John & Mari Jo

Thanks to Jon for the photo.

Thank you Jesse for the new word! John has fallen in love with it and uses it frequently.

Sun., 3/4/07

[written by: Mari Jo]
From the San Diego Red Lion Hotel, our group of ten (with escort Julia) went across the border, through Tijuana where we got our visas, and down to Ensenada. At a Mexican Air Force Base, we boarded the Yellowtail plane that was built in 1955. It had seats for 26 people, 2 stewardesses, pilot, co-pilot and a “jump door” for a quick exit. We had a 2 hour flight to the San Ignacio “La Base” airport which was a taco shack with a dirt runway! The plane belched smoke, leaked oil, was extremely loud and rattled a lot. We were informed that the oil leak was normal and not to worry. If we didn’t see oil we should start to worry since that meant we were out. After the landing we were transferred to an old yellow school bus. It was beautifully painted with undersea animals. The bus took us down a narrow, dirt, bumpy road through the desert to the camp. The length of the trip, the way the transportation became less modern and the landscape went from lush to complete desert left you knowing that you were leaving civilization behind and going toward something totally new and different.

Once at the camp we were given our orientation around the camp, the daily schedule, and answered questions. Of course the first question was how many whales there were in the Lagoon right now. Jose Sanchez, the head naturalist, said that they had identified 205 whales in the lagoon this year, with 53 being calves. He then pulled out a map of Baja and the nature preserve showing us where we would be allowed to whale watch and where it was “off limits.”

Daily Schedule
7 a.m. Cold breakfast (COFFEE!)
8 a.m. Hot breakfast
9 a.m. Whale Watching
12 noon Lunch [Kayaking before or after lunch]
2:30 p.m. Whale Watching
6 p.m. Happy, Happy, Happy Hour
7 p.m. Dinner

Those of you that know me know how I feel about camping. Tents, sleeping bags on the hard ground, no running water, no electricity, no flushing toilets (those nasty smelling out-houses) and no hot water have never really done it for me. My idea of the perfect vacation is a 4 star hotel with room services, hot tubs and nice soft beds that are turned down every night with a piece of chocolate on the table. Needless to say I was a little nervous about this whole “camping” thing. I had been assured that it was “camping with all of the modern amenities”, but seeing is believing. When we got to camp and had our orientation, I was amazed.

The tents were sturdy (they withstood a fairly significant wind the first night with very little swaying), were tall enough not to bang your head, clean and had a wooden floor. The white canvas kept it very light and airy. You did have to watch what you did after dark with the lantern on since you could create an embarrassing silhouette. On each side of the tent there was a cot with a 3″ foam pad. I did steal an extra pad after the first night, but would have survived without it if necessary. There was a sleeping bag with a sheet lining, a pillow that was nicer than most hotels, 2 bright Mexican blankets and a camping chair. There was a table between the cots, a place to hang a few items; a trash can that you emptied yourself as needed and a plastic bowl that could be used as a chamber pot if desired. Everyone was provided with a lantern and there was a hook to hang it in the middle of the tent.

There was an “out-house” for every 3 tents. They were clean, there were no flies and they always smelled good. The trick was the big bucket of sawdust sitting next to the toilet seat (yes, it was a real toilet seat mounted on a nice Plexiglas box with a bucket inside). There was a large shell used as a scoop so that the sawdust was generously spread every time the toilet was used. Every thing was cleaned out at least once a day and added to a compost bin well away from the camp. While it did not have the traditional quarter moon cut into the door, the top of the door was cut off so that air could circulate and allowed light to come in. There was a sink with water and soap on the outside. It wasn’t hot water but it came in a metal canister so the sun did keep it from being icy cold.

The shower building consisted of 3 stalls with the spout on the ceiling. There was a handle to release the water that was stored in a tank on the top of the building. Since it was solar powered it ranged from hot to warm (based on your personal opinion of what was considered “hot” and the time of day. It was not recommended that you shower early morning or late evening since the water would be cold. Since there was a limited amount of water that could get heated and was available showers were quick. There were hooks to hang clothes/towels and a box mounted on the wall to set your toiletries. The showers had been updated this year to include tiled floors. The shower building and outhouses were all painted a bright white so that it blended with the white tents and helped to reflect the light into the buildings while you were using them. They were both a delightful surprise.

The “mess hall/dining” tent, supply/store tent and the kitchen tent were both used GP Medium military tents. They were clean, well set up and had a minimum amount of light to see you through the evening due to a solar/wind powered generator.

All things considered, this was much nicer than several hotels we visited during our younger/poorer days. It was clean, well kept and well organized thanks to Alex, the camp manager, and the rest of the people behind the scenes. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

After our orientation, we chose a tent, deposited our gear and headed toward the beach. We stood there staring at the ocean where we had built up all of our expectations for this vacation. In less than a minute we heard over a dozen whales blowing and saw a breach (see Facts and Trivia section). At that moment we knew that this vacation was going to be one of the best.

EVENING

— Happy Hour/Dinner —

[written by: Mari Jo]
Walking to the tent after dinner I can see the sunset in a blaze of color that takes my breath away. Turning around 180º I can see the full moon rising through the midnight blue sky. Turning back and forth it’s hard to decide which to look at so I settle for the sun until it sets, turning occasionally if only to reassure myself that the moon was still there and beautiful.

In the middle of the night I get up and stand quietly between the tents. The full moon is now directly overhead and casts a soft glow over the land. The stars are so bright and in such multitude that it takes my breath away. Turning slowing around I look at the same area where I had marveled at the raw beauty of the desert during the day. In the night under the full moon everything takes on an ethereal beauty missing during the daylight. Closing my eyes I listen to the sounds of the night. To my right there is the soft sound of someone snoring. Somewhere nearby I can hear the sharp yipping of a coyote with another soon answering. Then the sounds of the whales come to the foreground. First a faint “whuuff” nearby to the left then they start coming faster. Soon the frequency of the spouting of the whales reminds me of popcorn popping. Some so close I can almost smell the scent of the ocean in their breath. Others so faint it almost makes me wonder if I truly hear them or if it is only wishful thinking. It is in these moments of solitude, I know in my heart that there is a God and that He has given me these moments of such joy, beauty and peace so that I can once again remember what life should be.

See complete Gallery of photos.

