Running over one hour

19 December 2010 45 minutes
20 December 2010 50 minutes
21 December 2010 55 minutes
22 December 2010 1 hour and 2 minutes
23 December 2010 1 hour and 7 minutes
24 December 2010 1 hour and 11 minutes
25 December 2010 1 hour and 19 minutes

For months there was daily running at El Triple on the Pacific coast of Baja California.
Hence, this continued at Punta Boca del Salado on the Sea of Cortez coast.
Not on the beach but on the hilly dirt road that connects the rancho of the Gonzales family with the town of San Jose del Cabo.

And as has happened before at this location the ambition finds the way to flourish.
Because every day the distance to run is extended.
The first day at Punta Boca del Salado it was 45 minutes and yesterday 1 hour and 19 minutes.

The target is to be able to run 1,5 hour non stop before the end of the year.

Now, we may ask, why is this?
What sense does this make?

Usually in this blog there are convincing answers to even complicated questions, but why there is this daily running becoming longer and longer is inexplicable.
Because it is not more than simply fun.
It gives a great feeling.
And the body becomes strong and the health better.
Nothing more to it.

But is it not a little excessive?
To run over one hour a day?
Maybe a little neurotic?
Pathetic even?
Well, feel free to think about it what you prefer.
It is done from happiness and pleasure and anything else doesn’t fit to label it.

Recently in La Paz there was the hunt for new running shoes as the old ones had cracked soles and the flexibility gone.
The search was for a specific running shoe called the “all terrain”.
This shoe has a sole with better grip for running on dirt roads.
Now, using classic running shoes, often the foot slips away, especially when running up the hill.
The loose sand is not steady enough.

This kind of "all terrain"-shoe is in La Paz not for sale.
But a dear friend is now in Canada and soon coming back to Mexico and bringing a pair of all terrain running shoes more fit for the Punta Boca dirt road.
Making the daily half marathons even a greater pleasure.

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JUMP !!!

Spiraling in of control

Years ago a project was started to collect stones in the dry river bed at Punta Boca del Salado, Baja California, Mexico and use them to build an object next to the location where the Fuso Szulc is always parked.

The pile of stones was growing and growing and turned out to be a large boat.
Although many people claimed it was a whale.
While most could not see anything reasonable in the whole thing.

Until the Queen of Dreams came.
She made the suggestion to use the stones to build a huge spiral.
And that is what has happened.

Warming wings

This morning a large vulture bird had landed on the pole Gumaro had planted on the beach to train his horses.

The sun coming up from the Sea of Cortez, the large bird in silhouette made a majestic image.

And then the magical thing happened.
The resting bird did spread his wings to warm them in the rising sun.

The Nikon D300 with the 400 mm lens was quickly fetched to make this image:

A family reunion in images

A family reunion

A special day at the rancho of the Gonzales family at Punta Boca del Salado in Mexico.
All the brothers and sisters are coming together at the location where they were born and raised.
Even the sister that lives in the USA.

For this occasion a cow and some chicken are killed for the big dinner in the afternoon.

With the brothers and sisters most of their children have come as well.

The pioneering photographer is invited to join the party and runs over there soon to publish the pictures here later.

A day and days

Miguel Gonzales in February 1995

Miguel Gonzales in March 2010





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A gliding visitor

It never happened before at this location.
In the dry river bed near the Sea of Cortez and the rancho of the Gonzales family at Punta Boca del Salado, Baja California, Mexico.
That a snake came by.

But yesterday a large, 2 meter long snake was in between the beach furniture.

On the other side of the Baja California peninsula, on the Pacific coast, at the location of El Triple where so much conceptual photography was created, snakes sometimes have been met.
Those were rattlesnakes.
Large ones that pose a threat.
Because if they manage to bite, being far away from a clinic with anti-serum, death is a realistic possibility.
Hence, in the past, whenever a large rattlesnake was spotted near the encampment of El Triple, the unfortunate animal was killed.
Throwing rocks at it to incapacitate it and next to chop off the head with a machete.
A cruel and animal unfriendly activity but only justification was that it was one of two options: either move away from the area and leave the snake its territory.
Or to kill it to be free of a possible new and mortal engagement.

