Two Days in April

As we left the centre of London, a little drizzle fell and, closer to Heathrow, some drizzle became rain but lacked energy. Throughout the day which followed, we would see none. The countryside is lush in spite of the lack of recent rain and we saw plenty of it in our two days of what I shall, slightly inaccurately, call perambulations. We went to Southampton twice; yesterday to see the impressive MSC Orchestra and, today, to see, rather more distantly, Vision of the Seas. This early in the season there were in fact five cruise ships due in part to the unexplained delay to Black Watch. Also present were Ventura, Saga Pearl II and Celebrity Eclipse as well as Vision of the Seas. It makes me happy to record the Southampton of today. Photography for today is photography for tomorrow also. Today, we went to Reading. I do not recall the last time I was there and I think I have only ever been by train before today. It might have been better by train; one of the unfortunate facts of our age is that revenue protection means that most stations are barriered and platform tickets appear to be a thing of the past. The one disappointment of the visit was that I could not access the station platforms. I enjoyed the buses though and the rest of Reading was attractive. The shops and restaurants were very good. When you have been alive for nearly 55 years and  have eaten a lot of meals, novelty or variety is always welcome. We found that today in Jaswa the baked samosa company. I expect this idea to spread into a chain. The food was very good and reasonably priced.

In London yesterday evening we went to see 'Hurly Burly' at The Garrick Theatre. I hadn't known what to expect as we went specifically to see singer Spencer Day. Perhaps I should have had a better idea of burlesque and, predictably, an hour and a half of women undressing was of limited interest to me although it is difficult to criticise a show which included a mash-up of 'Looks, Looks, Looks' by the inimitable Sparks. Spencer was a bit less prominent on stage than I would have liked and than he deserved. He has a good voice and we were very fortunate to meet him afterwards. He is highly engaging and energetic and I liked him very much. There was energy to spare in London on the night before the wedding and I must admit it was a slight buzz to be there. I enjoyed seeing the scene being set although I had no desire to see the event. Traffic was pretty awful even when we left well after 10pm. Traffic management schemes must have been introduced by those with some sort of vendetta against motorists and the increasingly encroaching cycle schemes are a madness disproportionately favouring those stupid enough to cycle in the capital. The blue paint of the cycle routes is an abomination and the signs proclaiming the forthcoming completion of CS8, a provocation. The only mollification I experienced - and I might have imagined this - was that I think some bus lanes formerly 24hrs are now 7am-7pm.

We shall return to London, Reading and, of course, Southampton.

An End To Dull And Uncertain Days

Easter is behind us, the Royal Wedding and Bank Holiday ahead. This later weekend will at least not bring us the irrational imposition of minority religious beliefs on our shopping habits. There was no logic to the enforced closures of Sunday; the garden centre was closed - presumably compost is considered blasphemous or something - but Kwik Fit was open. On Monday we saw the inevitable reaction. I expect many people had emptied their freezers during the single day supermarket closure and they certainly made up for it as soon as they could. On Tuesday it was time again to return the daily contents of inappropriately driven 4x4s to their places of education and the roads suffered. I think this is particularly evident in our area where the infrastructure is poor and, depending on which Liberal Democrat or Conservative local government campaigner you believe, more houses are planned. We are thinking of replacing our car (our one car) but initial fact-finding was rather alarming as the prices of even used cars are high.

My recent life at work has been rather unsettled but I am distracting myself by looking forward to going to Norway. I passed 50,000 views on Flickr which is gratifying even if the number of views of some pictures absolutely baffles me. I was flattered to be asked for the use of one of my bus photos in 'Passenger Transport' magazine. We are going to London tomorrow for a show and will leave before the wedding brings the city to a halt. I expect however to see numerous police with and unnatural preoccupation with inspection covers.