Mon., 3/5/07

— Cold/Hot breakfast (COFFEE) —

[written by: Mari Jo]
Before going into great depth in our experience, I would like to take a few moments for a bit of facts/trivia that will help you to understand more about whales in general, gray whales in particular and to give you a size comparison between the boat we used and the size of the whales.
— Our whale watching boat (called a “Panga”) was 22’ long. It held 7 people: driver, guide/naturalist and 5 whale watchers.
— A full-grown adult whale can measure up to 50’ long and weigh up to 35 tons. This is about the same size and weight as 10 good-sized elephants. The tail-flukes alone weigh 300-400 lbs. The heart weighs over 285 pounds. A large gray whale may carry several hundred pounds of hitchhiking barnacles living firmly attached to its head and body.

I had never been in a small boat before so I was quite nervous. Getting in turned out to be easier than I thought it would. You sat on the edge then swung one leg into the boat and then the other. The driver and/or guide started making sure that the side of the boat was lower when I was getting in and out since I was stiff and didn’t move as well as the others. On the ride out to the whale watching area I was clinging to the side of the boat like my life depended on it. When the whales started getting close everyone would flock to the same side of the boat in order to touch it. I was positive that the boat would fill with water and capsize. I wanted to pet and kiss a whale but I had NO desire to take an unexpected swim with them. In order to pet a whale it was necessary to kneel onto the floor of the boat, which was rough plywood, and then lean way over. The desire was there but the fear hadn’t abated enough to really lean over that far. I did manage to lean over enough so that my fingertips brushed the top of one whale. It wasn’t much, but it made my morning. I spent the rest of the morning trip taking pictures of other people interacting with the whales. I figured that would give me a little extra time to get over my fear of small boats.

[written by: John]
We went out in Maximo’s boat with Lupita as our guide; w/ Dana, Jon & Cherlyn. Lupita is a local gal; one of only 2 “Fisherwomen” in the area. It takes 5 or 10 minutes to go W. past Rocky Point (toward the mouth of lagoon) to get to where whale watching is permitted. There were blows in every direction. We saw several mother/calf pairs, so Max would cut the engine and drift (about 100 yds from them.) I don’t remember the details now, but we petted several. One had some peeling skin next to some barnacles, like maybe he had rubbed off some barnacles.

LUNCH

Fresh food, fresh fruit; always good!

AFTERNOON

John goes out kayaking with 5 others in the Mangroves.

[written by: Mari Jo]
This time I was more comfortable with the small boat. I didn’t cling to the edge with white knuckles, but I did still have a firm grip on it. Dana, one of the other women that I became friends with, was determined that this afternoon I would pet a whale. When a whale came close enough to touch she would make sure that there was a space for me to get to the side of the boat. While I still didn’t have the courage to lean over far enough to kiss a whale (although I did give it a try a couple of times), I did get to pet several whales. Going back to the camp I was so elated with the days experience that I forgot to hold onto the edge of the boat. I was in good shape after that, and actually managed to stand up and take pictures during the rest of the trip.

[written by: John]
W/ Jose and Max — As we were looking all around at other whales, one came up behind us unexpected, straight to Jose first. “Whale soup” he pronounced, “we have about 20 whales within 50 yards.” So many of them come close to the boat, but just out of reach.

FOOD

[written by: Mari Jo]
Normally my inclination would be to let John discuss the food since he generally likes everything and always has something nice to say about it. I, on the other hand, am a very picky eater and frequently have to stretch to come up with praises on the food. This time, however, I am going to take a moment to discuss the food.

I had several concerns about the food when leaving for this trip. Partly because I am a picky eater and partly because I’ve had to constrain what I eat due to some medication I’m taking. It’s not easy on my poor stomach. Here were my concerns.

1. It would be too spicy.
2. It would have too much tomato base to it.
3. It would be too much seafood.

It didn’t take too long to realize that I did not have to be concerned.
1. The food was not “too” spicy. If you had the desire there were hot peppers on the side and spicy sauces to eat. While I don’t know exactly what spices were used, I do know that they were used in perfect quantity and combinations.
2. Yes, there were tomatoes used, but in moderation and in combination with other food so that it wasn’t a real issue for me. Of course that might be due to the quantity of homemade tortillas that I ate. A local woman made them fresh for the camp every couple of days. They were definitely not the bland white tortillas that we get here is the states. No matter how many tortillas were heated and put out for dinner, they were always gone long before the food was, and the food was never left sitting around very long.
3. We had seafood 2 nights. It was incredible. I’m sure part of the difference between it and the seafood I’m used to getting is the freshness factor. They would catch the grouper in the afternoon and cook it up for dinner. It just doesn’t get much fresher. The one night it was made into a “fish cake” as Alex called it. There were different layers of food in it. One was the fresh grouper, another was shrimp I believe and the rest I don’t remember. I just remember that it was spectacular and it was all gone very quickly. The second night of seafood was also fresh caught grouper. This time it was battered and fried. Again, it was quickly gone.

I am not a big breakfast eater or coffee drinker so will leave that to John if he cares to write about it. The dry breakfast was nothing fancy, but quite good. The best part was the fresh fruit. I know that most of the fruit we are getting in the stores right now comes from Mexico, but never thought about the fact that it is picked partially ripe and then ripens on the shelf. We had it picked ripe. The oranges were the best being quite juicy and sweet. Wish we could get them like that here. We also had some marvelous avocados most nights. Not something I typically eat, but they were great with the meals prepared so I ate quite a lot of them.

The only regrets I have about the food is that I did not take the time to talk to the cooks about how some of it was made, especially the two grouper meals. I get a good tip for guacamole however. When you put chopped onions in it, if you soak the onions in limejuice first it will help soften then up slightly. If you leave the avocado pits in the guacamole it will also help keep it from turning brown. That was never a problem though since it was quickly eaten.

See complete Gallery of photos.

Tues., 3/6/07

[written by: Mari Jo]
How do you describe to someone what it is like to interact with a whale, to pet and kiss a whale, to “surf a whale” in a manner that someone who has never experienced it can understand. The only way I can think of is to compare it to common mannerisms of familiar people and animals. These are only my interpretations although they do, in many cases, correspond with other people on the trip and things I have read elsewhere.

Today, I was determined to kiss a whale and Dana was determined to help me. John held the camera ready to take a picture and off we went. Petting a whale is a lot easier than kissing one. When you pet one you don’t have to lean over as far since you have your arm to extend out. A neck just doesn’t give you the same reach. A couple of times the whale got close enough but I couldn’t get the courage up to lean over far enough. Dana and John kept yelling at me to lean further. Finally I shoved my hat off my head to the back, told John to grab the back of my flotation vest and with Dana giving me a little push, I leaned over and kissed the whale.

