To the Desert

Our numbers continue to dwindle. Sarah and Ed left, late Saturday night, to return to the city; and Sunday morning, I drove Jason to John Wayne airport for his return flight to Iowa. It was great to have him here for a few days. One of the sad conditions of our life is the distance that separates us from our sons and grandchildren...

Back to Laguna, then, to pick up the family for the safari out to Joshua Tree. An easy drive, with just a couple of knows of traffic, through some lovely Southern California landscapes...

... and past the wind farms in the Coachella Valley...

... arriving in Joshua Tree in time to stop briefly at the Visitor Center, where we we noticed the familiar, disorienting feeling of the ground shaking beneath us. We discovered shortly that we had felt the tremors from a distant earthquake quite some way to the south, epicentered near Mexicali, Mexico--in fact, a major, 7.2 event which was felt throughout Southern California.

We drove on from the Visitor Center, following directions with a couple of missed turns, and arrived at the Highlands House we have rented for a couple of nights. The house is called, appropriately, Sky, set way up in the hills overlooking the entire valley and the distant mountains...

It's nicely appointed with everything one could need, and the kids were soon wandering the many paths around the property with great glee, and immersed in the jacuzzi...

... with all the screams and hollering one might expect. We had bought some steak at the market on the way up with the hope of doing a barbeque; but alas, the supply of charcoal was too meager--and the wind too fierce and cold--to attempt such a thing, so we broiled the steaks indoors and enjoyed the result, along with baked potatoes and salad. And of course some good red wine.

We were off to bed in decent time, and slept not too well, with the unfamiliar surroundings and the wail of the wind all night. I was up at six, and out taking pictures of the dawn...

And sit now on the edge of the bed, looking out at the bird feeder outside our window. And beyond, the vista of the valley...