Twenty years ago, Jennifer Jungwirth was just wrapping up her college education when she got a call to interview for a teaching position in Baker, CA. Then, the Morongo Valley Unified School District called. Jennifer came out to Yucca Valley and after 45 minutes of what Jennifer assumed was just friendly, casual conversation, the folks at YYHS offered her the job - and she accepted. This was Jennifer's first experience with desert.   In this episode, Jennifer says her friends thought it was 'cool' that she was moving to California, though Jennifer had not let on that she was moving to the Mojave Desert.   Of her first years in the desert, Jennifer admits, "I didn't get out much. I kept my head down honing my teaching craft".   Eventually adopting a dog, Jennifer started to make her way into the national park and then slowly became a faculty advisor to a number of clubs at YVHS, like ’S’ club – (Soroptimists), AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) and Gay Straight Alliance True Colors. She also joined in community service with the Morongo Basin Humane Society – no-kill animal shelter – leading her to develop their dog-walking program. After attending a meeting of Transition Joshua Tree and hearing about community gardening, she became involved with their monthly Community no-waste dinner and food program - currently on hiatus due to the Covid pandemic.   Jennifer admits there were a few times early in her career at YVHS she considered moving on from the desert. Now, 20 years later, Jennifer says she has learned to appreciate the desert's subtle seasonal changes and though she enjoys leaving the desert to travel to faraway places, she says, "it always calls me back".    

Desert Lady Diaries

DLD| Jennifer Jungwirth |Ep 133

Janis Commentz is a southern California native who grew up near the coast and began drawing and painting early in life. As the daughter of an artist, she was surrounded by art materials and enjoyed trips to galleries and museums, as well as seasonal trips to Laguna Beach and Carmel. Commentz moved to the Mojave Desert in 1977 to teach art and English at Sky High School, now Black Rock High School. At the University of Redlands, she earned a B.A. in art and English and studied printmaking with John Nava, well-known for his tapestries at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. She holds an M.A. in Education from California State University at San Bernardino, facilitated life drawing in Joshua Tree sessions in Joshua Tree for nearly a decade and teaches art classes at the 29 Palms Art Gallery, field classes for the Joshua Tree National Park Desert Institute, and painting retreats at the Campbell House in 29 Palms. She has exhibited at Gallery 62, Joshua Tree Art Gallery, the Purple Agave, Rainbow Stew, and the 29 Palms Art Gallery in the Morongo Basin, T.E. Studios in Riverside, and the Redlands Art Association, Redlands. Commentz participated in the Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours (ten seasons), Joshua Tree National Park Juried Art Exposition (six years), Joshua Tree National Park Spring Art Festival, Art Faire at California State University at San Bernardo and Art For Heaven's Sake, Redlands. In 2013, she helped create the “Pop Up” Art Gallery in Joshua Tree, Six Chicks, which evolved into Gallery 62. Commentz served as Gallery Director for Gallery 62 during 2016.  She has been the featured artist at the Glass Outhouse Art Gallery and the 29 Palms Art Gallery. Janis Commentz blogs on her website at https://www.janiscommentz.com/  

