On The Wing

Well, first an apology for waiting so long between entries. I have no excuses, only a reason. It's all good news. We have landed several contracts to do documentary work (photography, videography and editorial content) on the incredible Salton Sea. This is just an amazing eco-system snuggled up in the middle of the Southern California Desert. Here is a photo I took today of a group of American White Pelicans. They are just awesome. We have spent most of the week photographing and filming them. They can reach wingspans of 9 feet. Watching them was truly magic. I wish everyone could be here to feel it. I really do

Clouds On The Water

I can't really say much about this photo I took. I just like looking at it. It is so NOT desert. Go figure.

Morning Cloud

Ever heard of a "lenticular" cloud. Well, it has its basis in Latin and comes from its lens-shaped appearance. What it really means is that the wind is blowing like hell at altitude. We see them all the time in the desert. The wind slams up against the mountains, coming in from the coast and voila, at altitude you get one of these babies. This is a classic lenticular formation. Kind of a neat word. Say it a few times and you'll like it..... go ahead. Lenticular, lenticular, lenticular. Pretty fun huh? In any case, I snapped this one just before sunrise today and they are as much fun to watch as they are to pronounce. They are just dynamite to watch. They change by the moment but never move. Really amazing.

Desert Flowers

This little animation is a hint to let you know what the weather is like here. Oh yeah, it is downright toasty. It has been pushing 95 degrees and it is only March. Can you even imagine July?

While most of the country is still looking forward to the cold being gone, and much of the country still enjoying an occasional snow-storm, we here in the desert are enjoying colorful blooms and great 95 degree weather. It's always beautiful in the desert.

Blowin' In The Wind

Just outside of Palm Springs California where we are currently staying, there is wind-turbine farm that is just beyond belief. Last night we were there at sunset and the sights and sounds were awesome. Watching the turbines turn in the breeze with only the sound of the wind in the blades was truly remarkable.

The experience was peaceful and one we'll do again and again while we live here in the area. It made me feel so darned creative that I had to convert one of my photos (below) into a neon something. I don't know, I just had fun.

YIKES!!

Well, well, well. Doesn't that just give you a little touch of the "warm fuzzies" when you are out hiking in the California desert in search of that classic wonderful photograph or special story idea for a great magazine article. Wait, you mean this is dangerous? Ya think?

Movies

Not really a lot new today. Just working. We did put out a new movie today. Check out all our most recent movies at: >Bret Movies

In The Desert

How can you NOT love the desert? I took this image in Joshua Tree National Park. Special moments.

And of course, a little black and white desert shot. There is something a mostly magic about black and whites. I have always loved them

A Light In The Desert

Welcome back to my blog. I have started a new project. It's called "Things I Found In The Desert". There are so many things one can find lurking in the desert, and behind each unique object there is a story. So here is the plan. I am going to write a short (or sometimes long) story about what my imagination tells me the history and story of the object is. In this case, it was an old light bulb I found on the desert floor. There was nothing around it and it was intact, unbroken, a survivor. Quite a story. If you are interested in hearing the story of this light bulb as I see it, leave a comment with your e-mail address. If not, just enjoy the photos. This is the first of my collection. Later I will include a link to all the photos as the collections grows.

-----OK, here is the story added on March 8, 2007

I walked through the desert with a slow stroll, enjoying the hint of a breeze that helped sweep away the afternoon heat. I often scan the desert floor finding little parts and pieces of what was. On this day I spotted an old light bulb. It was empty of filament and and the usual interior technology of its kind. It was old and faded. It was lying defiantly amongst tangled lifeless weeds and the sun bleached gravel of the desert floor. It was an enigma. I stopped. I looked and I took a photo.

It lies there, alone in the desert. It is fragile, like life. It is transparent, like most of us. It has survived, like we who are still here to read this. It no longer shines in the darkness as it once did, yet it endures. It is intact. It is stubborn and refuses to collapse beneath the harsh elements that surround it. It has a history. Could it talk, it might tell us a story of its life. It would certainly tell us a story of other lives that it touched. As I looked at it I felt its energy and its history.
It was probably once part of the life of a hard working desert family. It hung in a solitary fashion, by a single wire with no wall switch or high-tech wiring. It stood alone, a bare bulb in a lone socket, it’s only source to its lifeblood electric current was the twist of a human hand in its housing. It worked well and sent the darkness fleeing when called upon. When its usefulness was done, it was cast away like an old steelworker set off to wither away on a meager pension. Though lost, alone and abandoned it still fights on, unable to shine but refusing to give in. May God bless the old light bulbs of this world.

Swans And Markets

There are several hot-spring fed lakes near where we live. One of the rather beautiful yet somewhat ill-tempered local lake denizens is this black swan. Beautiful, pristine and when he's in a foul mood he can be down right dangerous. I caught him today in a good mood and lost not a single chunk of flesh.

Every Thursday night the main street in down town Palm Springs is closed off and the market opens up. We were invited to a dandy local seafood restaurant by some friends so we went downtown and discovered the weekly market place. Above, potential customers admire a large and quite lovely dream catcher.

The marketplace was awash with fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts and all sorts of great things to eat. We wandered through the booths and listened to the music. It was one of those moments you remember for along time. Then, I had to wack myself up side the head and realize, "hey, this happens every Thursday. We can go back next week too". And we will.

