April 4, 2020 Death Valley, California

It was 80 degrees and sunny. A bit of wind. We went into Death Valley and drove up Echo Canyon and Hole in the Wall. We found out on the way out the Death Valley is now closed. You can only drive though on the highway, but not stop and sight see, camp or hike.

Echo Canyon has a windy lower gorge with rugged walls and right now is full of wild flowers. It is a primitive  road and we went up in two jeeps. This peculiar arch is called Eye of the Needle. The flowers in the in the foreground are brittle bush 

Bat Mountain, Indian paintbrush, turpentine bush, yellow flower. Phacelia and evening primrose, phacelia, pygmy poppies, Indian Paintbrush. 

John took this photo of us socially distancing. Me , Susan, Lorraine, and Judy. At the end of the road we hiked up to this petroglyph site.  

Petroglyphs and frozen waves.

Brittle bush growing in the rocks, rattlesnake weed, Fremont's phacelia, and tent caterpillars. Gilia, orange butterfly, Fremont's phacelia and mallow.

We had lunch here at the Inyo gold mine ruins. An into the ground house.

Mining relics on a table, petrified waves, mojave aster, and weird lines in the rock. A few of the standing and fallen down buildings at Inyo mine.  

Looking out two different windows at the Inyo mine.  On the way back a view of snow on Telescope peak with brittle bush in the foreground. 

An unnamed arch and Eye of the needle with brittle bush.

A field of white gravel ghosts, purple phacelia and yellow evening primroses. The view of the floor of Death Valley, the Panamint mountains and a cool cloud. 

Twenty Mule team canyon. We went up a different through the Hole in the Wall. 

Cool clouds through the Hole in the Wall. A field of monkey flowers. 

Looking back into the Hole in the Wall. Judy and Lorraine's jeeps.  

Sunset in Shoshone tonight.  Phacelia and evening primroses, Fremont's phacelia, poppies and yellow flowers, mohavea and crypanthia, desert gems and beaver tail cactus. 

Purple, yellow and white flowers, yellow flowers and some white buds. Chia, a red tipped bush, fragrant crypanthia and evening primroses. 

March 29- April 3, 2020 Shoshone, California

High 60's and sunny.

I spent the afternoon teaching the boys next door how to make baskets. Mom too. We had a great time, but I ended up making most of the boys baskets. 

Sunset tonight. We had a virtual happy hour with some of our friends in the Bay Area this afternoon. Judy, John and Judy.

Sunset tonight with the historic garage in Shoshone.  It was 75 and sunny today. Perfect day to sit in the lawn chair and work on the masterpiece. I am working on hopefully the last row of tangerine orange needles with purple thread. 

72 degrees and sunny. We social distanced and worked on our art. My sister Judy is finishing a sweater she started 60 years ago, Judy D and I are working on baskets. On my bike ride this evening I saw some yellow back lit brittle bush and some purple mat. 

On my bike ride this evening the light must have been just right. I have been by  here a million times and never seen this cave, so I walked up and looked in. Willie, Robbie, Torian, Lilly and Ruud drove up and sang Judy happy birthday. Robbie lets the boys steer his Teryx around their house in the evenings.  

John cooking  sausage, peppers and onions for dinner. I asked him to stir the pot for the photo, he is showing you that there is nothing in it yet. No clouds for sunset, but there was a rosy glow on the horizon. 

We had another stitch around the patio today. This is Judy's sweater that she started 60 years ago. She made the design of the DNA molecule. It was right after Watson and Crick discovered the sequence and it was in Life magazine. I started this new basket.  

This basket is done. It 8 x 8 x 2 1/2 inches. Made with natural and dyed pine needles. The center is a piece of glass I made, beveled and polished. And little bears.  No clouds again at sunset, just a glowing rosy sky. In the foreground is hay mower. 

Another lovely day. The building census man came by. Not for people, but buildings and a specific building. Of course we know very little about it, so he interviewed John as a knowledgeable neighbor. But he didn't have enough knowledge, we sent him to the town office.  It was a wonderful, 70 degree day and sunny. This is a view from my bike ride. I rode more and walked less today, must be getting in better shape! 

I stopped at the Crowbar to visit with Tex. He has been busy, there were pistol shells around his feet. John got us take out dinner from Steak and Beer in Tecopa. It was wonderful.  It was warm enough to have dinner outside tonight. Thank you dear.