Living in the desert is like taking a gamble. Most days are amazingly beautiful, and the stars are bright and visible at night. It’s less noisy and polluted as opposed to life in bigger cities. The mountain view is breathtaking, especially when covered in snow, and yes, it snows quite often here. Almost everything you can imagine is at close proximity: schools, groceries, malls, outlet stores, parks, movie theaters, museums, clinics, medical facilities, gas stations, car washes, restaurants, and hotels, just to name a few.
For the most part, living in the High Desert is wonderful; however, we also have our gloomy moments: the extreme heat, the high and gusty winds, the weeds (the obnoxious and undesirable plants), the surge of weird and toxic individuals moving here and disrupting the once established peace, and then the wild animals.
In the past, I was told by some neighbors about seeing coyotes around and a few who raise poultry said some jumped into their yards in an attempt to get a chicken or two. I personally thought they were all making up stories, given that for over seventeen years, I never saw one. Well, not until three weeks ago, when I spotted one in the front yard. I was horrified and petrified. After a while, it jumped over the fence and disappeared around the corner.
Coyote in the Garden.
Late in the Spring we purchased a Mexican Fencepost Cactus, and a couple of weeks ago I noticed new (weird) growths from the top of the mother plant. At first I thought the tiny buds were flowers developing from the areoles, but they quickly turned into strange pups, as though the new growth are a different species: perhaps grafts? I will be keeping a close watch on this one.
Mexican Fencepost Cactus new growth.
We were gifted a small Sour Fig (Hottentot Fig Ice Plant) this summer, and I am impressed at how much it has grown and spread. Also known as Carpobrotus Edulis, it is a ground-creeping plant with succulent leaves native to South Africa. I have been told that it is an invasive plant, and I will be moving it into a large pot to limit its spread.
Sour Fig.
Last week we harvested the Pomegranates and there were so many. We ate some and they are so sweet. We gifted some to our daughter’s friend who loves them and we will use them in meals and smoothies.
We have visited the San Francisco Bay area a few times, visiting with friends. The last couple of times, our kids were very young. This time around, they were eager and excited for the road trip, so we left the planning to them.
Driving through the Mojave Desert, we were amazed by the number of massive wind turbines. According the website power-technology.com, Alta Wind Energy Center (AWEC), also known as the Mojave Wind Farm, is the second-largest onshore wind energy project in the world and consists of wind farms constructed in the 1970s and 1980s.
We spotted a Twin-Fuselage Stratolaunch Aircraft from the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave. This aircraft is said to be the world’s largest airplane—with a wingspan longer than an American football field, measuring 385 feet.
Twin-Fuselage Stratolaunch Aircraft.
Sequoia National Park
We visited the Sequoia National Park and experience its beauty first hand. We mostly drove, as parking was scarce. We drove by the Tunnel Rock, Potwisha Campground, Hospital Rock, and stopped by the Middle Fork Kaweah River to stretch our legs. After reaching The Giant Forest Grove famed for its giant sequoia trees, we found a spot to park and admire nature’s beauty.
Sequoia National Park.
The waterfalls were breathtaking.
Sequoia National Park, Waterfall (Middle Fork Kaweah River).
The Temple Gate and Buddhist shrine are fascinating.
The Temple Gate and Pagoda (Buddhist shrine).
The memorials, statues, pagodas, bridge, as well as other visual arts are captivating.
Buddha Statue, Stone Lantern, Arch Drum Bridge.
The first thing that caught my eyes was the stone memorial to Makoto Hagiwara by Ruth Asawa. Makoto Hagiwara was a Japanese-born American landscape designer as well as the caretaker of the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, from 1895 until his death in 1925. He is also credited for inventing the fortune cookie in California, which he served at the Tea Garden.
I love the Tsukubai, which is a stone wash basin found in some Japanese tea gardens, temples, and shrines. It is placed near a tearoom and provided for visitors to cleanse themselves by washing their hands and rinsing their mouths.
Stone memorial to Makoto Hagiwara, Tsukubai, Stone Lantern.
The garden features gorgeous landscapes with lots of native Japanese native plants, stepping stone paths, a zen garden, pagodas, stone lanterns, waterfalls, and a few koi ponds.
Koi Ponds.
The Japanese architecture, the garden, and the visual arts are so beautiful.
Some buildings.