Cheating

I do not know if an octopus, possessed of eight arms, could work faster but I, with the standard two, am going to have to cheat and bandbox my latest blog entries. I can not back-up and process my photographs with attendant notes and write everything I would like to write when it is fresh in my mind. Nothing seemed very fresh yesterday when a tired mind and tired body were still recovering from night shifts. For that reason, we got going well after the middle of the day and drove to Gosport for the ferry. Although the offer was there, I had to resist the temptation to go to Jessops, Hedge End and risk going further than Saturday's speculative visit to Currys to look at cameras. Tempted by the Panasonic FZ-100 and, unexpectedly, by the Fujifilm HS10, I found that I had too much information to digest and new criteria to consider. I could suddenly see some advantages to using AA batteries. Furthermore, we are about to be bombarded by yet more new products from several manufacturers. The only thing I can say with certainty is that I have no use for a 3D camera.
So, back in Gosport or, by now, in Portsmouth after the ferry ride, food was a priority - as I rarely have my lunch at 2pm - and a vague idea of a boat trip was forming. It was our third visit to Giraffe, Gunwharf Quays and I commend both food and service. It did add to the occasion sitting outside on a wonderful, blessed afternoon. On a previous visit to Gunwharf we had been disappointed that boat trips finished early. yesterday, in the Dockyard, we discovered one leaving at 4pm which allowed just enough time for a quick dabble in the fascinating surroundings before boarding. The tour then provided exactly what I wanted with close approaches to both Naval Base and Continental Ferry Port. There were a lot of naval vessels moored but it is a sad reflection on the state of our armed services that the majority were decommissioned or otherwise idle. It is astonishing that all three (current) Type 45 Daring Class ships were in - they are Daring, Dauntless and Diamond. It is rumoured that we can not afford to run them. What must be the morale of their crews and commanders? I would not much mind if the government of the day decided that we would reduce our armed services to the levels necessary only for the immediate defence of the United Kingdom. Instead, successive haphazard and incoherent defence reviews commit those services to more and more often far-flung activity with ever fewer resources. There is no obvious long-term plan beyond ostensible cost-savings.

When we have commitments in London we frequently stay one night before or after and are fortunate to be able to do so. Today then our destination was our favoured Heathrow Renaissance - close enough to London for most purposes - and we did not intend to waste the journey. Our first stop after a late breakfast was the RHS Garden at Wisley where the tulips were fantastic.

The car parks, although close to over-subscribed, receive little attention at Wisley so random parking leads to poor use of the space available. We went on for only my second visit (I think) to Brooklands. Much has changed in the area in the 6-7 years since my last visit and Mercedes-Benz World was evidently providing pleasure to many. The Brooklands Museum itself is a bit of mixed bag and I can only be honest in my review. Money has been spent on facilities and the contents of the shop but the aircraft displays (more than the vehicles) are close to being preserved but largely unrestored junk. There is, to be fair, a similar experience at many museums across the transport spectrum. We bought a Couple membership to show support but the fact that the Concorde (DG) attraction is £4 (£3 for members) more is inexplicable. I must say though I got a lot of enjoyment out of the exhibits. At both Wisley and Brooklands I had to contend with the insouciant and the medicated and, this being the Easter holiday, their lovely children/grandchildren. I turned it into a bit of a challenge; it is quite a skill to exclude completely from ones photographs the people at a busy venue. I have done it with patience (possibly a misrepresentation of one of my smaller virtues) and not Photoshop. As the results arrive on Facebook and Flickr, I hope you enjoy them.

A Preview of Easter

With a full week to go to the first of consecutive four day weekends, a manic mass of humanity thronged Tesco and, later, Sainsburys. I understand why they were shopping so fervently. In all the days ahead right up to Bank Holiday Monday, the shops are closing only on Easter Sunday - in a ridiculous sop to a minority superstition - and so anyone who has not stocked up adequately with Pringles or Pampers could so easily starve to death or end up with the Social Services round. Let me sketch a typical Tesco car park scene to explain my irritation bordering on ire. We arrived when it was already busy and selected an outside space whilsit almost everyone else fought over the already over-subscribed covered spaces. A Peugot 206 or something similar was in a space with spaces either side. We could not go in the nearer of these because the (grand)mother was taking ten minutes with the door wide open fastening grandchild into childseat. Mummy/daughter was in the car but had left her trolley in the other space, an act of banal selfishness which she seemed to think was perfectly natural. I think she was preparing for verbal combat when I passed a comment prior to taking the offending trolley back to the pen. It took me one minute and, with her mother still faffing around on the other side, I think she might have had time to do that. I did not engage her further. One can not reason with the unreasonable.

