The year began with a trip to Uvas Creek, near San Jose, and to see the Snow on Mt DIablo. Steve often rode his bike in the hills, or down to the bay, and took photographs with his little Kodak digital camera.

In early April the Cavepainters played a wedding in Canyon, and the afterparty at Barry’s Earthship up the road. For some reason we drove to the Moraga Safeway for beer and snacks, and leaving the store I tripped over a concrete parking curb and sprained my wrist and ankle. The manager and a clerk came out and brought me water, fussed over me and took my name and info, but I was fine, thanks. We asked for a bag of ice for my ankle and back to the party and played great! for hours, but that week I was hurting, addle-pated, took off work, unable to haul my paintings and missed my class. Plus, we came home to two parking tickets, so the gig was a wash.

It’s hard to describe here how we came to be in Palmdale in April of 2008. Some things are too fractious to dwell on. Don’t know if that is the word for an event, but it was definitely in the aether of that weekend. Trauma, drama, overwhelm, migraines, a difficult year all around, and the crazy neighbor on Essex had reached a crescendo. I buried myself in the record collection in the guest room, Thelonius Monk, Charlie Hunter, Blood on the Tracks, Pet Sounds, Mingus, London Calling. I picked some books and archives out of the stacks of boxes in the garage.

A brilliant loud moon that night, and cold in the morning. A hike in the rainy spring desert, Amargosa Wash was running, and a tamarisk grove had taken hold in the outflow from the new housing tract.

I did not do well at my assigned role, put my foot in it, and later heard my voice on the radio–oh dear, that’s not what I said, or meant, is it? Loading our guitars and gear into the 4Runner, we did not speak.

This is when I learned to pull the energy back to fake a positive demeanor, manipulate the molecules into something creative, positive, wholesome, good, productive. Steal their energy for my own momentum, my own use. Go back and make my own memory, change the future. At least I have that.

Driving north up the coast, Steve and I pulled into a hidden glade by a murky pond of oak leaf tea water, not really a campsite, at Chalk Peak on Plaskett Ridge Road. I found and made nonsense words from burnt and bent nails left in the fire ring. I had just started the Calligraphy series at the Adult School, and was obsessed with letterforms.

We talked at length about the cornered, mad-dog reaction, and felt badly about leaving everyone in that state, but happy as hell to get the hell out. I definitely felt like a negative force in the equation, but Steve said I was Absolutely Right. Still, it left a chill I haven’t gotten over. Ah well, it was election season.

Just that one minute ruined our appetites, we stopped for a fish combo and salads, and took them home. Don’t read the newspapers. Plant beans and lettuce. Feed the birds. Augery of the Ravens at the birdbath. Sleep for twelve hours. Home to a music party, where people say nice things about me and want me to play in their bands. Whew.

Here we are on Memorial Day weekend at the Meadow Muffin, a yearly music and camping party, 2007 dubbed “One For Irish” for Unreal Band guitarist Pat Quinn (that’s him in the photo in front of the stage), who had died just a year before. I’m on bass and vocals, Steve on lead vocal and rhythm guitar with the Cavepainters–w John Ingham on harp, Rick Purcell playing mandolin, Barry Gorin on drums, and guitar help by Matt Parker, because Ed broke his arm dancing and had to go to the hospital.

A shot of Jean Hooker, now departed, holding the CAVEPAINTERS live at KPFA cd cover that I designed.

Sharon’s Tacoma, Mike’s 4x van–and a view of the road from the stage camp to the Meadow.

A month later Stevie and I drove Betsy, our 1957 VW van,  to Black Butte River Ranch at the confluence of the Black Butte and South Fork Eel Rivers to camp and play the July 4 weekend party with the Cavepainters (no photo?)  The water was high, the swimming and hiking spectacular.

Afterwards Steve and I took the back road out of camp and east into Mendocino National Forest for a couple of days, where I chased down and photographed this fat rattler scurrying through the pine needles near our campsite.

For Steve’s birthday i. I signed  us up for an Electric car workshop near Hopland in October.  In between the class and the field trip, we spent a night camping near Jenner, Navarro River, at Paul Dimmick State Beach.  I discovered the secret of winter camping:  I wear at least four layers, and big black fleece lined boots I bought in South Tahoe, with 2 pairs of socks.  Here is Steve celebrating our completion of the first day by making us Bloody Marys in the sea mist and smoke,  10/13/07.

The class instructor Steve Heckroth’s property has a really interesting agglomeration of hand-made buildings.  He says Electricity has properties very much like water.  He trained with Stanley Ovshinsky, who designed and manufactured a kind of solar contact paper for metal panel roofing, and super-efficient batteries, and held many innovative patents.  Really did not expect to meet so many functional people.

Afterwards we drove through Albion north to Van Damme State Park, Site #3, Russian Gulch.   Showers, and pizza on the camp fire oven.  And BATS. Ft Bragg, Willits, around Clear Lake, through Yuba City, Auburn, Placerville, Rt 49 South to Plymouth, east on Fiddletown Road, Shake Ridge, Inland to Pi Pi Campground off Rt 88, El Dorado National Forest.  5000 ft, beautiful, oaks turning brilliant yellow, bright red and peach pink dogwoods.

