from the road: usa

March 15, 2004: Update from South Carolina

Time has been flying recently--apologies for being out of touch.

February was a busy month and March seems to be shaping up the same..lots of adventures and travels but not much time to share.

One of the main things that's been keeping me busy is Loreto Bay, a new sustainable development about 15 miles south of Loreto. I have been doing brochure, website and event photography for them for months, and will likely commit to a "real" job soon. More on that to come as things develop.

During January and February, I spent any spare time I had in Lopez Mateos. I often went and stayed overnight so I could photograph the gray whales as much as possible. I can definitely see the difference a year and a new camera have made in my whale photos. I'm working on posting those photos on the website and sending separate Travelogues

In early February, I flew to San Diego to attend some Loreto Bay sales presentations (my Mom flew in from South Carolina and we had a great visit). The following week, they brought 300 investors on charter flights to Loreto for a sales event, and I did candid/event photography for 5 days. Also shot photos of electric cars they are testing and a model house built with a new adobe brick-making machine.

As soon as the Loreto Bay event ended and perfectly on cue, I headed out on a great Baja adventure...a week driving from Loreto to the northern part of Baja California Sur and back again off-road along the Pacific coast, mostly territory I'd never seen before. Not an internet cafe or cell phone tower in sight, and the most incredible views of the stars. I'm working on some Travelogues from this trip also.

Just when I returned from the Pacific trip, Loreto Bay invited me to spend a few days in their Scottsdale, Arizona office. By coincidence, my Mom had a minor shoulder surgery scheduled for later that week, so I decided to fly from Arizona back to South Carolina to spend some time with her. Unfortunately, my grandfather (my step-dad, Tim's, father) passed away two days ago. He was a delightful, wise and kind man, but he was at the end of his life, stuck in bed and ready to pass. I am glad that I was here when it happened...It is a blessing in many ways, but still sad to lose someone you love.

I changed my return flights to have a few extra days here in SC. I'll be flying back to Phoenix this Wednesday, and then down to Loreto with Loreto Bay on their charter flight Thursday. The charter flight will be full of potential home buyers arriving for another 5-day sales event, and I'll be busy shooting photographs for them through March 22nd.

Please bear with me if the Travelogues (and my responses to your emails) are a bit slow.

Back soon, and a cardon sunset for now...

February 11, 2004: Ryder the Dog (in San Diego)

Think I forgot to even mention where I was headed on that flight north last week...San Diego, where I ran into Ryder the Dog. Not much commentary needed here, except to welcome Ryder's owner to my Travelogue!

Back soon with new whale-watching photos...Siri:-)

December 9, 2003: Road Trip (SC to Loreto) + Grand Canyon Photos

When it rains it pours...both in my unpredictable life and in the deserts of Baja California!

Yes, I'm back in Loreto, and I was welcomed by the greenest scenery I've seen in these parts in years (one of the few benefits of a summer full of hurricanes and rain).

In early Nov, my friend Ester from Barcelona came to visit--she flew into South Carolina and was flying back out of Loreto 3 weeks later...and joining me for a road trip adventure in the middle. Because a last-minute offer for an event photography job in Loreto in mid-Nov., Ester and I shifted our plans into high gear and hit the road

Charleston, SC to Loreto, BCS--3,580 miles in 7 days...a bit like "The Amazing Race!"

The best part was taking a day out to visit the Grand Canyon, where we ended up taking a helicopter ride. I had done this a few years ago with friends, but it was just as amazing this time around. When you fly low over the forest approaching the rim and suddenly the ground drops out from below you...it's literally breathtaking.

I'm actually hoping to put about 20 of the aerial shots of the Grand Canyon on a separate page on my website soon, but I'm way behind in sharing my adventures and photos so wanted to go ahead and send this out now.

Back shortly...coming soon: Up in the Loreto Mission Belltower, a Wedding in the Loreto Mission and the Festival in San Javier (I walked from Loreto to San Javier and still have the blisters to prove it!).