“Marta” or the “Forgiveness Whale”

The boat driver named his particular whale was named “Marta” while our Lupita, our guide, named her the “Forgiveness Whale”. She said that after all the years man killed whales, the whales were still willing to forgive, be friendly and to interact with us. Have the whales forgotten or have they truely forgiven us? We’ll all have to form our own opinions on that.

Marta showed up without a baby and became the friendliest whale we encountered. I have read that in captivity whales and dolphins like to be rubbed and scratched. Marta certainly seemed to. She acted like a very large cat. She would come up and rub against the boat while we all pet, rubbed, patted and kissed her. She’d swim under the boat to the other side and continued the behavior there. She would roll over to get her stomach rubbed and then roll to her stomach to start all over again. Another boat got near to see the action and she slowly moved over to them. None of the people in that boat got excited, talked to her or attempted to pet her although we all encouraged them to do so. After a few minutes of being “neglected”, poor thing, she came right back over to us to be pampered and admired some more. At some point she tried another boat and when they also would not interact with her as we did, she came back to us. Altogether she probably stuck around for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

[written by: John]
Again w/ Max and Lupita ( I was hoping to go with other driver, cause Max seemed more passive.) but SO glad we were in that boat! Also Dana, Clarke, and Elaine. It seemed like a slow start, all the blows were distant; then we were following a “mating” pair (hoping to see “Pink Floyd” — or “Pinky Winky” as Lupita called it). Then a different whale came up and STAYED, maybe an hour. She came to EVERYONE to be petted and kissed. She rolled and pushed, and sprayed us on purpose. She let us scratch and rub SO MUCH that it was obvious she liked it. She would go to other boats, they weren’t encouraging enough, so she came back. There was so much time to rub and kiss and take photos and step back and just admire her — endless. Told Max it was the MAXIMUM EXPERIENCE — surpasses all I could hope for.

AFTERNOON

[written by: John]
A baby whale [let us rub baleen] got in trouble with mama by going back by the engine. Mama was OK with him when alongside, but when he got in back she edged in between him and the engine (propeller idling). He kept coming back; she kept up the lessons. Several times he came up from a long dive with sand in his mouth, so even if NOT feeding in the lagoon — moms are teaching them how.

Thanks to Jon Rode for the photo.

[written by: Mari Jo]
When a whale surfaces right next to the boat anything can happen since you have no idea what part of the whale will be next to you. There were a few simple rules that we were given. Don’t touch the flippers or tail since the Orcas will grab them when hunting a grey whale. Don’t touch the eye or the blowhole. Several times I’d be leaning over and while the whale was within easy touching distance the whale would be on its side with the only body part within touching distance was the flipper. While the tails would get close, they were never close enough to touch.

One time Dana and I leaned over and right below us was the eye of the whale just below the surface of the water. We both stared in awe and wonder. Looking into the eye you can see the gentleness and intelligence. You can’t help but wonder what the whale is seeing and thinking. Is he studying you as much as you are studying him? Does he see our awe and joy from being in his presence? I would like to think that he does, that there is some type of communication and understanding between the whales and the people. In a few moments the whale blinked (winked?) and disappeared below the water leaving me with tears in my eyes.

Thanks to Dana for the photo.

There was one little safety tip that they neglected to mention, watch out for the blowhole. I leaned over the edge of the boat with my face fairly close to the water surface as we did every time a whale got near. The instant I did so I realized that immediately below me was the blowhole. Not only that is was starting to open. I’m sure that everyone can guess exactly what happened next. Sure enough, the instant this situation dawned on me it was too late. The whale exhaled and I was drenched. Thank goodness for sunglasses! Everyone burst out laughing and some one yelled out “Baja Facial!” I can’t help but think that the whale was enjoying it as much as we were for minutes later it surfaced in almost the exact same position and let loose again. The good news is that I hadn’t leaned over the edge of the boat. The bad news is I was right next to the blow. Any thing that hadn’t gotten wet the first time was definitely wet now. You would have thought that after the second time we should be safe, but no, the whale had simply taken a nice deep breath and let loose a third time. It’s hard to believe that this was all just a coincidence. Personally, I think we had found a whale with a sense of humor.

Thanks to Jon for the photo.

See complete Gallery of photos.

Wed., 3/7/07

[written by: John]
Every day is different; new whole behavior and other critters. Long ride OUT, near the Islands and mouth of lagoon. 4 pelicans in tight formation coming at us, wings inches above water. Mother/calf pairs veering away. In shallow waer where we could see bottom (Ranulfo said maybe 12’ deep.) Solo juvenile went under us, back and forth 4 or 5 times, just out of rach; then he finally came close enough to touch. He had a lot more barnacles on his LEFT side, so Ranulfo said he feeds with right side down. He was much smaller than big mamas and enough bigger than babies — that Lupita guessed he was 3 or so. Also, juvenile had Orca marks on his tail. Then we had him and mama/calf pair all around and under for 20 minutes. I touched the juvenile and mama, but not baby; MJ stayed up for photos. On the way in, I saw something dark (dolphin?), but Ranulfo realized it was a turtle (too late to tell MJ to see it.) Rare for them to come up long enough to be seen. Also, when we had 3 whales we had 3 dolphins.

AFTERNOON

[written by: Mari Jo]
I had promised John that I would give kayaking a try while on this trip. Jose took us out and gave me a quick lesson on the proper way to paddle. It seemed simple enough. What wasn’t simple was getting into the kayak. First, it sits quite low to the ground. Second, it was quite narrow and the opening wasn’t as big as I had anticipated. It was quite an ordeal but with the help of Jose and John I did mange to get into the kayak. (Sorry Hanna, but no pictures of me getting in and out. If there were, I would have deleted them anyway. It would have been too humiliating to let anyone see.) Once I got into the middle of the stream I got my confidence up and headed out. Unfortunately, John was also doing the same thing. Before we knew it we were playing “bumper boats”. Jesse, the 12 year old was literally paddling circles around me. Jose, however, said I had excellent paddling technique. The trip was exhausting, relaxing and delightful. I saw manta rays about the size of a dinner plate, puffer fish and several species of birds. It was well worth the effort and difficulty of getting in and out of the kayak.

