Windy Days in the Desert – March 2020

March 7, 2020March 25, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

March 4-7, 2020 – Even on these windy mornings, I walk in the desert here at LaPosa South (south of Quartzsite, Arizona), drawn to the colorful desert marigolds and Apache plume. In the cool of the mornings, globe mallows looking like tiny rose buds are quite irresistible. I saunter about, taking photos here and there, catching the first rays of sunlight when I can, soaking up the serenity along with the fresh air and ambiance of the desert.

Apache plume and desert marigold make splash of color at dawn

Playing with Snapseed, but I didn’t change the tree color. It just looks like that at sunrise.

Our activities are much as they have been: ham radio and dulcimer for Clifford. We have a great spot with a natural windbreak nearby where he goes to play music protected from the wind. After my morning walks, I edit photos and prepare some for posting on FB or for blogs. Afternoons are spent editing and blog writing. Music for me is usually with my brother Rollie, although he is gone now to a bluegrass festival.

Most days I am in contact with at least one of my kids, often by text, but sometimes a phone call. This is the way it is most of the year, so that is not something new, but now the topic of conversation tends to be about the virus and how it is impacting lives. Although Clifford and I live in a bit of secluded normalcy here in the desert, there is definitely an awareness that things are shifting, and in a way that one might not expect.

Flowers are often sheltered at the feet of great old trees

March Comes Marching In – Arizona – March 2020

March 3, 2020March 21, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

March comes marching in with high winds, but in spite of that, I go for morning walks in the desert here at LaPosa South (south of Quartzsite, Arizona) where Clifford and I are camped.

In the washes protected from the wind, I take photos of the wonderfully blooming vegetation – desert marigold, globe mallow, and the red flowering bush that the hummingbirds like. As I’m out walking, I feel like the flowers and trees are inviting me to sit a spell and just be with them, so that is what I do.

We continue with our projects – ham radio and dulcimer for Clifford, while I edit books, write blogs, play viola with my brother Rollie and Clifford, edit photos for my Higher Vibration Series (learning new editing techniques along the way), and the usual domestic chores.

One of these first days of March, we run errands in Quartzsite and invite Rollie and his friend Tata to join us for pizza after the errands are done. What fun it is to play pool and share a big pizza with family and friends.

More and more news is coming out about the coronavirus. Fear and hoarding of supplies is on the rise, while in China, my son takes his 2-year-old daughter out to play at the beach, having fun and letting her experience that life is good.

February Last Days – Arizona – February 2020

February 29, 2020March 19, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

February 27 to 29: Morning walks in the desert here at LaPosa South, south of Quartzsite, Arizona, are a wonderful way to start the mornings for me. The desert marigold bushes are blooming like crazy and a little sunflower type flower is starting to bloom. Another shrub is loaded with red trumpet-shaped blossoms, and the hummingbirds love it. Tiny tiny flowers in pink, purple, and white hug the ground.

One day I stay at camp and have a campfire instead of walking. Since the campfire ring is on a sandbar in the wash, it still feels like I have left civilization. It is a good place to sit and write in the journal.

Along with our usual projects, we make a trip to Quartzsite one day and have a big overhaul of my laptop another day after it froze up while working on a blog. Sure is a good thing that Clifford was a computer consultant and gets along well with these devices.

It is a time of peace and relative ease for us, in spite of the increasing bad news about the virus, which is now being called Covid-19. I am happy to hear from my son Fin, who lives China with his wife and daughter, that he and his family are well and making the effort to have the greatest sense of normalcy that is possible under the circumstances.

Serenity in the Desert – Arizona – February 2020

February 26, 2020March 18, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

As we near the end of February, more and more blossoms appear in the desert here at LaPosa South, south of Quartzsite, Arizona, where Clifford and I are camped in this BLM long-term area. I find great pleasure in walking in the desert in the morning, taking photos, just being present to the ambiance of the area, the colors, the sounds, the feel of it. I have found a few spots where I can sit on old dead and downed tree trunks, soaking up the morning sun with my eyes closed. I have named the desert Serenity, for that’s what she is to me.

Along with the desert experience, life goes on with trips to Quartzsite for errands, Clifford is recovering from a bout of bladder infection, blogs are written, photos are edited, books are edited, music is played with my brother Rollie who is camped next to us, meals are prepared and eaten, domestic chores are taken care of. No two days are exactly alike, depending on the weather and the needs of the day.

FB posts, Clifford’s ham nets, and the Canadian Broadcast news that we listen to draw more and more attention to the corona virus, some of it factual information, but sensational alarmist headlines take center-stage. Our life changes very little, but we have concern for those who will be facing hardships.

More Desert Days – Arizona – February 2020

February 24, 2020March 15, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

February 20 to 24: Every morning I walk in the desert at LaPosa South, south of Quartzsite, Arizona, where Clifford and I are camped.

It is the time to center myself and I always find flowers or trees to take photos of, often posting one for my Higher Vibration Series. It is important to find that calm peaceful joyful center of my being, as the externals may not always be so calm and peaceful.

One day, clouds move in and there is a bit of a rainstorm followed by a rainbow. Rain in the desert is such a treat, so life-giving. Everything looks fresh and bright after a rain.

We make a couple of trips to Quartzsite for errands and music, but other than that, we are quite content with our spot in the desert with its huge wild “front yard.”

Trees and blooming shrubs in our wild front yard

We continue with our usual projects, ham radio and dulcimer for Clifford; photography, blogs, editing, and viola for me. Almost every day we get together with my brother Rollie and play bluegrass tunes. It is a good life here.

