May 01 2017

Desert bloom encore

Spectacular flowers in California’s Anza-Borrego Desert this spring were due to abundant rain and snow.

The images below are highlights of spring flowers seen in our last Airstream camping trip.

Upon returning to our San Diego home, we were greeted by more flowers (seen below).

Names of these flowers and additional flower images and information are presented in History Safari Expresso.

These wonderful California flowers reminded us that life triumphs over death and that there is still hope and time to nourish each other and our planet. As Carl Sagan said, “A new consciousness is developing, which sees the Earth as a single organism and recognizes that an organism at war with itself is doomed… We Are One Planet.”* (Thoughts while looking for America*)

*This is a link to a YouTube video.

Apr 14 2017

Desert bloom and the Corgi Banner

Heavy winter rains and the deep Sierra Nevada snowpack have resulted in the official end of California’s epic drought* and an explosion of wildflowers in the Anza-Borrego desert not seen in many years, bringing more sightseers than the small town of Borrego Springs can handle causing traffic jams, restaurants to run out of food, and tempers to flare. We avoided the crowds by returning to our favorite, peaceful, desert campsite at Agua Caliente County Park where we were greeted by the yellow blooms of the brittlebush…

And nearby blooming creosote bush and ocotillo.

Early morning sun rays entering our Airstream Safari trailer reminded us to deploy the awning and sun curtain to delay the need to turn on the air conditioner.

Chilled navel oranges are always a refreshing way to start the day, especially in the desert.

Larry began the day by continuing to work on making a banner for the San Diego Corgi Meetup group that we joined last November after seeing the joy our corgis Mac & Tasha had while attending Corgi Nation Beach Day at Huntington Beach* last fall. We and our corgis love the monthly, local outings that are fun and help our corgis develop their social skills.

Larry, who also designed and made our sun curtain, designed the banner and cut out the fabric, lettering and pieces at home. Then, while camping, he positioned, pinned, basted, and sewed the pieces while relocating the table under the moving shade around the trailer.

By mid afternoon, Larry and the corgis enjoyed the air conditioned trailer, while I continued reading Alexander Hamilton outside in the shade and breeze.

Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow, was the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton.*

See and hear Lin Manuel Miranda perform “Alexander Hamilton” at The White House.*

We celebrated our last camping trip of the season with our wonderful neighbors, Bev and George, by flying the Human Rights Campaign* Equality flag.

Before leaving, George took a photo of our corgis’ first viewing of the nearly completed banner! Bev lovingly donated cotton balls for Larry to stuff the banner’s heart upon our return to San Diego.

The day after returning home, we attended the San Diego Corgi Meetup event, House of England Village Faire, and presented San Diego Corgi Meetup organizer, Geri, with their new banner!

Seen right to left: Larry and corgis Tasha, Mac, Sidney, Sadie, and Rikki. Photo credit: Geri S.

God Save the Queen… and the corgis!*

*This is a link to a YouTube video.

Encore videos: A Corgi Puppy Grows Up! (Great Gatsby the Corgi),* his Surprise Birthday Party!*… and How Corgi Dog Changed My Life*… and To Love Somebody.*

Mar 17 2017

Springing into action at Agua Caliente

Our rooster crowed, “Awake,” and we heard his call to action and proudly flew the flag of the United States,* along with the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality flag at Agua Caliente County Park in the Anza-Borrego Desert.

Like Canada geese, Bert and Janie finally, after unexpected surgeries, winged their way south from Montana to milder climes and spent the day chatting, hiking, and feasting.

The following day, we drove up to Borrego Springs and visited our Airstream friends Bob and Theresa at their beautiful home. Ten years ago, we took our 2007 Airstream Safari on its maiden cruise and followed Bob and Theresa in their Airstream Classic to our first trailer camping experience in Borrego Springs, California! Over the years, Bert, Janie, Bob, and Theresa have joined us for desert hiking and feasting!

My breakfasts consisted of Larry’s homemade pumpkin bread, cool apple and orange slices, and reading material. He calls it Hagrid’s pumpkin bread because it’s made from a pumpkin similar to those seen just outside Hagrid’s hut in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. These large and unusually shaped pumpkins are called Mexican Sweet Pumpkins (Calabaza de Castilla), that he bought at local Latino markets, poached and made into pumpkin bread (pan de calabaza).*

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) represents a force of more than 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide. As the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization, HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open,* honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. HRC’s Buyers Guide helps consumers to find and choose businesses committed to workplace equality before making purchases.

After breakfast, Larry donned a plague doctor mask that I have worn at Renaissance faires (and while camping in the forest) in preparation for a surprise visit to the park’s supervising ranger.

“Yo soy el doctor de la peste,* and I’ve brought Hagrid’s pumpkin bread as nourishment to feign off the plague.”

