Monthly:May 2015
“There’s a bad moon on the rise” “There’s a bad moon on the rise” rolls the lyric of the old Creedence Clearwater Revival song. No, I’m not that old but I’m not that far off either. As I write this post I’m listening to the track “Outside” by the Foo Fighters. If you saw the ‘Outside’ episode of the Sonic Highways series you’ll know the song was inspired by and recorded at Rancho de la Luna in the desert near […]
It’s May Madness! While people across the US are familiar with March Madness, as a parent in Texas we also get to enjoy May Madness! It’s that month when everything around the school year comes to a head. There are tests, tests, and more tests. There are performances, there are ceremonies. For me, outside of school there are dance recitals for my daughter and rock’n’roll recitals for my son. For others there are sports leagues drawing to a close with […]
What is Memorial Day? Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor all members of the US military that have died in service. Not hailing from the US, I have to say I was initially confused about the meaning of Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. In England, where I grew up, we recognized (celebrated is the wrong word) Armistice/Remembrance Day, long since relegated from November 11th to the closest Sunday. In the US, Memorial Day has been recognized since […]
Dawn at Badwater A few wisps of cloud hung in the air to the North but to the South there was zip, nada, nothing; just a clear, blue, cloudless sky. Sunrise on the valley floor was approaching, heralded by the golden glow slowly creeping down the side of Telescope Peak and the Panamint Range off to my right. This pre-sunrise hour was silent but for the crunch of the salt underfoot and the clicking of DSLR mirrors and shutters – […]
Badwater. The name says all you need to know about the place, Badwater. According to the GPS on this image, the elevation here is -275.6 feet. That’s 275 feet below sea level! The lowest point in North America is about 10 miles behind my right shoulder, a whole 6.4 feet lower still. Being the lowest point, any water that does fall in this part of the desert runs into Death Valley. The only way out is evaporation and that’s what […]
