Notes from the end of the Road

It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful the desert can be.  It's sort of like going to Terlingua.  You either love it or hate it.  I'm helping out some folks in one of the most remote places on the North American continent at the moment.  And yes,  I have some internet.  It's about 420,000 acres of protected biosphere named, "EL Carmen Land and Conservation Company".  It straddles the U.S and Mexican border with about 400,000 of those acres on the Mexican side.  10,000 foot mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, and the best part?  Not a cow to be seen.  All the land has been returned to it's natural state.  If you have ever been out to the Big Bend you would not be able to recognize it.  It's full of bear, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and mountain lion.   Just hard to imagine what the city is like anymore.   Those of you that are willing should come on out.  You won't regret it.

A New Time Coming

It's official.   I'm gong to have a new home for a few months.  Say hello to Chogori Hospital in Eastern Kenya.   It's at the foot of Mt. Kenya and serves a zillion square miles of bush.   It's the only healthcare facility within a couple of hundred miles.  I'm going to be working to help them put together and EMS system and staff their mobile rural healthcare unit.  My other job for the time I'm there is to teach anti poaching game ranger units Tactical Combat Care in the bush.  These guys are fighting to save the last of the wild elephants and lions in Africa.  And the facts are that they are doing extremely dangerous work and dying in the process.  Time to do my part.  I'm putting to gather a small Non-profit before I leave to help supply them with what they need.  I am funding the first round of this myself but please spread the world. I'm going to need some help.  We need to have some of this amazing wildlife left for the generations that come after us.   So, if your plans include East Africa in the Spring you will have someone you know.  More on things later.

One Photo. # 100, Stop Needling Me

Having survived the Latin flood I decided to try some Asian Juju.   My aching back went to visit Dr. Chew the needle pusher.  My first acupuncture experience of any note.  And yes...you feel it.  Not sure what the results are yet but glad this wasn't a bunch of paramedic students doing some practice.

One Photo # 99, Good Bye Waterworld

The story finally comes to a close on the strange encounter of diving above water.  20.6 inches of rain in 5 days.  Move over Hurricane Harvey.  Today it finally stopped raining and gave me a glimpse of what could have been.   Oh well, another time.   Some cold pizza from the kitchen and the Roatan Pizza oven.   Only sunset of the week was a doozy.   

One Photo # 97. Indoor Sports Island Style

As the rains continue to fall and the wind is now about 35 mph, I causally wave at the poor souls hanging onto any they can find onboard. Sabrina as it attempts to get through the 5-7 foot swells on it's way to the other side of Roatan.  The crew was not it's singing island self but more like a pissed off golf course cart guy waiting for the only numb nuts golfer to go out in the thunderstorm.  I wish them well and doubt that I will see them at dinner.   And so it goes in the Bay Islands.    No diving for this cowboy today.  No way.  I'm blaming it on a bit of back ache and a few years of boat barfing experience.  I have managed to find some island indoor sports to lift my damp spirits.   It's not exactly the moonlight beach limbo contest but one must endeavor to persevere.

One Photo # 98. It Always Rains Underwater

Understanding the irony of saying I'm tired of being wet when one is diving, I'm saying it.  I'm tired of being wet when I'm diving.  A quick run to Roatan for some bubble blowing has turned into motral combat with the forces of evil.  No more dry cloths and trench foot.  Throw a little chaffing in to round off the triad.   Solid rain for the better part of 3 days makes a person question his choice of season and whether that "Super Deal" was really a deal at all.  Discussing the nuances of Honduran weather forecasting with a Brit living here, he cheerfully reminded me that "it always rains underwater".   I tried to remember that as my cap was dripping quarter size drops into my scrambled eggs this morning.  It always rains underwater.   

One Photo # 96. An Owner a Slave

Nothing could be more god awful that "downsizing".  I can imagine being nibbled away by African ants or being forced to deal with Bangladeshi internet server tech support people for a week.   This is at least my 4th rendition of "downsizing".  Today, on my second trip to the free porch and my third dumpster trip, I realized that downsizing is actually a dirty nasty horrible four letter word.  Now forever known as "DNSZ.  Your pronunciation may vary.  I will save the normal rant about buying and rebuying and duplication and all that.  What I realized today was I am the slave to all this shit I can't make myself get rid of.  It's a simple question of who owns who?  I am the complete slave to the crap that I own.  The RV, the well pump, the main breaker box. they all have a piece of me.  The worst part is any one of the 5 hammers I own will jump up and hit me in the face.  The amount of Time I have invested in keeping things that I don't use or need or even want has hit me like a ton of obsolete photo gear.  It owns me.  I am in a war people.  A fight to the death with so much bizarre junk I can't even tell you.  Mutant vehicle burning man pieces, costumes, amazon death masks, slot machines, camel saddles, tools of all kinds, and camera gear.  Years ago I had everything I owned stolen from a couple of huge storage units in Austin.  I mean a 3 bedroom house with everything in huge storage units.  Everything gone accept one suit and a canoe.  And what I had in my truck.  Where are those guys now?   I mean when you need them.  Any brave soul wanting to come on down to Terlingua and participate in the twilight zone of garage sales please come on down.  Tomorrow, more of the same.  Pain, anguish, and another trip to the dump and the free porch.  Please rub the furry belly of the DNSZ god for me tonight.