Dreams, Moments, Travels
Out in the middle of nowhere on our way back to Phoenix, Arizona. Besides the fact that there are no services for the next 57 miles or 92km which is unheard of in Germany, where Jutta is returning to in just four days, it was the sign about the prohibition of sheep and goats that caught our eye. Happy New Year, and welcome to 2014.
We are in Death Valley National Park on the last day of the year. With Jutta having been here a couple of other times, we decided to take her into a corner she hadn’t visited yet, nor had we.
To get to our surprise location, we had to head to the west side of the park and find the Emigrant Canyon Road turnoff.
Our route took us right into the snowline on this beautiful blue sky day.
We are at the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns that are now long out of use, but back in the late 1800s they were busy at work making charcoal for the miners in the area.
Our views were spectacular up here, affording Jutta sights of Death Valley that few take the time to see. From way up here, we needed to way back down there as Caroline needed to get to the visitors center before they closed so she could be sworn in for her newest Junior Ranger badge.
With a stroll down a boardwalk in Death Valley, we closed out 2013.
There are times when capturing photos becomes secondary to getting to a place, especially when leaving later in the day.
We were heading into the California desert with Jutta to her second favorite place in America, Death Valley.
We stayed overnight near Camarillo so we’d be near our departure point on the Pacific Ocean.
Caroline, Jutta, and I were on board a boat heading out to the Channel Islands.
It was a perfect day.
With calm oceans, the sun shining, and a slight coolness in the air, but for a late November day, it was perfect weather.
When we arrived at the islands, the step to get off the boat was a bit precarious and left me more nervous than Caroline and her mom. With some cajoling, I convinced them it was better to stay on board. Lucky for us, the Captain of our craft was good with that and took us on a slow tour of the island.
We learned more about the history of the island and efforts to preserve it. Spotted this natural arch and some scuba divers who were close to the mouth of the inlet.
The waters were obviously clear. On a nearby rock outcropping, a bunch of cormorants were sunning their wings, just enjoying the day as we were.
I have to admit that it was often difficult to see the still hurt little girl inside my sometimes brusk mother-in-law. She didn’t really want to have a sense of humor, but she knew how to laugh, and it’s always been a delight when it comes out of her. I never really know if she enjoys everywhere, we take her or if she’s just happy to hang out with us and see our happiness. I’ll miss this smile when it’s gone; I hope it lives on within me for the rest of my life.
I cannot tell you how this smiling woman is gracing me with such a beautiful gaze, but I know I love her dearly. Today was a bit difficult because of me as I really kind of insisted we stay on the boat, and they both knew I was a bit disappointed. They tried reassuring me that we should try to have Jutta step off the boat but my sense was too strong that Jutta’s strength wasn’t there if she were to slip. So, through what likely appeared as gnashed teeth, I told them I was fine. They both knew better. Not to say we didn’t have a great time on the ocean exploring the island from near the shore but they know I can be difficult. It’ll weigh heavily on me that these memories of not always being easy to deal with.
Back on land and down south, we stopped in at the Red Lion Tavern in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles for some German food. Not only did my mother-in-law finish that big dark beer but she had a couple of shots of Kirschwasser, and I think it was those two drinks that did her in as she was pretty tipsy as we were leaving. The day closed out with us checking into a motel before heading back to Phoenix the next morning.
After a good long rest to get over jetlag, we were on our first getaway with a weekend trip to California.
Our first stop was at the Joshua Tree National Park.
We took our time strolling through the desert so Jutta gets a nice close look at the details of what lives here.
From dragonflies to tarantulas, we spotted more than a few signs of wildlife calling this home.
I’ve said it before, but it bears saying again: it might have taken me a long time to get my mother-in-law to show us a natural smile, but she finally got it figured out.
Along the way, Caroline has been doing a workbook so she could earn her Junior Ranger badge. While Jutta is actively participating in helping Caroline, the prize will be Caroline’s alone.
Back at the visitor center, Caroline turned in her research and studied answers and was once again sworn in as a Junior Ranger.
Drove out to San Diego, California today. I was accompanied by Brinn Aaron who was also intrigued about seeing Amon Tobin tonight. First stop in town was to pick up my daughter Jessica – who’d never been to a performance of electronic music! And this wasn’t just any gig either, it was Amon’s ISAM 2.0 show, he’s been at the forefront of projection mapping adding a major new element to stage performance. Working with Vello Virkhaus of V Squared Labs and his team of evil geniuses, these guys have built a “screen” – if you can call it that, it’s more a 3D cubic form that stretches across the stage and towers high above, that acts as the video screen. Projected onto those cubes are mapped video images and special effects that quite often are in sync with the music, but are always a great compliment to the glitchy throb of Amon’s beats. Almost inconspicuously embedded within the cube structure is a ‘bigger’ cube – it’s the DJ booth where Amon’s working. At the mixing desk is Peter Sistrom, a member of V Squared, but he’s not working the audio mix, he’s operating midi panels that are triggering visual events that are pouring out of Derivative’s Touch Designer into some high powered projectors that are beaming a flow of visual beauty onto the stage.
The show was amazing with a lot of consideration given to the quality of the sound system that hammered away at the audience and vibrated more than a few of my internal organs. Somewhere after the end of the tour, the stage will likely be burned in a bonfire somewhere in the Mojave desert – I can only hope that the next tour is even more extravagant than this two hours of perfection I watched tonight.
Photo credit: Jessica Aldridge