Ending the year in the desert

I'm back in the Mojave Desert, where I spent a month last year. Drove down here with my friend Christine; she's back home after three weeks in the city, and I came down just to be with her on the drive.

We talked and talked. The Central Valley was horribly smoggy, but you rise above it going through the Tehachapi pass, and then you're in the desert, where the sunset was beautiful, and the night is clear and the quarter moon casts a lovely light across the landscape.

Later we'll go to a New Year's party at Perry's house. And tomorrow I'll fly back to San Francisco.

A bow to all who accompanied me so far.

Down to the desert

Drove from San Francisco to the Mojave desert today, to a friend's house outside the town of Twentynine Palms, in an unincorporated area called Wonder Valley. I'll spend the night here tonight, then tomorrow move into the house I've rented about 15 miles from here in (or somewhat east of) the village of Joshua Tree.

I was lucky arriving tonight, because Christine already was making dinner for two guests and she and her partner Deborah just added me on. I arrived just in time for dinner. They had homemade pie, too!

It's about 75 degrees here at 10:20 at night, and I want to go out and look at the stars for a few minutes, but then I have to go to bed, because I drove nine hours (route via Bakersfield and Ludlow) and I'm bushed.