The First Inhabitants:

At last, for the first time ever in Joshua Tree, I have seen a snake. I saw him, or her, passing through as I looked down from my ladder at the back of the new shed. I hear about rattlesnake sightings every so often but I have never seen one; not even the skin that they shed periodically. However, this one was not a rattlesnake. It had tan and grey stripes running the length of his body. I may have found him online at the Mojave National Preserve site and at Californiaherps.com: the Desert Rosy Boa. You can compare my pictures to their's and judge for yourself. There are normally plenty of cottontail rabbits and lizards that hang out in that spot (though not at that moment) so their scent could be what attracted him.

Speaking of lizards, I have a Chuckwalla that likes to peak his head up over a boulder at the end of the deck now and then and occasionally take off at a mad scramble across the deck. It is almost hysterical watching this because he can't get a grip on the smooth wood so he does a kind of scratchy run-wobble-dance across the expanse. Usually he catches me by surprise and is gone before I can grab my camera. A couple of times I have actually been ready and alert for him with camera in pocket but he has not chosen to run the gauntlet at those times.

I also have a Roadrunner passing through now and then. He seems to have little concern for me, though he keeps a safe distance of at least six feet or so. I have the feeling that he is very observant, perhaps intelligent, and knows a heck of a lot more about my habits then I do about his. Once he actually leaped up on a boulder at the end of the deck apparently just to satisfy his curiosity and take a look around. He did this knowing full well that I was right behind him snapping pictures. I could almost swear that he even posed for me from time to time.

Then there is the Blue Jay, California's Western Scrub-Jay without a crown, that likes to go fishing in my bucket of gray water. My sink drains through a pipe into a bucket beneith the end of the deck. You can see the bucket in the shot of the Roadrunner. When it fills up I replace it with an empty bucket and set the full one nearby where I can get to it if a need it for rinsing or whatever. Since it includes the scent of food from having washed my dishes in the sink, it attracts a few flies who end up floating on the surface. Then the Blue Jay swoops in, lands on a branch above the bucket, looks around awhile, and then hops down to the edge of the bucket and plucks out the flies. These guys are smart.

Then there are the California quail with their curved black crowns hanging out over their foreheads that pass on through from one favorite hangout to another, usually first thing in the morning. They are interesting to watch as I sit at the picture window eating my breakfast. They behave something like chickens with their heads bobbing up and down as they peck away at whatever tiny seeds that they apparently have no trouble finding in the soil. They are skittish and if you move, they will leave. However, once I actually watched a couple of adults pass by with a bevy of chicks mid-afternoon and I got some pictures. These chicks were not in tow; they were scattered around helter-skelter and the parents could not seem to do much about it except kind of lead them in a general direction. If a Coyote happened by then that would be it for the chicks. Then again, I don't recall ever seeing Coyotes pass by mid-afternoon.

We get a lot of different birds coming through, drinking from the dog water, perched on the flag pole, resting on the roof of the house trailer or the shed, enormous flocks of something way up in the sky, a family of 2 or 3 ravens playing and patrolling back and forth throughout the day, and even a solitary Peregrine Falcon up on the hill quietly looking things over. That is definitely a partial list. I have seen many more including a pair of Golden Eagles a few years ago way up the hill. I hear about these enormous California Condors with a nine foot wingspan that occasionally glide in behind and above somebody and startle the heck out of them.

Tom & Katherine:

Around mid-March I met Katherine Holden, Tom's wife though keeping her pen name. She appeared over in the rocks across from me above their place looking something like a blond peter pan flitting lightly between the rocks. Tom is famous among rock climbers so she of course would have to be of a similar persuasion. Katherine immediately came over and introduced herself. She is delightful and fun to converse with. She is almost constantly active as she flows from one thing to the next, getting things done. Sue had joked, "Just watching Katherine exhausts me". We do generally get an interesting crowd around here.

I met up with Tom a day or two later as he was struggling to replace the rubber lining of the fish pond in back of their (or Chris & Jeph's) place. Sue had moved out so they were also renovating the apartment intending I think to use it as a place to stay on visits to Joshua Tree. Normally they live and work in Vegas, he as an audiologist. In the process, they had removed the old swamp cooler, a large louvered metal box with motor, fan and metal tubing. They replaced it with a small air conditioner. Air conditioners used to be power hogs so people installed swamp coolers. Now, according to Tom, the new air conditioners are rated as being as efficient as swamp coolers. They asked me if I could be hired to transport their accumulating debris to the dump. At the time, I was not ready to take anything else on but I agreed to let them know later on.