[written by: John]
La Ultima (the last time) “Head Up” was the call of the day — one good shot from about 25’ away; than a triple heads up as the finale. Afternoon always a time for “stretching” (according to Jose Sanchez); he says that’s whyhe calls it “Head Up” instead of “Spy Hopping” — since their eyes don’t come out of the water.

EVENING

[written by: Mari Jo]
After our afternoon whale watching, which ended around 4:30 or 5:00, we were free until Happy Hour. It was a good time to rest, walk on the beach, write in a journal (thank you John for doing that), visit or anything else that might occur to you. At 6:00 p.m. Jose would come outside and yell “Happy Happy Happy Hour!” In the dining tent there would be drinks and appetizers. Each night there would be a different drink; Pina Colada, Tequilla Sunrise or Margaritas. Whenever possible a non-alcoholic version would also be available. There was also an ice chest that was stocked with sodas and beers 24 hours a day. One of the beers they stocked was “Pacifico” which is one of my favorites. Along with the drinks there would be snacks and/or appetizers; popcorn and chips with quacamole were a couple of them. It was a great time to visit before dinner was served.

There was a local couple that went to various camps to entertain and they were at our camp on the final night. She had a great voice and he played guitar and pipes along with singing. He did this not only with a great voice but with a great sense of humor. He had made a large set of pipes from PVC as well as a medium set made with a similar type of material. During the music we were encouraged to dance. Since there were so few of us enjoying the entertainment there was a great deal of reluctance. Estevan, Jose’s 3 year old son, decided to solve that problem. He had been dancing with his mother when he stopped, looked around and started getting people up to dance. During the trip he had made 2 particular friends; Jesse who was 12 years old and Dana who had come alone without her children. He went over to Jesse, took his hand and brought him over to Dana. They were embarrased and did not get up so he started looking around again. At this time John and I were sitting on opposite sides of the room. He came to me, took my hand and led me over to John. He know exactly who was together and should be dancing together. After a long protraced personal Happy Hour starting around 5:00, John was only capable of stumbling, so we proceeded to stumble around the dance floor. John didn’t last very long but we both had a good laugh, I only had one bruised ankle and we didn’t know anyone over so I suppose it could be considered a success.

See complete Gallery of photos.

Thurs., 3/8/07

[written by: Mari Jo]
So now it was time to leave our camp and start our journey back home. While we would have enjoyed staying longer we felt as though it was time to go. This would be the first time we left a vacation feeling so satisfied and relaxed. Everything had been perfect. Perfect weather, perfect camp, perfect whale experiences and most of all perfect people, both those with the camp and those who joined us on the trip.

Goodbye to:
Clarke, Dana, Elaine, [Mari Jo and John], Alex [camp manager], Lupita [guide and fisherwoman], Jesse, Susan, Renee, Jon and Cherolyn.

[written by: Mari Jo]
Usually when going beach combing you are lucky to find anything whole and complete. What a difference it was along the shores of the lagoon. Shells were everywhere in perfect condition. Some were still attached at the “hinge” and looked like angel wings. On one of our walks Jesse accompanied us. We had a great find in the form of a turtle skull that Jose later identified as a loggerhead turtle. We heard later that someone else had found the shell.

It was fairly common to find sea horses. While waiting for the plane to arrive we had a picnic near the beach where Jesse found several perfect ones that he showed us. A dolphin skull was also found and Jose showed us how it would have been connected. Although a few things were brought to the camp to display for a short period of time everything was then immediately returned to the beach where they were found. Since we were in a preserve it was illegal to take anything away. It was difficult to find all of these wonderful items and return them to the beach but it is important to keep this area undisturbed so that people can enjoy it for generations to come.

Usually when returning from vacation there is an abrupt change from relaxed vacation to home and work. This vacation was different. When traveling to San Ignacio Lagoon we went through gradual physical and emotional changes as we changed methods of transportation. We started with a large airline/airplane in a large, busy city with a modern terminal and landing strip, changed to a modern tourist bus, transferred to a small, older chartered airplane that landed on a dirt runway and eventually ended up in an old school bus traveling down a narrow, washboard road. We moved from green, lush vegetation with cities and crowds and ended up in the desert with the nearest “town” being a small village of a few houses. We started from houses with all the modern conveniences; running water, electricity and indoor plumbing. We ended in tents with no running water, electrification or indoor plumbing. You knew beyond a doubt that you were going to someplace new and different and there was time to slowly prepare yourself. Now it is time to reverse our direction and return home. We will be moving from a “primitive”, relaxed area to a “civilized” fast paced area. You have the time to prepare yourself mentally for the end of a wonderful vacation and a return to home and work. There is time to look back to the life we experienced for one brief week and to look forward to the life we have chosen to live in every day. Regardless of which you prefer, there such is a distinct difference that you have the opportunity to decide which changes to bring home and integrate into your daily life and which to leave behind.

While going through customs to return to the United States an Inspector asked what I was bringing with me. I was caught off guard and said the first thing to come to mind, “Memories.” Memories and pictures will have to do. So here are some of the memories we made and the pictures we took. I know they will keep this wonderful experience fresh in our minds and hope that you will also enjoy sharing them with us.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What would I do differently if I went whale watching with Baja Expeditions again?

Packing:
I followed the list provided on their website and added some of my own personal items to it. There are a few things that I would consider doing differently next time.
1. I did forget to bring some sunscreen lip chap. Thank you Dana for sharing with me. Poor John came home with sunburned lips, but mine were in fairly good shape.
2. Next time I would bring some knee pads/knee shoes. In order to pet/kiss the whales you need to kneel on the side of the boat and lean over. The bottom is plywood and there are occasional seams that aren’t aligned up properly. It was quite difficult on these old knees and I came home with bruises and swelling. I didn’t care in the least, however, figuring that whatever was hurt could be fixed when I got home and it would be worth it. I was right.
3. I would bring something a little better to write notes on every evening. The little note-pad from the hotel worked but it was not the best method. Maybe a small spiral bound notebook.
4. My checkbook. They had a small “store” set up for souvenirs that was open twice for shopping. Baja Expeditions had t-shirts, hats and books for sale. You could use cash, checks or credit cards for that. Jose had photos that he had taken, Alex had jewelry and a local woman had homemade stuffed whales for sale. They couldn’t take credit cards. Since we would be in such an isolated location it didn’t occur to us that we would need the checkbook so left it at home.

Would I do it all again?

