Friday, August 24, 2018

Desert life in Joshua Tree, California

It's been 4 years since I've written anything in here and it would be an understatement to stay that things have changed. I'm not quite sure how I even heard of this place. It might have been some  article in the paper, but one day, about 5 years ago we drove down the 10 freeway and saw this place. It was a dry summer day before the monsoons and we instantly fell in love. We kept coming back here and each time trying to figure out how we could stay. Even when we were enjoying rainy Florida, the mystique of this magical place was tugging at us.

Last year, the stars aligned and we finally made the move. A few months later, we made a commitment and bought a home. Living most of my life in the suburbs, you think you see stars in the night. Out here, our neighborhood is a not quite as crowded. Lights are sparse and the nights are darker. When the moon sometimes disappears behind the mountains, the darkness gives way to the Milky Way. It just seems like there's an infinite amount of them up there. Remnants of the past just looking down at us. They seem to be wondering why we're trying to move through life so quickly with our busy schedules and appointments and obligations and so on and so on. Them seem to twinkle just enough to tell you to slow down a bit. Enjoy the company you have. Dream out loud with my wife about the possibilities of this barren land. A place to finally settle down to watch my daughter grow up. 

Before we moved out here, we bought an old camper and lugged it out here to go camping and got our truck stuck in the sand. It was cramp and we quickly outgrew it, but we always knew she'd find a home to finally settle in to. Not to collect dust and rot away in some heap, but maybe help make some memories for people from the city looking for some quiet....some peace....or at least try to maybe find themselves. Like we are. She must have enjoyed travelling everywhere when she was shiny and new. Felt the love from whoever family got her with dreams of many adventures and memories.