december 2014

our year in california started out with an official declaration of drought with all the attendant dire predictions of water shortages and restrictions on water use. by the end 2014, and the third year of the ongoing drought, the january warnings seemed mild; it’s been 8 months since patti washed her car; the soil is dryer than i have ever seen it, all trees, plants and animals suffering from the lack of water. we’re feeling very lucky that our well didn’t run dry…and are now breathing a sigh of relief as the rain has been coming down in buckets for the past few days - replenishing aquifers and reservoirs, although, not yet making any dent in the ongoing drought conditions.

in mid-january, a friend called us from bangkok, thailand to let us know about a condo available for rent in maui during february. since february is prime whale watching season in maui, we mulled over this last minute opportunity for a couple of hours before coming to the conclusion that “why not” was the appropriate response…

after a whirl of activity, and a five hour flight, the humpback whales didn’t disappoint and greeted us as we took our first footsteps on a golden sandy beach. the daily antics of happy whales in warm maui waters was a constant delight. spouting, breaching, pec slapping, spyhopping – the fascinating behavior always visible from any beach. however, up close and personal with whales is always a treat.

our thrilling adventure began as soon as the boat cleared the harbor. we spotted a competition pod of nine young male whales, trying to impress the lone female. we had never seen this type of whale behavior before, and it was tremendously exciting. the males stay close to the surface, moving fast, blowing plumes of spray, showing their humps and flapping their tails, filling up their heads with seawater to look bigger, throwing themselves out of the water and slamming the sides of their huge, 80,000 lb, bodies against the whale next to them…and repeat over and over again.

at one point, our boat got “mugged”, meaning the whales got so up close and personal, that the captain had to turn the engine off and wait for them to move on. before they did that however, one of the whales swam under our boat, and then exhaled a huge plum of spray over all the excited people hanging on to any railing they could find! it was breathtaking to see a 50 foot creature navigate underneath the fragile little boat that the passengers had thought was quite large up until that point… needless to say, that was the highlight, and i won’t even mention all the gorgeous sunsets, the morning snorkeling trips filled with whale song, turtle and tropical fish sightings.

the northern california coast beckoned come springtime. we enjoyed a few days exploring the area around the artist enclave of mendocino.

a month later we celebrated patti’s birthday at sea ranch, relishing long walks on the beach,

eating fresh seafood, paired with a good pinot noir, and enjoyed watching the deer gracefully picking their way through the meadow. which is exactly the opposite of what we do about the deer at home! one of our big projects this summer was attempting to deer fence the majority of our one acre property. after a few misguided attempts, we finally managed to keep the deer out of the garden long enough so that we were able to enjoy some of the fruits and vegetables and grapes of our labor. sharing the bounty with the local wildlife is inevitable to a certain point, but then, enough is enough!

we rounded out our year with an indulgence of sheer decadence by spending another 3-1/2 weeks in maui during the month of november.

well…we just had to celebrate bim’s 69th birthday in style!

photos of maui worth a thousand words can be found here:  2014 maui

as we cuddle up close to the fire, enjoying fond memories of good times shared
with cherished friends, we look forward to many more unforgettable moments with you, and

we wish you health, happiness, laughter, peace 

and contentment in the upcoming year.