Siri:-)

See more of the Grand Canyon

October 20, 2003: My Grandmas

A few weeks ago, my Mom flew to southern California to visit her mother, and then Mom and Grandma flew back to South Carolina together. Grandma had not come to SC for years because it is such a long trip (and she's not a kid anymore, as she loves to remind us!), so it worked out perfectly for them to fly together. Grandma was here for 2 weeks--she flew back to California a few days ago, and the most amazing thing happened. She had to change planes at the Atlanta airport, but it turned out that her connecting gate was not only in the same terminal (if you've flown through Hartsfield, you know this alone is a miracle)...it was the same gate! With such an easy connection, and family friends who picked her up at LAX, it was a very smooth cross-country journey.

Those of you who know me from college might remember this Grandma, she's the one who used to live in Orange (recently moved into a retirement home in Santa Ana). Although Mom and I both visit her often, this was a special chance for all 3 of us to be in the same place at the same time. And one evening we all went to dinner with my other grandmother, Nona. She is Tim's mother, Nona (grandfather is Papa, yes this is my southern side!). Nona and Papa live in a retirement home just a few miles from Mom's new house, and I have really enjoyed the chance to spend so much time with them this summer. Now you know ladies don't like their ages revealed, so I will just say that both Grandma and Nona are looking and feeling darn good for 85+ (that's Nona next to me and Grandma next to Mom).

Back soon, still trying to figure out the new camera and finalize plans for my return to Baja (looks like 2-ish weeks).

October 1, 2003: Still in South Carolina

Well, I've been out of touch so long that it's hard to know where to start! Perhaps with apologies to everyone who's emailed in the last few months to check on me but gotten no response...I should know better than to go missing during hurricane season!

Perfect segue, hurricane season. Since I'm in South Carolina with Mom, it was Isabelle that we watched most closely, but she veered north and thankfully missed SC's coastline. On the other side of the continent, Loreto was mostly spared by Ignacio but took a small beating with Marty recently (thanks for the photos, Roger). Although it looks like there's a lot of clean-up to do, it could have been a lot worse. With the start of October, I can almost do the annual un-crossing of my fingers!

So, most of the summer I've been right here in South Carolina with my Mom. In June, Mom sold her house on Sullivan's Island and bought a newer and smaller house in nearby Mt. Pleasant, so I came to help her move. We had lived in the house on Sullivan's for 20+ years--it was a very special place with a creek off the Atlantic as a backyard. I have tons of wonderful memories of that house...ah, to spend the day catching crabs with chicken necks tied on string from the dock and then nap the warm afternoon away in the hammock on the back porch with the breeze off the water. Although I hated to say goodbye to that house, this was an important decision for my Mom and I wanted to be here to help and support her. Unfortunately, the move was delayed a few times, and going through 25 years of things was pretty overwhelming. We did finally get moved into the new house and have now unpacked all but a few pesky boxes. ! I have learned that the only thing worse than moving all of your own stuff is moving all of someone else's stuff! While here, I've also caught up on most of my own "reality stuff"--from going through 11 months of snail mail to clean checkups with both doctor and dentist.

On the fun side, I did slip away for road trips to West Virginia and North Carolina, and coincidentally ended up riding horses on both trips. In WV I visited two friends whom I went to school with in Australia 6 years or so ago, Anna and Michelle. Anna flew in from Montana and Michelle (with her husband whom I hadn't met before) from Texas, and we stayed with Anna's family. In NC I was able to see many of my oldest friends, my "2nd family". All of these couples were friends of my Mom and Dad's and took care of me when I was little (I was the 1st kid in the group so a bit of a novelty/experiment!). Of course they all have kids now who are starting to have kids of their own, so it was good to catch up with everyone.

My biggest news this summer is that I have a new camera! For my recent birthday, Mom wanted to get me something I would really use and love, and my suggestion was a new camera...but I wasn't even dreaming about the one she suggested (Nikon D100). It's a very high-resolution digital camera on which I can use the lenses from my normal/other Nikon camera--this means I'll be able to use the same telephoto lens which I used to photograph gorillas and lions in Africa to capture the grey whales in Baja, and I won't have the hassle and expense of film developing (particularly frustrating in Loreto because the labs are low quality). To be honest, this camera is way over my head, even the manual has me a little intimidated...but at least I'll have room to learn and grow into. I hope to be sending shots with the new camera soon, just need to figure out all the basics of the software first.

