Chachalacas and More

The large birds that sound like gobbling turkeys in the now-green forests around the marina are Chachalacas - Plain Chachalacas or Wagler's Chachalacas, according to Plate 23 in Princeton's "Birds of Mexico and Central America". When we arrived here 13 days ago, the hills were brown and the tops of trees looked crisp in the heat. All that changed within 2 days of the advent of the rain. Lush jungle surrounds us. Plumeria blossoms add white polka dots to the green canopy, and the wild sounds of whirring bugs and chattering birds remind us that this town was a jungle less that 25 years ago.

All day long, Spanish Mackerel leap out of the marina water, expose their white bellies and splash back down. Puffer fish, indigo adults with white spots and gold juveniles with brown spots, graze along the edges of the docks. Great Kiskadees and Grackles fly between coconut palms.

We've been accepted into the small community of sailors here who are also en route to elsewhere, waiting for the hurricane season to come and go. Going on walks with the ladies, sharing cabs to the downtown, being invited to a surprise birthday party, and borrowing tools are welcome signs that we are in a community again-albeit temporary.

We celebrated our 6th year of marriage on June 1 by taking an early morning hike to a small beach enclosed by hills and going swimming. We did no boat projects that day - a true celebration!

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