Joshua Tree engages all of the senses. The smell of the creosote, the sound of the silence, the crunch of the sand beneath your feet. We’re very excited to share this video that captures the experience of staying at one of our homes in the high desert of Joshua Tree, CA.
In this month’s issue of Desert Magazine, they’re talking about their top three desert staycations. We’re honored that the Casita is featured alongside a couple of other stunning properties.
The desert elements truly tested our homes these past couple of months with an incredible amount of rain, wind, and even snow. While we’re always making updates, this past week we tested our own endurance by redoing the ceiling in the tent room in just a few days. Wind and rain had caused a leak, reminding us that we are just human and do not have control over everything; that our house is ultimately a home with a story. In the end, the tent room is better than ever.
February is here, and has already brought with it some sunshine and beautiful weather. The doves and quail are back preparing for Spring, and we’ve been driving around town with our windows down. To set the scene, we’ve put together some of our favorite songs to listen to in the car with the soft breeze blowing in (and preferably Joshua Trees whizzing by).
While there are many ways to enjoy Joshua Tree National Park and the surrounding area, our friends Geneva and Andy prefer to explore as a family. They’re a stylish and multi-talented bohemian bunch who live full-time in Joshua Tree, and have the sweetest daughter named Prairie who adores being outside. You may also recognize them as the ones behind the beautiful Instagram account, and Cosmic American blog. They’re always taking advantage of the beautiful landscape around us, and have been kind enough to share their favorite trails to explore as a family.
After living in the desert for almost a year full-time now (we ditched city living in March of 2016), we’ve been able to experience the cacti surrounding us seasonally.
We’ve been working diligently on (and living in) the Joshua Tree Hacienda, our newest project. To be quite honest, our life right now consists of dust, tripping over home depot bags while cooking dinner, and working on cleaning up one corner at a time so we have a place to sit and keep (some of) our sanity. It’s a whole different beast renovating while living full-time in the project, but we’re starting to see progress which gives us hope. Ultimately, we know it will be worth it.
We’re often asked about our favorite places in Joshua Tree and the surrounding area. We never know quite where to begin with our recommendations – there’s a little bit of everything here. The epic, the strange, places that simply feel alien.
We’re beginning the new year by simplifying our lives, and finding simple pleasure in all of our senses. Music is such an integral part of our experience here in the desert. This playlist includes many of our recent favorites.
A few months ago, I started my second 100 Day Project! This year’s project was heavily inspired by the cactus garden at the home Rich and I bought earlier this year in Joshua Tree. As I walked through the garden, I realized how many varieties of cacti there are and I wished I knew their…
