Up the Creek

With both temperature and humidity hovering about 90, activity has been limited.  Any outdoor work or exercise (other than swimming) pretty much has to be done between 7 and 10 in the morning.  Even then, staying hydrated takes some effort.  I did manage a paddle up the creek about 1.3 miles in my slow and inefficient "glass bottom" kayak.  But since I stopped and stalked wildlife along the way, speed wasn't important.  While most of what I saw and photographed I had seen before, I did get my first image of a Mexican grackle chick.  Ugly.  I've taken a few more portraits of my local acquaintances, and the photo set-up I put together works as I'd hoped.  On the boat work front, I'm making slow but steady progress on refreshing the brightwork Cetol, and I made the improvement on the stern anchor roller that was needed.

My route up the creek was 1.3 miles

each way.

The creek is still pretty wild, despite all the development.

Lots of bird life, hundreds of iguanas and the occasional

crocodile.  The jungle quickly reclaims any land that

isn't maintained.

To get decent photos I had to slowly move right into

the mangroves near the target, minimize movement

and make no noise.

Social flycatcher

Yellow-crowned night heron

Yellow-crowned heron chick in the nest

Mexican or great-tailed grackle.  The ones that poach

food around the hotel and pool are used to being near

people.  The wild ones in the creek, especially when

protecting a nest, not so much.

Grackle chick in the nest.  Ugly, and the

mohawk coif doesn't help.

Hundreds of iguanas can be seen in the trees warming

up in the morning sun.

Over time, the iguanas adapt to the encroaching civilization.

I found at least 30 of them hanging out on the lawn of

a condo development on the creek.

The birds adapt too.  Social flycatcher on a sailboat's

lifeline.

Looking up at the underside of a gecko through the

forward hatch.

Light rain falling at sunrise as a thunderstorm

clears.

A rainbow appeared as the storm cleared.

Finished renewing the Cetol on the starboard side woodwork.

Carlos, one the marina security guards.

A real caballero (gentleman).

Francisco, a panga captain.  Always

has a smile and a joke.

Israel, he does bottom cleaning and other

boat work at the marina.  A good man, he 

just became an abuelo (grandfather).