March 15-22, 2023 Shoshone, California

 67 degrees, cloudy and some rain and wind. 77 in Death Valley when we left. 

Our friends Tracy and Doug were in Death Valley today. We had a nice but short visit with them. We left the Inn today. Good bye pool!

I went on a short hike today on the Shoshone wetland trails. It started out sunny, but then this huge storm rolled in. I got back to the bus just before it started to rain. It was raining at sunset, but there was this tiny bit of pink on the horizon. 

65 and sunny. These are a couple of special order hair barrettes I made from pine needles. We had dinner with Mac and Rod last night. They are staying in the Bunkhouse in Shoshone. 

Sunset. 70 and sunny. Ted Faye gave a talk at the museum this afternoon on the history of mining in Death Valley. He has written a couple books about this area and made some documentary movies. Great talk. 

We had happy hour on the Primrose Patio tonight. I scored this huge pile of beads, tools, findings, cords etc.- about 8 inches high here from a friend who inherited them. I am going to have to make a lot of baskets to use them up.

This middle of this basket started out as a barrette. It was way too big, so I added sides and made it into this. It is made from natural and dyed pine needles, polyester thread, glass beads, a dichroic glass center I fused and an old earring. It is 6 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches. Rod and Mac's daughter and husband arrived today, so we  had a welcoming happy hour on the Primrose Patio. 

62 degrees, mostly cloudy, rainy and high winds with gust up to 50 mph. Judy and decided to go out for a walk. Threatening clouds over downtown Shoshone. There was this huge bright rainbow on our hike. 

Arch on the Aqua trail. Sue in the arch on the Aqua trail. 

We were entertained tonight by Lilly furiously digging for a gopher. We are easily entertained. John came in from working on the trail with a line on his head from his hat, which he said was his halo and posed as an angel.

60 and partly cloudy with some wind. There was no rain in the forecast, but it came anyway. The vintage sign in downtown Shoshone with rain clouds. Mac served us a wonderful burrito delicious tonight. Good food and good friends. 

March 14, 2023 Death Valley, California

 76, cloudy, rainy and very windy. 

We woke up to rain. Rain on the pond behind our casita. John discovered that to fix the gap in the casita curtains was to clip them shut with a clippy hanger.

John on the computer in our casita during the rain storm. The wind in the palms. 

We went for a short walk around the Inn grounds. A view into the event center. 

The event space. Bougainville's near the tunnel under the Inn. 

A weird dead palm tree. Pond in the gardens. 

We had a drink as a memorial to Laurie. John and he used to have a drink before dinner together. A view of the garden. I keep trying to get a good photo of the gardens, they are too big to photograph. 

Wild hook cloud. Happy hour inside since there weather was not that great. 

James and Judy riding on the back of the golf car to dinner. Dinner at the Inn. 

Jill, my niece and I are twins. Judy's birthday cake after dinner. 

March 9-13, 2023 Shoshone to Furnace Creek, California

 High of 77. Partly cloudy and very windy.

Finished this masterpiece. It is made from natural and dyed pine needles, polyester thread, ceramic and glass beads. The center is a pot my friend Susan made for me with holes drilled along the rim. It is 10 inches in diameter and the top is tilted, 5 1/2 on one side and 7 and 1/2 on the other. I love how it came out. 

The bottom of the basket. I also completed these two beaded pendants. Both are beveled, polished dichroic glass. They are very sparkly and different colors at different angles and light. They came out very well. I am getting better at the beading. 

Sunset started out with these nice under lit clouds, then turned into running horses. 

Low 80's, sunny and no wind. We went down to Death Valley for our annual family Death Valley trip. There was one small patch of flowers. Desert gold, phacelia, gravel ghost and evening primrose. Patch of desert gold.

John with the desert gold. I am in my happy place, the pool at Furnace Creek Inn.

The garden at the Inn is my second happy place.  Palms, flowers and water. 

John on our way to dinner. The garden terrace rooms at the Inn.

 We had dinner at the Inn, good good and good company. 84 and sunny, no wind. Judy Jill and I hiked down to Furnace Creek Ranch to the ice cream shop. Hiking back to the Inn. Really shows what an oasis this is, there is hot dry desert all around it. 

Lizard, broad leaf gilia, bougainvillea in the gardens, mohavea,  and  phacelia. The garden at the Inn.

The pool, aaahhhh. The back of our casita.

The front of our casita. Happy hour at Judy and Jill's casita. 

Judy driving like a mad woman in the golf cart with Jill. Dinner at the Inn.