DLD| Janis Commentz | Ep 132

Bobbi Fabian's first experience with desert was with the Warner Brothers Roadrunner cartoon. Growing up in Melbourne Australia, Bobbi made her way to America looking for more opportunities as a photographer, finding she felt more at home  in the U.S. than in her home country. Bobbi moved to the U.S. in 2003, settling in Los Angeles. With an MA in Photography Bobbi was a freelance photographer and educator for most of her working life – commissioned by brands like Timex, Penguin Books, Audi and other household names.   On a road trip through America, while working on a project, she and a friend made a point to go through Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Staying at the Amargosa Hotel, they felt so at home, they decided to meet there every Christmas following that visit.   Bobbi's friend was unable to make it to their annual holiday in 2014 and Bobbi decided to go anyway . There she met a women and her friend who had moved to Death Valley Junction to perform Mara Becket’s original (dance) pieces.  During that trip, Bobbi sensed good things would be happening in Death Valley Junction and decided to make another trip back sooner than her annual holiday visit.   It was February 2015 and the Opera House was having a special event dinner and performance celebrating Valentines Day. The Dancer and her friend, charged with making dinner for the patrons, had gotten into an argument. Bobbi stepped in to help the friend finish the dinner preparations. The following morning, he told her the Cafe was in need of management and Bobbi should consider taking the job. Bobbi dismissed the idea, but couldn't let go of the thought the entire ride back to Los Angeles.   A month later, Bobbi was back in Death Valley Junction sharing her ideas for the Cafe with Marta Becket, who said yes to all of them. On June 10, 2020, Bobbi celebrated five years in Death Valley Junction.   In this episode Bobbi also shares some of the history of Death Valley Junction, how dancer Marta Becket came to be the caretaker of the town and how this place with 268 acres, population 3, survives today.   Now, as the general manager of the Cafe, Hotel and Opera House, with the support of the non-profit's Board of Directors, Bobbi describes her day to day: working in and hiring for the cafe, overseeing the maintenance for all three buildings as well as sharing the history of the Junction with it's curious visitors.   We also talk about Death Valley National Park, what drew her in so closely to that part of the desert and her disappointment with folks who treat the desert as a wasteland.   There are a number of videos available on YouTube telling a deeper story about Marta, her journey to Death Valley and her revitalization of the Amargosa Opera House. Just google 'Amargosa YouTube' or check out the documentary 'Amargosa' available online. It was such a documentary that inspired Desert Lady Diaries guest, Shana Rhodes, to make her own move to the desert.   Take a look at Bobbi's photography here: www.bobbifabian.com   Visit the Amargosa website:  http://www.amargosaoperahouse.org/   And, if you can and are so moved, please donate to the go fund me campaign to help the non-profit maintain the property during this time of Covid-19 closures:   https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/amargosaoperahouse  

DLD| Bobbi Fabian |Ep 131

Born and raised in the Tri-Cities area of Detroit, Michigan, Marylee 'Boo' McIntyre grew up gathering bushels of berries, apples, apricots and what ever other fruits were in season with her siblings to be used in the creations her grandmother and mother would bake from the day after Thanksgiving through the December holidays. Over the years, baking became a way to relieve stress and get grounded.   Marylee's first encounter with the desert was visiting neighbors from Royal Oak, MI, who had a place in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Marylee and her then husband loved it so much, six months later they were living there. A lake in the middle of the desert was fascinating to Marylee. At that time, the largest employer in town was McCulloch Chain Saws and neither Marylee or her husband were able to find solid employment. Then his employer invited him back to Michigan and so they left the desert.   During this tumultuous time in the finance industry, Marylee worked in a number of roles in finance. At the last job, after being asked to train her replacements, Marylee left and found her way to the desert. A man she'd met online lived in Joshua Tree and Marylee thought, 'What the heck? Might as well give that a try."  Unsuccessful in her attempts to find work in finance here, Marylee turned to baking and was making treats sold by a local Joshua Tree cafe.   After about five years, Marylee began to visualize having her own bakery - and so, it is. Boo's Organic Oven opened it's doors in July 2019, offering sweet (pies, cookies, pastries and cakes) and savory (pot pies and hand pies).   We talk about business challenges during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic (Winter/Spring 2020) and of unfortunate incidents of racism that Marylee has had confront to protect her employees.   A self-described city girl, Marylee likes to hike in the desert, but prefers not to go alone, "The trails in the desert are not as well-marked as those in greener areas... I sometimes find myself getting turned around." The night sky, the silence and watching sunrise and sunset are Marylee's favorite things about desert living.   A grandmother of 13, Marylee says one of her granddaughters back in Michigan has the family baking bug, though she hasn't yet made the trip to grandma's desert bakery.   And, if you want to know how she got nicknamed 'Boo', you'll have to listen to the episode.   Check out Boo's Organic Oven here.   Follow on Facebook and Instagram

