Another day at the office

Today was my first day back on the job after our big vacation. It couldn’t have gone better. For starters, the sun is rising a little bit later now than it was when we left. Before the solstice, it was as bright as day by 5:30, but today the sky was still purplish blue at 5:45 when I got to the forest entrance. I think I was still half-asleep when I stumbled upon the monkeys. They were half-asleep themselves, yawning in a couple of large trees low along the camino. Now that the dry season is in full swing, many of the leaves have fallen off the trees, so visibility has improved by an order of magnitude. It was like a veil had lifted; with the trees nearly bare, I could see the monkeys’ little faces so clearly. Plus, without so many leafy hiding places, I was able to get a better count of the total number of individuals in the group. It seemed to me that I was with the North Group, but one very important member appeared to be missing: Wrinkle Belly. Without seeing him, I couldn’t be sure if I was with the North Group or not.

Four hours passed with no sighting of WB, and then— miracle of miracles—he emerged from the canopy in all his wrinkled glory. I think I may have actually wept for joy. It was cathartic. Here I was, gone for 2 weeks and wondering if I am really capable of doing this project, then Wrinkle Belly turns up and all is right with the world.

I'll sign off now so that I can get to bed and do this all again tomorrow. Thanks for reading!