There's going to be a brief burst of tropically-oriented travel shots over the next few days, then it'll be back to grime-as-usual.  Although, just to stay in character, there will be some tropical grime tossed in.

What you won't see are any decent pictures of whales.  Going out on a sailboat to see them up close was my big accomplishment on this trip.  Seeing them, just to be clear, wasn't the accomplishment.  It was overcoming my intense fear of seasickness.  If you've never experienced it, you may be thinking, "What?  Seasickness?  He's afraid of seasickness?".  On the other hand, if you have, you understand completely.  And, not only did I get myself onto the boat (a 36' sailboat), I didn't become seasick, despite our venturing into some pretty hefty seas.  Dramamine, folks.  "Better living through chemistry" has always been my motto.

And, yes, we did see whales.  Big ones.  Up close.  Having a whale that's bigger than the boat you're on come swimming alongside said boat, just under the water, makes quite an impression.  It also encourages a sudden hope that telepathy actually works as you try beaming intensely friendly thoughts at the visitor who could effortlessly put you and your companions into the sea, far from shore.

Just to be clear, we were following all the usual whale-watching restrictions.  We sailed out to where they were, but kept back the required distance.  Of course, if the whales get curious, well, they'll come to you, and there isn't anything you can do about it on a sailboat.  The whales are faster.  Much faster.  Which is why, to return to paragraph 2, you won't see any decent pictures of whales over the next few days.  They came, they saw, they left.