That’s a tough question. This trip was so perfect that I’m afraid I would be disappointed if the next one wasn’t as good or better. According to Jose and Alex we had an exceptionally good trip with perfect weather (no cold, wet, windy), perfect personal close interaction with the whales every time we went out and a nice small group. The odds of all those things happening together would be remote. I do think, however, that taking someone new along would change the way you look at things and would make the trip new and different. Anyone want to join us next time to test my theory out?

Weren’t you scared the whales would get out of control and hurt you?

This question has come up frequently since a fisherman in Japan died after a whale went wild and sank the boat. There are quite a few differences in what we were doing and what we were doing.
In Baja:
1. We were in a lagoon that the whales have been coming to for hundreds of years.
2. The whales haven’t been hunted there for many years.
3. The whales were accustomed to boats and people doing exactly what we were doing. This has been going on for quite awhile.
4. A whale made the first approach years ago people did not take the initiative.
5. We did not approach the whales directly. We went close by and let them make the decision as to whether or not they wanted to approach. While quite a few did, most did not.
6. There is a portion of the lagoon that boats and people are not allowed to go during whaling season. The whales that do not want to be near the boats and/or people have a safe place to retire to.
In Japan:
1. The whale had wandered into a bay where they are not typically found and therefore was probably not comfortable in.
2. The whale did not have a choice as to whether or not he wanted to be approached. The fisherman along with others decided to “rescue” it with their boats. They directly approached the whale with this intent.
3. This was a sperm whale not a grey whale. This may be a factor in the temperament of this type of whale.
4. Japan still does whaling.

So no, we weren’t afraid of being so close to the whales. They were very gentle with the boat and with us when we were petting them.

Additional Reading links

“Eye of the Whale”: book by Dick Russell. This is one of John’s favorites.

“The Friendly Whales of San Ignacio Lagoon”: Story by Paula McDonald. Includes a brief history of how these experiences first started.:

“A Year on Earth”: A journal written by 3 college students. They include sound clips of the entertainers that we heard on our last night. There are also some great video clips that give you a better understanding of our experiences.

WHALES

There are two types of whales, Odontoceti and Mysticeti.

Toothed whales (Odontoceti) — predators that use their peg-like teeth to catch fish, squid, and marine mammals, swallowing them whole. They have one blowhole (nostril) and use echolocation to hunt. There are about 66 species of toothed whales, one being the Orca.

Baleen whales (Mysticeti) — predators that sieve tiny crustaceans, small fish, and other tiny organisms from the water with baleen. Baleen is a comb-like structure that filters the baleen whales’ food from the water. Baleen whales are larger than the toothed whales and have 2 blowholes (nostrils). There are 10 species of baleen whales. The gray whales are included in this group.

GREY WHALES

1. About 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 meters) long, gray whales have streamlined bodies with narrow, tapered heads that arch downward from a pair of blowholes. Its body tapers at both ends.
2. The whole skull of the gray whale is disproportionately large, and takes up about a fifth of the total body length.
3. The upper jaw slightly overlaps the lower jaw. The curve of the mouth is long and from the side view, it appears to curve downward as if in a grimace, ending just under the eye.
4. The eyes are located about 6 to 7 feet (2 meters) behind the tip of the snout, or roughly one-sixth of the distance from the front to the end of the whale.
5. Two blowholes, each about 8 inches (20 centimeters) long, are on top of the head, about the same distance back from the tip of the nose as the eyes.
6. A gray whale has no dorsal (top) fin. About 2/3 of the way back on the body is a prominent dorsal hump. It is followed by 6 to 12 bumps (or knuckles) along the dorsal ridge that extend to the fluke, or tail.
7. Two large flippers (pectoral fins) are located behind and below the eyes. Four to five feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) long, the flippers are paddle shaped and pointed at the tips.
8. The gray whale’s fluke or tail is horizontal. It is about 12 feet (3.6 m) across, roughly equal to about one-fourth of the whale’s entire length. The fluke is pointed at the tips, and deeply notched in the center, looking somewhat like a flattened, pointy valentine.
9. Two to 5 grooves shallow grooves furrow the ventral side (underside) of the throat. The grooves are 5 feet (1.5 m) in length.
10. Gray whales are slate gray, heavily mottled with white from natural pigmentation, barnacles, and barnacle scars. Each whale has a unique skin pigmentation pattern that can help identify an individual whale.
11. Whales have a four-chambered heart.
12. Gray whales are baleen whales instead of tooth whales. Baleen sieve tiny crustaceans, small fish, and other tiny organisms from the water. It is a series of stiff, flexible material that hang from the upper jaw. The inside of the baleen is edged with hairy plates that filter krill. Baleen is made of keratin (the same substance our fingernails and hair are made of). Baleen grows throughout a whale’s life. The ends of a whales baleen are always wearing out.
13. They are benthic feeders (bottom feeders).
14. Whales are marine mammals.

WHALE BEHAVIOR

Breaching: Many whales are very acrobatic, even breaching (jumping) high out of the water and then slapping the water as they come back down. Sometimes they twirl around while breaching. Breaching may be purely for play or may be used to loosen skin parasites or have some social meaning.

Spyhopping [Head Up]: This is another cetacean activity in which the whale pokes its head out of the water and turns around. It was thought that the whale was taking a look around so this behaviour was called “Spyhopping.” Since the eyes of the gray whale do not typically come out of the water our Naturalist, Jose Sanchez, calls this behaviour “Heads Up.” We will be using the term “Head Up.”

Logging: Logging is when a whale lies still at the surface of the water, resting, with its tail hanging down. While floating motionless, part of the head or parts of the back are exposed at the surface.

MAMMALS

There are three features that determine a mammal. They are:
1. Breath air into lungs,
2. Have hair (although whales have a lot less than land mammals, and have almost none as adults).
3. Three inner ear bones for better hearing.

There are other features that are considered determining features of mammals, however there are fish, reptiles and birds that also have these characteristics. They are:
1. Warm-blooded (they maintain a high body temperature),
2. Mammary glands with which they nourish their young,

BOOKS AND LINKS

“Eye of the Whale”: book by Dick Russell

“The Friendly Whales of San Ignacio Lagoon”: Story by Paula McDonald. Includes a brief history of how these experiences first started.

“A Year on Earth”: A journal written by 3 college students. They include sound clips of the entertainers that we heard on our last night. There are also some great video clips that give you a better understanding of our experiences.