Even though I've been in the US all summer, Baja has not been far from my mind. I have been stocking up on books, computer and photo supplies, and other resources not available in Loreto and hope to finally take a Red Cross 1st Aid class next week. Right now, I am house and dog sitting for my Mom while she's in southern California visiting my Grandma. They both fly back to SC next week together, and Grandma is staying with us for a week. So despite my desire to return to Loreto, I'll stay here long enough to enjoy Grandma's visit--she's getting up there in years (88!) and it's not often that all 3 generations of girls are in one place. I hope to be return to Loreto in 2-3 weeks, am just not sure yet whether I'll be driving or flying (wouldn't be my life with details worked out ahead of time!).

As I think I mentioned in my last email, I had some great experiences in Loreto right before I left for SC (including the trip up into the Loreto Mission bell tower). I'll be sending some photos of those shortly or perhaps putting together an entire page on my website...and then hopefully sending some photos of SC with my new camera. In the meantime, my apologies for not writing sooner and a promise to be back to you more quickly next time. Hope you're all well and looking forward to seeing through my new camera!

Hasta Luego...Siri:-)

PS: These photos are the some of the last taken at our old house on Sullivan's Island--the creek, Mom and I on the dock and me trying (unsuccessfully) to send a final Travelogue before the move!

November, 2002: "Home" in SC for Thanksgiving!

I had a wonderful visit with my Mom, and we spent Thanksgiving with my grandparents (these are Tim's parent, aka "Nona" and "Papa"...true southerners!). Papa hasn't been doing so well recently, but was feeling well on Thanksgiving and I was glad to see him again. You might recall that after Tim's death last year, Mom took me on a Caribbean cruise and blew off Christmas completely. But this year we eased back into things and decorated the Christmas tree together...lots of memories and emotions, but also a necessary part of moving on. An interesting aspect of the place where I grew up...Sullivan's Island. Both Sullivan's and Isle of Palms are connected to a larger area called Mt. Pleasant by the Ben Sawyer bridge. This is a drawbridge but not your usual type--it opens by revolving 90 degrees, instead of lifting up. When I was growing up, this was the only way on or off both islands. During hurricane evacuations, the police would make everyone leave, then they would open this bridge so no one could return until it was safe. In 1988, while I was in college in California, Hurricane Hugo hit South Carolina. The winds lifted the center piece right off the bridge, and after the storm it was found sticking straight up out of the Intracoastal Waterway. Shortly thereafter, construction was begun on a much larger span bridge connecting Isle of Palms directly to Mt. Pleasant and creating another access. But this odd little bridge is still part of existence on Sullivan's Island, and it sure caught me a record number of times this trip!

I arrived back in Loreto a few days ago, and the big Holland America ship comes in 2 days, so hopefully I'll be leading a tour to San Javier, a small village with a beautifully-restored mission in the mountains about an hour and a half from Loreto. Actually, I owe you some photos of (and history about) San Javier from 2 different trip i took recently--one with volunteer doctors, dentists and opthamologists doing a free clinic and another on dirt bikes with some Baja 1000 racers. More to come soon, I promise...

Till then, take care:-)

July 15, 2002: Greetings from Sullivan's Island, SC!

I left Baja and returned to South Carolina a few weeks ago to house and puppy-sit while Mom was out of town. It is hot and humid...typical southern summer when you truly appreciate being close to the beach.

Tiny Sullivan's Island has actually earned reference in an article about the H.L. Hunley in this month's National Geographic. The Hunley was the first submarine to sink an enemy warship (in 1864...yep, Civil War), but never returned after its mission. After much exploration, research and investigation, the Hunley was finally raised on August 8, 2000 just a few miles off the coast of Sullivan's Island...our little claim to fame! Anyway, the article is quite interesting, and the map on page 85 actually shows Sullivan's Island.

