I wanted to give fishing another go when we got home from our camping trip, so we went on my motorbike to save fuel and go off-road to a remote beach. We were alone. Tanya went for a run, while I went fishing. I had a good feeling about it; the tide was right, the moon and the stars were aligned. This was going to be my catch! On my fifth cast I heard a car honking. I looked up to where my motorbike was parked. There was a police pickup truck with its blue light on and a policeman waving at me.
What now?
Go home! There’s a coronavirus in Mexico, for God’s sake! Be responsible!
I walked up and met a young, heavyset guy with a gun in his holster. “What are you doing here? You can’t be here because of the coronavirus!”
I turned and looked around the beach. I could see out at least a kilometer to my right and a kilometer to my left. Not a single soul in sight save for Tanya and myself, and now a policeman.
“Yes, that’s why I came here. I wanted to stay away from people and catch some free food since there is no work or any income at the moment,” I explained.
“It’s the law. People have to take responsibility and maintain social distance. If not, you’ll get fined. If you can’t pay, either you do 36 hours in prison or 3 days of community service. You don’t want that, do you?”
“Community service works fine for me because money, you won’t see,” was my smiling reply. “I will go, but I have to wait for my wife. I understand you have your orders to keep people safe from the coronavirus in Mexico. In general I prefer not to see people all the time, so social distancing is not a problem for me.”
I got a smile back and we continued to talk about fishing as the officer was an avid fisherman. I also got a few tips for our next fishing trip on the beach. When he left, I sat there, smelling the salty air and watching the sun unveil its resplendent beauty over the horizon while waiting for Tanya to come back.
Enjoying the View
We sometimes take sunrises and sunsets for granted in this line of work. Tanya, who is a night animal, loves sunsets and points them out to me at every opportunity. She always marvels at the magnificent view, telling me how beautiful the colors are. I say to her the sun is more glorious when the day is just beginning. Since she rarely gets up that early, she doesn’t understand what I’m talking about.
The magical 15 minutes before the sun turns in for the night are truly spectacular in our part of the world. Maybe because we’re in the desert and the horizon is clear. I didn’t often see such dazzling displays of unique patterns and colors back where I grew up in Sweden. This time I managed to catch what some call “the green flash” or, as I call it, “the green light” that sometimes happens when the sun just ducks under the horizon of the Pacific in a fizz. Some people tell me that the green flash doesn’t exist, but it does. I see it often and I’m a believer even without being drunk while looking at the sun through a bottle of Dos Equis (XX).
Roadrunners, Big-Ear Rabbits, and the Mad Cow Network
Now that we’re not allowed to be on any of the beaches close to home, Tanya has taken to running on the salt flat nearby. The surface is thickly covered in very fine dark sand, which provides a natural cushion to this outdoor track. Tanya says the same blanket of dust also leaves a brown layer of hopelessness on her shoes…
The roadrunners and big-ear rabbits here are more relaxed around humans since they’re used to seeing cars, trucks, and ATVs passing by. They don’t sprint away like their relatives do in the remote areas; they calmly sit and look on, unless you get too close. In general they behave like Wily Coyote and Roadrunner’s friend, Bugs Bunny. Eh, what’s up, doc?
One day, Tanya arrived at the salt flat to find a herd of cows grazing in the grassy patch at the edge of the track. She took it in stride and went about her business. As she was nearing the cows on her first loop, she noticed twenty pairs of liquid pools looking at her. She was already maintaining a good amount of social distancing, but she veered away even more so as not to disturb them in their afternoon meal. Cows are generally docile and slow, and Tanya can probably outrun them, but who knows with these ones. I think they were throwing accusatory looks at her because the suicidal cow was spreading fake news all over the Mad Cow Network.
Meanwhile, back at home, I have managed to fix the fenders and the hood of our injured truck. I can now open the door on the driver’s side after banging and bending the metal. It’s coming along pretty well. It takes time and I have time. At least until the 30th of May.