Fortunately, for the last years time was spend at El Triple, no snakes were met.
And if they had been met, because of maturing, improving awareness and reaching more harmony in life, this business of killing snakes would not have been an option anymore.
It disappeared from the program of approaches to nature.
The same for fishing.
For years fishing was an activity to have a more protein rich menu.
Until it was realized how opposed the fish were to being caught.
How they resisted with everything they had to be landed on the beach to die by suffocation.
Once this awareness was prominent, all the fishing gear was donated to a member of the Gonzales family and never a fish has been caught anymore.

Therefore, when yesterday this large snake was spotted, no immediate thought came into the mind to kill the beautiful reptile.
It was yellow with black spots and had a rather small head.
No large fangs characteristic for poisonous snakes.
Immediately it was realized it was not poisonous and not aggressive.

In spite of the higher level of animal friendliness that has been reached, the idea to have snakes around close by still does not appeal very much.
That's why the snake was guided and escorted in a friendly way to an area a safe distance from the Fuso Szulc.
Where hunting grounds are happy for a snake also.

That evening Gumaro Gonzales received a report about the snake visiting the Fuso Szulc.
And he said it was a common snake around Punta Boca del Salado.
A friendly and beautiful snake.
Content to be still alive.



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tsu tsu tsunami

In the morning the BBC Worldservice informed that a serious earthquake had occurred in Chile, South America.
Due to this earthquake a tsunami developed in the Pacific Ocean.
Not only going at jet speed to Hawai.
But also to Baja California.

Soon the first e-mail from a dear friend nearby came in:

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is issuing alerts that a tsunami has been created as a result of the earthquake in Chile. According to my calculations that means it will be here any time now - they are estimating it will arrive around 9:45AM!! Please take precautions and stay out of the water and away from beaches. Exposure does not matter as the wave will wrap AROUND!! Stay safe!!

So, what exactly had this Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to say ?

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 010
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1545Z 27 FEB 2010

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC
OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...
WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

... A WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT ...

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR

CHILE / PERU / ECUADOR / COLOMBIA / ANTARCTICA / PANAMA /
COSTA RICA / NICARAGUA / PITCAIRN / HONDURAS / EL SALVADOR /
GUATEMALA / FR. POLYNESIA / MEXICO / COOK ISLANDS / KIRIBATI /
KERMADEC IS / NIUE / NEW ZEALAND / TONGA / AMERICAN SAMOA /
SAMOA / JARVIS IS. / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU / FIJI /
AUSTRALIA / HAWAII / PALMYRA IS. / TUVALU / VANUATU




A serious alert therefore; including Mexico!
A tsunami coming!!

But what is exactly a tsunami?
According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center:
A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST.
TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND CAN VARY
SIGNIFICANTLY ALONG A COAST DUE TO LOCAL EFFECTS.
THE TIME FROM ONE TSUNAMI WAVE TO THE NEXT CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO AN HOUR, AND THE THREAT CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AS MULTIPLE WAVES ARRIVE.

Soon after, a new e-mail:

Michel, YOU MUST GET OUT OF THE ARROYO NOW!!! THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE YOU WILL BE GREATLY AFFECTED BY THE TSUNAMI - GET OUT OF THERE. PLEASE GO TELL EVERYONE IN BDS TOO. EVERYONE MUST STAY 100 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL!!!!! GO NOW

Pretty serious, that tsunami coming from Chile.
Without hesitation the Fuso Szulc was made ready to travel, a procedure that takes over half an hour.
While watching the sea from a corner of the eye in case the first sign of huge waves could be seen yet.

Next, the Gonzales family was informed about the tsunami coming.
The dear friends are in the dry river bed as well and at about sea level and big waves would wash them away.
And their animals too.
Amazingly, they didn't know anything about an earthquake in Chile and a tsunami coming.
But fortunately they took the news serious.
Gumaro jumped into his pick-up truck and raced to where his son was delivering water with their tanker.
To go and save him from possible danger.
The gates of the corrals were opened and the horses happily galloped into freedom.
The cars and trucks of the family were driven to higher grounds.
The chained dogs couldn't believe their luck thinking their ordeal had ended when they were set free.
The many roosters in their cages the Gonzales keep for cockfights were left where they were.
Letting the expensive animals go was not considered.