DLD| Marylee McIntyre |Ep 130

After 20 years in Los Angeles and a career in the film industry, Jody Curtis was guided to the Mojave desert in 2008.   A seeker of deeper spiritual understanding from an early age, her first experience with desert was visiting her Mom and step-dad during one of their annual stops in Slab City. Taking several days to wind down from the stress of the city, Jody often found she didn’t want to leave the desert to go back home.   Just after leaving her job at NBC, Jody was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer. A defining moment for Jody, her first thought was 'I have to get out of the city and get back to nature’.   By this time, her Mom had settled in Landers and so, Jody moved to the desert, having purchased a home sight unseen.   Traveling back and forth from this desert, Jody often passed the Institute of Mentalphysics and wondered what the place was and try as she might, was never able to locate information online. After moving to the desert, that curiosity remained, Jody telling her mother, “I think I’m supposed to work at this place.” One day she decided to just walk in and talk to the Director and a few months later, Jody, a web designer, was working there, combing through historical documents and records to create an online presence for what is also known as the Joshua Tree Retreat Center.   During her ten years working at the Institute of Mentalphysics, Jody became a Reverend and teacher of the breath work.   In this episode, Jody also shares the background and history of the Institute and of Founder Edwin Dingle, named Ding Le Mei by his eastern teachers.   Jody is now putting the Mentalphysics teachings into the world through her online classes and is also Founder and creator at Empower House Productions sharing audio and video affirmations and guided meditations to heal and empower body, mind and spirit.   If you're interested in checking out the breath work class, currently every Wednesday at 11 a.m., dial in using Zoom conferencing, Meeting ID 882 7880 8645 and use the password: Wellness.   Follow Empower House Productions on Facebook, click here: https://www.facebook.com/EmpowerHouseProductions/  

DLD| Jody Curtis |Ep 129

At the age of six, Rosa Ficara had her first experience with desert - her family had just moved to the desert from Waterbury, CT. Rosa doesn’t recall much about the move other than the fact that the desert was much warmer than those Connecticut winters.   As the first-born of Italian immigrants, Rosa spoke Italian (two dialects) before she spoke English. At that time, this area of the desert wasn’t extremely diverse and in school, Rosa found herself befriending schoolmates in a similar situation – one was Japanese-American and the other was Korean-American.   At 17, Rosa was ready to leave the desert and explore, heading down to University of California Riverside to study language. In addition to two dialects of Italian, she also speaks French, Spanish, and English.    While at college, Rosa sometimes brought friends or roommates back to the desert to visit and was surprised to hear how cool they thought it was that she grew up here. Rosa says, “I started to appreciate the desert through their eyes.”   In this episode, Rosa describes a few of her global experiences while still in college, then in a work program, working for a bank in Switzerland, among other roles and locations.   On her return to the U.S. she settled in Culver City – near Los Angeles – where she discovered Salsa dancing, which has become one of her greatest passions.   While in the LA area she felt the urge to change her career path and enrolled in the California School of Culinary Arts Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. She thrived in the program until she was injured in a car accident the day of her baking final. Attempting to complete the final with a cast on her right arm proved impossible and though she made it to the International Cuisine curriculum, never officially graduated from the program.  If you’ve ever had the opportunity to enjoy Rosa’s cooking, you know she’s put her education to good use.   Rosa and her business partner, Merilee Kuchon will soon open Roadrunner Grab & Go, a cold kitchen situated adjacent to the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center.   Having returned to the desert in 2004, Rosa has gained an appreciation for the grounding nature that is right outside her door and finds herself now enjoying the bounty it has to offer. And now she photographs the snakes, instead of running away from them.   Follow Roadrunner Grab & Go on Instagram.