Living at LaPosa – February 2020

February 19, 2020March 12, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

February 16 to 19: Our life here in the desert camping at LaPosa South, south of Quartzsite, Arizona, is somewhat like it would be if we were at homebase in Utah in that we would still have errands, still need to do laundry, still buy groceries. We would still work on our projects: ham radio and dulcimer and CI for Clifford; taking photos, editing, blog writing, and playing viola for me.

What is different is that my brother Rollie is camped next to us, so we share meals, hike together, play music together, and Rollie and I play cribbage almost daily.

Rollie cooks up some burgers for us and friends

And the desert itself – that marvelous bit of land that stretches for miles is the greatest difference. I find peace and joy daily in meandering about, catching the rising of the sun as often as I can and finding the inspiration for my daily Higher Vibration Series. (Daily posts on FB and on my website.)

I have named the desert Serenity, for that is what she is to me.

Desert Days – February 2020

February 15, 2020March 8, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

February 11 to 15: My morning walks are like little retreats for me. A time just to be, not to think deep thoughts, not to work out problems, not to dwell on the meaning of life, just time to be aware of my surroundings: the light of sunrise, birds chirping, flowers becoming more abundant, the variety and texture of desert vegetation, the color and nature of rocks.

Desert ambiance – a visit to the saguaro I call Grandmother

It is hard to not pick up pieces of quartz, some very white and often with crystals embedded, to take back to camp. More and more, I leave almost all of them in place, appreciating them, but not needed to keep them. I take lots of photos and a few of these will make it to posts and even fewer to my Higher Vibration Series.

The special moment of the rising of the sun

Besides the morning saunter, my day is filled with meals (preparing, eating, cleaning up), blogs, editing for a couple of authors, sending texts with photos to family and friends, and playing bluegrass on viola with Clifford and my brother Rollie.

Clifford participates in ham nets daily, but also devotes hours to playing his dulcimer, learning new songs and making accompaniments.

While much of the world is in turmoil over political differences and the spreading coronavirus, we are in a bit of a sanctuary of sorts, with the wind being our most troublesome issue.

My Desert Birthday – February 2020

February 10, 2020March 8, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Monday February 10. LaPosa South, Quartzsite, Arizona. Today is my birthday and I am happy to be alive and well. It is cool and windy when I go out for my morning walk, but it feels good to be outside. I am thinking I should have planned a hike for my birthday activity rather than going to town for pizza.

When I get back from my walk, I mention this to Clifford and within minutes, we have decided to do both, starting with a hike to the mountain that is about 2 ½ miles away. We invite my brother Rollie to join us. A quick smoothie, hiking shoes, water, snacks, hat, hiking sticks, cell phone and charger – and we are on our way.

It is a great day for a hike with clouds keeping it from being too hot. We stop for photos now and then. Since it is my birthday, I am allowed to stop as often as I want.

Clifford and Rollie (looking at quartz) and Ninja

Looking back toward camp, a visual of where we are

More clouds as we approach Shale Mountain

Once we arrive at Shale Mountain, my name for the mountain since up close it appears to be made of nothing but shale, we have our snacks and relax until we see rain in the distance and rain clouds building behind us.

Ninja and Clifford relaxing at Shale Mountain

We hustle on back, no stopping for photos, (well, not many), but the rain storm catches up to us and we are drenched by time we arrive back at camp.

Storm cloud over Shale Mountain catches up with us

After a change of clothes, we all head into Quartzsite and finish off the afternoon with the best pizza ever at Silly Al’s. As we leave, it is pouring rain again, which to me is another gift, making an extra special birthday.

A Trip to Yuma – Arizona – February 2020

February 8, 2020March 7, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Saturday February 8, there is no morning walk in the desert, as Clifford and I are driving from our campsite at LaPosa South to Yuma, Arizona, which is new territory for us once we pass the Palm Canyon turnoff. The drive is scenic in a desert sort of way. In Yuma, we take care of our business, have lunch at Subway, and buy supplies for the upcoming weeks. Back at camp, I put together shelving, stackable bins, that will keep stuff on my side of the bed much more organized and tidy. This is important when living in a small space, and I’m pleased with the results.

On Sunday, I go for the morning desert walk, happy to see the desert marigold bushes beginning to bloom.

Back at camp, as I prepare a photo for my Higher Vibration Series, I experiment with double-exposure. It is fun to try something new and the results are interesting.

Today is a paperwork day, not a fun part of the day, but important. Clifford’s ear is bothering him and he naps a lot. In the evening, we are treated to a beautiful sunset.

My brother Rollie comes for dinner and afterwards, we play cribbage. With a 24-point hand, I win the game tonight. Win or lose, I am still the dish-washer.

We are hearing more and more news of the coronavirus, which doesn’t sound like a good thing going around. Being out here in the desert, mostly by ourselves, it is less of a personal concern than it is for many folks. However, it is does seem that this will have a world-wide effect for its economic impact.

Desert Days – Arizona – February 2020

February 7, 2020March 5, 2020 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Clifford and I are camped at LaPosa South, BLM land south of Quartzsite, Arizona, next to my brother Rollie.

Monday February 3 to Friday February 7:

Monday is very windy, all last night and into the day. Dust at sunrise gives an other-worldly look to the desert when I go out for a morning walk.

Wind continues the next couple of days, although not quite so fierce.

These are days when we mostly stay inside to work on projects, including music with Rollie in his motor home. I edit photos, write blogs, and edit for a couple of authors, including a submission for Ang’s children’s book, Permaculture for Kids, an excellent little book to introduce kids to permaculture.

Interactive introduction to Permaculture

Clifford is involved with his ham radio and dulcimer, writing his own accompaniments.

We make a couple of trips to Quartzsite, one day for mail and another day to pick up our Amazon order, supplements that we sent for, as there is no place to buy locally.

I walk in the desert in the mornings and sometimes near sunset, in spite of the wind.

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