A new e-mail from the dear friend living nearby:

you have some time, but please do move to higher ground - my estimate of time of arrival was wrong

Fortunately, the Gonzales didn't panic.
They took it in a relaxed way.
Maybe also because they have no concept what is exactly a tsunami.
Never one occurred where they live.
And because they don't read newspapers, see no magazines, do not watch the news on TV they have never seen a tsunami and its devastating effects elsewhere in the past.

The Fuso Szulc was parked on top of the hill.
Close to the edge with a fabulous view of the sea and the dry river bed.
Great observation post to see a tsunami happening.



Another e-mail!

SORRY, I HAD THE TIME CONVERSION WRONG - THE TSUNAMI IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AT 12:45PM TODAY. JERRY BARSTOW SAYS THAT PEOPLE ARE BEING TOLD TO GET 100 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, WHICH MAY BE IMPOSSIBLE ON THE PENINSULA...I SUGGEST THAT IF YOU ARE HERE YOU GO TO HIGH GROUND.

In the meantime the news of the Chilean earthquake and the tsunami had spread around the world.
Also the people in the Netherlands knew now about it.
A Skype call!!
Another dear friend calling to warn and advice to look for higher grounds.

But right then, the weather was fabulous and the sea like a mirror.
With even some boats fishing and sailing.
Hardly any wind and a nice temperature.
Impossible to imagine that suddenly huge waves would come to bring devastation and disaster.

As everybody and everything was in safe places now, a relaxed lunch could be afforded now overlooking the Sea of Cortez waiting for the waves to come while the Nikon D 300 was stand by to document the cruel phenomenon for eternity.

But in the end, nothing happened.
Absolutely nothing could be noticed of an earthquake in Chile.
Of a tsunami hitting land with high waves.
The day remained as beautiful and peaceful as all the others.

Now, was one to feel disappointed or was one to feel relieved?
Maybe both?



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The neighbours

There has been a time when all the stones close to the Fuso Szulc in the dry river bed at Punta Boca del Salado, Baja California, Mexico were put in a pile.

A heap of stones that eventually took the shape of an ocean steamer.
Well, an ocean steamer, an ocean steamer: this only when the imagination is having a good day.



At the time it could not be explained why this activity took place.
Except as to say that sometimes one must do something that makes no sense.
As is often the case in making art.
One makes shoes because people wear them.
But to make art is to respond to demand that is not there.
So in order to remain experienced in doing senseless things, to train as an artist, the ocean liner was build.

This was a few years ago and a surprising thing then took place.
Two huge iguanas made the heap of boulders their home.
What was made without knowing why, turned out to be the place to live for two creatures.

For two years the ocean liner has not been touched.
There was no more inspiration and motivation to haul more boulders.

Meanwhile, the iguanas continued to live there.
Having a home for several years now.








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783 = 421 + ...

For not very serious reasons the teachers in La Ribera, Baja California, Mexico have closed the school for several days.
They say it is because of the rain.
But that needs hardly an umbrella.
So maybe they were just needing a break.

As a consequence, the children of the Gonzales family are at the rancho at Punta Boca del Salado where the Fuso Szulc is located these days.
And these kids ask if they can get classes again.
Not in English, geography or history.
No, they want mathematics.

Okay, okay, in the class of this bush school the children themselves make the decisions.

One effort that is made teaching the glorious kids is that each time something new and surprising is offered to them.
To avoid they get bored with again regular mathematical challenges.
Like 25 + 47 = how much ?

Now, the great thing with kids is that when it is announced that this time it will be completely different from the last time, no kid protests.
They look while thinking and reflecting, but not one says: "Hold on, we don't want anything new and different, Mr. Teacher".
They all accept and await openly what is coming at them.

Therefore they got this sum to work on:

72 = .. + ..

They could fill in themselves numbers that totaled 72.
This was explained and off they went.