Located in the Music Concourse at Golden Gate Park, the Spreckels Temple of Music, also known as the Bandshell, is a venue for free concerts. The structure, which is about 124 years old, was a gift to the city from sugar magnate Claus Spreckels. It is surrounded by the California Academy of Science, the de Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden.
Music Concourse and the Rideout Memorial fountain.
There are several monuments in Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse with the Francis Scott Key monument being one of the largest. The Apple Cider Press, an 1892 bronze sculpture by Thomas Shields Clark. A bronze bust of Ulysses S. Grant by Rupert Schmid.
Monuments around the Music Concourse.
Other monuments, statues, and landmarks in Golden Gate Park:
The North Tunnel Under JFK Drive (the tunnel that crosses under John F. Kennedy Drive to the Conservatory)
The Phoebe Hearst and Rideout Memorial fountains
The Ludwig Van Beethoven Monument by Henry Baerer. The monument features a female figure standing below the bust and holding a lyre
The Cervantes Memorial by Jo Mora, consisting of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza kneeling before a bust of Cervantes
The Doughboy Statue by Melvin Earl Cummings and dedicated to the soldiers who died in the World Wars I and II
The Pool of Enchantment with a set of bronze sculptures (consisting of an Indian boy playing a musical pipe and two attentive California mountain lions) by M. Earl Cummings
Click here to learn about the history of the Music Concourse and here to learn about the history of the Golden Gate Park.
Sand City Beach
According to californiabeaches.com, Sand City is a tiny community including the highest dunes found along the state’s Central Coast. Sand City Beach is known for its strong winds, and it is a popular spot for paragliding.
Sand City Beach.
Big Sur
As the website SeeMonterey.com puts it, Big Sur is a majestic stretch of rocky cliffs, lush mountains, panoramic beaches, and coastal redwood forests located off the famous Pacific Coast Highway. Outdoor adventure is abundant with epic hiking trails, picturesque camping, and breathtaking historic & state parks to be explored.
Driving along Highway 1 was wonderful and Bixby Bridge was thrilling. Always check the weather service, highway condition, and pay attention to posted signs along the way for road closure due to a crash, maintenance, or rocks falling and blocking the road. Once you engage yourself on Highway 1 and can’t continue due to road closure ahead, then you will have to turn around because there are no detours.
We drove along Monterey, California Sea Otter Game Refuge, Carmel, and Big Sur. We made a quick stop at a restaurant to stretch our legs and for refreshments before turning around due to road closure ahead from falling rocks.
Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur.
Indeed, California Pacific Coast Highway takes you along some of the most amazing coastal scenery in the US. Always wear a seatbelt, keep your eyes on the road, respect the speed limit as well as other guidelines, respect other drivers and bicyclists, and drive safely. Practice extreme caution when driving at night, as it can be dangerous.
We had a wonderful time in San Francisco, regardless of the cold weather, and the drive back home was entertaining.
Finally, the weather is getting warmer and I have been tidying up the gardens.
I found a local nursery on Facebook last week and immediately connected the owner for a visit. We drove there the next day and I was amazed by the variety of cacti such as the Beavertail Cactus, Blue Flame Cactus, Candelabra Cactus, Claret Cup Cactus, Golden Barrel Cactus, Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus, Mexican Fence Post Cactus, Mammillaria Polyedra, Old Man Cactus, Organ Pipe Cactus, Peanut Cactus, Prickly Pear Cactus, Rat Tail Cactus, Saguaro Cactus, Silver Torch Cactus, Totem Pole Cactus, Turk’s Cap Cactus, and so much more.
I was interested in the Hedgehog Cacti, specifically to the one below whose flowers were different from the others. I can’t tell if it’s a Trichocereus Candicans or Gymnocalycium Ritterianum.
We finally have a Blue Spruce! I love everything, Cedar, Fir, Pine, and Spruce trees (especially for their cones); though I love Spruce Trees the most. A couple of months ago, we purchased a Blue Spruce from a local nursery. This, I must admit, is a gamble given the facts that these spruce trees are not well adapted to our wet springs as well as to our hot and humid summers. A couple of people I spoke to said they have owned a couple of trees for many years now and they are growing strong. I am a little hopeful.
Blue Spruce.
Along with the Spruce Tree, we purchased two San Jose Juniper Topiary trees. These bonsai garden trees are a great addition to the garden and I hope they will survive for us to enjoy for many, many years.
Juniper Topiary.
