Zorro Libre

It was one of those nice days you're just glad to be a part of. After a life in captivity, I went with friends from the local vet and released two small foxes back into the wild. They were origionally at a small private "zoo" (and I say the word loosly as it was more of a prison with 20 different animals in a 2 foot by 2 foot cage), then spent the last three months getting healthy and learning to hunt. Tonight they are spending their first night alone, high up in the forests above Lake Nicaragua. Good luck to them!

Medusa

There is an odd hurricane heading towards Hawaii tonight, and the tail of her has shifted the weather in our sleepy little fishing village here in Nicaragua. The wind, which usually comes off of Lake Nicaragua and creates perfect barrel waves for the surfers, has shifted to come from the east, bringing all sorts of wonders ashore. Today it brought the jellyfish: small blue ones not much larger than a quarter. Their bodies lie in the sand, like three-dimensional, clear jellybeans. Only, reaching off of them are blue stinging tentacles up to a foot long. I would not like to meet them in the water. Lots of other people did though, and as I walked a friend's dog up the beach, you could see people jumping out of the water in pain, and staff from the beachfront restaurants bringing out vinegar.

Along with the jellys (called Medusa's in Spanish, how appropriate!), there were also puffer fish, and a load of debris. Saturday is the international Project Aware beach clean-up day, so there will be no shortage for us! See if there is a clean-up in your area. We can compare trash.

Living high on hog hill

I'm housesitting for two weeks at an amazing 3000 sqft house with a deck overlooking the bay with an amazing seating area if there is a breeze. When there is power (it goes off 4 hours each day on a rotating schedule) there is even hot water straight out of the tap. If not, there is no water and for some reason they installed electric appliences. Overall, though, its quite a treat. But the best part of it is the neighbors that I look down on. On one side is the new house being constructed by the first female president, Violeta Chamorro. On the other side are the pigs, tied to the tree in the neighbors lot, amongst the cocks that crow at all times of night (streetlights or just city cocks?) The pigs really squeal, loud if they are being fed, or not being fed, or if they are being brought from one tree to the next. Either way, pigs.

I like looking at the pigs from this Miami-Vice decorated house. It's a reminder that just because the gringo's have come in to build, it doesn't mean the locals need to go away.