Author Archives: The Shortest Answer
Under the Jacaranda Trees
I went and sat under the jacaranda trees. I took off my sunglasses so that the beauty of their pale purple flowers might reach my eyes unmolested by expensive polarized plastic. I looked up into the branches. The flowers floated … Continue reading
Romance and Hammerhead Sharks Ninety Feet Below the Surface
I stared at the skeleton of a long dead volcano that protruded out of the churning Pacific Ocean and felt a powerful combination of excitement and intimidation. Three massive grey rocks were all that I could see of the gigantic … Continue reading
Stars Above and Below
After a long hot day of sailing, our boat, the Lucky Sol, pulled into a deserted bay on the South East tip of Baja California, Mexico. My friend Jason, his wife, Tina, and I set the anchor and tied up … Continue reading
Deal of a Lifetime
Every night while you sleep your soul leaves your body and journeys down a long dark corridor. At the end of the corridor is an ice-cold room made of shiny grey stone with a ceiling so high that it might … Continue reading
First Dive in the Galapagos
The dive master discovered something interesting on the ledge of a coral covered rock wall. I swam around a barnacle encrusted boulder to see what it was. I realized it was a white tip reef shark right about the time … Continue reading
At Last, The Galapagos
“You can scuba dive with a hundred giant hammerhead sharks and …” that was all I heard. My new friend kept talking, I think she said something about giant tortoises, iguanas and sea lions but her voice slowly became quiet … Continue reading
Carnival in Brazil
The anticipation was almost painful. I knew that it was coming but it moved so slowly toward me that I nearly couldn’t take it. I could hear it building its strength like a giant beast preparing for a fight at … Continue reading
Mom Don’t Freak Out
And my mom just freaked out. But seriously everything is fine. Everyone is fine. We even still have all our stuff. Last night three of my friends and I were celebrating Carnival like normal. We started in the beautiful historic … Continue reading
Coming Home
I was hot, sweaty and frustrated as I walked down the sandy Uruguayan road. I was also wearing jeans and boots which made my condition much worse. The night buses in South America are freezing even when the outside air is warm … Continue reading
What Really Matters
The golden South American sunlight penetrated the ocean and turned it a rich azure. I sat on my surfboard and marveled at the absolute perfection of my surroundings. I looked up and down the seemingly infinite coastline that extended out … Continue reading
The Shortest Answer 