No matter where you were on this beautiful earth last night you got to see a super moon. We drove out to Joshua Tree for a little R&R. Camping these days just isn't what it used to be. We figured out on the drive in that we have been camping in Joshua Tree for 40 years now. Over those years the campers themselves have changed. Joshua used to attract a sort of hippie, laid-back kind of person but now its just regular people who's idea of camping is dragging the city in with them. Big box type recreational vehicles, radios playing, loud talking is the norm now, which is totally sad but in a way will force us into changing. We will go back in the next couple of days, only this time we'll backpack out into the forest of yuccas so we can experience the quiet of the desert, the whole point of going there. We will be by ourselves, well if you don't count the mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and snakes...oh, and the moon.
That's an amazing photo! My husband and I were just talking about taking our boys (5 yo and almost 3 yo) to camping for the first time. It'll be a whole new experience with our little ones. Hiking into the forest of yuccas sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYour camping weekend would have been magical if it wasn't for those inconsiderate louts. Here's to the perfect weekend for you both soon. x
ReplyDeleteOh my God, no not the snakes ! You know that I couldn't possibly go, just for that reason although it must be a terrific experience .... Do take care of yourself ! Btw, my url has changed and as you so kindly put my blog on your sidebar, here is the new one : thefreshstartblog.blogspot.fr Someone told me one day that French girls were a nuisance; well then, I am the essence of Frenchness ! xoxo
ReplyDeleteThat is a shame. I vacation in a loud and drunk manner, but not at the expense of someone else's solitude. I think if the legal drinking age were 18, campsites would be much nicer. They'd be able to drink wherever instead of hidden in tents.
ReplyDeleteThe backpacking sounds like hell. I guess I'm not doing too well on my quest to become an outdoorsman. I did buy a tropic weight blazer for safari though (I have no intention of going on safari).
Doing the "hold it together, pursed lips, silent, shoulder jiggle but no sound comes out" laugh with a couple of inexcusable snorts thrown in, all in a quest to not disturb any campers while reading your comments.
Deletethe moon was breathtaking wasn't it.....it looked like fire across the lake. I just stared it.
ReplyDeleteyou and Larry are so inspiring, not enough to get me to hike in the desert, but enough to always look for the simple beautiful things in my life.
start saving your pennies. :) the house hopefully will be done sometime this fall.
Beautiful photo, Janet. You would probably hate camping near us. Though we are not loud at all, we do have a big old RV with all the comforts of home. While I do like having the RV, there is something much more meaningful about "real" camping. I sometimes miss real camping but then I think about the comfy bed, convenient bathroom and doors that lock on our RV ;)
ReplyDeleteHope you've been well! xo
That moon is dramatic. I have fond memories of Joshua Tree. We used to go out there to hike before we had kids 25 years ago and then with our children many times when they were young. My husband is not the camping type so we stayed at the 29 Palms Inn which had a very funky kind of charm. I hope that you can experience the contemplative stillness and quiet of the desert without the intrusion of man made noises next time.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture! I loved seeing the moon last night! Tonight will try and stay up for the Perseids! Janet - you need to come to New Brunswick. There is no one in New Brunswick. No one!
ReplyDeleteThe change, in 30 years of designing gardens, with people is 180 degrees. Those in their 30's are not waiting. They finish the basement, entire backyard all at once.
ReplyDeleteAt the front end of my career DIY meant tools, getting dirty, tired, thru decades. Now, DIY means calling 'Tara'. Not writing this to be funny or pass judgment. These 'young' people have me wondering if they are more correct about getting it done all-at-once. Life is too short, marriages end, jobs change, children leave.
They, in my garden design client realm, are living 'now'. Me? You know my personal garden took its full 3 decades of time. The intensity of what it gives in return are grace, joy, & atonement is beyond measure.
Another odd group, to me, of people putting in 'entire' landscapes since the economy went under in 2008 are women age 70+. Their choices are mentoring to my soul.
You have my wishes for a fabulous camping trip, and safe too.
Saddest part of your missive, do they know they are bringing themselves with them?
Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
Hi Janet. Sorry to hear about the rowdy campers, hopefully you were still able to enjoy yourself. The moon was quite lovely. My husband I were lucky enough to enjoy it during a day trip to the Atlantic coast.
ReplyDelete"Oh and the moon." So true for everything.
ReplyDeleteHello Janet, I dashed out to my front yard last night when I heard about the Supermoon. Glad I did. Big, Bright and Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI rang my very young grandchildren to go look at it before they went to bed. Got the phone call back " It wasn't a supermoon, just a big circle moon"...
Inconsiderate people, can't stand them anytime, anywhere.
Linda C.
I'm a city boy thru and thru but do love to getaway to the great outdoors and when I do I hate nothing worse than motorcycles, jet-skis, speedboats, boom boxes, and other noisy reminders of suburban modernity to scare away the tranquility of nature.
ReplyDeleteI camped once with my college age girl and guy friends, completely jam-packed woody station wagon. It was horrible and someone threw up in the half-put-up tent, and I vowed never to go again. Needless to say, your moon-camping sounds like it could be so much more sexy-romantic than my experience. Ive sort of read your camping posts with a side-eye suspicious mind. Now, with this pic, makes me think that maybe someday I might like to try it again, with the right person...
ReplyDeleteWe vacationed in Palm Springs last week. One day we spent driving and stopping through Joshua Tree. It is absolutely gorgeous! We stopped and marveled at the Cactus Garden and Joshua trees and the amazing rock formations. It was our first visit there and hopefully not the last.
ReplyDeleteThe sense of personal space has certainly altered over the years. It amazes me that people are happy to have private conversations in a loud voice in public spaces, not to mention loudly sharing their dubious taste in music!
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky to live in a small, quiet hamlet with no street lights and neighbours with a similar mindset.Slept with the curtains open last night, bathed in light from the moon. Hope you get your special experience out in the wilds - but, snakes!! Oh, not for me!
Thanks for sharing the picture of the moon.
ReplyDeleteAs I've said before, I think you and Larry are very adventurous. Not all of us are comfortable in isolated open spaces, or 'roughing it.' Of course, you have to try it to see if you like it, and I've barely ever done the trying. I wish I wasn't the kind of person who needs to feel secure inside something that I can lock up for the night. As a result, I can't ever experience what you describe. I think I was lucky that the one time I visited someone staying at the beach in a RV...a long line of them for as far as the eye could see along the coastline...our time was not intruded upon by any of the other 'campers' although it was nose-to-nose. It felt cozy by the fire we built in the rocks, then even cozier inside the RV once the night got colder. The only sound was the waves.
Have you ever been out in the desert and had a summer storm blow thru? No doubt you check the weather first but, just wondering. What would you do, make a run for it to the car or does the tent hold up pretty well?
When my husband and I were young parents, camping was the only way we could afford vacations. It makes me laugh to remember going to sleep on the floor of a tent with all four of us together playing with the flashlights. And I always got the pillow that was stepped on by all the boys dirty feet. Now my husband and I go without them. It's much more quiet and the food has improved. And my pillow is never stepped on. And now both my boys are hikers and campers.
ReplyDeleteAnd about that moon! My brother and his partner got married under that moon the other night and it was spectacular here on the East Coast also!
~diane in rhode island
Beautiful photo.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm not a camping type of person either.
I need a nice clean private bathroom.
Then the thought of bugs, snakes, bears... yeah I couldn't enjoy it
and then I just saw this Dateline show... it was truly frightening.
Yep, no camping for me.
My idea of roughing it is staying in a Motel rather than a Hotel and even that grosses me out.
But more power to you! You are braver, hardier and more adventurous than I will ever be!
I am typically not "the camper type." But your post makes me want to go again. I haven't been since I was a child. But I know what you mean about the noisy, big box folks, as I've encountered them myself. All the noise, noise, noise! Which seems pervasive nowadays. I miss those hippies. :)
ReplyDeleteFinding silence is becoming so rare. So glad you found a place for quiet reflection. Mine is at the edge of the ocean - usually involves a cottage near the cliff edge with window wide open :)
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