May 10, 2005
Desert Springs
Near Barstow Ca.

Stuck, wedged, trapped, caught, jammed, immovable, having difficulties, at a complete loss….
After Lake Isabella we headed over to Big Bear Lake, in the mountains just above San Bernardino. Plan was to stay by the lake (sic) and head down to the big city to stock up on supplies and see a bus. The bear won again. The bus really was not for us and the RV park was over priced and under, well under everything. Snow, sleet and cold with wind gales that shook the trailer. The drive up and down the mountain ws kind of cool so much fog you could not see more than 4 or 5 feet in front of the truck. At night it was even worse. But we made it safely each way.
This morning I had a phone interview with a Polish Photographic Magazine about the upcoming show. One comment they had was that it seems that almost all the new work, from the trip, is of rural america and the question of whether or not I was going to include urban landscapes and people came up. Seems like I am drawn to the rural landscapes as well as the People who inhabit them but I do hope to include more urban work in the project. The lifestyle does lend itself more to the rural landscape though. A bit of a problem to park the Airstream in New York City.
Anyway we headed out this morning toward the Salton Sea but discovered as we started down the mountain that the trailer brakes were out. So it was a very slow trip down the backside of the mountain. Once on level ground it was straight to the biggest town around, that being Barstow.
In Barstow we found Larry at B&B Plumbing and RV fixer upper. What a God send. Larry got right to work on the brakes and by 5:30pm we’d replaced the plug and trouble shot the problem down to the right brake, but 5:30 is quitting time (Larry mentioned something about an Oriental disease “Dragon Ass”)so Heather and I headed off to Desert Springs and Larry off to dinner or whatever cure for “dragon ass” he had in mind.
Tomorrow we’ll pull the wheel and try to figure out what’s what. Mostly likely the magnets are bad and the closest place to get them is 70 miles away so I will be heading out in the truck to pick up new ones.
Seems like the last few months all we’ve done is Airstream repairs. Perhaps the Land Yacht is annoyed that we are out looking at busses? Since January we’ve spent more on air stream repairs than on what the paint job would of cost on that old Flx we wanted.
Did make one outstanding image today on the way over to Barstow of 8 old Palm Trees and hope to make a portrait of Larry and his wife tomorrow. I have a feeling that by the time the brakes are repaired we will know each other quite well. I already like him, he’s got me down on the ground working right along with him.

Camp at Desert Springs

First Encounter

Second Encounter

Encounter of the third kind Contact! DMK Larry and Heather