Educational Sites

Zoom Whales: a comprehensive on-line hypertext book about whales. Designed for students of all ages and levels of comprehension.

Whale Art: Draw a Gray Whale

Pictures and information on barnacles, lice… For those of you with a love of biology.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A great place to look up just about anything, and it takes up a lot less space than a full set of encyclopedias.

Pick up email from your POP accounts at Mail2Web It’s quick and easy and can be done from any computer anytime.

(1) “The 2006 International Building code with Oregon amendment will be known as the 2007 Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC).” You can find this fascinating information at Building Codes Division.

(2) The 2003 Oregon Legislature transferred the authority for administration of the Interstate Compact on Juveniles to the Oregon Youth Authority .

(3) “Writing” means handwriting, typewriting, printing, photographing and every means of recording, including letters, words, pictures, sounds, or symbols, or combination thereof, and all papers, maps, files, facsimiles or electronic recordings. It includes information stored on computer tape, microfiche, photographs, films, tape or videotape or that is maintained in a machine readable or electronic form. (Oregon Administrative Rule 407-003-0000) Department of Human Services

(4) The Advisory Council for Electrology, Permanent Color and Tattoo will be amending a rule in their Tattoo section that will: Amend definition for “completed procedure” to clarify requirement that procedures must be performed on a “live” human being. (Makes you wonder what instigated this change to the rule.) Advisory Council for Electrologists, Permanent Color Technicians and Tattoo Artists.

(5) “Fiduciary Document” means the court order appointing a person as the member’s fiduciary or the signed power of attorney by the member appointing the member’s fiduciary as their attorney-in-fact. Oregon Public Employees Retirement System OAR 459-005-0100

(6) “Concerning gallinaceous birds (pheasants, turkeys, quail, and grouse): (a) Any person may sell, purchase or exchange the carcass, meat or parts of propagated birds; and (b) Sell, purchase or exchange parts, but not the meat, of wild birds…” See more fascinating information of the Sale, Purchase or Exchange of Wildlife Parts 

(7) “Living History Museum” means a facility designed to depict and interpret everyday life and culture of some specific historic period using authentic buildings, tools, equipment and people to simulate past activities and events. As used in this rule, a living history museum shall be related to resource based activities and shall be owned and operated by a governmental agency or a local historical society. A living history museum may include limited commercial activities and facilities that are directly related to the use and enjoyment of the museum and located within authentic buildings of the depicted historic period or the museum administration building, if areas other than an exclusive farm use zone cannot accommodate the museum and related activities or if the museum administration buildings and parking lot are located within one quarter mile of an urban growth boundary. “Local historical society” means the local historical society, recognized as such by the county governing body and organized under ORS Chapter 65

(8) Oregon State Noxious Weed List Quite an extensive list with some interesting names: Biddy-Biddy, Dodder, Old man’s beard, and Poison Hemlock (like I couldn’t figure out that shouldn’t be planted). You can also see a list of plants, animals and other things that are the 100 Most Dangerous Invaders in Oregon.

(9) “The terms “neat” and “attractive” mean without rotting or broken parts, having parts that are “solid and sound…” (I’m not sure this is what my mother meant when she said I was attractive.) See the rule in context

(10) The General Provisions of Antenna Farm Area Antenna Farms?

I joke about this but I have to admit that I’ve learned a lot about Oregon Administrative Rules. I tried to accomplish something at a local office and kept getting told it couldn’t be done. I finally realized, I work in Administrative Rules! I can find anything. So I dug into the rules and found out that what I wanted to accomplish was indeed possible. I tried to convince the local office of the fact, including quoting the rules to her, but she wouldn’t budge. Next, I sent John down and had her sign a form saying she wouldn’t assist us, and off we went to see the State Agency in charge. It did help that I happened to know the Administrative Rules Coordinator there but that’s one of the percs of the job. It took us 15 minutes to complete our transaction and we were out the door. The temptation was to go back to the original office and thumb my nose at them but John said no. Oh well, maybe next time.

To learn everything you want to about Oregon, check out the new Oregon Blue Book on-line.

At some point in time most people will be responsible for helping to take care of or take over the financial and everyday life of someone they love. Whether it is through a death or an incapacitating illness, it will probably fall to someone very emotionally involved. In my case it was cancer and my husband took over. In my sisters case it was the death of her husband and our family helped as much as possible. Have you prepared things and gotten your life in order to make that easy for them or will it become a nightmare. These are my thoughts and concerns on the subject. Feel free to add things to the list. I hope it will help everyone that reads it.

MAGIC PASSWORDS
With today’s concern over identity theft everything is being protected with user names and passwords. Everyone hoards this information for their own protection. How many places do you use that require them? What is your user name and password? Where do you store that information? Who know about it?

I have a checking account with a Bank ATM/check card. No one can get information over the phone on my account without having the magic password. You can’t get any information on-line without the magic password. It is even reaching the point where you can’t get service from some banks until you swipe your card and enter the password. Does anyone else know your password in case of an emergency?

Ordering on-line has become an epidemic. I do probably 50–75% of my Christmas/Birthday presents on-line (to include a boat for John this Christmas). How would anyone know that I had an order that was outstanding? Michigan Bulb will hold orders and ship them later when the time is right for planting. Amanzon.com will take advance orders or backorders and ship when the items are in stock. Without knowledge that the account exists, the username and the magic password, how would you get refunds, cancel orders and close accounts quickly and easily?

On e-bay, PayPal has become one of the most common ways to pay for purchases. Anyone know if I have an account? Do I have money in it waiting to be spent? Did I just win a bid for a product on e-bay? Do I owe e-bay for a purchase? Who really knows? If they try to look for the answers to these questions, what can they do without my username and the magic password?

I’m sure there are a lot of ways to share these usernames/passwords that is safe but still allows someone else to get at them in an emergency. There are many types of software that will store them for you, some more secure than others. Of course, someone will need to know that magic username/password to get into it. That means you need someone you trust to keep that information safe. Just be sure that they don’t have it somewhere that needs a username/password. What happened if you are both in the same accident? I’d love to hear of ways that can be used to protect this information to keep you safe from identity theft but still have it available to a trusted person.

Other items that might have passwords: cell phones and computers (both work and personal). Someone at work should have the password for any work items that you have password protected. (see additional information of computers lateer in this endless document)

One piece of software for your PDA and computer desktop is SplashID. It is easy to use and seems to be quite safe. Any other suggestions?

