Author Archives: spikekalashnikov

I reach the Mexican border with trepidation. Do I have the right Covid papers? Do I need a recent PCR test? Will they find the guns and drugs? In fact you just drive through. There is a place where you … Continue reading →

I think the Apache must have been great birdwatchers. Their Bosque is outstanding. I have been here before but it did not work out very well, https://thequietripple.com/2019/01/07/the-apache-curse/ This time the weather is perfect. I stay in a campsite about 5 … Continue reading →

Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Probably. I have set off for epic birdwatching trip and am now near the New Mexico/ Mexico border. The plan is spend time here, then drive down through Mexico to San … Continue reading →

Happy New Year everybody! I got my booster shot today. Very easy! You get the shot in a pharmacy. You book an appointment online and just wander in. Very different from the huge gymnasium where I had my first jabs … Continue reading →

Happy holidays everyone! Off we go to spend Xmas Day at Point Reyes. This has become a bit of a tradition. https://thequietripple.com/2019/12/28/wool/ It is very Scottish weather-wise. It is cold, wet, windy, grey to dark. James is an excellent companion … Continue reading →

I have written before about snugness and cosiness, I crave both. I can’t get it in Okinawa, they just don’t sell it. West Highland winters are long, wet, cold and dark. For thousands of years my ancestors hunched around peat … Continue reading →

So, I intend to make a Homeric birdwatching trip to the middle of Mexico, then back across Mexico to pop out somewhere in Texas. Next, I will negotiate the Southern states to pop out in North Carolina to visit Ben. … Continue reading →

Well not really; the animals that we go to look for are correctly called Californian Sea Otters but to me they look more like beavers than otters. James and I prepare little; boat, Minn Kota, bedding, camera with big lens. … Continue reading →

I have been on a ferocious fitness regime. Bebo has inducted me into an exclusive workout club. All members are older, funny, live around here and are obsessive about muscle definition. Three times a week we meet up early in … Continue reading →

The title is in the French language and refers to pig behavior. They roll around, wallow, in muck. In France, I seem to remember that the expression refered to staying up too late, drinking far too much, smoking too much, … Continue reading →