I arrived in La Ventana not quite sure what to expect. Add (salt) water and poof: instant community. It often felt like Gilligan's Island, complete with the professor, MaryAnn, and the Howells. The La Ventana campground was like a little population experiment: What happens when you throw a ton of gringos together with three shared bathrooms? How do they create their spaces? What behavior patterns develop? And, of course, what waste do they generate? Here are some things I will remember from my time in La Ventana:
-People in tents are called "grounders".
-Sweeping. Always sweeping. Keep those blue tarps clear of each and every sand particle.
-The hooting of the owl at night. (Don't ask about the cat.)
-The stars.
-The moon phases.
-Sitting up at Pablo's after breakfast, waiting to see a wind line coming across the sea.
-Guitar.
-Swimming in the prettiest pool ever (the ocean with fish, coral and urchins).
-Starting to say "eh" because of all the Canadians.
-Sunrises, with mirage landscapes.
-Getting completely humbled by the process of learning to kiteboard. Thank goodness for new friends (and a guardian angel or two) that would pick me up, dust me off, and encourage me to go try again.
-Burning Bush.
-The pelicans, diving down hard and fast.
There were three hiccups. 1) My cough from Christmas traveled down to my chest. I eventually had to take a round of antibiotics to knock the bug out of my system (ugh). 2) I lost my camera after a stupid sequence of events that had me kicking myself for many days (thank you, Sonja, for giving me your pictures). 3) Packing up, I could not find my clever green spoon. It's not a big deal, but I don't like to lose things. As they said in the Matrix, there is no spoon.
A big THANK YOU to everyone who made up my La Ventana community. I hope to see you all again someday.
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