More Water:

On April 25, I brought in another load of water. I could not find Dave Fallaf who had brought us water when we first arrived. I called every other possible alternate source in the local phone book and newspaper, all of them leading to dead ends. Either they did not deliver to my area or their hose was not long enough to reach my water tubs. I was up a dry creek and back to filling jugs in town when I got a call from a gentleman who had heard of my plight from one of the dead ends. He had a brand new water truck and was definitely interested in developing new business. His name was Paul Wood and he comes out of Twentynine Palms.

He is a heck of a nice guy; the big gentle type who enjoys life and likes people; one of those rare individuals where you like him immediately and know you can trust him. He may be a bit evangelical for my liking though he did try to be subtle about it. He can't help it. I used to be that way about Shaklee supplements and their organic cleansers like Basic-H - absolutely the best, and doing God's work because they pollute nothing (if you recycle), not even the mind. :) Anyhow, when we first met, he said, "Hello, brother!", and I said, "Oh, yer a jar-head, huh?", and he said "No" as he went on to explain what he meant. Nice guy, friendlier then Dave - but at least Dave was able to obsess on the solar panels that he had installed at his place, which I did want to know about.

Degrees Of Completion:

On May 16 at 2:41 PM it got up to 111 degrees outside in the shade though only 100 degrees in the trailer. I like heat but I found myself thinking some about my scheduled June 3 return to Massachusetts wondering if I should have made that Expedia.com reservation for 2 weeks earlier. My thinking is slow at that temperature. I then recalled that I was not ready to leave; I still had work to do on the shed and on the trailer roof. Eileen was no help; she wanted me home, Now!

I was painting the exterior trim of the shed and also repairing and painting the roof of the trailer. I only worked on them mornings before the sun came over the hill and evenings if not still too hot. As soon as the sun hit I slowed my pace, went indoors and stayed there. There were plenty of odd jobs to do inside, less important jobs that I had left for later - adding door latches, installing blinds, moving spare lumber up into the rafters, though I didn't stay up there too long; heat rises. I still had a hinged wall with sliding door to build up there to finish off the dormer. Most of that wall was done mornings also.

With completion of the shed trim and the trailer roof the critical work was done. A couple of mornings (after the sun came over the hill) I went into town and got breakfast at my favorite place, The Country Kitchen. A stack of large cakes, 2 eggs over easy, 2 bacons, 2 sausages, a large glass of OJ, coffee. Nice. And great service by good friends Mareine and Peng Uy who escaped Cambodia a long time ago, who then studied in the USA to become a computer programmer and engineer/helicopter pilot, who then retired to buy their (her) own lttle business. I think that is how it went down.

I also realized that this would be a good time to haul Tom's stuff away. On the 22nd I removed the bucket seats, tied a few of my things to the roof of the van and then drove next door and put Tom's goods inside and on top. My stuff consisted primarily of the old picture window I had replaced in the trailer and some odds and ends. I got a picture of that but by the time I loaded the swamp cooler and the other stuff I was too sweaty and exhausted to pull out the camera; at 100+/- degrees I just crawled into the van and drove away with a welcome breeze in my face.

Most of it, including the swamp cooler, I sold to Wolf's Recycling in Yucca, receiving about $4 or so for that. Then I drove 15 miles out to the Landers landfill, paid the $10 entry fee and dumped the rest. Then about 20 or so miles getting lost, not knowing I was lost until the last few miles when I found myself coming down into Joshua Tree from the north. It should have been from the west. Looking at the map now, I realize that either direction was perfectly fine. At least that gave me a chance to try out the air conditioning in my van. I think it made a difference. I went home, grabbed my soap, towel and clean undies and returned to town to take a very pleasant 7 minute shower at Coyote Corners.

Transition:

On Saturday, June 3, Enterprise Rent-A-Car picked me up and took me back to their office to sign papers and take away the car, which I did.

I then went by Ron & Lauren's to say goodby, where I also got a look at the new adobe wall they were having installed around back to give them some privacy and to serve as a solid barrier to protect the desert tortoises they had rescued over the years, and the iquana that had been with them for many years but liked climbing the chain-link fence and wandering off. They had also put in a jacuzi that they were looking forward to.