It worked well.
They pained their brains and came up with solutions like 25 + 47.

Until clever Juan came with an intelligent solution to 5899 = …. + ....
He returned his paper with this: 5899 = 5898 + 1

Of course he was applauded by everybody and he got two stars: the rewards for every good solution.

However, as the professor, it can never be allowed that the students outsmart with tricks like 5898 + 1
A kind of superiority must always be solidly there in order to survive.

Therefore the new sum was 783 = 421 + ...
A groaning "Aaaaaiiiii Miguel" came from every student.
How to tackle this one?

Observing them work hard on this new challenge, it was noticed that none got the idea to remodel the sum.
Changing 783 = 421 + … into 783 - 421 = … to find the solution.

When eventually that trick was explained, from then on it was all piece of cake.
And they felt proud they had learned to solve a complicated sum in a new way.


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Let's get horizontal

Merci Merel !
Merci Eric !





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Get the crocs!

Death dog becoming phantom

The good dog Torrit is dead.
Killed by the dogs of the guards.

Yesterday he was found in a dry river bed.
Not far from the road.
With blood at his throat.

Torrit was a good dog.
Never making trouble.
Patient and kind.

There is not only sadness these days.
But also the continuation of Torrit's presence but now as a phantom dog.
In many situations he is felt to be there while he is not.
For example, while running on the road, his footsteps are heard behind.
Turning the head to see him, the road is as empty as the moon.
Or waking up and coming out of the Fuso Szulc.
Torrit is felt to be waiting as usual but once outside he is not there.

Those are very painful moments.
Deepening the sadness.
While it was just a dog.
Who lived together for only four weeks.

Another layer of sadness added to Torrit's one is caused by the fact that today Punta Boca del Salado, the Gonzales family and the beautiful life next to the Sea of Cortez comes to an end.
The Fuso Szulc will go to San Jose del Cabo and will be put in storage.
The journey will continue by airplane to Los Angeles.
From there in a rental car to Temecula, California, USA.

This means that the daily publication of postings on this blog might get a hiccup.
Due to unavailability to access to the Internet.
That's good.
Gives time for the sadness to end.



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Swimming in money

Besides the daily running, there is also the daily swimming.
In the Sea of Cortez.
Each morning, after finishing writing and publishing the blog and replying electronic mail, a 15 minutes walk is made along the shoreline to a wide bay.
Where is a sandy beach and no rocks.
For having easy and safe access to the sea.

There are no houses built yet along this beach and rarely in the morning one of the gringo's drive by on their decadent ATV's.
Hence, swimming takes place in the European way: all clothes are taken off and the fish see a human as he was born.

First the swim goes east, away from the beach.
And when a point beyond the surf has been reached, course is changed for the south to swim parallel to the beach.
For about 12 minutes to turn around and go back.
Then total relaxation is achieved by floating on the back with arms and legs spread while releasing Bhudist sounds of relief and de-stressing.
But then once more, the swimming goes south all the way, to return and relax again before coming out of the water.
Total swimming time: about 45 minutes.

These days the water of the Sea of Cortez is not warm anymore.
But not cold either.
In fact, it has a perfect temperature for Olympic Games style swimming.
One thing though is that jelly fish and other vile creatures surprise sometimes the swimmer.
Therefore the throat, the breast and the forearms are marked these days by swellings.
Where jelly fish have touched and burned their tentacles into the human flesh.
But they are unable to create fear and stop the courageous swimmer.

