Abandoned Diamond

Dear Reader, I did not abandon you. Okay, I totally abandoned you. But, I did not forget about you and have thought of you frequently.

2013 was another interesting year. Interesting as in to many big things, good and bad, happened and at some point I just had to sit back and figure things out. A major remodeling and cleaning needed and is taking place. Time to address lingering issues and decide what’s next. Hopefully it will all turn out looking better than this building.

Why Abandoned Diamond? Diamond is the name of the…town?…where I found this building. The larger area may be called Diamond, it’s hard to tell, could be both. Diamond the “town” is a group of buildings in a lush valley located in Southeast Oregon. It was quite a shock to come out of the dry highlands to drop down into a sparkling emerald green valley. The tourist info says there is gas available here. I didn’t see a station, not even a tank. It also says there is food and lodging available, this is somewhat true. There is a cute bed and breakfast that serves meals; however, they only serve them at specific times. Between meal times you are stuck with a small gift shop area that sells soda and candy. Always pack some food when hitting the outback.

Diamond, Oregon, September 2013
Weekly Photo Challenge: Abandoned

Sandstone Painting

Sandstone boulder
November 2013, Living Desert, Palm Springs

Palm Detail

November 2013, Living Desert, Palm Springs

Apache Plum

Fallugia paradoxa
Seed Form
November 2013, Living Desert, Palm Springs, CA

Beavertail Cactus

Opuntia basilaris
November, 2013, Living Desert, Palm Springs

Dates

Dates are natures candy. They are allowed to hang on the tree and the summer and fall heat dry them naturally. They are covered in paper or net in an attempt to shelter them from the elements and I imagine dust and birds.

Indio, California was where dates were introduced to the US and where the majority of US dates were grown. Production has moved south of town though as the Coachella Valley continues to grow. The valley’s part of the 13th-largest metropolitan area in the United States with nearly 600,000 people. The valleys starts with Palm Springs in the west and ends with Indio and the Salton Sea in the east. It’s one long city, no room for dates. I’m glad they’ve found room for them. Stop by Shields Dates for a date shake and you’ll understand why.

Farming Mojave Style

Stark beauty aside, dry and windy doesn’t offer a lot of agricultural opportunities to modern humans. It does offer space for huge wind farms though, of which there are many.

As a side note, this is my first Joshua Tree! More on them later.

Peeling Door Tehachapi

Tehachapi, California
Philip Marx Central Park
November 2013

Tehachapi Cottonwoods

Southeast of Bakersfield along Highway 58 you’ll speed by a little town named Tehachapi, California if you’re not careful.

No reason you would usually stop. While Tehachapi is a clean and tidy town, pretty in its high dessert starkness, most people wouldn’t find a reason to stop. But if you’re a fan of trees or roadside attractions, you should stop. I happen to be a fan of both.

In Philip Marx Central Park you will find a stand of mature cottonwood trees.

Sit down among them and have a chat.

Don’t worry, they’re very good listeners. Rarely have a met trees more gregarious than these, they enjoy the company.

If you’re quiet, if you lean in close, if you pay attention, they will tell you their own stories.

They have so much to say, to many have forgotten how to listen.

For those that need to see the tree’s spirit, local artist Kent Holmgren has carved faces into some of the trees (thus the roadside attraction). A sampling is included below.

Window

Thorp, Washington, October 2013