Since I'm sailing in the Sea of Cortez, I'll miss sharing Thanksgiving with family and friends. I don't care much about swapping tortillas for turkey, but I sure will miss my ohana.
One of my goals in sailing the Sea of Cortez is to see marine life I've not seen before. Blue and sperm whales, two species that frequent this northern stretch, are high on my wish list, but so far those giant marine mammals have been elsewhere.
Here in the marina where my sailboat, Honu, and I await friends' arrival, I invited a neighbor to join me snorkeling. "Thanks," he said. "I need to find some clams for bait. I hope you don't mind."
I'm back in Mexico where I'm getting my sailboat Honu ready for another Sea of Cortez adventure. All I really want to do, though, is collect trap doors.
Last week during a visit to my friends' cabin outside of Lufkin, Texas, the abundance of aquatic wildlife there surprised me. Since a great blue heron and two bald eagles perched a little too far away to see clearly, I decided to paddle a kayak around the lake.
I thought I knew a lot about the Titanic, but in New York City last week I went to an exhibit about the ship, and there found a book called "882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic" ($10, Scholastic Inc.). Of those answers I knew two. One, the ship was considered unsinkable, and two, it hit an iceberg and sank.
Every time I pick up the new book "The Sea Sleuth: Edventures [sic] of a Marine Detective," by state Department of Land and Natural Resources biologist Dave Gulko, I crack up.
Years ago, while sailing off Coast Rica, I saw something so amazing, I sometimes wonder if, having seen pictures of the event, I just dreamed I saw it.
Last week while walking Lanikai Beach, I saw a bright orange-and-yellow candy wrapper tumbling in the shore break. Wading in a foot or two, I picked it up.
Oh, if only all marine trash could be this good. I'd found a Spanish dancer.