Knitting and the Desert

That's my DH clowning around on the San Andreas Fault (he likes to live dangerously sometimes) at 1000 Palms Oasis, wearing a vest I designed and made years ago of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted. One color is a purple and the other is a teal. Funny, I don't think it's one of my best or even better efforts, but DH loves it (and he certainly is not a fan of purple!). He was smart. Not like me:



See me shivering on Keys Lookout in Joshua Tree National Park (at a mile above sea level) blowing, blowing, gone! Wish I had thought to bring some of my warm knits along- I'm wearing a lined rain coat over 2 jackets and still freezing. But who knew we'd have wind chills close to zero deg F? In Palm Desert it was about 80 deg F and folks were swimming!
Travel nugget: if you are ever out in the Palm Springs area of SoCal, do go to the Coachella Preserve at Thousand Palms. It's free (they ask for a $3 to $5 donation per car), it's unique (a waterfall in the desert- how cool is that?), and it's fun. Easy hikes, and the temps were easily 10 to 15 deg cooler in the oases than out in the sun.

I'm Back

Back from nearly 2 weeks in SoCal, as the natives like to call it. That's a photo of Malibu above and Joshua Tree National Park below. Our travels ranged from Malibu to central coast wine country (think "Sideways"), Beverly Hills, Hollywood, the western San Fernando Valley, the Mojave Desert, and the Palm Springs area. Celebrity sighting: Minnie Driver in Beverly Hills, spotted (really jostled by) while window-shopping on Rodeo Drive (as if I could really buy anything on Rodeo Drive, however we did have lunch there; pricey but delicious). It was a great trip. More pictures to follow as I process them.


Speaking of deserts: The photo I took while in Tucson last year is now officially on Schmaps. You can see it (along with more info about the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum here.