MeXscape

When Martha told me she was returning to the village of the Bramador I immediately volunteered my truck and my time, for this was clearly going to be a high quality adventure. Not being real sure just what a Bramador was or did, added to my sense of participatory anxiety, which is requisite for any decent adventure. This impromptu trip would go from Mazatlan to San Ignacio for a late lunch and then on to the village of Tacuitapa, where we would spend the night out among the folks and experience the unique talents of the Bramador. I asked Martha about the accommodations and with a wave of her hand told me “The people in the village will take care of us. I’ll let them know we are coming.” In the face of her overwhelming confidence, I thought to myself “Well, this is certainly the easiest B&B I have ever booked.” Martha went on to elaborate about how this place is not on any tourist itinerary and that the people were ready to share some of their natural treasures. Well, so far this looked to be a trip as charmingly spontaneous and unpredictable as the woman herself.

Well...Snickers the Wonder Dog actually managed to catch a rather large Iguana today. We were on our afternoon bicycle ride, I on the bike and Snickers following along behind; she doesn’t have her own bike yet. I am not sure how she managed to corner and capture the damn thing, but it was (and still is), about one meter long. When I realized she was not right next to me or even close behind me, I stopped and looked back to see her in the lizard hunting mode, about 50 meters away.

Since Snickers the Wonder Dog is half Coyote, I have worked very hard with her through the years to keep her from wanting to chase and eat, either small crawly things or large running things. All the time has paid off and she has become a very well behaved dog, willing to do as told; most times. Her transformation from the frozen north to the tropics has been a bit of an adjustment, to say the least. The most evident change has been the loss of about 10 pounds of hair off a 45-pound dog. Always willing to dive right into any northwest river, either winter or summer, she has always seemed very accustomed to water; except here. I think because this water makes noise, doesn’t taste like water and also chases her, the ocean is still a strange thing for her to comprehend. However, the principal thing that has caught her full and complete attention, are the Iguanas.

When thunderstorm Paul rumbled through, the rains left large puddles and some small ponds in various areas. I spent Wednesday morning doing some clean up, for an eventual dump run, out at Conrehabit. About halfway between the gate and the casita I came across a section of road with water running across and down about a 75-meter stretch. Being somewhat familiar with this particular section of road, I wasn’t too worried about getting mired, however, given past experience, a good look would be wiser than a blind charge. As I carefully viewed this flooded track, I noticed a little island about 30 meters away, with a small stranded female.

I think being retired in Mazatlan will turn out to be more work than work back in the so-called first world. My fate was sealed after my first turtle encounter on Playa Bruja and successful rescue and rehab of a very wild Greyhound. The turtles were easy, they just needed a little help over and through to obstacles to the beach. The Greyhound was another matter altogether. When I discovered that my wild dog had bonded with Martha, I knew I was no longer just passing through Mazatlan. After several in-depth conversations about the needs of the natural world surrounding this growing area, I thought I might be able to do some good with all this time that retirement had bestowed on me. I was becoming mired in Mazatlan without even knowing that it was sneaking up on me