Beauty is often observed where it shouldn't be...
With Seattle's heat wave in full flux, there was only one thing to do: head into the desert. I looked forward to a return to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree.
Upon our arrival to Palm Springs, our car rental thriftiness ($15 a day, thank you very much!), led us to a quick stop off at the local market. Before we could wipe the sweat from our brows, we'd arrived at our Airbnb.
The mother-in-law suite cast a long shadow on all of our future accommodations.
Sheila, our host, greeted us with a glowing smile and fresh baked banana bread. She won us over with what we can only describe as regal charm. Private access to our own salt water outdoor pool, large enough to play olympic frisbee in, made "enduring" the celestial heat a breeze. Well worth the effort of travel.
Borrowed bikes always feel more alive than one's you've purchased. Hot desert winds ushered us to Workshop Kitchen and Bar for enchiladas and cool ambiance. Following in the modernist experience of Palm Springs, Workshop is minimal and chic, with deep leather banquettes, high cavernous ceilings and the requisite Edison bulbs. Hip enough to make even the hautiest trendsetter green with envy.
On day 2 we woke up and had a swim, then stopped by The Ace Hotel. Ace is a draw for all the hipsters visiting Palm Springs and I wanted to see if it had changed in the last five years since i'd been there. Young, eclectic, and with selectively artistic takes on midcentury modern, the Ace has it's own distinctive brand of reclaimed minimalistic/ hip design.
Day 3 brought 100 degree weather by 10AM, but we just had to check out the Moorten Cacturarium (yes they coined the phrase). This botanical arboretum has over 3000 varieties of plants from a wide variety of desert climates. We were curious to know what our plants could look, given the proper environment. I'm an avid collector of succulents and cacti, experiencing them in their natural settings was a treat. A highlight not to be missed.
I was not disappointed, as the walking tour culminated in a green house rife with rare specimens of arid notoriety.
The Kaufmann House, designed by Richard J. Nueutra, is one of the last remaining intact midcentury modern homes.
I wanted to show Spencer Joshua Tree national park as a one year anniversary gift. We've enjoyed these types of photo shoots in the past and had a great time. Our goal was to capture Joshua Trees at sunset, we had so much fun that we remained until the light transitioned from sun to stars. We enjoyed the arid climate to embellish in our usual jumping photos and doing our best to capture printable landscapes for our home in Seattle.
Write here...
Some people go to the Mohave and Joshua Tree for the environment. Others of the photography challenge that is offers.
Time was of the essence, and as I am not a bouldering champ, scrambling up quartz stone in a delicate black dress and flip flops was probably not an ideal situation. Nevertheless, moment captured.
Between the effervescent sky and the climactic desert soul. This is the mission many people meet upon entering into JTNP. And depending where you enter the park, you get drastically different experiences. We felt like storm chasers, trying to capture the best landscape vs sky photos.