Outside patio~Shadow Shot Sunday~033113

I absolutely LOVE this patio spot in the African village of the Living Desert reserve.  It's such a quite and restful spot to sit down and just REST.  We went there for two hours this morning with our very pregnant daughter and son-in-law.  Then, ate lunch, came home, and I took a two hour NAP!  HA!  Silly grandma!  Shadow Shot Sunday for March 31, 2013...To visit Shadow Shot Sunday, please go to:   http://shadowshotsunday2.blogspot.com/

Footprints in the sand~Friday's Fences~032913

Somebody else was out here on this sand dune before I drove up one morning this week.  I drove down the street and by the time I returned, his car was gone.  He left his footprints behind...Friday's Fences for March 29, 2013.  To visit Friday's Fences, please go to:   http://lifeaccordingtojanandjer.blogspot.com/  Don't forget to check out the other fences!   :-)

Desert wildflowers~Nature's Notes~032813

I stayed home today, mainly to visit the county animal shelter to look for my gray male outdoor cat.  He wasn't there and they didn't open until 10:00 a.m., so I drove out Thousand Palms Canyon Road to see the wildflowers.  NOT!  There were very few of them and the ones that were blooming were very straggly and unhealthy-looking.  Not enough rainfall this year...sigh...Plus there is a massive invasion of the darn Sahara mustard which is choking out the resident wildflowers.  These are the ones I found along the roadside...not very many indeed.  Nature Notes for March 28, 2013.  My cat showed up for dinner tonight!  He must have been sleeping in somebody else's house during the day because I combed both the front yard and back yard looking for him!  To visit Nature Notes, please go to:   http://ramblingwoods.com/

Palm Springs Aerial Museum

I had our tax appointment with our CPA Monday morning and I arrived an hour early, so I drove over to the Palm Springs Aerial Museum on Gene Autry.  I've never been inside the museum and there was a crew there doing some cleanup work on a couple of the planes, but I was able to wander around and take photos.  I'd never noticed the delicate artwork on the top of the building, so I took some photos of it.  It was very quite at the airport, but I did hear a prop plane take off and it turned out to be a biplane!   :-)  If you ever get out to Palm Springs, DO visit the aerial museum!

No posts this weekend...sorry! And Joshua Tree national park visit Friday

I'm sorry I didn't post this past weekend.  I was completely worn out from our field trip Friday to Joshua Tree national park!  28 3rd graders can sure wear me out!   :-(  Actually, the kids were well behaved except for a couple of boys who were "seat hopping" on the way back to school.  And, one of them had his father with him!!!???***  Eh?  Excuse me?  I had to stand up and yell at them to "SIT DOWN!"  I mean, REALLY!?

We had a great park ranger take us on the Barker Dam loop.  Unfortunately, the basin there is COMPLETELY dry.  BONE DRY.  Not a drop of water in it.  I asked why and the ranger said it was this year's lack of rainfall.  Plus, vandals took the opportunity to write their names (first and last, DUH!) on the concrete dam.  So, now they are being tracked down and when caught, they will have to pay a fine for defacing public property.

The day wasn't too warm (about 80 degrees) and we had a nice breeze.  In fact, I wore my windbreaker (SPF 30) jacket, but my face got sunburned.  I'm in the process of re-evaluating the sunscreens I wear and I just ordered one from Mountain Rose Herbs that has zinc oxide plus a lot of nice-smelling things (SPF 30)...I HATE sunscreens that have too many "unnatural" ingredients with names I can't pronounce.  I'm tossing ALL of them.  As a melanoma survivor, I do have to be careful and I do wear a wide-brimmed hat and I have several denim long-sleeved shirts, thanks to hubby!  It's mainly my face that I have to cover and they also had a tube of natural sunscreen, like a lip gloss applicator, so I also ordered one of those.

Anyway, here are some pics of Joshua Tree that I took with my little Nikon Coolpix.  I didn't want to take my big Canon or my Nikon along, as there are some parts of the Barker Dam loop trail that are kind of close...didn't want a camera swinging from my neck!   :-)  Sorry for the head in the last photo!  There were about 35 of us gathered around looking at the graffiti...click on the photo to enlarge and see the awful mess the vandals left.