After swimming there is always a visit to the kitchen of the Gonzales for having a cup of Mexican rancho coffee.
They have a mill in which they crush coffee beans and the coffee powder is cooked in a kind of sock hanging in the metal coffee pot on the fire.
They add sugar and serve the coffee with fresh milk from their cows.
But besides the excellent coffee, this moment of day, several more people come to the kitchen for coffee.
And the most interesting conversations take place.
Yesterday Daniel and Kiah happened to be there.
The conversation went from the fishing on his small boat Daniel is doing to the pirates of Somalia who fish for big boats and lives to cash ransom.
Hence, pretty soon it was communally decided that it was an easy and convenient way of making some money.
The idea was born to lock up Kiah in this small house on the property of the Gonzales and ask her family for a ransom so we all could go out for dinner.
Although Kiah had no objection, she claimed her family had no money and therefore wouldn't pay.
And surprisingly, every participant in the conversation believed it was a great plan, and not one objected to be locked up, but all claimed they were worth not a penny.
But then, a smart participant in this fascinating conversation proposed, what if we lock American citizen Kiah up and we inform CNN?
And if they don't respond quickly we send CNN one of Kiah's fingers.
Yes, said Mexican Daniel, and then her ear.
To force CNN to make it a headline story and have all the Americans stand behind their daughter Kiah and donate together millions to the abductors who have to make a living also.
But I want 50 % said Kiah and that greediness killed the plotting.

Time to leave the kitchen and absurdity to continue the work in the Fuso Szulc.

Thinking and sinking or swinging and singing?

A permanent pilgrim can never stay in one place too long.
Why is this?
Because what is new becomes old over time.

Once arrived on a new location, many impressions enter the consciousness.
Most new and refreshing, stimulating and inspiring.
That effect remains only for a certain period.
It looses eventually its freshness and sinks into routine and cliché.
Until no more new impressions are available.

24 days have been spent on the rancho of the Gonzales family at Punta Boca del Salado, Baja California, Mexico.
And clearly the point has been reached that the balance has found its horizontal position and is now going down into the area of routine and cliché.
The surprising and beautiful aspects of being here have grown old and have withered.
Opening the side of reality where the negatives are which are pressing and pushing to move on.

The beautiful sea is still there.
The sunshine and the warmth.
The warm seawater to swim in every morning.
The blue sky and the freedom of living in nature.
But it can't seduce anymore.

Now the many tire tracks of the quad bikes are seen on the beach making it look like an unpaved street with heavy traffic.

Now disgust has been reached for Alfredo tying up two of his dogs on very short chains to trees and then leave for a holiday with his girlfriend.
Making the dogs after four days without food and water howl and bark with total desperation.

Now sadness is felt for the Gonzales family because they are hooked to watching soap operas on TV all day.
Episodes full of false emotions and baroque drama offering sentimental garbage for the soul that is consumed by the friends like addicts.

Now opposition has grown to its maximum for having to wait immobile in one place to see the new photo book "Sequences: the ultimate selection" and to meet the "Queen of Dreams".
When moving and traveling these events will start approaching at high speed.

It is time to go when the situation one happens to be in is turning against the visitor.
Too much negativity opening up in the territory.
Where is now too much thinking and sinking.
Better to leave for swinging and singing.

Hugs from the heart

The children of the Gonzales family at Rancho Punta Boca del Salado, Baja California, Mexico are begging, each weekend when they are there, for classes.
To all sit around the large table under the palm leaves roof with each kid equipped with paper and a ballpoint to do mathematic, drawings or English.

What remains remarkable is that these children all ask to have these classes.
It is not organized for them and then offered.
They are crazy about the teachings and as they know they are the most important, they naturally get a positive reply to their request.

Each time a new way of teaching is applied.
And these days the pedagogic focus is how to learn children more than just mathematics.
Of course it is good for them to know how much is 45 + 74.
But there is something more essential to learn.
Like being independent.
Like being responsible.

This is now achieved through mathematics!
To catch two birds with one net.
The kids learn how to do correctly the mathematical tricks and at the same time they learn to be independent and responsible.
The way it works is that they get incomplete sums.
In the past they would have to solve a sum like 67 + 54 = ?
Depending of the level of the student the sum would be more easy or more complicated.
But now they get an incomplete sum.
Like 67 + ... = ?
They have to put themselves the amount with which to add and then solve the sum.
This means they can make it as easy or as difficult for themselves as they like.
For example they could put 67 + 2 = 69.
Sum ready and perfect result.
But children are smart enough to realize that this is more a way to escape the challenge.
Hence, they will put a bigger figure there.
Like 67 + 271 = ?