The Yellow and White Lady Banks roses are blooming profusely this Spring and gracing the garden arches with their tiny and delicate flowers.
It’s December and the year is almost coming to an end. Fall decorations are being put away and Christmas lights and decorations are going up all around the neighborhood. We might be the only household around who still respects the change of seasons; though we must admit that it’s heartwarming to see colorful lights and festive activities.
One of my latest plant additions to the front garden is the Angel Face Rose, also know as Angel Face Floribunda Rose. This beauty was purchased at the Lake Arrowhead Outdoor Nursery (The Standard Design Group Nurseries). With loads of vibrant ruffled lavender blossoms, the Angel Face Rose has a very strong fruity fragrance and blooms profusely. Its glossy dark green leaves complement the flower color.
According to the websites Wikipedia and weekand.com, Rosa ‘Angel Face’ originated at Swim and Weeks nursery in Southern California and was introduced in 1968. Developed by Herbert Swim & Weeks Rose Growers, ‘Angel Face’ is a cross between floribundas, (‘Circus’ × ‘Lavender Pinocchio’) and hybrid tea, ‘Sterling Silver’. The ‘Circus’ x ‘Lavender Pinocchio’ was the female parent, and ‘Sterling Silver’ was the male parent. On a side note, ‘Sterling Silver’ was the first modern mauve rose, introduced by American hybridizer Gladys Fisher in 1957.
Angel Face Rose.
My Blue Moon hybrid tea rose pulled through this year with gorgeous, vibrant roses, after a year of not putting out flowers. The lilac blooms have an intense fragrance and the plant has an upright, vigorous growth.
Blue Moon Rose.
Purchased as a bare root rose, I didn’t think my Perfume Delight Rose would make it passed this year, but it pulled through. It is thriving and I am grateful.
Perfume Delight Rose is a pink hybrid tea rose, developed by Herbert Swim & Weeks Rose Growers in 1973. The bright deep pink flowers exude an intense damask fragrance and are said to be be rain resistant and as well as disease resistant, with large, glossy, leathery foliage.
Perfume Delight Rose.
Fall is a beautiful season! Many trees in the neighborhood have graced us with their gorgeous colors; I want to believe that it has a lot to do with the rains and cool weather we’ve had this year. A couple of weeks ago we caught the gopher that was wrecking havoc in the front yard (digging holes and leaving behind mounds of dirt, mostly).
We relocated a few Agave Ovatifolia as well as a couple of Yucca Pendula from the backyard to the front and transplanted six young and healthy Heavenly Bamboo to the left side of the front yard. I am growing a few Spanish Broom from seed to gift to family, friends, and neighbors in the Spring.
It has been quite an interesting couple of weeks here. The weather has been hectic and it’s hard to tell if we are still in Summer or moved onto Fall. One week it’s scorching hot and the next it’s very cold; then having to deal with allergies and everything in between. Nevertheless, it feels good to welcome a new season.
A few days ago, a young chicken found itself into our backyard, and it was quite hilarious to watch my kids run after it in multiple attempts to get it to return to where it came from. One of our close neighbor’s have a chicken coop, and strangely, the chickens prefer to sleep in a tree. It took a while, but in the end, the young chicken climbed onto a bench and flew into a different neighbor’s backyard. We all had a good laugh and workout out of it …
Young Chicken Perched on Palm Tree.
A few months ago I experienced first hand how invasive the ‘Madame Galen’ Trumpet Vine can get.
Last Fall, we trimmed the vine back to the main trunk and relocated it by an opened area next to the storage shed. We thought we took out all the roots, only to find out a few months later (after it rained heavily) that this plant is extremely invasive. Young plants began emerging and worsened each time we got rid of it. Two weeks ago, we dug a large area, found the main root and pulled it out. Keeping our fingers crossed!
‘Madame Galen’ Trumpet Young Plants.
Finally, after months of trial and error, we caught one of two mischievous squirrels. These rodents are becoming smarter when it comes to avoiding traps. They have destroyed so many of my tender and younger plants that I am now going back to using chicken wire to protect the most vulnerable plants.
Trapped Squirrel.
I have been doing a lot of cleaning in and around the house. Indoors, I have been sorting, organizing, re-organizing, getting rid of, and giving away stuff someone else could use. There’s still much to do, but as of now, it’s good. Outdoors, we finally finished the deck.
By JM Perez
