As well as being surfing territory, it's also cowboy country.

One of the younger fisherman, Mariso.

Mariso, Gustavo and Macho fixing nets, which is everyone's work and takes place on a regular basis.

This is not posed. Marianna is merely lounging. She plays a big part in the fishing activities though never goes out on a boat. Flores is saving for a motor for a boat she has. By catching fish close to shore, she can earn a bit of extra money.

Marianna's husband Marco with a net full of sardines which are used as bait when fishing from shore.

Eliecer is the male artist of the community and did this tattoo on his own arm by using a mirror.

Eliecer playing with the neighbors dogs. Extremely territorial, Bruiser, Dog and I want nothing to do with them...

Sollinay and Liker, who we love very much, but who will probably be leaving here with their owner Herman.

'Primero' or best friends, Carmine and Maria.

A spontaneous moment. Sarah loves water almost more than Gustavo.

Unlike San Jose city folk, Meribeth has no fear any harm will come to her baby by being around dogs. Jacqueline is on the right.

Alihandu and Meribeth's baby in a makeshift baby carrier. She never stops smiling.

Meribeth is Flores's daughter-in-law. Standing next to her is Flores's second husband from two years, Albert.

Newlyweds Andrea and Tato. They'll be my neighbors after construction is finished on the house.

Only a few people in this settlement have vehicles so people take the bus from the store and walk the rest of the way along the beach. Fran, the boy who smacks kisses at all the women is in the lead.

Ranchland borders the beach. The horns on this breed of cattle can grow to a tremendous size.

Dog trying to get Likur to play.

Dog in agony returning from a walk after she and Bruiser tried to get a porcupine. See last months blog for more details.

Porcupine safely in tree.

Thanks to Google and a friend who sent this to me, the red circled spot is the area where all these pictures take place.

September 6, 2006

Dear Readers,
I hope everyone has been able to take at least some time off during the summer. Forgive me for not having a blog over the summer, I took an unintentional holiday recovering from a foot injury and my laptop from a water accident! From these two experiences, I decided to explore what a non-workacholic life feels like. I'm still practicing. ;-)

Below is a brief account of swimming-with-whales here in Costa Rica, and upcoming travel plans and conferences. Drop me a line if you'd like to connect in either Chile or DC!

To order copies of Cairo Cats, please do so by clicking on www.CairoCats.com.

A few weeks ago I went to a spot on my beach where a Quebec couple were camping. We watched as the first whales of the season frolicked only 150 meters from shore! I swam out two different times and saw water spouting into the air and the ring of water they created while diving down into the depths. Yes, I was a bit nervous about getting too close to these fascinating animals and kept about 50 meters away. Instead of approaching, which was very tempting, I called into the mouthpiece of my snorkel hoping they'd come to me. Alas, they didn't. But it was an amazing and fantastic experience sharing the same area of water. This is something I'll be trying again in the coming months.

In mid-November, I'll be a keynote speaker in Washington D.C. at the Third International Symposium on Non-Surgical Contraceptive Methods for Pet Population Control. These people are involved in researching and promoting non-surgical sterilization of cats and dogs and I'll be discussing potential benefits I've observed during my travels. People attending will be scientists, animal welfare advocates, animal health industry representatives, veterinarians and funders who share similar goals of finding solutions for the millions of dogs and cats killed every year in the US alone. Click on: www.acc-d.org if you'd like more info about participating, or to sign a petition offering your support.

I hope all is well in your lives, thank you for being a receptive audience.
All best, Lorraine