I am dismayed and puzzled that a decision has been made to revisit the plan to abolish cheques from 2018. That is seven years time, not tomorrow. The remaining two people who want to use cheques will both be dead by then. There is nothing to review, this is a bullet which should be bitten whilst progress is made with EFT and contactless cards.

I am also dismayed and puzzled by the antipathy and suspicion directed to photographers on both sides of the Atlantic and probably elsewhere. So, let's get a few things straight. There is nothing inherently wrong or suspicious about taking photographs of buildings, buses, aircraft, cats, street art or anything. One of the things I have learned from posting to Flickr is that it is depressingly difficult to take anything original. In fact for almost any given subject you can name there are invariably thousands of pictures already on Flickr and in hundreds of other places on the internet. Whatever the perceptions of transport enthusiasts, architecture fans or anyone with unfamiliar hobbies, the fact is that there is limitless information about anything and everything and pictures of those same things in the electronic world we all inhabit.

I shall probably take some photographs on these three weekends and in between whilst simultaneously avoiding the 18m cars expected to be on the roads. I don't know what those photographs will be but I doubt I shall be undertaking any futile journeys to overcrowded destinations reached late and left early. However, I hope you all enjoy your leisure in your own ways.

Back Home

It is perhaps just as well to leave some things undone so that there is always a reason to return. In this case, I think, it will be April 2012. We have not left from San Diego before albeit for LAX and it did not hurt less than leaving from Palm Springs. For all that is frustrating and annoying about America, a nation that is more afraid of dairy products than it is of terrorists, there is so much that is good, especially in California and we love it. The morning weather in San Diego matched my mood, dull and a little cool. There was brightness by the time we reached Long Beach on an easy drive and we had lunch at the airport there. I would have liked to stay longer as there is a lot to see. Alamo tried to rip us off for gas but I robustly defended our position and got the bill halved even though we did not have the pre-paid option. They even tried to tell me the vehicle had a 16-17 gallon tank; I got out the handbook, rarely present in a rental car, and proved otherwise. If randomness is the secret of great security then LAX was very secure today. The security lines were very badly managed and organised. I kept uncharacteristically quiet. Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee were in the lounge. Both looked very well. I had a little chat with Debbie. She was absolutely charming. Television does not flatter her as she looked absolutely lovely in real life. Strangely, they vanished as they did not pass us to board the earlier flight. I think they probably went through the first class lounge or maybe it was just an illusion. Later, Greg recognised Jensen Ackles boarding our flight. I would not have known him from Adam. I was extremely annoyed that he got pre-pre boarding in a ridiculous display of sycophancy by BA. Actors (and sportsmen) may well be near the top of the salary chain but they are certainly not at the top of the food chain. At Heathrow, he had to wait for the transit like everyone else but, again, he had a greeter cum minder.

Without assistance from BA other than an early arrival, we sped through Heathrow until we went for the Hotel Hoppa. I would like to say that the 30 minute frequency (we waited 25 mins) is hopelessly inadequate but I must admit the demand was not really there. In England, the weather was much nicer than that we left behind in Los Angeles. We were ahead of the Friday traffic and soon returned to innocuous post and a clean house. My FB problem seemed to be resolved and I set about familiar tasks. Next stop, Norway.

Must Fly, But First.....

A well filled vacation, filled further by processing photographs and writing a diary now 36 years old, risks leaving insufficient time for everything I like to do. Until this moment, it was my blog, source variously of amusement and irritation to a largely hidden audience. I genuinely hope it contains some interesting narrative and observations. Many of my friends and colleagues are well travelled but we all see things differently. For 33 years I have been with Greg and it was our anniversary Wednesday. He moved me to tears by buying me a beautiful card with an unexpected message. Even after all this time it is difficult to understand why someone would love me when I do not particularly love myself. We all celebrate in different ways. We went to the Padres game at PETCO Park and, although we were nominally supporting the home team from the slightly uncomfortable position of the largely visitor-filled seats, we were most thrilled by seeing two Giants players, Buster Posey the catcher and remarkable pitcher Tim Lincecum. I have to congratulate not myself but my incredibly capable compact camera (TZ-6) on producing photographs I am very happy with.  Yesterday's 3-1 win over the Giants must have seemed a long way away when the visitors jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and later went on to win 8-4. When we arrived for the game, some spotty rain fell as it had fallen in the morning as we did a few relatively local things before a  break in the hotel room. The most important of these was to visit the Cancer Survivors Park with, of course, the Salmones sculpture but a different setting and different Bartels benches and tiles.

