“It’s said that “power corrupts,” but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. When they do act, they think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is insatiable, implacable.” -David Brin

I don’t think I could find a more appropriate quote that characterizes previous president than this one, and it fits him to a tee. Now that the four year national nightmare is over it would be easy to relax but the implacable push of the minority to rule the US is seemingly insatiable as Brin points out, so democracy much be ever resilient and ever vigilant. All I really hope to see in the foreseeable future is more kindness, greater compassion, less self-centeredness and a greater responsibility to our fellow travelers on the path.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” -Annie Dillard

One can easily tell that spring is in the air in Baja (with summer edging in), especially if you have Mary planting flowers and bushes regularly, it seems that we have something in bloom constantly and with them come the birds and the hummingbirds and those are a joy to watch. I have also been bringing nyjer seed down from the states to keep the yellow finches in the area, most of them migrate north for the summer but we have a small population that we still see daily now.

As you might imagine with Mary being retired and me semi-retired we have some activities that are more sedentary than we used to do before, like jigsaw puzzles and even some daytime reading sitting outside in the Adirondack chairs. We are also have our hobbies and art that keep us busy, mine is building different pieces of outdoor furniture (mostly small tables and Adirondack chairs), they have to be able to be fashioned from pine and 1 x 12’s at that, for the narrower widths I rip them down. It makes you become more adept at adapting to circumstances. For Mary she works on her rock painting and takes walks on the beach or the dune each morning, always taking Phoebe with her, I join them a couple of times a week between my mountain biking and ocean swimming, speaking of which I have gotten to swim with the dolphins quite a few times this spring, though it is a misnomer to say that I swim with them, they just happen to be passing me and I get to see them as they pass, they really don’t even pay any attention to me, more like I am just piece of driftwood moving slowly (though we have no driftwood so speak of on our coast). Still the thrill of being part of their world is present.

Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other sects? -James Madison

I will share this video with the journal and at the same time find out if it works and if so then likely more videos in future editions. I do about 5 videos a week that I upload to youtube and share with our kids and grandkids as well as a friend or two by sending them out by sms, a laborious but fun process that lets them see what our life is like down here. It all really is just an approximation, of course of what our life is like, I have still yet to have a video capture what the towns and villages are like, the little things that we have learned about simply getting what we need from week to week. I found a ferretería (loosely a hardware store) that carries the bolts I use in my Adirondack chairs for a third of what they are in Home Depot or at Amazon but that is the exception, normally material is expensive and labor is cheap. But only at that particular store, the rest are more expensive but then each one of them specializes in something that one needs, means a lot of stops for a few items.

We have visitors who pass through on occasion and two people that we have come to know over the last 4 years are Jon and Gail Crane, as they pass through fall and spring on their way from South Dakota to southern Baja and their return. Jon is an accomplished artist and Gail is a writer, the cover of her book is above, one the most lyrical and enticing books that I have read of travel and companionship, it was a joy to read. I pass on my recommendation both for the book and their website mystictravelers one can only wish to have as a rich of a life that they have lived and are living.

We also have a friend, Scott, who is pursuing a dream, he is getting to hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, he started on May 6th and is going to hike different parts of it over the next 6 months. Scott has been an avid backpacker as well as University Professor and is doing a series of long hikes on the trail, you can follow his hike here if you like. I had the dream of doing that same thru hike or series of hikes but went on to live alternative aspects in my life and I didn’t pursue that one but now I can follow his hike and be part of his journey.

We feel so blessed to be able to live this life and have the opportunity to breathe the ocean air on a daily basis, but it is not the life for everyone. You need to be tremendously self sufficient to be able to live well here. There are many challenges that a person could need to be prepared to resolve at times occasionally on a regular basis. I need to switch to our backup water tanks when water pressure falls in the ranch system or the pump fails, as happened last week. Sometimes I get to haul the generator out of the shed in the middle of the night when the transformer on the power line decides it is time to stop working, gives you plenty of time for adventure. Given all that we encounter and experience, overall I have a level of satisfaction of living my life fully and in the moment and  that seems good at this stage of my life and really who could ask for more.

“There is nothing more dangerous than a government of the many controlled by the few.”-Lawrence Lessig

take care and may you all walk in beauty

Tony