This Annual show benefits the JTNPA
This is the show I have been telling some of you about!
Well, another year’s show has come and gone. This year was not without drama. It all starts on Thursday. As I run errands in preparation to leave for Yucca Valley in my white pickup, I hear a sudden grinding noise and a “CHUNK” from under the hood. As I lose power, and she shuts down, I pull over. I try to get her going – won’t start. I let it sit for a moment, start it, but have to really gun it to get it to move. She goes, but it takes a while. I pull her over again, make a couple of calls, one to Eric and the second to the garage. It’s clear that this vehicle is not making the trip to the desert that night or the weekend for that matter. I limp the truck the 4 miles to the garage, gunning the engine till she’s in third and fourth gear – she goes then. The mechanic is available when I arrive, hears the engine and makes a guess at to what the noise was. He pulls the head gasket off and finds the source of the noise: A broken crank shaft!!! How in the world does that happen?
I leave the truck with the garage. I’ve no choice but to replace the broken part. He hopes none of the pistons are bent. So do I.
The weather report I saw earlier in the week said that the desert areas was going to be quite windy – 20mph winds and possible rain. I could only hope for the best – it’s an outdoor show. With the truck out of commission, Eric had planned to come out Saturday morning to spend the weekend with me on his motorcycle. But with the weather being sketchy, he would not be able to join me for the show.
I do make it out to ’29 that night in the Mazda. The drive out there is always a relief as the urban congestion slides off me and I feel the freedom of the clear desert air.
The first day of the Joshua Tree National Park Art show was Friday. I still get really excited to go, even after 12+ years!
Friday is always reunion day. LOTS of hugs while setting up, lots of hellos and smiles. It’s great! This year there were a few new artists, and nine photographers (!) in the show this year. And the weather held. The crowds were light this year, we think partially due to the fact that the show was later than normal. Friday night three of us photographers are having dinner when the “new guy” Ralph says, “Hey, anyone what to go shoot the sunrise tomorrow morning with me?” We said yes, of couse!
Saturday morning I was up at 4:30AM, drove the 30 minutes to the parking lot of the park’s visitor center and off we raced (we kinda mis-timed sunrise – but it was all good!). Again good weather, a little wind and actually a little warmer.
Sunday, however, our luck ran out. Around noon, we watched a largish storm front coming up the Morongo basin, dark and forboding. At first, it swept past us to the east, hugging the mountains. An hour later, another part of that storm was aimed right at us, much darker and rain began to fall. We decided to call it quits and packed it up. That’s what most of the other artists did. However, the few shooters who don’t get up to the park often for drama like this, we loaded up our stuff and took off into the park for pictures! You know, if you get lemons, make lemonade?
I actually broke a personal record: It’s not uncommon for us to stretch this trip out as long as possible and roll in at 11:30pm. I was home by 9:30pm.
Have some of “lemonade” :-).
This is my hostess Elizabeth Green and Lewis (he’s 85 lbs!) . We stay at her lovely home when we go out there.
Storm chasing…
The road home.
Turns out we were not the only ones to experience this wild weather. When I got back I heard that a crazy wind storm came through So Cal, knocked out high tension towers, trees had fallen on cars and just wreaked havoc in town!
More images are online here.