Two Wishes

Wish #1:  I hope they never pave these desert roads.

Sullivan Road, 29 Palms, CA

Wish #2:  I hope the desert remains open and undeveloped, and these big vista views are still here for future generations to enjoy.

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Atomic Trailer Ranch

I was in the Home Depot in Yucca Valley (near Joshua Tree) a couple weekends ago and had a total stranger come up to me and said "hey, Pete!". My first thought was "who is this guy!!?", followed by, "wait a second, you look familiar...!" Turns out he is a Facebook friend. A virtual friend I had never met. Such a funny feeling to have "friends" you have never seen face-to-face. Same as in the blogging world. Many of you feel like "friends" even though I have never met you. Anyway, a super-nice guy, he invited us over to his house for dinner. He calls his weekend house in Joshua Tree the "Atomic Trailer Ranch". He has a great collection of old trailers (I lost count of the total number) and vintage yard art (yard art is a big deal in the desert).

Vintage "yard art"

Perhaps how he came up with the name for his property... old trailers and this "atomic ball" to light things up at night!

Have you every come face-to-face with a virtual friend?

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Desert Views

I haven't done any desert photography for a few weeks, so it was nice to get out last weekend with the camera. These were taken near the Indian Cove area in Joshua Tree National Park.

The yucca plants are blooming!

Hard to see, but the barbed wire fence on the left of the yucca in the above photo is the border for Joshua Tree National Park. Step over (or under) it to the left and you are in the Park. That's exactly what I did, and then hiked up the wash, as I took the photos for this post.

Textured photo of side-by-side red barrels.

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Thru The Viewfinder (of an old camera)

I'm traveling all week on business, so another post from the archives. This post is a handful of so-called TTV photos. I'd almost forgotten about this technique, and haven't used it for a while. I guess that's one of the advantages of reviewing your archives from time to time! Anyway, TTV uses a modern digital camera mounted on an old funky camera's viewfinder to add grit, dust, and out-of-focus areas to give the image a vintage look. A little like photos you might find in granny's attic! 

I use an old Kodak Duaflex II camera with a cardboard extension, and focus my DSLR lens directly on the Kodak's viewfinder.

I'm sure I look nerdy walking around the desert looking down through this contraption! Anyway, here's what the pics look like using this process. A fairly random group of shots taken as my wife and I were out exploring the 29 Palms, CA, area a few years ago. I'll be taking my "contraption" out soon to take more of these!!

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Starting the Weekend Off Right!

I took this shot last Friday evening. I remember thinking "how lucky am I?" Out enjoying the desert, chicken on the grill, and a gorgeous sunset. Doesn't get much better than that!

It's only Thursday, but already looking forward to the weekend!

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