Tree, fence, and bicycle~Friday's Fences~032213

I absolutely LOVE this fence, gate, and blossoming tree.  I often drive by this house just to check on it!  Oh, and the bicycle!  I'm trying to figure out what I can plant in my front yard to go up and over our gate...sigh...someday!  :-)  Friday's Fences for March 22, 2013.  Isn't this a restful yard?  To visit Friday's Fences, please go to:   http://lifeaccordingtojanandjer.blogspot.com/

"J" is for jumbo~~ABC Wednesday~032013

There are some jumbo rocks up at Joshua Tree national park.  These rocks are loved by rock climbers and every time we go there, we see somebody on top!   I love to watch the climbers.  These rocks are at Intersection Point, which is in the parking lot to Barker Dam, which I understand is now closed due to vandalism...sigh...ABC Wednesday for March 20, 2013.  To visit ABC Wednesday, please go to:   http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Spring in the desert~Our World Tuesday~031913

I posted about spring in the mountains on my other blog (http://rav4adventures.blogspot.com) and commented that spring in the desert is in full mode.  There are LOTS of flowers and shrubs in bloom right now.  Robins and Cedar waxwings arrive in flocks.  Bunnies are out morning and late afternoon, and the Canadian geese are heading north...Ahhh...SPRING!  :-)  Our World Tuesday for March 19, 2013.   To visit OWT, please go to:   http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

Desert morning

I took this a couple of weeks ago before our hot weather hit.  And, man, was it HOT!  I do believe we shattered the old daytime "high" of 96 degrees last week.  Next week, however, it will be down into the 80's and even the mid 70's by next Friday!

Anza-Borrego wildflowers~Today's Flowers~031713

No, I'm not a grandma yet, but my first granddaughter could come any day now!  Our daughter's due date is April 1, but I don't think she'll last that long!   :-)  I'll keep you posted...

We did see a few wildflowers over at Anza-Borrego.  And, no, I'm NOT responsible for the high daily temps we've been having!  Yesterday it was much cooler here.  In fact, I went out front and did some weed whacking in the morning and then in the afternoon, I mowed half of the lawn in the back yard!  And, then I collapsed on the couch!  Wow!  I'm not 29 anymore!

Here are the wildflower pics and ENJOY your St. Patrick's Day today!

To visit Today's Flowers, please go to:   http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

Desert clouds~SkyWatch Friday~031513

Pretty clouds above the badlands at Anza-Borrego state park last weekend.  This week has been HOT and cloudless, although I do believe clouds are moving in over the weekend.  We set a new daytime high yesterday.  Our normal high for this time of year is 79 degrees and I believe it was 94 yesterday, with another day of hot temps today...sigh...too hot too early for me!  SkyWatch Friday for March 15, 2013.  To visit SWF, please go to:   http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Desert wildflowers~Nature Notes~031413

Our desert is just starting to bloom with wildflowers.  I found these wildflowers down at the Anza-Borrego state park last weekend.  These are the early ones.  I figure in a couple more weeks, the park should have quite a show, but last weekend it was still too early.  There were quite a few of the yellow flowers and the verbena.  Some of the ocotillos were blooming.  But, alas, hubby is working this weekend, so we won't go anywhere...sigh...Nature Notes for March 14, 2013.  To visit Nature Notes, please go to:   http://ramblingwoods.com/

Just around the desert~Our World Tuesday~031213

I took these photos last week, when the last storm was heading our way.  We got more snow up in our mountains and a couple of cloudy, windy days.  However, yesterday it was 87 degrees here and it is expected to be much warmer for the rest of the week.  Ahhhh....spring in the desert!  Our World Tuesday for March 12, 2013.   To visit Our World Tuesday, please go to:   http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

From the desert to the mountains~Sunday Stills Challenge~031013

We headed out to Anza-Borrego state park.  These are the badlands there.  See those clouds in the mountains far, far away?  That's where we were headed.

Nice clouds and hubby.

Not too many wildflowers yet.  We did see desert verbena, a few lupines, and these yellow flowers along the road.

Clouds up near Julian, CA. 

Clouds and fog and snow moving into the mountains.  From desert to snow in less than 1 hour!

More clouds on the back of our local Santa Rosa mountains.  This would be west of Julian, CA.

Ahhhh....back to our sunny desert skies.  This is driving down Highway 74 from Anza to Palm Desert.

Yesterday hubby and I took a 5 hour drive, from the desert up through our local mountains, down the worst highway in the desert, and home.  We went from dry desert to snow in the nearby mountains.  All in one day!  Since there is no Sunday Stills Challenge specifically this week, and since no archives are allowed, I though I would share our journey for the Sunday Stills Challenge.  To visit SSC, please go to:   http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

Mountains and clouds and pond~SkyWatch Friday~030813

Ahhhhh....the desert in winter~clouds, mountains, greenery!  This was the view last weekend.  Another storm front has already moved into the valley this afternoon.  Snow is forecast down to 3,500 feet.  I can't wait to see it!  SkyWatch Friday for March 8, 2013.   To visit SkyWatch Friday, please go to:   http://skyley.blogspot.com/