Suddenly they are solving mathematical problems and at the same time they have to make decisions how easy or difficult they are making it for themselves.
The children of the Gonzales family at Rancho Punta Boca del Salado, Baja California, Mexico love this.
They feel they are being taken serious and that they are trusted a responsibility.
They even get deeper involved because now the sum is not something from the brain of the professor anymore.
But it is something that is coming from themselves also.
Therefore they identify much more with the mathematical problem and are much more motivated to solve it correctly.

The same strategy is now applied when they want to do drawings.
In the past a drawing would be made and they would have to copy it as precisely as possible.
Now a drawing is presented to the student and he or she is asked to continue the drawing.
To expand it.
To add to it.
To have as a result a drawing that is made together.
In this way the visual and imaginative capacities and drawing talents of the child are expanded.
And at the same time the child learns to do things together.
To have a result from a collaboration.

Working with children gives a tremendous satisfaction.
It is not only fascinating when approached in a creative way.
But it is rewarding.
Not with money or anything like that.
When the class is over they spontaneously come to the teacher and give him a hug.



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Somebody urinating

A family wagon parked close to the Fuso Szulc at Punta Boca del Salado, Baja California, Mexico.
Out came three elderly couples.
They went to the beach for shell hunting.
This was observed while inside the Fuso Szulc working hard on a Keynote presentation soon to give in Europe.

After a while the visitors had enough of being on the windy beach and returned to the family wagon.
Next, something intriguing happened.
The three men were ordered by the women to stand away from the family wagon with their backs to it.
Two women went to sit inside the family wagon and the third prepared to squat down next to it for a leak.

Because of the location of the Fuso Szulc, the view from there was a total one.
The men could be seen standing there like naughty boys being punished.
But also the woman preparing to relief herself was in full view.

The pioneering photographer is not a Balinese princes like the "Queen of dreams" happens to be, but nevertheless, he had a decent upbringing.
It is understandable the men were asked to turn their back to the sanitary activity but what when involuntarily the action is seen?
Is it then a demonstration of decency to sit in the Fuso Szulc and turn the head towards the other side to focus on nothing as long as it takes for the urine to splash down?

Or maybe call from the Fuso Szulc?
To yell to the party to make them aware of the painful and embarrassing presence so a re-arrangement of location of the woman in need is made?

But eventually the thought took hold that if they didn't know somebody was involuntarily witnessing the scene, there was in fact no problem.
As long as no joke was played, like leaving noisily the Fuso Szulc right in the middle of the woman's waterfalling.
To have a devilishly pleasure of creating and seeing total embarrassment.
No, best not to say anything and leave those people living their lives the way they want to.

But then what about looking?
Obviously the event was a good subject for the next day's posting on this blog.
As we all know, everything is done to present the fervent and loyal blog readers every day an exciting, thought provoking, amusing and fascinating story.
And here was one!
For the benefit and as a service to the fervent and loyal blog readers, the whole sequence of the event had to be witnessed.
Yes, this woman creating a local tsunami on the beach was seen for your benefit.
Personally, there is no interest whatsoever to see a woman squatting and spraying.
If it had been for the pioneering photographer, he would have continued to work on his Keynote presentation.
But there are the fervent and loyal blog readers to think of.

So down went the pants, the white underpants and close to the family wagon the squatting position was presented.
Close to the car to avoid also the strong whirling wind to wet the legs.
It took a while indeed to relieve indicating how high the urgency had been.
It had been a full one.

Then something happened a man will never do.
She had a white paper handkerchief and wiped her vagina clean and dry.
A man urinates and when he is done, he simply returns the thing where it is lodged.
No paper handkerchiefs, no cleaning, no drying.
No squatting either having drops land on trouser-legs and shoes.
The dirty pigs.

After the urgency had been lifted a most charming action could be observed.
The woman buried the handkerchief and covered the wet spot with sand.

It was then that the men were called they could return to the party.
Not knowing what we know.




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Floating for freedom

Great.
Well, ironically then.
One of the dogs was biting the comfortable chair to pieces.
And more of those things happening these days.
Life is shit suddenly.
From heights to depths.
Not worth living it lustfully but more like sitting in a waiting room boring it out.

These damned spirals in life.
They either go up high in the sky.
Or they go down to where hell is.

