Day 2, Joshua Tree

Three Wise Trees

I spent two days in Joshua Tree National Park, and it was all I could do to leave! I really felt a connection with the place, and I loved painting there. 

One of the great things about it, from a painting point of view, was the contrast between the bright sky and deep-colored rocks, and the subtle, pastel colors of the low-growing bushes, grasses and flowers of the winter desert. 

I don't see these colors regularly, these soft greens and pale yellows, and they excited my eyes, and challenged my ability to match colors and to bring depth of the paintings. And I loved every minute. 

My little painting in the big California landscape

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Adam and Dominique are canoeing and kayaking for two months around the US

I met a really nice Canadian couple in Joshua Tree. We were camped side by each (that's a Rhode Island expression) and in the morning, we had some time to talk. 

Adam and Dominique are from Canada, and are taking a two-month sabbatical to canoe and explore the warmer places of the US. 

Both work for the Canadian government, in the IT department. When I asked how they managed to be off work for so long, they told me that twice during the career of a Canadian government worker, he or she is allowed to take a two-month sabbatical. They're not paid for the time, but their jobs are secure and their benefits unaffected by their absence. 

They've been saving all their money for the trip, they told me, and having a great time. They're camping in their van, which is really a small RV with a pop-up top. The back seat converts into a bed, and they have a refrigerator, stove and a sink with water. 

The van has this all powered by a deep-cycle battery, and Adam and Dominique found, and were using, a portable solar panel to charge the battery. How cool is that? 

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 The sunsets in the park, both nights, were really amazing. 

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What a great tree! You can see why I was so interested in seeing and painting in Joshua Tree.

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 I thought these mountains, above and below, were really interesting. They were just a few
 of the ones I saw on the drive from Palm Desert to Tubac.

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Here are more of those surprisingly soft colors and lacy plants of the winter desert.

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 This was unexplained, but very cool!

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Saw this sign when I was lost in Palm Desert, the morning after I left Joshua Tree. Wouldn't you love to have "Random Road" as your address? 

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Dog of the Day

Yes, I have plenty of photos of strangers' dogs, but I miss my Jojo, and so 

I decided that she deserves to be the Dog of the Day today.