As for my plans: looks like I'll head to southern California in a week or two to visit my grandma before heading back south to Baja. As usual, it's mostly up in the air, but I'll let ya'll know when I do! I'm sure you can tell/guess, but here's Mom and me:-)

March 25, 2002: sullivan's island, sc

I'm currently in baja, and will send some photos in the next few days. but in the meantime, i wanted to share some pictures of the place i call home. sullivan’s island is pretty small (about 2 miles long and 5 blocks wide) and is located off the coast of charleston, south carolina. one of the long sides of the island is beachfront with sand dunes giving way to a wide beach with small waves (doesn’t stop surfers from trying!), while the opposite side of the island is lapped by saltwater creeks from the nearby intracoastal waterway. i grew up on one of these creeks, i believe my mom told me recently that it is called "cove creek", though i never knew it to have a name. its presence defined much of my childhood activities as we swam, sailed, fished and played in its water. when we first moved to here from atlanta, i was 8 and was fascinated that i could tie a chicken neck on a string, tie the sting to a dock post, come back in 10 minutes and slowly pull up and net crabs to be steamed and picked.

from charleston, two long double-span bridges lead vehicles away from the docks of charleston’s ports into mt. pleasant, which is a fairly large town. from mt. pleasant, you cross a draw bridge to get to sullivan's. the bridge is a bit unusual - instead of the middle opening upward, this one rotates 45 degrees to let boats pass. there is also a small bridge from sullivan's to another island, isle of palms. when hurricane hugo struck in 1989, all residents of sullivan's and isle of palms were evacuated over the drawbridge (the ben sawyer) and then the bridge was left open as was the practice, to prevent people from returning until the storm had passed. unfortunately, after hugo, the entire middle section of the bridge was sticking straight up out of the water and it was months until there was a way onto the islands. since that time, a large connector freeway has been built that links isle of palms to mt. pleasant, so there is now an alternate route to both islands.

but sullivan's has retained its small town residential character. the only school on the island is an elementary, and there are still no traffic lights, fast food restaurants, banks, drug stores or familiarly recognizable franchises. i am incredibly lucky to have grown up in such a beautiful place.

so without further ado, some photos from home sweet home...

On the Map: Sullivan's Island is not marked on this map, but it is right off the coast of Charleston.

December 25, 2001: twas the night before christmas...

and all the through the southern Caribbean, not a creature was stirring except for me in my wetsuit and scuba gear!

Ok, let me rewind a bit.

It’s hard to believe that over six months have passed since I left South Africa for a job in Indonesia and last wrote to y’all from Jakarta. Shortly after arriving in Jakarta and only days after many of you last heard from me, my world turned upside down.

My stepfather, Tim, passed away unexpectedly in the US. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had a prostatectomy. I received a call in Jakarta at noon that day reporting that the surgery was over and had gone well. 11 hours later another call that he was gone…just like that.

I consider myself lucky to have a non-traditional family. My mom and birth father (Frank, the one who is retired in Baja, Mexico) divorced when I was very young. When I was 8 my mom and Tim married, and he adopted me. Thanks to an earnest concern for what was best for me and my mom’s amazing grace, I grew up knowing and loving 3 very different parents…hence the unusual combination of them all that I’ve become.

Tim was one of the most intelligent, trustworthy, reliable and caring people I’ve had the fortune to know. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to marry someone with a child, not to mention the brat that I was (am?!). He weathered the storm and became a dominant force in my life…I never truly realized how important he was to me until I faced the gaping holes left in my life without him. Only after weeks of autopsies and tests did we learnt that Tim’s cancer had spread widely. No one should suffer, least of all a 51-yr old triathelete. And while I hate that I didn’t have a chance to talk to him one last time, that was the price for letting him leave without continued pain and without knowing exactly how sick he was. At times when I just don’t understand why he is gone, this brings me some peace. There is no appropriate segue from death…you just continue.