When you hear 'he has a low spice tolerance' in an Indian restaurant you do wonder if you should suggest that 'he' steps across the road to Hooters where he might find something more to his liking. We were in Royal India on Tuesday, where the food was good but overpriced and from a menu much shorter than would be normal in England. There were only four starters. It was the end of a busy day, the first half of which had been spent at SeaWorld. I was  tempted to turn around when we discovered it was Spring Break and there were all sorts of hideous children there but we had already paid the extraordinary $12 parking charge. Crowds disperse fairly effectively in the large site especially when a show is on so the rest of the time was not bad. I remembered the delightful Penguin Encounter from our previous visit and it was a key reason for going back but, on this occasion, it was the beluga whales in Wild Arctic which moved me most. Their passivity and elegance in the water was magical. It seemed to me that the dolphins' training is designed to work mostly for those who have paid for encounters or gone into a show as it was difficult to photograph them casually. Animal Encounters however was a pleasant last surprise as we met a legless lizard and a sloth. Overall it was a great experience but, predictably, transport subjects were not far from my mind. Greg rested in the hotel while I went for an afternoon meander. I worked out the ticket machine for the trolley and bought a day pass, good value for even my relatively local perambulations. It took some while to understand that Event Specials were running in addition to regular Orange Line services. I thoroughly enjoyed myself at Santa Fe Depot (Amtrak San Diego) and idly wondered what Santa Fe's station is called. There was no sign of any concern at my photographic endeavours but that changed later at Transit Center. The off-duty home of the trolleys (trams) is in an area made much busier Tuesday by the crowds arriving for the Padres' home opener against the Giants. Photography is actually difficult although there is plenty to see and I was using my camera openly but without trespassing beyond public areas. I was stopped by TSA officers for a bit of chat and, uncharacteristically but instinctively, I decided to remain relaxed and pleasant. They were very civil but very thorough and the psychology of the encounter was interesting. There were two key officers, one man, one woman, not exactly a 'good cop, bad cop' scenario but very defusing. However, there were three others nearby but within striking distance as it were - I think they could have coped with any eventuality. To give them their due they are clearly, and to my relief, well briefed on the latest determination that there are no general federal statutes prohibiting photography in public places. In spite of the existence of several excellent and prominent magazines in the US, interest in transport(ation) is not widely understood there. Still, my Flickr photostream today was well balanced with sculpture, architecture, animals, birds and trees. Leaving the area calmly, I walked back to the Marriott, savouring the Convention Center architecture and afternoon sun.

I don't think I have put on any weight but I have gained a few gigabytes and might take a while to catch up. As at the end of most holidays, I am happy and grateful but also ready to go back and be in the UK for a while; a short while as it happens as we shall soon be in Norway.

Doing The Docent Thing

It was only on my last trip to America that I learned the word 'docent'. Its meaning had become apparent from the context in which it arose - as we were being guided around the Palm Springs Art Museum and I assumed that a Latin word had been purloined by a nation anxious to add some gravitas to a potentially modest task. This turned out to be both judgemental and inaccurate. The word and its variants are widely used in Europe to describe various academic posts as well as being used for a museum or gallery guide. Those we have come across, the latest today, are people who do a job wonderfully well with knowledge and enthusiasm. Furthermore, such roles are often filled by elderly, retired but active people whose state of mind and outlook is an example to us all. We arrived today at the Orange Empire Railway Museum which is a jewel amongst museums and yet poorly signposted and not really on the California tourist trail. It had not featured in my plans for our transit from Palm Springs to San Diego; Greg had noticed it on a map. Our first stop, which I had been looking forward to, was a bit of a let down. The March Field Museum is closed Mondays. I got a few photographs but my frustration was doubled by the fact that I needed a bathroom. Had that not been the case, I might have spared Greg another airfield but Perris Valley Airport seemed a destination likely to fulfil our needs for both relief and refreshment. It was so much more than that. It is skydiving centre of extraordinary size with dozens, possibly hundreds of partcipants. Four aircraft were engaged in frenetic activity using both ends of the runway. They were three Twin Otters and a Skyvan. Across the runway a DC9 also converted for skydiving is currently out of use. The groups present included the Canadian Army and representatives of Strathclyde and Southampton Universities. I could have watched for hours. Opposite the airfield entrance the Pomeroy (US Concrete) plant has a preserved caboose which sits on a plinth only a short distance (in a straight line at least) from our railway museum destination.