BILLS
Bills are something that no one likes to deal with. Not your own and certainly not someone else’s. It used to be very straight forward and uncomplicated. The bills would arrive in your mailbox, you would write a check and stick it back into the mail. Simple. It is still that way for some people but others rarely use the mail to pay bills. It avoids identity theft from the thieves that steal mail and trash. Here is a basic lesson on ways people avoid sending checks through the mail and still get their bills paid on time.

Some companies are more than willing to automatically withdraw the appropriate amount from your checking or saving account. It is much easier for them since they have a much higher rate of on-time payments and fewer bounced checks. As long as you keep enough money in your account it is also much easier on you. Some companies give you no choice but to take this method. They will not give you any other method of payment. Others will offer you a discount on the bill if you use auto deduction.

The other method is to have your bank send a check directly to the company. You can set up what day and how much. You can set it up for a one time payment or recurring payment. Again, as long as you keep enough money in your account it works out well.

For both of these methods they will either send you an invoice in the mail or via email. Having it come through the mail will make it easier for someone else to figure out what bill will need to be paid and what accounts have to be closed. If it comes to your email, you run into that pesky username/password issue again.

Another problem to consider is whether it is your sole account or a joint account. If you have a sole account, use an automatic payment and get the invoices through your email, how will anyone even know about it let alone deal with it? The legal ramifications of a sole account will be dealt with later in these rambling thoughts.

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
Our lives are rules by documents. We get one when we are born and it continues until we die. While you don’t want to leave these around the house, you do need to keep copies somewhere you can get at and where they will be safe. You should always have certified copies when you can and also a couple of copies. Some of the documents you should keep:
1. Birth certificate. You can frequently order one on-line from the county you were born. If not, use the phone or mail. There is usually a charge involved with an additional one for express service. In most cases the charge is minimum if you can go into the office personally. There are services that will get these for you, but they charge is more and you open yourself up to identity theft. Get one for yourself, spouse and children.
2. Social Security Card. If you don’t have the original one, you can get a new copy issued to you. For information on how to do this, you can get Social Security Card information on-line or Social Security has a toll-free number that operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday: 1-800-772-1213. If you have a touch-tone phone, recorded information and services are available 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Have your Social Security number handy when you call. It is always helpful to have the SSN for your spouse and children. You will need them for taxes anyway, but keep them handy with all of your other important documents.
3. Marriage Certificate. While having church issued certificate might be nice, it won’t work for legal purposes. You will need the one issued by the state/county where you were married. You should have a certified copy as well as a couple of copies. See “Birth Certificate” more information on how to get one.
4. Insurance Information. Keep a copy of any insurance policies you have. This includes Medical Life, Disability, Auto, Mortgage, and Credit cards. If you don’t have a copy of the policy be sure to at least keep the last bill Indicate who it is for and any contact/account information that might be of assistance. Double check your credit cards to see if you have insurance on them that will automatically pay the amount due if you die or several payments if you are disabled. You should have this information for everyone in your immediate family: spouse, children, son/daughter in-laws, and grandchildren if possible. Include contact information for your work’s Human Relations office so that they can be contacted for benefit information. If you can have the necessary forms/directions with your documents that would make things even easier.
5. Bank accounts. This includes checking, savings, IRA’s, bonds, CD’s and we might as well toss in stock portfolio information here. Include information not only for joint accounts for also for single accounts. Be sure to include any joint accounts you might be on as a backup for anyone else; parents and children being the most common. If you have a savings account specifically set aside for children/grandchildren’s education include those documents here. It would be a shame to have those get lost.
6. Passports. You will want to get these cancelled so that someone can’t steal them and use them. You can reach Passports on-line or you can try The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) phone number: 1-877-487-2778.
7. College degrees. OK, so this probably won’t be needed in an emergency such as we are discussing, but they do come in handy when you are trying to prove you are qualified for a particular job and to get into graduate school. It’s always best to keep an official one sealed from the school and a copy of one.
8. Voter Registration. I hadn’t thought about this until reading about voter fraud. In case of a death be sure to contact your county and have the person removed from the voting register.

COMPUTERS
Those of you that think computers are the work of the devil can skip this part. If you are Mark the Computer Geek, just click the “Comment” button and straighten out everything I have wrong. Or jump right in with everything that I left out.

One thing to remember about computers is that pesky old magic password problem. If they can’t get in, they can’t use the information on the computer. This includes the list of passwords that you thoughtfully left for someone on the computer desktop.

Work Computer. Make sure someone at the office knows what it is or they have an admin password that will over-ride yours. Their IT department should be doing that so I don’t have a lot of sympathy for the company if they don’t, however, no one needs one more thing to have phone calls about though. It will be easier if you never keep personal items on it or receive personal emails to your work account. If you do keep personal items on your computer keep them in a folder with your name and “personal” on it so that it can be quickly identified and given to the family It can save a lot of headaches later. You can include a piece of paper with your personal documents that include your password and a note about any personal items that may or may not be on the work computer. This assumes that it is OK to keep personal items on your work computer. Not every company allows that and auditors do get nasty about broken rules. Mark had us carefully create a disk image for our personal items with instructions to give it a specific name and place it in a specific location on the computer. GREAT idea. This way he knew exactly where it was in case it needed to be retrieved. It did have one drawback. When he reinstalled my OS it deleted the disk image complete with all my personal documents. In a case like this, remember BACKUP!

Home Computer. Many people will put passwords on their computer or part of their computer because they have children that shouldn’t get into everything. They will also set the log-in accounts for other family members to auto-enter their username/password. Works great until the person with the master password is no longer available to open the computer. That old pesky magic password hits you in the face again.

Most people have several email accounts. Be sure that all of that information is included with your documents along with, you guessed it, the magic password.

I mentioned “BACKUP”. While this may or may not be critical in the type of emergency we are discussing it can have ramifications that could be helpful. Even if it doesn’t you should hear the word and practice it always. We all know to backup our computer data in case the computer crashes, gets lost, gets zapped by a power surge, or gets taken apart by an over ambitious grandson that thinks he’s a handy man. No, he hasn’t done it yet, but be patient and BACKUP. I have everyone using my computer place all of their documents in a folder with their name on it, and then place that folder in the document folder on the computer. I periodically back up the document folder. (Thanks for that idea Mark!) Use should also consider backing up to a CD/DVD and send it off premises. Maybe to the person that will be handling all of your affairs. Just be sure to include all of those magic passwords. It’s not a bad idea to scan all of the important documents we have been discussing and add them to the CD/DVD also. If you have a fireproof/waterproof lock box, keep a copy in there also.