DLD| Rosa Ficara |Ep 128

    Born and raised in San Diego, Shaney Jo Darden's first experience with the desert was traveling to visit her grandparents who lived in Palm Desert. About ten years ago, Shaney Jo started coming to the hi-desert to visit a friend, who owned Rimrock Ranch in Pioneertown. Rimrock became a place for Shaney Jo to bring her staff for annual employee retreats: learning about new programs, receiving training and enjoying some off-site downtime hiking, taking in a sound bath at the Integratron or having a social night out together at Pappy & Harriet’s.   After a number of trips to the hi-desert, spending more and more time here and meeting the community, Shaney Jo began to realize this was a special place for her. Having spent nearly 10 years in Los Angeles, Shaney Jo was ready for a change and recognized moving to the desert would not only change her surroundings, but would also be the place to fulfill one of her big dreams: to build a wellness center for cancer survivors.   Shaney Jo is the Founder and Global CCO of Keep A Breast . The organization empowers young people around the world with breast health education and support and sparks conversation around prevention, early detection and self-checks for young women. This includes art and education programs as well as programs for survivors. In this episode, Shaney Jo takes us through the formation of the organization, from it's humble beginnings as a fund-raising art show, to the international organization it is today, celebrating 20 years of good works (2020).   Last year, Keep A Breast was part of the annual local Highway 62 Art Tours, breast casting nearly a dozen local women whose casts were painted by local hi-desert artists and available for viewing during the third weekend of the tours.   With their new headquarters completed and staffed in Yucca Valley, Shaney Jo is looking to offer the KAB lounge space for a cancer survivors group to form and is now turning her attention to the development of the wellness center of her dreams. Actively in the planning stages on property in the Rimrock area, this achievement will bring Shaney Jo’s desert journey full circle.   As Keep A Breast began to rapidly grow and change, Shaney Jo found herself looking for help to responsibly guide the organization. She found it in the form of a book titled, ‘Let My People go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman‘ by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia and one of the founders of 1% for the Planet. Shaney Jo recommends this book to anyone running a business or non-profit who is looking for a better way to lead their organization and take care of its staff.   Prior to founding Keep A Breast, Shaney Jo worked in the apparel industry - another lifelong dream realized - with designers like Tommy Hilfiger in NYC, before returning to the west coast to work in the surf/skate apparel industries – Shaney Jo’s fabric of choice is denim.   Check out all the links and, if you're inspired, make a donation to this worthwhile organization.   https://www.keep-a-breast.org/   https://www.nontoxicrevolution.org/   https://www.fit4prevention.org/

DLD| Shaney Jo Darden |Ep 127

Forty years ago, stifled by life in a small Michigan town, Jacqueline Guevara's vibrant, fun-loving mother loaded her 1972 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and hit the road with her teen-aged daughter for a new start in Palm Springs. Driving into this desert oasis was Jacque's first experience with desert.   In this episode, Jacque describes working in the Palm Springs hospitality industry in the 1980's and the life skills she acquired in those jobs. A change in ownership lead to a subsequent lay-off from her job at the Palm Springs Country Club leaving Jacque jobless for the summer. With her sons out of town visiting their dad, Jacque wasn't sure what to do with the time on her hands when a friend teaching ceramics at Desert Arc invited Jacque to come and volunteer. Jacque was immediately hooked with the idea of helping people and suddenly found herself in a career in social work and, eventually, non-profit management.   Some of those positions required Jacque to travel frequently between Los Angeles and her home in the Morongo Basin - her description of  the feeling of 'the day coming off you' as she climbed those grades will be relatable to those familiar with the route.   Jacque describes herself as a new and 'accidental conservationist' in her work with Mojave Desert Land Trust and eventually in  her current role with the Joshua Tree National Park Association, where Jacque leads teams carrying out a number of initiatives from staffing the park's visitor centers to providing adult education opportunities through The Desert Institute. Jacque also gives us some insight into the the Association's role at the National Park, specifically where they take their cues and direction from and the part that plays in park operations, particularly shut-downs of the park.  

