We went to the desert, and now Memorial Day

Monday in the USA is Memorial Day. We remember all those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.


On May 30, 1918, Memorial Day services in Washington, D.C., culminated with casting flowers into the Potomac River in memory of those who perished on the Lusitania.

Ref. http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/history/Vignettes/Vignette_51.htm


Last Sunday we hit the road about 100 miles east of us...then...
...JP grabs a chuckawalla.

The cracks in the rocks...that is where those big lizards hide. They have a mechanism whereby they inhale, and they bloat up HUGE...to wedge themselves into a crack. There are, as you likely cannot see, TWO chuckawallas in this crack...male and female...the female is the one JP just had in his hand.


Rachel, Dan, Cruz and Marion. It was 97 degrees F. in the desert, but at my house it was 102...go figure!

Yesterday it only hit 50 degrees here, and there were tornados, snow and lightning the day before that.

Dan and JP, Joshua Tree area.

My wife, Cruz, waits in the car as the search for wildlife carries on. The tree is the type known as the "Joshua Tree", for which the area is so named. There is snow in the yonder moutains, though I cannot yet tell if it shows in the blown up photo...you try to see, if you wish.

Cruz is seen outside the car, in the heat! She was afraid of snakes. Smart woman! We were looking for them, and she knew it!

Allen, my next-door-neighbor, plays "Funk 49" Friday night, yesterday.

--Dan

It's that time of year

The vast desert regions out here are filled with living things. Our friend, J.P., recently went to visit some of them...

A chuckawalla reptile, hard to catch one of these, but J.P. did it! Yes, he released it soon after, as he did all of the fine desert creatures of the day's find. Chuckawallas are famous for scurrying quickly under rocks and expanding their bodies to wedge themselves in. It is said that the only way to remove one that is wedged is to either terminate them, or break up the rocks! I would not consider either.

A red racer snake! He wanted to bite!

The horned toad lizard...a very colorful fellow! These fellows are quite friendly and easy to handle.

I did not take any of these photos, indeed, I was not even there at the time. However, I love to frequent that part of our California deserts, and plan to meet J.P. out there very, very soon. Neither of us live out there, but we just enjoy the visit.

Here is a photo taken several years ago in the same general desert area as the reptile photos. Those are my two youngest daughters, though now they are in college! Notice the clothing...it can get quite cold out there in other months! The picture was taken with the rising sun.

It's very hot here these days, but at least I don't quite live out in the big desert.

To better view any photo, "click" and it looks bigger...most of the time, anyway.

--Dan

Air Shows...we love 'em! March ARB, Riverside, CA

The utterly magnificent, incredible, United States Air Force F-22 Raptor, in flight.

My sweet wife, Cruz, and my youngest daughter, Marion (almost 18!), at the show.

Allen, my next door neighbor, working the vendor booth for shaved ice.


The "business end" of the "Warthog", otherwise known as the USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II, a tank killer. "Click" to view.

The remote controlled "Predator"! used in Iraq and Afghanistan, I have seen this thing fly in RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY CAR in the remote area known as California's Mojave Desert.


Looking over the shoulder of Predator.

More of Predator. Note the covered propeller.

F/A-18 Hornet.

USAF C-5.


Looking inside the volumous C-5 USAF Transport plane, the largest in the USAF inventory.


WW II era P-40 Warhawk, it is flyable.

There was a whole lot, lot more, but maybe I'll post more another day....

--Dan