LOCKING FIREPROOF/WATERPROOF BOXES
Did you notice how I slid right into this topic? Pretty clever, huh? A lot of people keep fireproof lock boxes around their house. As my sister Paula pointed out, a fireproof box might help, but where there is fire there is also water. So be sure that your box is also waterproof.

One of the questions I have always pondered with no success, is where do you keep the damn box! After having my house broken into multiple times (Murphy lives with me) and having things stolen from every room and location in the house, I’m stumped. There must be a place or two where the box can be hidden. Don’t be foolish enough to leave me comments on that here as it defeats the purpose of a secret place to hide. For purposes of our discussion lets decide that theft security isn’t a big issue. These boxes are great to keep everything in: important documents, computer backups and yes, those pesky magic passwords. Since these boxes lock, however, you still have a problem. Be sure that someone has a copy of the key and/or lock code. I tried to break into one when I lost my key. Thank goodness I found out how to get duplicate keys. It was quite frustrating thought to finally get the keys and get it open only to discover that I hadn’t put the documents
in it. Ooops!

On January 23, 2007 Greg Rousos died in a tragic auto accident. He was a brother-in-law and a beloved friend. He was a good man and a gentle-man in every sense of the word. He married my younger sister Roberta. They have 2 beautiful daughters, Katie and Emily. He also had an older son, Greg Jr. from a previous marriage, although Roberta always considered him a son.

Greg loved his wife and children with a joy and intensity that you rarely see these days. Roberta and/or the girls would upon occasion come from Roseville to our house in Pittsburg to help out with a project that I would have going. It usually had something to do with painting walls. I always made a point of asking Greg if he would mind letting them come for the weekend. His answer was always the same. “For you I’ll say yes, but only for one night. I get so lonely without my girls around.” It wasn’t just a line. He meant every word of it. When they walked into the room his face would light up, he would stand a little taller and he would start teasing and rough housing with Katie and Emily. Their favorite game being “Gotcha last.” It was loud and rambunctious and suited them all perfectly. Life was never quiet in the Rousos house.

Anytime I had surgery (and that was far too frequent) Greg and Roberta would ask me to come and recover at their house. His comment being that Roberta could wait on me and I could recover faster. Little did she know that when she wasn’t in the room he would sneak into the kitchen and bring me a quick snack or something to drink. He may have played the macho man but inside he was a softy. During recovery he never let me feel discouraged and always managed to help me forget the pain. They say laughter is the best medicine and I’m sure that is why I always recovered so quickly there.

When you walked into his house Greg would always greet you with a hug. He didn’t just go through the motions like most people do, but he did it with heart. In that moment of time you were the only thing on his mind. When arriving you felt joy and when leaving you knew that you would be missed. He always said that I was welcome to come anytime and stay as long as I wanted. I never doubted that he truly meant it.

There were a few things that Greg and I would always jokingly disagree about. One was Coke. He never drank anything except diet and I only drank regular. We liked the same type of glasses (you could fill them with ice and still have room for an entire can of Coke) but slightly different styles. He liked them short and fat (his hands were large enough to fit around them) and I liked them thinner and taller (having small hands and a bit of arthritis). Roberta would periodically toss out his glasses claiming they were getting too old. When I found out, I would always make a point of bringing him some when coming for a visit. I would always point out, of course, that he liked the wrong style, but agreed that the man of the house should always have the glasses he wanted. Those glasses now sit in my cupboard and will always give me memories of his humor and laughter.

When I arrived prior to the services and funerals, I expected a quite house. I was amazed to find it full of family and friends all there to support Roberta and the children and to remember Greg. The people were constantly changing, but the number of people never diminished. It was a beautiful tribute to the Rousos family and the lives they had touched.

In day-to-day life it is so easy to remember the petty differences and to postpone or even forget to keep in touch as frequently as you should. During this time of sorrow, I was reaffirmed in the support and love of our family. Paula, Toby and I all came to Roseville to be with Roberts. Tom was getting ready to come when he came down with the flu. There were so many times when Paula, Roberta and I would form a circle with our arms around each other and our heads together, “One for all and all for one”. Then I would feel Toby’s arms enclose us all, and a moment later the touch of John’s hand on my shoulder. For those few moments I knew beyond a doubt that things would be all right in the end.

At times like this it makes you wonder what it would be like if it had been you who died. Who would be there to remember me and support my family? Have I taken the time to show my family how much I love them? Have I taken the time to make friends and keep the friendships strong? What have I done to touch the lives of the people I meet? The good intentions have always been there, but in the coming months and years will I be able to carry though on them? I think when you get to the bottom of these questions you come realize that you have to trust those who know you. You trust that they will realize that you have done the best that you can and they will love you irregardless of the times when you didn’t measure up to your intentions and your hopes. The most important to remember is that God will be there to support the people you love no matter what you have done.

I would like to thank those people who helped so much. There were too many faces and too many names to remember, but there were a few that stood out.

Mary. She was the second person Roberta called. She came immediately, she was there when people started coming in the mornings, she was there when the last person left in the evening and I know she will still be there long after the rest of us had to leave. She was always there, quietly taking care of everything. She screened phone calls, cleaned as needed, organized food and assisted in making sure that all of the details of those initial days, the services and funeral were thought of and dealt with. I’m not sure how we would have managed without her.

Annette and Christine. You helped us to remember to laugh. Although laughter may seem inappropriate to some people at a time like this, it is one of the things that should never be forgotten for it starts the healing process. I think you will both always bring laughter and joy to everyone who meets you.

The woman who “babysat” the house during the funeral services. I have no idea what her name is or how she knows the Rousos family. While she was “babysitting” the house, she cleaned bathrooms, washed dishes, made beds, folded clothes and put away misc. items. She left before we had a chance to thank her. I will never forget the sound of Emily’s voice when she went into her beautifully picked up room and said, “My room. Look at my room!”

Mark. Once again he stepped in to help me at the last minute without any hesitation. He drove from San Francisco to Roseville to spend a long day and evening helping out with the computers and Greg’s office. He took time out of his family responsibilities to help someone he has never met. That is especially amazing since he has a new daughter only a few months old.

To get an idea of how Greg touched the lives of so many people, take a look at the guest book that was set up.
Guest book for Greg Rousos