Jacqueline Guevara | Ep 126

Cathy Snodgrass was born and raised near Galveston, Texas. Her first experience with desert was watching western movies.    In 1976, driving through what was then Joshua Tree National Monument, Cathy rounded a mountain and found herself looking down on the 'quaint' town where she and her then Marine husband would be stationed. Cathy knew immediately this was home and made it a condition of her second marriage that they never leave 29 Palms – that was 40 years ago. Cathy will tell you, “I’m very heart bound to the area”.   Describing a time she went back to Texas to visit, she says she couldn't wait to get back to the desert, feeling "smothered by all the green."   Over and above her love of the desert landscape, Cathy loves the people and the camaraderie and community that comes through being involved in the 29 Palms Historical Society or those days she helped to organize the annual Weed Show.   Cathy describes her ‘super power’ and how she used it and other skills in her Civil Service roles on the Marine base. She started as a C4 clerk typist and worked her way to GS11, becoming one of the first civilian paralegals in the Legal Assistance Office, then taking an early retirement at 50.   An author of a plethora of award-winning romance novels (under the pen name Caitlyn Willows) Cathy says, “The writing gods decree that you will write – and you do." Cathy started writing in 1986 and was writing while working full time on base, each day rising early and writing two hours before heading off to work and then again for two hours in the evening, before bed. She describes the life of a dedicated writer, locking herself away on weekends - in addition to her weekly morning and evening writing - didn't leave much time for fun or friends.   Without any formal writing training, Cathy just began writing, later joining an organization that taught writing where she says she learned a great deal about the process. Even with that, it took Cathy 13 years of writing before she was ever published. Cathy provides a cautionary tale of sorts about what her life as a writer was like, taking a step back last year to regroup. In doing so, or to quote Cathy, ‘letting the universe have it’s way with me” and says she has found she is now happier than she’s ever been.   With more time in her schedule now and feeling no grieving after leaving her writing career behind, Cathy works creatively in mosaics and pottery. She has also become a reiki master and has obtained a degree in spiritual healing.   Check out Cathy's Creative Soul Facebook Page featuring her books and mosaics.

DLD | Cathy Snodgrass | Ep 125

Artist and founder of Earth House Studios, Sharon Davis creates colorful art and installations at her home in Morongo Valley.   Sharon and I bonded as two Jersey girls, so you might get hungry listening to the beginning of this episode.   Sharon left NJ for the first time in in 1974 and came to California, landing in Huntington Beach, moving on to Moreno Valley, then Palm Springs. After that she's moved between the east coast and Texas, Virginia and Maryland, with a few stops back to California in between.   Her first desert experience was in Palm Springs, which Sharon found to be way too hot. When she did decide to come back west, having some pretty specifics requirements for her property, she thought she'd land in Pioneertown, but found the perfect place in  Morongo Valley - a place she feels doesn't get enough credit and notice in the basin.   Sharon has always liked art and being creative, dabbling in many different types of art from drawing to sewing. As a kid, a woman came to her parents house to buy a couch, saw some of Sharon's art and invited her to come apprentice with her husband, who worked for Tiffany's. Sharon spent one Saturday with the man and another young artist, learning how to inlay enamel with toothpicks.   After have her kids, Sharon set aside her creativity and art, only using it to work on projects she typically gave away as Christmas gifts.   She finds herself very inspired by the desert and the night sky and tells a story about her high school art teacher, with whom she re-connected with many years later. We also hear a bit of history around the Morongo Valley Art Colony.   Being part Cherokee, Sharon tells us a bit about ceremony, sweat lodges and a recent art installation event she hosted at her home to bring awareness to the disappearances of over 6,000 missing native American females – women and children.  