Sun Bathing and Blue Skies

"Blue skies, nothing but blue skies" and on the song goes. But it is still a little windy. I took the photo below just a short 2 minute walk from our home in the desert. Suddenly it gets pretty isolated. I love it. The mountain in the distance is one of the big protectors that keeps the storms from getting to us. It is the great maker of the rain-shadow. Fresh snow can be seen on it. All that lovely snow will melt, sink into the water table and eventually make it into our hot-water springs. The cap-clouds seen billowing over the peaks is typical of "winter" weather. I put that in quotes because it really doesn't seem like winter, at least not down here on the desert floor.



Once again it was windy today but the sun was out and it was very bright. Here is Roger basking in the sunlight and occupying his favorite spot. He likes sitting right next to the door, that way nobody goes outside without him. The sun there is also great in the afternoon.

This is a photo I took today of where we live and work. It gives you a little better perspective of where Roger is sitting. It really is comfortable here. Take a look out the left front window and you'll see our very own personal palm tree. Pretty darned spiffy eh? It's not just any old Joe that can look out their office window and see their own palm tree.

A Note Of Thanks

Whoever pointed out I had a consistent misspelling in my blog, I thank you. I have gone through and hopefully corrected that error. Please take a look and make sure I found them.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Welcome to winter in the desert. The mountains you see here are the very mountains that make this place a desert. The storms and the yuck wack into them from the west and merrily distribute their storm-drenchings before they have a chance to reach us. As you can see here the only thing that was left of this major storm was a big fat rainbow. This eye-candy could be seen directly over the mountains just west of Desert Hot Springs, very near where we are staying. Trixi went out to walk Roger this morning and ran in shouting, "quick get the cameras". We ran out and caught several great rainbow shots. Hers, of course, were the best but then she's the pro. You can get the idea from mine here. And yes, it is REALLY windy and not expected to quit until sometime tomorrow.




Also, just wanted to share this little Oasis shot I took in Joshua Tree National Park a while back. It is a spectacular place. It was a stop-over for travelers in days past and now, after some underground events, is much dryer. I therefore took the liberty of adding a little water. I think it looks nicer with the water don't you?

This is a photo of our digs. It is beautiful here. The wind stopped today for about 20 minutes, at which time we took our desert walk. No sooner did we get back in and the wind started again. With all of that hot air blowing around the desert today, we decided it would be a good day to do taxes. What a way to spend the day....

A Very Windy Day

We have some pretty nice sunsets here in Sky Valley. Here is a photo of one. It was windy today, and I mean WINDY.... try this link and you'll see. It is a video we shot here.
Wind!!

A Day In The Living Desert

Now just who would-a thunk you'd catch a scene like this giraff in the sunset in Palm Springs. It felt more like Africa

Well here we are at what they call "The Living Desert". It is a sort of zoo in the desert. It appears to be part zoo and part animal rehab facility. It was just wonderful. The terrain and the facilities were really terrific. It was a great trip and we joined as members. For the price of about two visits we can go there as often as we like. What a great deal. Here you see a few shots we took there. Trixi and I both had a great time and plan on many return trips. The owl photo is the endangered burrowing owl. This little guy inhabits burrows of other critters and pops up to eat some unsuspecting passer-by. They stay in their burrows so they don't become somebody's meal. The tree is actually right in the facility sitting on a little ridge line. It was just beautiful. The goat you see took a real liking to Trixi (note the smile). Another great day in the desert!!

What a nice little smile.

Just "who" do suppose this is? (bad pun)

A Nice Jog In The Desert

Well, yes it may be February, but here in the desert February does not mean it's cold. In fact, there is nothing quite like a warm jog through the desert. Roger thought it was a great idea. In the background you can see Trixi took the safe position. A high speed golden retriever is a dangerous thing to take a photo of from the front.

This little jog took place on the salt beaches of the Salton Sea. Woo-hoo

Living In The Desert Is Great

This is a photo taken on the shores of the Salton Sea in a place called Bombay Beach. It was once a playground for the rich and famous. It is now a little piece of history. What you see here is part of an RV resort that was reclaimed by the Salton Sea in the late 70's when the water rose, then later receded. This was what was left. Just fascinating photography!

This was just a warm beautiful day. It was a little windy but a great day for a drive or a walk. Here is a photo of our little adventure jeep with its wilderness rack, out in the desert. Pretty darn cool. This is a pretty special place and we really love it here.

Put 'Em Up Pardner

I am here to tell you that this trip was truly a trip. There is a little town called "Pioneertown" that is about 35 miles from where we are staying. It didn't take long to drive there and it has a wonderful history. Pioneer town was created as a movie prop. Yup partner, that's right. It was created as a western movie town. If you remember the Cisco Kid, and Annie Oakley and Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey and the list goes on and on, they filmed many of their adventures here in this make-believe, created for the movies town.

To learn more about this great little spot http://www.pioneertown.com. It's so very interesting. Trixi and I had a blast just standing where some of the old movies were shot and then we had a burger in what served as the "old cantina" for so many old movies and bar fights.

We had a great time roaming the streets of the "old west". It was the off season so the traditional possies and the gun fights had not showed up yet but we plan on going back there during the tourist season when we can once again unholster our cameras and be a part of the great "shoot out" :-)

Las Vegas is a great place any time, but especially at night. It glitters and shines even more as the Christmas season approaches. The night photography is just spectacular.