardon cacti are some of my favorite beings. Before they branch once, they are 50-100 years old. These ancients have centuries of wisdom in those joyous arms.
In canyons of the Sierra la Giganta mountains live whimsical things that defy the desert–curly tongues of purple flowers. Frogs in pools of fresh water beside palm trees.
And of course there’s the way we play with the sea…. for some the essence of being. The return to the womb of the earth. The challenge of survival that makes us feel alive!
