happiness writes white

CEDO is located in a neighborhood called las conchas, about two miles out of the proper centro of peñasco. it's a really nice neighborhood - mostly second homes of people from the states, all gorgeous and white, complete with silly names like "casa de sueños" (house of dreams). it will be interesting to live where i work - but that's really what this job is all about. the beauty of the place makes up for any doubts i might have about not living in town.



[view from my porch]


the water here is currently a bit chilly (at 55F), but come summer it will be up to 90F and there's just miles of gorgeous beach all around here. every night, i walk along the beach to watch the sunset and often see pods of dolphins just offshore.

have i convinced you to come visit yet?

i understand if you want to wait until it's a bit warmer; there's no heating and the walls are fairly thick so the rooms odn't really warm up. i'm usually wearing a sweatshirt and warm socks in the office or in my room - a bit silly when it's in the 70sF in the warm sun. but beware summer - 100F weather with humidity. it'll be a bit rough. rooms do have air conditioning though!

but until you do come visit, here's a brief tour:



[entrance gate]


[main building with firepit. next week, i will move into the tower there on the left - best view in las conchas]


[patio with CEDO tiled pattern]


[visiter center with "earthship construction" - meaning that the building is constructed from old tires and aluminum cans. pretty cool]


[fin whale skeleton. second largest whale in the world and they live right here!]


but to me, what's most surprising about the area is that it feels like you are in the middle of a barren desert. this is the driest part of the sonoran desert, getting less than four inches of rain a year! there is no fresh water source here. the nearby colorado river no longer drains in the sea of cortez thanks to the states' damming and draining efforts. and yet, the biological importance of the area is massive: the upper gulf has fantastically high biodiversity (we get sharks, whales, dolphins, sea lions, sea snakes, the smallest and most endangered cetacean in the world (the vaquita marina), tons of endemic fish species, not to mention all the inverts); the estuaries are home to 140+ species of birds, are considered the third most productive ecosystem in the world; there is a volcanic region nearby that's a designated biosphere (the astronauts trained here before going to the moon). i won't babble on too much, but it's just incredible.