And so I left Jakarta and returned to Mom’s in South Carolina, and we muddled through, trying to focus on the gift of 21 years rather than the loss of the present (easier said than done). Everyone’s experiences with death vary, but the emotional roller coaster loops and corkscrews and sometimes jumps right off the track. But the tides still ebb and flow and you coax one reluctant foot in front of the other.

When I was back in the US, my boss (one of my law school professors from SC working in Jakarta on a USAID grant) offered me a 1-yr position helping run his law reform and videoconference legal education programs in Jakarta as he planned to return to the US to teach next semester. I struggled with the decision and in the meantime returned to Jakarta to discuss the position with my boss. From there, back to Cape Town very briefly to pick up most of my clothes and, more importantly, six months of African photograph (I had left everything at my friend Quinton’s house since the original Jakarta job was only 2 months and my plan was to return to Africa when I finished).

Finally, in late August, after much soul searching, I accepted the position, filled out paperwork and had medical exams done. The day before my flights from NY to Jakarta, my doctor called concerned about one of the lab results. I postponed my flights and returned to SC for further tests. When the biopsies weren’t good, I delayed my return flight to NY (which was scheduled for Sept 11th) and had a procedure called cryosurgery, during which the pre-cancerous cells were removed. After again re-arranging heaps of flights, I passed back through NY, picked up my suitcases for a year in Indonesia, and flew to Los Angeles. I had told my boss that after losing Tim, and before heading overseas for a year, I needed to visit my grandma in California and my “other” father in Baja, so I had a 2 week layover in LA to do so before flying from LA to Tokyo to Singapore to Jakarta. The morning I went to LAX for my flight to Baja, Hurricane Juliet took a turn right for dad’s little Sea of Cortez town. The flight was canceled and the Loreto airport was closed for 5 days.

By this time, Sept 11th had changed everyone’s world, and my concerns about heading to the largest Muslim country in the world had heightened. I had already been in Jakarta when in July when the President was deposed, but this was worse. The state department evacuated embassy employees, and I decided that I had seen enough signs to know this wasn’t meant to be.

I did finally make it to Baja, and my boss and I worked out a compromise so that I could work from the law school (in Columbia, SC, just a 2 hour drive from Mom) for 2 months. I drove to NY and picked up my few remaining possessions, then moved into an apartment in Columbia. Since these were my first real website design projects (without Garth handling the entire technical side!), it was challenging…and the communication breakdowns with my boss so far away didn’t help. But I finished both sites and moved from Columbia back to Mom’s (a little island off the coast of Charleston, SC), and packed yet again…this time for a 1 week southern Caribbean cruise with my Mom. You can probably all guess that cruises are not my thing (and yes, I’ve been on a few before), but it was what Mom needed to escape this first Christmas without Tim. Since I started my diving certification before heading to Africa, but never completed the requirements, I am now redoing the entire course during this cruise. So, while I won’t get to visit most ports on foot, if the next few days go well, I will be PADI certified by the end of the cruise.

I send this update from port in La Guira, Venezuela. We began in San Juan and spent yesterday in Aruba. Tomorrow we’ll be in Grenada (my 1 day off from diving class) and then I do the final dives the following 2 days in Dominica and St. Thomas. Mom and I fly back to Charleston on Dec 29th and after that…WHO KNOWS! After this update, perhaps you understand my current aversion to making plans. When I return to Charleston, I will have a “test of cure” and hope that it and subsequent follow-ups are normal.

Now that you’re all updated, I’ll deliver what I promised a year ago—mailing list emails with stories and photos (from South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Indonesia). I am also in the final stages of the new and improved version of my website and will let you know when you can have a peek.

I am truly sorry that it has taken me so long to catch up. It took all my energy to stay afloat and it’s taken me this long to find the strength and words to tell you all where I’ve been since June. It hasn’t been adventurous and exciting, nor anything you’d enjoy vicariously, it’s just been life. Thankfully, time to wrap up this chapter a start a new year.

I hope you are all surrounded by friends and family and thankful for what you have, know and love. Take care and be well and happy, and I’ll be back in touch sooner rather than later.

Love Siri