Edward Abbey said, "I hold no preference among flowers, so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous." And like those described flowers, Steve and I spontaneously hopped in the car and headed to the desert.

"Thousands of visitors come to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park each year to enjoy the beauty of unique and captivating desert wildflowers in bloom. With 92 different plant families, 346 genera and hundreds of flowering species, there is quite a variety of flora to discover!"
While not a Super Bloom, there were enough examples of Nature's Paint Palette that we were pretty giddy. This one seemed to have its arms out ready to embrace.
We were warned that wildflowers here are still beautiful, but they are beginning to taper off with the warmer temperatures and limited rain. Many blooms are past peak, though flowers can still be found with a little exploration. We delighted in Spanish needle, dune evening primrose, California primrose, brown eyes, lupine, two types of Cryptantha, California shieldpod, and so much more. The varying hues made it worth the drive. I'll let the photos tell the story.









This was my favorite photo of the day. I 🧡 Pollinators!





Oh to frolic in flowers. It doesn't get much better than this!

We began our day dropping our son off for his flight back home.

I didn't have the French Toast but this bird was thoroughly enjoying someone's unfinished breakfast.
George Biddle, War Department Art Advisory Committee Chair, advised, "Express if you can, realistically or symbolically, the essence and spirit of the war. You may be guided by Blake's mysticism, by Goya's cynicism and savagery, by Delacroix's romanticism, by Daumier's humanity and tenderness; or better still, follow your own inevitable star." I thought that was an incredibly poetic statement to launch artists off to war.
Moving on to a happier beach, we loved our brief trip to the shore- always a must.
While at the Museum we learned even more about the Hotel Del Coronado, the iconic, 1888-built Victorian beach resort. It always WOWs and demands a visit, too.
Our second to the last stop was at Parlor Doughnuts for Karen and David's favorite layered treat, the Sandy Beach donut.

There is a saying that is very true within our family, "The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys".

For the third time, Steve and at least one son, have attended an amazing desert extravaganza. After the first year, Steve had to get himself a Jeep, not to participate in the race, but to better spectate.As the sun sets, the event gets more magical and the drivers get more crazy!

Steve said that this Rock Crawl race has to be seen to fully grasp its wonderment.
Evenings offer something for everyone including concerts. Sublime headlined. The concert was part of the entertainment lineup for the event, which attracts over 100,000 spectators and racers.