I had been volunteering for a heritage fruit tree grafter, trading hours for baby trees. The foundation orchard was in Bolinas, and I did six beautiful rare Apple illustrations for a catalog that was never published. In May 1993 my unemployment insurance ran out, and I started up a gardening business with my friend Tracy. It was pretty slow, and we still had time to get away now and then for a week or more.
(notes on a photograph–July 16, Desolation Wilderness, Loon Lake. Was this a different trip than–)
Rt 50 through Pyramid Lake. This was a great trip, the first Nevada Hot Springs trip, via Austin and Route 50. This route was partially suggested by my friend Melodie, who said to check out Berlin/Ichtyosaur. Good Call. Spencer’s Hot Spring was a great place to hang out, and we went back and camped there again before heading south via Goblin Knobs, Lake Pahrahnagat. We attempted the back road to Area 51, where we had two flat tires on our Bridgestone “Desert Duelers” that couldn’t handle the sharp quartz splinters of the freakin’ DESERT.
August 15, in Palmdale for Marty’s birthday with Fred, Jo, Lance, Martha and the cousins. We spent evenings drinking beer in the garage, playing guitar, the kids begging Uncle Steve for “Hang On Sloopy”.
The wash behind Soliah’s, August 1993
Notes: Picnic at Little Rock Dam, driving around El Mirage (10 acres, $8,000) Saddleback Buttes, cool old abandoned stone houses–possibly 1995
September-? I remember once in Palmdale a big storm came through. Memory has it that it was the remnants of Hurricane Emily (8/22-9/6/93) that had spun off and come across the southern states all the way to the high desert. Steve was on the patio when the brunt of it hit–I looked out the back door and he was hanging onto the round patio table for dear life, using it as a shield against the fierce horizontal rain. In a few seconds the wind died down, and he was able to make it into the house. Out front, the street was a rushing torrent, flooding over the curb. Many intersections around town flooded, and the wash out back flowed for days afterward.
10/93 Abalone diving w Bones
Travels With Stevie 