I then went by Bill's to say goodby as he showed me the magnifcent new stonework and landscaping that he had sculptured around an extended patio. Recreating the original patio and overhanging roof would be next on his list. Both places are going to be very nice to sit awhile with friends and have a beer or two. I only hope that one day we can offer something similar in it's beauty and tranquility.

I stopped by Jean Davis's place and said goodby as we stood outside and observed the blanket of flies that covered her newly painted yellow wall. I think this had something to do with Carol & Rick's horses across the street, though Carol says they are doing everything possible to control it. I had also noticed an unusual number of flies at our place recently as I had to make a point of keeping the trailer's screen door shut. They had not been noticable in the past but now they were a real nuisance, though no where near as bad as at Jean's.

Back at my place, I finished packing and moving everything loose into the shed. It was real nice knowing I had a secure dry place to put the stuff. At 11:48 it was 105 degrees out and only 90 degrees in. After my final beer and a sweaty nap, it was up to 111 and 98. Then I went next door to say goodby to Chris and Jeph, though she was not around. Ron came by on his new Kawasaki bike to say goodby, surprising in this heat, and therefore appreciated.

At 5:30, I took some final shots, said goodby to the trailer and its younger companions and drove off. Through Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley, down the hill to I-10 and west to the Ontario International Airport. I think this was the nicest airport I had ever seen; it was like driving through a well landscaped park before I even noticed the modern buildings. I turned the car in at 6:50 and paid the $108 fee for the convenience of that trip. That included a $45 one-way penalty.

Next time I am going to find out what a taxi would charge. I am surprised that they don't have a bus service in that direction. At least I cannot find any online and nobody I ask knows of any. I suspect it will happen within a few years. There is a bus to Palm Springs, but I guess you are expected to fly from there.

Since typing that, I have found that Amtrak can get me from Palm Springs to Ontario on a $39 bus, so that is something I can explore the next time around. I could fly out of Palm Springs (currently $374) instead but that is $146 more then Ontario ($228), so not really worth it. Just to round off this comparison, a flight out of LAX is $244 - all to T.F. Green Airport, northwest of Providence, RI. Those are the most recent quotes that Expedia sent me, which they send every few weeks. I am not sure whether those are roundtrip or one way, with or without fees. My one way trip on June 3 was $204 including fees.

Getting through check-in at 'ONT' was a breeze. They checked my shoes and bag, including both computers, and passed me through. I located my gate to get my bearings and then walked back to a small fast food place and ate a fairly horrible dinner, reading a good book by Rob Palmer, "No Time To Hide", until it was time to board. It was so nice in there, I don't recall even needing to go outside for a smoke. I changed planes in Vegas where I believe I was able to smoke in a lounge. Again in Phily. I arrived in Providence shortly before 9:00 AM EST, and there was that lovely blond lady waiting for me, always lookin' good, with a big grin on her face. We drove home in her Jeep. It was a little cooler there, 55 degrees and raining, but nice to be back.

November 21, 2006 10:46 AM          Subject: Van's late News from Joshua Tree - 2005

Well, here it is, at last: the real 2005 newsletter! But it is kind of small isn't it? If you received my newsletter in the past then you know that it was a long drawn out document, but with a link provided near the top to its online equivalent: "Van's Journal".

You had a choice:
1. Read the email document, as is and be done with it, or
2. Click on the link and read the online journal, which would include a ton of fascinating pictures to click on.

Well, as you can see, I have stopped sending the newsletter version; now I provide only the link, with a few words.

The reason is primarily twofold:
1. This newsletter would have been very long and would therefore consume way too much of your computer's resources, especially if you are using an older computer and/or are still using a slow dial-up connection, as are all of my friends in the back-woods of Joshua Tree who actually helped (perhaps unknowingly) to create the content.
2. Spam filters are everywhere and many are looking for any excuse to deep-six an email that was sent to more then a certain number of recipients, whatever that number may be. Hopefully they will accept this short inoffensively worded note with only one harmless little link - sent to more or less 18 recipients at a time, times 3.

So, click on the following link. When you get there, Save it as a Favorite so that you won't have to go looking for this email again, assuming you will want to read it over multiple coffees at different times. Then click on "The Journal".

On the other hand, I would prefer that you hang onto this for awhile - if you enjoyed reading the Journal, then you can Reply to this email and let me know what you think. You don't have to, but I do like the responses I get (well, most of them).

