Nonhuman Neighbors

The weekly sightings of animals give a certain personality to where you live and even to how you see the world. Just their look, their way of moving and living, forms your impression of reality. Especially since they function according to the environment... paying attention to them can show you a lot about where you live.

Back home in Virginia I saw squirrels (my sister swears she sees one every day), pigeons, small bats at night, crows, little fluffy chickadees, dogs on leashes, and the occasional stray cat, cardinal or chipmunk on a weekly basis. Sometimes I would be excited to see a red headed woodpecker, a fox, or a skunk and going into more rural areas, I could catch sight of a deer, a groundhog, maybe even a black bear. But I was used to seeing these. And they informed my view of the world and how it looks, how it interacts, how it is... fur for cold weather, certain muted and almost colonial colors for blending into the Virginia surroundings, certain sounds I was used to...

The people here on Dominica are used to seeing all of the animals here. They pass them by without much thought. Their daily interactions with these animals have informed the way they view the world and how it looks, how it interacts, how it is. I can't imagine being used to some of these things (Oh, good morning Mr. Cow randomly on my road) and yet this is the Dominicans' reality. This is the way they understand the world working. With huge stinging centipedes, stray dogs, colorful destructive caterpillars, dinosaur looking lizards, parrots, and loads of fishes and turtles and pelicans...

This is reality too? This is the way the world works too? Yup. Everyday... everyday. But see, thats what travel does for you (or reading, if you don't have the money to travel.)! The world doesn't just operate in our little home bubble base.

What do you see everyday? How does it inform the way you see the world?

I've not been able to capture the pale gecko that lives in our bedroom or the one that lives on the screen by our stairs... the little black ant requires a blog post all its own since it tends to pervade all of life here (there is one crawling on my computer screen right now)... I've not seen a parrot yet... I know I have a lot of new friends yet to meet but until then, here are some of my neighbors I see:

Spot the little pigeon dove thing-a-ma-bird? 

So... whatcha doin there Mr. Cow? Just found a spot and stickin to it?

Almost ran into this cow while I was walking... 

I love this guy. Fabulous velvet coat, right?

I wonder if they get tired of being so alert?

What extravagantly fabulous worm life did this guy live? ... probably much more colorful. 

Ok, this is a little morbid since its just some crab's pincer but look how beautiful! Crabs are EVERYWHERE. Even up the hill from me (we live a few minutes from the beach) there is a little crab that crawls into a hole when I walk passed.

Staying with the dead-theme, this is a WHALE BONE. Yup.
You may recognize the picture from my beach tour... 

This crab should win an award posthumously.

"Just perching on the most awkward precipice I can find... See how Bob is envious... I got this."

He wants to blend in but his flamboyant side just can't be contained. 

A large red starfish. Thats a thing? Yup, and starfruit too.
Lots of stars and rainbows here. Its like a Lisa Frank pencil case.

Close up of the starfish.  

This goat lives up the hill from us. He cries like a baby human and its rather disturbing.
Sometimes I think, "Why isn't that person nursing their baby?!" And then I remember its a goat....
Then I wonder, "Why isn't that person nursing their goat?" GOSH. 

Tiny shrimps washed up and coated the shore line in the shape of waves the other morning... 

Seagulls. Ok, they are everywhere...