When no trains or trolleys are running, admission is free. I would gladly have paid. The man who showed us around was utterly engaging and we entered several otherwise locked sheds. Regrettably this facility has, like preserved railways in Britain, suffered from theft, in particular of copper. I was close to heat exhaustion but carried on with further exploration and photography after our tour. To cover the entire site and photograph properly would take probably more than one day and  now time was slipping past. I do not recall previously using a Coco's. Lunch in their Sun City branch was very good. Later, Greg needed a bathroom otherwise he might have escaped our Montgomery Field stop. Photographs there included two San Diego Fire Department helicopters. I was chagrinned to find out on processing that I had slightly cropped one rotor. I might be learning but I am still making mistakes especially when hot and tired. There is huge fire station nearby but I was completely out of energy.

We cruised down into San Diego via its landscaped freeways and reached Harbor Drive for the Marriott Marquis. The elevator had television. In worlds away from southern California, opposing forces traded blows in Libya which in turns pales in contrast to the conflict in Ivory Coast. In Japan the slow recovery continues from near nuclear disaster born of very real natural catastrophe but on my elevator television the Weather Channel was able to confirm that it was raining in Birmingham, Alabama. In the North Tower meeting rooms the penultimate day's proceedings drew to a close for delegates to NAHAD, the Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution. Ladies and Gentlemen, in a world torn by strife and tormented by hunger I give you the comfort of banality.

Problem; Solution

The internet was back - have you tried turning it off and back on again? The cloud of yesterday was gone and the temperature rose but remained pleasant. A Chinese Restaurant had eluded me yesterday. Well, not actually eluded; it is just that there were too many cars parked in front. A Sunday morning would be a good time to return. It nearly eluded me again on a trip for which I left Greg resting at the resort. I could not remember exactly where it was and drove as far as Bob Hope before turning back. I knew it was not just outside Phoenix and with the price of gas....Anyway, it was right there in Cathedral City all the time and I allowed one car into the photograph. I boxed rather clumsily back to the airport and noted that a new control tower is under construction. I wanted to be on the north side and worked my way round with several stops for the different sections of apron (ramp). It was easier than last time with the sun a little better placed but it was not straightforward. A  crowded ramp does not lend itself to aircraft portraiture and the comings and goings of the rich but not necessarily famous were myriad. I even saw two poodles headed for one plane but I imagine it was their owner who had hired it unless they were Lotto winners in their own right. The Loft, 'open for breakfast and lunch' was, well, closed. So, almost by chance, I ended up at the Palm Springs Air Museum for perhaps my third visit. And, as it turned out, the most enjoyable.

Problem; what is one to do when one has paid for a helicopter ride but no-one else turns up to make the flight (minimum 4) viable? Solution; hire a family. I had cooled my heels taking photographs which I enjoyed very much because they had a delightful display of carrier airplanes outside and some magnificent classic cars inside interspersed with the aircraft exhibits. I used the bathroom twice and had lunch, a Middle East sandwich, not named as you might imagine after Israel, but a delightful combo of grilled chicken, houmous and peppers on pitta. I learned something today - the meaning of 'flak', now in common usage but once an abbreviation for 'Fliegerabwehrkanone', an anti-aircraft gun. Still no companions for the ride so it was time to innovate. I did not want to miss my flight as I love helicopters and I did not much want a refund. I picked on a family group, father and two sons and offered them the trip. They only needed to realise that I was English to cope with this offer out of left field and off we went for our ten minute circuit of Palm Springs with a slight tinge of Cathedral City. Why is it that, although I have a perfectly common fear of (open) heights, I have absolutely no concerns about flying even when, as in a Jet Ranger, you can see straight past your feet? I was relieved to get reasonable results from my aerial shots. I had been very disappointed with those I took from our flight to Rome but that was from about 35,000' and, I imagine, somewhat beyond the abilities of my camera. Every mistake made with the camera is a lesson learned and I think I am getting better.