DLD | Sharon Davis | Ep 124

Like the roots of the honey mesquite and creosote, Robin Kobaly's desert roots go deep. Her immediate family moved to Morongo Valley when she was 2 years old. At six, Robin had an extraordinary experience with desert wildflowers - an experience she was hesitant to share, being part of a scientific community, fearing her work would not be taken seriously.    In her studies of plants, Robin also came to appreciate the ways in which Native Americans used plants dyes for basket-weaving, textiles and ceremonial paints and tells a story about the dye found in prickly pear cactus.   Studying plants with her mother in the Morongo Valley, they would collect and sometimes serve them for dinner. "My brothers were always petrified about what they were going to eat the next night".   Having spent time as a botanist for the federal government, her life has been dedicated to try and protect plants and the desert while educating people to do the same. Robin is the Founder and President of The Power of Plants as well as serving as Executive Director of SummerTree Institute.   In this episode, Robin explains how much more alive the desert is than it appears, what is happening underground, how the plants are partnering up to survive, and the value the desert provides in naturally removing carbon from the air.   Robin's recent book, 'The Desert Underground', began as a scientific 'white paper' of sorts to assist the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to understand what happens to the desert when it is prepared for thousands of acres of industrial solar fields. With a number of folks asking for a copy of this 'report', Robin decided to turn it into a book. The book was extended to large display boards, creating expositions, which Robin is now developing for a traveling exhibit and along with her husband, Doug. If that wasn't enough, they are also creating a documentary on the subject, to educate even more people about the importance of the desert.   Robin was the 2018 recipient of the Minerva Hoyt California Desert Conservation Award, presented annually by the Joshua Tree National Park Association. "The Minerva Hoyt California Desert Conservation Award recognizes annually individuals or organizations that have worked to further Mrs. Hoyt’s legacy by making notable achievements in the areas of leadership, protection, preservation, research, education, and stewardship of California’s desert lands. The award seeks to recognize an individual or persons whose efforts lead to a significant and lasting contribution on behalf of the deserts of California."   When things slow down a bit, Robin is looking forward to hearing the flowers talk to her again.    

DLD | Robin Kobaly | Ep 123

Carol 'Dusty' Seddon's first desert experience was in and around the Mojave near Apple Valley in the mid-90’s accompanying a group of friends from an Orange County college, who were coming out to perform archeological digs.  Dusty immediately fell in love with the feel of the desert – the dry air, the quiet and so much different than what she’d know in the suburbs. On these digs they mostly found tools, stones used in cooking, and maybe bits of pottery.   In October of 2005, returning from a Mitchell Caverns trip, Dusty was looking for a more adventurous route back home to Orange County.  She pulled out a map and found a route that would bring her through Amboy, to a place she’d heard of called, Joshua Tree.   As dark fell, Dusty found a camping spot at Indian Cove and on exiting her tent the next morning, looking around at the colors, boulders, textures, says, “It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced”. In this episode, Dusty tells about a gift from the Park Ranger who showed up to her site in the morning.   Dusty made it a point to return to Joshua Tree within a year. Those trips continued, becoming every six months, then more frequent – sometimes camping, other times staying at the Joshua Tree Inn. Just seeing the landscape along the highway seemed enough - three years after her steady trips out, she finally went into Joshua Tree National Park and was pleasantly surprised by what she discovered.   As much as she loved coming to and recharging in this special getaway place, Dusty felt she could never live here with the extreme summer and winter temperatures and then, there was how figuring out how she would make a living.   After ten years of visiting, Dusty met and began dating someone who lived in Joshua Tree. He pointed out how stressful her life in Orange County, CA was and suggested she give a move to the desert some serious consideration. Dusty admits she did not possess the ‘blind faith’ others seemingly had when making their journeys here. Sitting in her car in public parking lot one day on a lunch break, Dusty saw a moving truck and took that as a sign to make the move - and continued to ponder what she would do when she got here.   With a love of clothing since her early teens, Dusty shopped often in local vintage, resale and thrift stores. Her sense of the owners of these shops was, 'they had the life'.  While still working full-time, she often wondered how she might make a go of selling clothing on the side, but with most of her energy going to her full time work, she just could never see it happening. Having brought all the clothing with her to the desert, as Dusty was unpacking it, she began to realize what an exceptional collection she had and thought she needed to begin selling them.   A chance encounter at the local Punk Rock Sewing Circle accelerated Dusty's dream and soon after, she was opening 'Dusty Deserette' in the Sun Alley Shops in downtown Joshua Tree. Dusty celebrated four years in business on February 13, 2020.   Though Dusty didn’t set out to have a vintage clothing shop, she has found that much of what she has sourced for the shop is vintage and she continues to learn more about the various facets of that fashion genre. She calls her shop 'a fashion shack of eclectic clothing for guys and gals'.   Dusty says she's found life in the desert to be more fulfilling and authentic and is currently is renovating a camper she'll stock with clothing to travel to flea markets and do pop-ups on the road.     FB: Dusty Deserette IG: @dustydeserette