If you don't like the Journal then you didn't read far enough. All you have to do is right-click the Favorite entry and Delete it. (Sorry MAC people: no right-click for you - blame Apple.) But don't give up too soon: you might enjoy the part about the Desert Rosy Boa, the Cougar, or my big little shed with dormer.

Note also (boy I can really drag things out): if you did receive the last 2005 newsletter last December (yeh, 11 months ago), go down the menu on the Journal page to "Day 001". That is where the new stuff begins.

Enjoy: http://www.blakeman.net/_VA/CA/JT/2005/JT05.php. Bye, Van

11:10 AM Thank you Van for the email. I did a quick read and view of the photos, enjoyed what I've been able to read right now. I'm printing to take home to Allen. Happy Holidays to you and Eileen. Sue

2:08 PM We LOVE to get your messages and travel journals and your wonderful pictures!

The weather here in New England has been strangely warm, we have been kayaking all fall, biking, walking, and just plain enjoying this. I know its warmer and nicer out west, as Richie's sister and family leave New Hampster for La Jolla every October, and always are telling us how lovely the weather is.

Oh, almost forgot, us Apple creatures just hold down the control key to make like a right mouse button.

I love the picture of the dual truck full of oranges on the highway! I took a picture of a truck full of citrus in Belize once on a narrow dirt road, coming right for us, like he didn't see us, we were in a tiny pickup, and had to pull off into the ditch to let him go by. That was the only other vehicle (except bicycles) that we saw that entire day going up into the mountains to the Jaguar preserve.

Speaking of Jaguars, that Cougar must be a pretty big cat! I hope Molly never goes outdoors at night except with you, and on a leash. We had a huge coyote saunter thru our yard this morning, such a beautiful animal he is. I hope he takes care of some of our squirrels, one of Julie's friends at work got bitten by a squirrel the other day when he was cleaning leaves. And had to undergo the Rabies treatment, I had that happen too a couple of years ago when our dog Muffin and I tangled with a sick Raccoon.

Your new site is really nice, with the pictures all set right into the text, just like a book. Richie was looking at how you have your propane supply and your generator set up. Quite a lot of work you have done to make your homestead in those pretty mountains.

We will be taking a big telescope up to Susie's husband's farm in the mountains of Maine, as there is no light pollution there to interfere with viewing. Since there is no electricity there (Except for their little Honda generator) I think he will get an inverter to run the clock drive of the scope off my truck battery, it should be OK for several hours of viewing.

Anyway, have a great year, and hope to see you all next summer! Janie and Richie

December 12, 2006 5:18 PM

Hey Van, The Tree is looking good; the road, the shed, the trailer, etc. I haven't seen Joshua Tree for many years and miss it. When you move there I'll come and visit. Have a cool Xmas. Doug

December 20, 2006 5:52 PM          Subject: More late News from Joshua Tree - 2005

Hi, In addition to the Journal that I told you about a month ago, the 2005 web site has now been completed with:
  A gallery of interesting pictures;
  A long drawn out photographic dissertation on how I built the new shed with dormer;
  An article on how to make multiple purchases on Amazon.com, including how to avoid the S&H 'Gotcha';
  And even a copy of a newspaper article mentioning a good friend of ours whom I first met in JT in 1968.

Enjoy: http://www.blakeman.net/_VA/CA/JT/2005/JT05.php.    Bye, Van (Let me know what you think)

December 20, 2006 8:03 PM
Van, just wanted you to know Jane's e-mail has changed - Comcast has taken over. It's [deleted]@comcast.net. Ginny

9:30 PM From: Van          To: Ginny       Cc: Jane
Thank you Ginny.          Hello to you, Jane???

9:34 PM From: Jane   To: Van           Cc: Ginny
Hi Van          Happy Holidays - or if I remember you - Bah HumBug!!
Thanks, Ginny,          Van - Say hi to Eileen for me. Jane

10:09 PM From: Van   To: Jane          Cc: Ginny
Humph!

8:35 PM Hi Van and Eileen, Love your site, love the photos!

Your shed is a work of art! Your pictures are just wonderful, what fun to do a project like this. I should show you our shed project, but we cheated and bought a pre-fab one from Vermont. Here it is, it was a lot of fun, but not the great job you did.


You do have a nice view from up high. Just think you should have made your shed about 4 times bigger. Not too big, or you end up with houseguests!