An afternoon nap barely refreshed me but I was ready for our evening meal at The Falls, an excellent restaurant in Palm Canyon Drive. My filet was superb and Greg savoured his rib-eye after we had had starters of Cajun Shrimp and Almond Brie respectively. It is an expensive restaurant but I think I could call it value for money. The restaurants of Palm Springs were thriving this Sunday night. We'll be seeing them again in 2012 but for now we are hours away from three days in San Diego.

A Saturday In The Desert Cities

From Palm Springs to La Quinta and Bermuda Dunes and back; maybe a slight hint of Indio, difficult to say. It was a road trip of sorts, very urban but definitely a road trip with cameras slung and objectives in mind. Objectives which would be fulfilled with some surprises along the way and some failures at the end. Is it an admission of failure to use 'straightening' in Photoshop? The fact is, conditions are sometimes less than ideal for photography. Without an articulated LCD screen (a feature of my next camera) maintaining an horizon in an awkwardly held camera can be rather speculative. I benefit from being tall and I can get my camera where others can not (say nothing Kettlewell and you Bethel, stop snickering) but it does not always work out and I don't publish what I don't like. My standards go beyond OCD with very rare compromises. Greg straightened a shot for me from the wonderful Bermuda Dunes airport but I was absolutely mortified that I had cropped the offside mirror of a glorious fire truck at Rancho Mirage Fire Station No.1 where I had had a friendly reception and a good chat. That faux pas came about when the light was too bright for the LCD.  I am an uncompromising fan of digital as the sheer volume of images possible these days would have been prohibitively expensive with film. I also use the camera as a notebook, recording reference shots to help later with my notes. Purists will even now be sneering into their skinny lattes or, more likely, Darjeeling. They will argue that more thought should go into the composition in the first place and that shots should not be wasted. I travel a middle road, understanding the principle they espouse but preferring to apply 10-20% of my creativity at home in shot selection and minor pp but, usually, without Photoshop. Amongst the oddities of today and the delightful surprise of a '65 Ford Mustang were two really important stops. The Cancer Survivors Park in Rancho Mirage delivers an important message to anyone affected directly or indirectly by cancer and to the population at large. It is a joyous place and I hope to see some of the other parks in 21 cities around the US and in Canada. My Flickr and Facebook albums tell the tale. The Eisenhower Walk of Honor in Indian Wells is also beautifully executed and, co-located with the Indian Wells Memorial, thought provoking as such memorials should be.

It takes a while to move about the Valley and through its thousand stop lights but that can be an advantage when on the lookout. We ate lunch not at Baja Fresh as planned but at Rockin' Baja in La Quinta. The food was excellent, scoring highly for freshness of preparation. Our meal was actually obscenely large and our evening food consumption consequently minimal. I liked though that it was flautas evening at the Inndulge social hour. I liked an internet failure (local router) much less but it was time for bed anyway. Monday will be the perfect time to move on to San Diego but we have already decided that we shall come back to Palm Springs indefinitely. Jon and Sandy are not John and Jean-Guy but no bad things have happened at Inndulge. There are good new things and many of the good old things. Any change is being applied with a lightness of touch which recognises the goodwill that came with the property. Ours is intact and LAX immigration will see us again.

A Portrait of a Garden at Breakfast Time

I like bagels. Strangely, I eat them only rarely in England. My bagel with cream cheese was accompanied by my daily hard-boiled egg and chopped strawberries. The ensemble rested on a glass topped table and the table stood beneath a sky of extraordinary blue. Colour and light were enticing. If it was possible to imagine a place as beautiful (perhaps Phuket and its views of the Andaman Sea) it was impossible to imagine one more so. Some of the flowers viewed against that sky look simply stunning. In this desert idyll the brown sludge of Los Angeles' air rarely makes it past San Bernardino. It was not yet 8am and much of the resort was still in shade but there was no chill, not even a hint. The hardest thing today would be moving the laundry from washer to dryer - after that I had an 'empty diary'. Later I would look for lizards. I ate slowly by my standards digesting both food and surroundings. At the risk of stereotyping, gay men at leisure are not known for getting up early. Here they fill the garden as the sun rises, enjoy their breakfasts too and think their own thoughts even if some of those thoughts are more Blackberry than strawberry for those who bring work with them. Jon and Sandy are here, John and Jean-Guy no longer but perhaps little has changed.