DLD | Carol 'Dusty' Seddon |Ep 122

First trained as a painter, artist Mary Addison Hackett also practices in photography, video and other time-based projects.   Mary Addison first experience with desert was on family vacation – three of them – from her hometown of Nashville to the Grand Canyon, Tucson, Mexico and other natural desert wonders along the way.  Even then, Mary Addison had a camera and to document her trips.   Though impressed with the natural and cultural aspects of these desert trips, Mary Addison doesn’t recall having any aspirations of moving to the desert.   Mary Addison’s next desert encounter came in the late 90’s while working for a post-production house out of Chicago. A project with a director in Santa Monica, brought Mary Addison west and during some downtime, she decided to make a trip to Joshua Tree and admits the place made no particular impression on her at that time. Later, after getting married in Palm Springs, and having by this time moved to Los Angeles, she remembers weekend getaways at the 29 Palms Inn and other camping trips where she used the coin operated showers at Coyote Corner.   Mary Addison made the move to Joshua Tree after five years back in Nashville caring for her aging mother, then sorting through three generations of belongings and selling her childhood home. The political climate had changed and, feeling uncomfortable in Nashville, coming back west, near her artistic Los Angeles, peer group felt like the right thing to do.   Researching and communicating with a realtor via the web, Mary Addison found a home and made the move.   Here in the desert for about two weeks, a friend from Atlanta texted, suggesting she immediately –that very moment – drive to an event at the Joshua Tree dry lake bed for what turned out to be a High Desert Test Sites event. Mary Addison also attended an Artist Tea at Joshua Tree National Park (which she now directs) and the opening of the Joshua Treenial – a trifecta of events at which Mary Addison began to establish roots in the artistic community.     Mary Addison believes the desert has elevated her consciousness around being a more responsible human, doing her best to reduce her footprint by taking her trash to the dump, rather than opting for trash pick up and chopping her own wood, used to heat her home.   Not sure if the desert is her last stop, Mary Addison says she wanted a rural living experience and right now, the desert is affording her that opportunity.   Mary Addison has exhibited domestically and internationally, is a film editor, arts educator and freelance arts writer.   Check out Mary Addison on social:   www.maryaddisonhackett.com Instagram: @maryaddisonhackett @painting_is_a_verb

DLD| Mary Addison Hackett | EP 121

 Born in New Jersey and raised in New York's Hudson Valley, Cynthia Marie loves to drive cross-country - she's done it six times.  On one of those trips, she found herself nearly out of gas and calling Roy's in Amboy, CA, asking them to keep the pumps open for just a bit longer so she could gas up and make it to Joshua Tree for the night. As is the desert way, the obliged.   Still working in graphic design, Cynthia went to art school to study Printmaking. The school required their sophomores to take one class that felt out of their comfort zone - Cynthia chose metal fab(rication) sculpture and fell in love. Cynthia has worked in both the artistic and production sides of welding. Starting making furniture and then moved over to the production side which found her working on huge entertainment sets in Hollywood and Las Vegas and even to Rio de Janeiro building the NBC stage for the Olympics. In the episode she talks about the challenges of working out of the country, which included some difficulties getting clean laundry.   Once in the desert, Cynthia quickly found herself meeting local folks through volunteering with the Desert Institute, where she continues learning and experiencing the desert up close and personal.   Photo credit: @hidesertshredder CHECK OUT CYNTHIA's WORK ON INSTAGRAM:   @hotsteelwelding 

DLD| Cynthia Marie |Ep 120

Here we are at the start of another new year where, as with life, change is the only constant.   And it snowed in the desert!   A quick 15 minute episode welcoming you back and highlighting what to look for as the podcast launches into it's third year.   Happy 2020!

DLD | Happy 2020 | Ep 119

Desert Lady Diaries is a weekly 30-minute conversation with women who live in the desert. Find out why they came, what they do here and why they stay.

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Desert Lady Diaries

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