1.
I was swimming early in the pool shaped like the symbol for infinity, with a little crescent at the shallow end. Swimming in sunlight, bougainvillea tumbling over one wall, the palo de arco flowers against the fence. Swimming, the only one in the blue water. Around the symbol for infinity, water shimmering on my skin. And oh, hummingbirds in the yellow throats of the flowers. Were they black-chinned or Costa’s or Xantu’s? By the time I was finished, they’d visited each flower.
2.
Last night, eating shrimps in diablo sauce on the beach, watching the sunset, I saw Venus. Scent of waves, cool wine, sun quietly falling below the horizon, water dark in the middle distance. In the afternoon, in that same middle distance, I saw a whale breach, too far out for me to know whether it was a humpback or a grey. While we ate shrimp and drank cool wine, there were whales out in the middle distance.
3. Black-chinned, Costa’s, Xantu’s in the palo de arco flowers, me in the blue water, in the deeper circle of infinity. How many laps? An infinite number? How many hummingbirds? One or nine? The ocean goes on forever.
...Theresa Kishkan 
Theresa, you can’t keep doing this to us! Here in Ontario, I am feet under snow, high of minus 9. Feeling the furnace depleting our bank account.
And YOU are wallowing in an infinity pool with palms and exotic birds, gaining enlightenment through martinis!
There should be a law against such inequality. Either as Canadians we should all freeze, or all sunburn!
But the weather here is conducive to reading. I just finished Blue Portugal. Like your style, very much enjoyed it, lots of food for thought. Thanks. John
What a lovely comment, John. This is an extraordinary place–warm, ocean wild and beautiful, huge saguaro everywhere, an 18 km beach with only us on it and 30 foot waves curling over like tunnels the colour and opacity of pale green sea glass, 5 whales just offshore. At home, rain waiting for us.