Happiness is spreading in the Anza-Borrego Desert along with the wildflowers*, so we returned to our desert home away from home and were greeted by abundant sunshine, flowers and friends, such as Ann from historic Julian, California,* who gave us a beautiful display of poet’s daffodils,* Narcissus poeticus in a mason jar before returning home.  Julian’s daffodil lady, Sally Snipes, began planting bulbs to honor her father in 1990, and now millions bloom every March.  We’ll return here with our Airstream Safari in May.

We arrived in Agua Caliente County Park* on the first day of spring, the spring equinox,* and enjoyed the longer daylight to set up camp, while bathed with warm, early evening breezes and a waxing moon.  Three evenings later, the Full Worm Moon* rose, along with a penumbral eclipse.*

A happy sun looked down upon hamantaschen* that I made and brought from home to celebrate Purim.*

Like all days of celebration, Purim is a wonderful time to get together with friends, so we visited Bert and Janie (and their Classic Airstream trailer) in Borrego Springs and shared cha siu bao* and hamantaschen.

Most of our time in the desert was spent exploring and admiring the Anza-Borrego spring flowers.  Larry found a coyote gourd.*

A nearby palo verde tree, Parkinsonia florida, was exploding with yellow flowers that peaked during our stay!

Also nearby, was a wash where Larry was thrilled to find a large mound of Krameria bicolor, aka Krameria grayi, in full bloom.  The close-up shows the flowers and its barbed fruit.

Nearby this Krameria were two clumps of strawberry hedgehog cactus, Echinocereus engelmannii, with profuse blooms that closed at night and opened during the day. (See Bert Gildart’s “Botanical Adaptions to the Desert“.)

Also making the point in the area is Gander’s Cholla, Cilindropuntia ganderi.

And when the sun set, the moon bloomed and the stars danced with happiness!*

*This is a YouTube video.