We too have a sign like that on our incinolet in Maine, "Do not put anything into the head that you have not eaten first!"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/janecarter/261656319/.

Keep sending your pictures and journals, they are fun! All the grandkids will be here for Christmas, so I better get doing some cooking, wrapping, cleaning, preparing,,,,,,,,, Merry Christmas from Janie and Richie!

10:41 PM I had to look that one up: Thraxil.org (music.for-robots):

incinolet brings new meaning to the phrase “light a fire under your ass”... DeepCerulean @ 2005-01-28 08:47:16 and i'm relieving on a jet flame don't know when i will crap again i am awesome. emile. @ 2005-01-31 23:07:39

Thank you for the very nice complements, ma'me.   Your shed looks like it will hold a lot more stuff then mine.

Kristin & Carl [see Janie's pics above] are old clients of mine. Either I quit or he fired me. He told me to start working nights processing his data and I told him he would have to pay me double for that. Merry Christmas

December 23, 2006 7:16 PM

Van:

I think you seem to have found a place for yourself in the California desert. And I think I know why you sought out that place. I don't think that it's for the reasons most often heard (climate, etc). [I must note here that I observe your web site all the time.] I think you have found "community. I don't mean that you have found "a" community (although you may have found that, too), but (to steal something from E. Hemingway) a clean well lighted place. This is meant in a           soulful sense... nothing tangible. These places can't really be defined in words. More... feelings. Community is the opposite of loneliness, so that must be involved. But many, many other qualities have to be included also. For me, I always have, when "out there", a sense of (a) being very close to the essence of nature itself, (b) being part of nature itself, and truly understanding that feeling, and (c) being close to friends (some of whom, I know, are ghosts. Community is so, so good. [A Clean Well Lighted Place is a well know short story - only seven pages long.]

I was brought up in a really nice northern New Hampshire community. I found a really good desert community in Arizona and never wanted to leave it. Poor health intervened, and now when I get back to the Sonora, the community that I was becoming a part of is, I am finding, becoming overrun with a blossoming border population growing northward from Nogales. In any event, I have explored the area widely (much of the time with Susan) and WE know where to go.

I'm writing because I don't know where you are. I haven't tried to find you, though. [I ascribe to the theory of letting everybody "be"... unless I really need help.] I can fill up most of my days with computer related activities. Everything (that I have gotten to, computer-wise) seems to be working and in good order. I sort-of started with DIGITAL photography after working with/on film for about twenty years. Since I got to be pretty good with film, I didn't want to change. If you've been to a store that has anything to do with photography, digital point-and-shoot cameras have become ubiquitous. I figured that I might as well get going with it. I must admit that not having to wait for film to be developed is convenient, but I still had a hard time getting comfortable with it until I purchased a good single lens reflex camera. Konica-Minolta (the primary type of equipment that I have) sent me a sizable coupon to be used toward the purchase of their only model slrd camera, along with a note informing me that they were getting out of the camera business. They wanted to make sure that they sold off their remaining inventory. I have always found their equipment to be very good, reasonably priced and very capable... so I bought one of the last cameras that they made. I'm pleased too, because it is very good.

I have wanted to write for a long time now, but my back has been so painful that I couldn't sit down long enough to do it. This is just one impression of your web site (I have a few others that I'll get to you ASAP). I think that it is big enough now, which means that I HUMBLY think you might try making that which you have developed, better. I'm not making a qualitative comment here. It has a nice size to it now.

If I start asking questions about Joshua Tree - the place, I'll never stop. It looks like your progress there is "solid". It looks good. Now all you need to build is a geodesic dome, and start inviting the flying saucers..... NO. I really, really like those domes. They work. From a carpenters point of view, there are a lot of potential for leaks..... But that's not really a problem where you might build.

Susan doesn't know it yet, but we might build one in Arizona.

Bob Tinel

December 31, 2006 6:34 PM

Just read your journal, looked at the gallery and shed "birth" - you guys are a riot. Could you build a small house there if you wanted to? How far away is your nearest neighbor? What do you use for power, a generator? It looks like a great getaway, and must admit, that's the first shed I ever saw with a dormer. What, no fireplace??? Have any of you seen the cougar lately? I think I'd go out walking in Molly's cage, feet through the door. Hope you're having a great time - Happy New Year. Virginia and Ed

Copyright © 2006, Van Blakeman