Georgia was having an ice storm, a foot of snow was accumulating in the Northeast, and others were making their way to Alumaflamingo through unexpectedly freezing temperatures while our Airstream Safari was settling in under balmy desert skies and a waxing moon.

Despite the currently worst drought in California since 1977,* creosote bushes near our Agua Caliente campsite managed to put on a display of their bright yellow flowers.

Bert and Janie drove down from their campsite at Pegleg for a day of feasting and conversation.

Larry fired up our 18″ wok and stir-fried shrimp, pork, choy sum, baby Shanghai bok choy, celery, and onion with oyster sauce, which was tossed with shirataki noodles,* utilizing extra long handled wok shovels.

Janie is seen smiling in the photo above because I had just commented that Bert’s crouching to get his shot reminded me of Francis Ford Coppola’s acting cameo in Apocalypse Now,* when he said, “Don’t look at the camera…just go by like you’re fighting,” which prompted me to say, “Make like you’re cooking!”

Military helicopters also spiced up the day by making practice fly-bys and nighttime landings in the dark.

Temperatures were also cooking up in the desert as the week progressed, requiring us to turn on the air conditioner on most days, but by 4 pm the sun sank below the nearby mountain ridge and we enjoyed dinners at the picnic table while taking in the desert landscape and sky at dusk.

We raised our glasses and toasted to our 43rd anniversary of being together as a beautiful full moon rose above the nearby ocotillo on the eve of Valentine’s Day.

As darkness fell, moonlight lit up the desert and our imagination of far away, exotic and romantic places.*

*This is a link to a YouTube video.