Sunday, January 13, 2013
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Big Horn Sheep seen from Bump & Grind trail today, Palm Desert
And they say there's no Big Horn Sheep on the Bump & Grind?!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center (Palm Desert)
This is a baby "Chuckwalla" (in the iguana family)
Hike led by The Living Desert
Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center (not open to public)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Monday, December 19, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Went on a hike through gorgeous Murray Canyon
Centuries ago, the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled here. Walking these old Indian trails through this scenery is amazing!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Went on a hike in beautiful Palm Canyon
Palm Canyon (15 miles long) is the world's largest native California Fan Palm oasis. These huge trees are absolutely gorgeous!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Friday, December 10, 2010
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Palm Springs Modern (part three) Landscaping
Bird of Paradise -- I took this photo in our backyard!
Landscaping in Palm Springs ranges from extremely well-manicured to boulder-strewn! With enough water added in, the climate encourages tropical plants and vivid flowers. The rugged mountain backdrop adds even more gorgeous texture and color to the view. The most popular plants in Palm Springs seem to be Palm Trees (both Fan Palms and Feather Palms), Cacti of all sorts, Bougainvillea of many colors, and Birds of Paradise -- it's truly an oasis!
When viewing the photos below, please hover your mouse over the word "Notes" on the lower right side, so you'll be able to see the descriptions!Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
BOOKS:
Palm Springs-Style Gardening
Landscape Plants for Dry Regions
Gardening in the Southwest
WEBSITES:
Hot Gardens
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument AZ
Joshua Tree National Park CA
The Living Desert CA
Agave Americana
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Palm Springs Modern (part two) Swimming Pools
Water has always been an important theme in the Palm Springs area, for the beauty as well as the cooling effect. I have chosen the most interesting residential pools to share...
(1) 1979 Bob Hope House (John Lautner) photograph by Julius Shulman & Jurgen Nogai, 2007
(2) 1968 Elrod House (John Lautner) photograph by Julius Shulman & Jurgen Nogai, 2007
(3) Palm Springs Modern p. 40
Bob Hope's pool and 17,531 sq. ft. house! (1)
Elrod House pool (2)
When viewing the photos below, please hover your mouse over the word "Notes" on the lower right side, so you'll be able to see the descriptions!
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
(1) 1979 Bob Hope House (John Lautner) photograph by Julius Shulman & Jurgen Nogai, 2007
(2) 1968 Elrod House (John Lautner) photograph by Julius Shulman & Jurgen Nogai, 2007
(3) Palm Springs Modern p. 40
Friday, November 13, 2009
Palm Springs Modern (part one) Architecture
Palm Springs was sparsely populated until the arrival of air conditioning in the 1940's! Then it became a hotspot where Hollywood came to play. The town really kicked into cocktail hour in the late 1940's and 1950's when Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball (our friend Susie owns Lucille Ball's former home in Thunderbird Country Club), Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Jack Benny, the Gabor sisters, Red Skelton, Dinah Shore, Liberace, and Kirk Douglas moved in. Some of these entertainers would "break in" their routines at clubs here, before headlining the showrooms of Las Vegas. Palm Springs was the ideal escape -- at the time it was a dusty 4-hour drive from Los Angeles and inaccessible enough that there were few paparazzi... In the 1950's golf took over, and many people moved to "country clubs".
BOOKS I RECOMMEND:
•Julius Shulman: Palm Springs
•Palm Springs Weekend
•Palm Springs Modern
PALM SPRINGS MODERN LINKS:
•Palm Springs Modernism Week
•Palm Springs Modernism Show and Sale
•The Palm Springs Modern Committee
•Palm Springs Preservation Foundation
•Palm Springs Art Museum: Architecture and Design Council
Bob Hope's house, see amazing aerial photo below
These affluent vacationers wanted their second homes to be beautiful and different. Wood disintegrates in the desert, so the architects who came here started designing homes with glass, stone, steel, and concrete. They wanted differing rooflines: curvy, butterfly, zig-zag, pointy. And, they wanted transparency between being "indoors" and "outdoors", lots of skylights, and interior spaces more "open" and minimal. Thus the architectural style known as "Palm Springs Modern" was born, also referred to as Mid-Century Modern. Palm Springs Modernism reflects Hollywood, tourism, the desert, and wealth. Similar forces existed in Los Angeles, but in Palm Springs they were concentrated in a small, isolated area. The architects who subsequently became famous for this innovative, unique style are: Richard Neutra, A. Quincy Jones, Paul R. Williams, Albert Frey, E. Stewart Williams, William Cody, Donald Wexler, Palmer and Krisel, and John Lautner.
When viewing the photos below, please hover your mouse over the word "Notes" on the lower right side, so you'll be able to see the descriptions!Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
BOOKS I RECOMMEND:
•Julius Shulman: Palm Springs
•Palm Springs Weekend
•Palm Springs Modern
PALM SPRINGS MODERN LINKS:
•Palm Springs Modernism Week
•Palm Springs Modernism Show and Sale
•The Palm Springs Modern Committee
•Palm Springs Preservation Foundation
•Palm Springs Art Museum: Architecture and Design Council