And only because openness is available.
No walls around the life so that many things can happen and many people can enter.

Like Torrit, the dog.
The only canine of Alfredo Gonzales that is not tied up to suffer in the shadow of a tree.
This dog Torrit comes to visit the Fuso Szulc and likes to join when a walk is made.
He gets fresh water, dog crackers and a tin of dog food a day.
Until this morning after his breakfast he tore the expensive and comfy chair to pieces.
Torrit was chased away getting stones flying around his head as a goodbye gift and his party at the Fuso Szulc is definitely over.
Now sitting and reading outside has to be improvised as the Camping World chair is professionally and animalistically destroyed.

And that is only what the dog has done to life recently to make it miserable.
Torrit was joined by a human being.
Someone was allowed to come inside and communicate on the most delicate levels of intimacy.
In a two way vice versa extravaganza of revealing secrets and being totally open and honest.
And then that comfy chair was bitten to pieces as well.

Only thing to do is to focus on being totally in the moment.
To forget about the past and about the future.
However, to be upscale upset about the dog and the person is not helpful to achieve this.

A good friend said: take your time and moderate the negative experiences.
Wise words.

Like every morning, before the wind picks up, a walk is made to a part of the beach where nobody is.
A 20 minutes walk from the Fuso Szulc along the shoreline.
There all clothes are taken off and a dive is made into the Sea of Cortez to swim away.
Away from the land and the dogs and the women.
To eventually float on the back in the salt water moving slowly up and down by the waves.
Feeling total relaxation.
Free of broken chairs and hearts.

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No prestigious pretensions please

Visiting a family living on a farm in Mexico and spending a long time with them has many aspects.
One most important one is that each party has a set of moral standards.
When most match a harmonious living together exists.

They actually do, the matching of moral standards.
In may ways the thinking about the things of life by the Gonzales family and the visitor are similar.
In synchro are the ideas about what is right or what is wrong.
Of every detail of life.

There is one major exception though.
There is unity in thinking about how to be vis a vis other human beings.
But an important discrepancy about how to be vis a vis animals.

And this is paramount.
Every day there is interaction with animals at a ranch.
Very visible and present.
Interaction with horses and mules.
With cows.
With goats.
With the dogs.
With the cat.
With the pigs.
With the chicken and roosters.

And the way the animals are treated is not like the standards of the visitor.
For the Gonzales it is the normal way.
While for the visitor it is animal cruelty.
Hence, a clash of standards.

Basically, a visitor can do only one thing when in a situation where no harmony is found in moral standards.
Leave.
Because to try to change the people that are visited, who opened the doors and the arms, to try to have them accept different standards, is not polite and in any case, a megalomanic illusion.
A prestigious pretension.

Probably the animals would not agree with this point of view but unfortunately in matters like this, they have no voice.

Hence, a visitor can only observe the attitude towards animals and either accept it or go somewhere else.

However, the friendship with the Gonzales is very much alive for over 25 years.
That means there is a high level of flexibility and acceptance.
Room for expressing own points of view and possible different standards.
Like attitudes towards animals.

Therefore, no restrictions are self imposed to inform the Gonzales how appalling the treatment of the animals is felt.
It is clearly expressed.
In detail.
(On behalf of the suffering animals)

But in a good atmosphere.
Without accusing.
Without putting blame and creating guilt.
Treating the subject with humor.
Light and easy.
In a way that it won't matter if they do not have understanding or possibly do not accept the opposing standards that are kindly presented.

Within this context of the issue of treating animals no examples are presented on this blog about how exactly the animals suffer.
That would be disrespectful towards the Gonzales family.
And make a possible change hardly possible.

Now they are made to think about how they handle their animals.
And they may be inspired and come to different conclusions benefiting the animals.

But if the visitor talks to the Gonzales and next informs the rest of the world, the position of the visitor towards the family becomes corrupted.
To the disadvantage of the horse, the mule, the cow, the goat, the chicken, the rooster, the pig, the dog and the cat.
And are fervent and loyal blog readers anxiously waiting to learn details about animal cruelty?
Let us remain in harmony.



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