Agua Caliente County Park Supervisor Maggie was delighted to receive Larry and his pumpkin bread and happily shared it with the staff! We returned to our campsite and Larry continued on his sewing projects…

while becoming energized and redirecting energy toward positive change as we both stand indivisible…*

Because y’all means all.*

*This is a link to a YouTube video.

Mar 12 2017

Haunting echoes of Moonlight Canyon

Delayed by unexpected surgeries, writer/outdoor photographer/Airstreamer/snowbird Bert Gildart and Janie finally arrived in the warmer climes of California’s Anza-Borrego Desert to enjoy hiking, biking and overall renewal. Last week they visited us at Agua Caliente County Park and Bert couldn’t wait to put on a camera backpack and carry a tripod onto the Moonlight Canyon Trail where he has photographed bighorn sheep.

We entered the canyon from the east where its shady, steep granite walls hold onto the night cold, so a ways in, Bert enjoyed sitting on a boulder and soaking in the warm rays of the rising sun (to drive the cold winter away).*

A few moments later, Bert forged ahead and set the pace, while looking for suitable subjects to photograph, saying, “When I choose to photograph something, I like it to be better than the ones I have previously photographed.”

As we rose out of the canyon, the trail became steeper and the sides were lined with granite detritus as we stumbled upon elusive Ghost Flowers that thrive on gravely slopes and sandy washes. The pale cream flower is translucent, sometimes hard to see, and is the basis of its name.

Bert and I quickly went to work photographing this treasure trove of Ghost Flowers. The last time I saw these flowers here was 6 years ago!

Bert scrambled up loose granite to get another shot.

Upon finding a suitable subject, Bert got serious and set up his tripod.

He asked me to pull out two hand-held strobes from his backpack and showed me where to hold one of them as he held the other and took the picture. Bert explained he sets the camera’s shutter speed to 250^th of a second (which makes the flowers look motionless, even in a breeze) and sets the aperture at f/32 for maximum depth of field. The two hand-held strobes, overwhelm ambient light and produce a dark or black background (Photographic artistry of Bert Gildart). See Bert’s article and photos in his March 8 posting, “Ghost Flower.”

The Ghost Flower, Mohavea confertiflora, has 5 ragged-edged lobes with maroon speckles and a maroon blotch at the base (Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers). These marks resemble the female bee Xeralictus and operate as floral mimicry (sign stimulus) to the male bee, which enters the flower and pollinates the Mohavea (Wikipedia). (Below are my Nikon D40 images.)

Visiting these Ghost Flowers renewed our spirits and strengthened our bodies. Thich Nhat Hanh reflects this in his meditation “Flower Fresh.”*

*This is a link to a YouTube video.

Jun 01 2016

Happiness in the cool mountains

California desert temperatures are now routinely in the nineties and above, so we and our Airstream Safari chilled out in the oak, pine, and cedar forests in William Heise County Park, 4200 feet above sea level, in the Laguna Mountains that intercept clouds and rain that would otherwise reach the desert areas.

Daytime mountain temperatures were in the seventies and we made a point of closing the windows well before sundown to keep the trailer cozy during the evenings, but each morning, we woke to trailer temperatures in the fifties. Since we were doing non-hookup camping here, we routinely turned on our Mr. Heater Portable Buddy at 5:45am and ran it for two hours, which brought the temperature up to 68-70 degrees. By then, sun was streaming into the trailer as I savored hot coffee, NPR’s Morning Edition,* and summer reading.

By the afternoon, sun was illuminating our homegrown Alstroemeria flowers on the other side of the trailer and had restored our Lifeline AGM batteries back to 100% via our two factory installed solar panels by mid-morning.

Mule deer and wild turkeys reside here, along with a plethora of wildlife, which quickly accepted us as part of the local milieu to the extent that at times we felt like we were in a Bambi movie.*

Spotted towhee (left), Acorn woodpecker (right), Merriam’s chipmunk (lower left) and Steller’s Jay (lower right)

The goldspotted oak borer* continues to kill trees, which are cut down and its chips provide a natural mulch.

As long as dogs are on 6′ leashes, they are permitted on trails here and our corgis love hiking on the Cedar Trail with its lovely oak and cedar trees and benches.

During our 5-day stay, we had time to work on projects. Larry is seen below making one of four mid-19th century shirts (based on Saundra Ros Altman’s: Past Patterns, #10) for my work at a historic house museum.

Three years ago, Larry made a new outfit for my Howdy Doody doll that I had as a child. (The Howdy Doody show started the year I was born, 1947.)

Just before our trip here, I learned that Robert Y. Allen was the creator of the famed Howdy Doody face, was known as “Grandpa Bob” in the nearby town of Julian, died at the age of 99, and is buried in Julian’s Pioneer Cemetery. So I brought Howdy Doody to pay his respects to Robert Allen on May 19, the anniversary of his death. His grave marker is just a few steps away from Marshal South’s grave.

With happiness in our hearts, we returned to camp with one of Julian’s famous apple pies* and celebrated life in the cool mountains and time with Howdy Doody.*

*This is a link to a YouTube video.