A Simple Travelogue Continues

The temperature, already well into the 30s, is due to reach 37. I quite enjoy that but protracted activity such as our previous two photo-shoots is not very practical. In any kind of exposure to the sun you can actually feel yourself burning and this was March. I have no major objectives now before reaching San Diego and my strange mind is already racing ahead to two trips to London and a week in Norway. Today, the laundry would be enough. If I feel really energetic, I might lift a pizza. The gardens of Inndulge, busy at the moment, are impossibly pleasant from one end of the day to the other. From the first moment the sun illuminates Mt. San Jacinto to the dusk when the same sun descends below the same mountain there is joy in the lushly planted garden. Even now, at only 6am, rich birdsong cascades across the grounds from neighbouring trees and gardens. During the day I shall see but probably never capture (on camera) humming birds; rather charming lizards will inspect me from the shade of the vegetation.

Yesterday was our second and main photo-shoot. We left Palm Springs a little early to try to be on the return journey during the greatest heat. It is a strange drive to Borrego Springs made easier this time by familiarity. In reality you are never that far from anywhere but the desert is real enough and the sun harsh enough to be prepared. Water is essential and S22 really would not be a good place to break down. The ravaged surface of Ramon gives way to a more confident blacktop as the route seeks I-10 and then 86S. The main roads glare white and sunglasses are (almost) as essential as water. It is hard to describe the scenery. You feel, in many places, you should leave the car and photograph it but, in as many places, the photographers mind and eye say 'no'. It does not look quite right, the light just a little hazy. I think you would have to be a landscape specialist to get the best out of it. I know from my first Grand Canyon visit that it is incredibly difficult for the camera to replicate the subtle striations of the rock formations. They change with the miles and with the hours. This is the geological equivalent of the English forest autumn and it makes you wonder deeply at the complexity of the eye. We are blessed to see so many variations, so much subtlety, so much beauty. At the same time, the harshness of the southbound journey is real enough. It is only 250 years since pioneers were punished by this land and today's roads, rail tracks and telephone poles do nothing to soften the unspoken threat. To the left, the east, The Salton Sea sparkles but somehow is not attractive. The desultory habitations which cling loosely to it, Desert Shores and Salton City speak of lost lives. It is hard to imagine why the people are there. In Salton City, an 'am/pm' gas station and shop is quite a smart, well kept oasis for, one imagines, mostly passing trade. Leaving the gas station, the roads of Imperial County give a rough ride before the more obviously maintained route through San Diego County. There are all sorts of activities not far from the road as you cross Anzo-Borrego State Park. We wondered how the RVs are cooled.

With a little time to go before a sensible lunchtime, we drove out to the further reaches of gently sprawling Borrego Springs and gradually regained our bearings from our curtailed visit of last time. In searing heat, I tried to capture everything previously missed and the bright light forced me to rare use of the viewfinder. I don't suppose any reasonable LCD screen could cope with those levels. I saw cactus but I stared hard at them and they left me alone so this time it was only going to be heatstroke and no puncture wounds. In fact, we took it in turns to leave the car so that we could leave the engine and a/c running. Greg became hypoglycaemic and the sun was still getting hotter so we fled to Carlees. We were not disappointed as one sometimes can be with a second visit. The food was excellent, the service at a busy lunch, very pleasant. If you go to Borrego Springs, you really should eat there.

The afternoon was not quite over. I decided to stop at Thermal Airport, now rather lengthily named Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport. It is a substantial place with some interesting aircraft and I might go back without Greg. America has an uneasy relationship with its predominantly freight bearing railroads. I can't say I was pleased when and eastbound train stopped across the Airport Boulevard crossing but the situation quickly turned to my advantage. It was waiting for a westbound train to pass. Whilst the road has the most basic half-barrier to hold the traffic there is nothing else to restrict access to trackside. The photo opportunity was excellent and to be so close to the passing of powerful locomotives was not unlike standing next to an airport runway to watch take-offs.

Hwy. 111 seemed long as we continued through Indio, La Quinta and then Indian Wells before reaching the much more familiar Palm Desert and the remaining miles home. The journey gave me some ideas for our unplanned days off before driving to San Diego.