“Above” Bridgeport Reservoir, 182, Too Cold! Windy!  I think I lost my hat.  Incredible color, everything is YELLOW  Some orange and pink.  Steak, potatoes and corn, bitter windy cold and clear skies. Too wild to make coffee, we split for Bridgeport and had breakfast at Sportsman’s  Bar, then a scalding bath in the bitter wind at Travertine Hot Springs.  Then on to Cherry Lake, where there is No Camping, it’s winter!  Nowhere even to stop for a photograph.

On the way home, we swung by Yosemite, Hetch Hetchy, 10/17/07

Mersey Hot Springs 10/19

and the Pinnacles

In November, after the big Coso Busan oil spill, we went for several hikes around the bay, including to see this super-high tide,

We spent Christmas in Palmdale  that year, as usual.   Steve forgot his backpack, and flashlight.  I forgot my camera, so I bought a new digital Nikon, with vivid, and black-and-white settings, and museum mode, which is a silent, no flash, low-light setting.  Palmdale seems so much calmer this year.

After Christmas we headed to Death Valley, back to stay at the Minetta Mine adopt-a-cabin in the Panamints, 12.27.07   We didn’t stay inside partly due to the stacks of handouts on HANTA VIRUS– although all foodstuffs are secured in plastic boxes in the not-working fridge, I felt better sleeping in my own bedding in the 4Runner..  That night I had some vivid dreams.  Professor Chickenman had a party in his rooms with waaaay too many people, and some huggable chicken people were there, plus one or two ‘drone” people, unable to talk, much less teach at the University.  Professor Chickenman was hitting on me, we was about the size of a chicken, or as I later found out, a Chukar.  He didn’t appreciate being called Chicken-Man.  He had a tiny head and no beak but a pointy beard.  I struggled to get outside, and squeezed out through the throngs like a grapefruit seed–poink!

The next day we headed east, through Ballarat and Goler wash, and dropped down to Warm Springs camp, another volunteer-maintained site where we were cozier and more relaxed making our own camp and sleeping in our own 4Runner. The spring was great, and warm!

Happy New Year!

We did a lot of traveling in 2007– I was photographing, and travelling,  in ernest–the date on my digital camera still said 2006

In late January or early February we went to visit Rosie in Beaver Groach, and drove on pismo beach

In April, we hiked to Steve’s favorite, Limantour Beach , where I lost a clog  .  .  .   a woman took my address, said she would find it and mailed it back to me!

In March, we took an awesome desert wildflower trip, Rt 66 to Sequoiah,   We planned to meet Jean and Jerry at Hole in the Wall (Mojave National Preserve) , or sometime thereafter, but they couldn’t make it.  

We wandered all over the desert,

camped in the Turtle Mountains

and Lost Arch Mine.

Then back through Calico where it started to rain,

along Rt 66 to Daggett and Essex, Ca.

Then north, to Sequoia, where it snowed,

and I got some great low-light shots,

We stopped at California Hot Springs for a soak, and finally, Pine Flat Resevoir.

These are some of my favorite prints ever, and make me miss my old Nikon 5800.

A great early 21st Century camera.

AFTER fourth of July weekend (don’t go there  .  .  .  ) Steve and I met Jean and Jerry at Usal Creek on the Lost Coast.  It was a beautiful weekend, lots of hikes, good food, smoke, beer, photography.

I found a sticky note:  July 22, 2006 (Palmdale)?x Little Rock photo dscn0674  incredibly cold day in the high desert with a storm passing through.  Steve comes from fogland- he’s used to it!

Home via Barrel springs 7/26/06

SLO

Willow Creek 7/26/06

In March, Cousin Fred again invited us to join him for a conference where he was stayng at  Embassy Suites in South Tahoe.  It was snowing, and continued through the night.  We woke up to a white landscape, and I had to buy boots to walk and hike around.  There was complimentary breakfast and happy hour drinks and snacks, and a gym, pool, sauna and hot tub for three days and two nights.  We drove around Lake Tahoe, counter clockwise, in the 4Runner.

Afterward, we drove south, stopping in Sequoiah on the way, to meet Jean and Jerry in Anza Borrego!

After Jean and Jerry left for home, Steve and I spent a couple more days, at Mortero Palms,

Ghost Mountain,

a place we call Tamarisk Grove (space junk?  see full size)

A beautiful slot canyon in later years we found to be shut off from camping-  too dangerous? 

Then back to Desert View Highlands for Easter, and a rare snowfall, before heading home again.

We intended to head back to Chaco Canyon, via the Verde River, which was no longer remote and deserted, but busy and trafficky just on the road in.  Jerome was a nightmare, Sedona full of shopping centers and Republicans.  We made an immediate decision that we had to go farther from LA to get to wilderness, and ended up in New Mexico, Silver City, Gila Cliff Dwellings.