road trip

sunday rocked. literally. the family (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, sister dogs and i) all caravan-ed over to some of our favorite haunts in the mojave desert to search for rocks and wood twigs, roots, the works. it was so much fun to dig around in the dirt for cool findings. everyone found amazing shapes and textures. sharing our loot with such passion "WOW that rock is green!" or "it looks like a mask!". no detail is missed amongst my family. we also made a stop at an antique shop we now frequent for terri planty treasures and beyond. portraits of all the treats on their way.



on our way out of the mojave we cruised the angeles forest. stopping often to take it all in. california is amazing. one minute we are in the desert amongst joshua trees and cacti, and suddenly we are surrounded by pine trees and creeks.



while running out and about in the wild, i also got to play with my camera and shot a lot of wildflowers. all the rain we have had this year has really boosted the color story in the desert and the forest. i spotted quite a few native flora that i will have to come back to this post to identify what their correct names are - i tend to make up my own.



the forest had been in a terrible fire not long ago so there are vast areas where the trees were like black silhouettes, however new growth was sprouting out of them in fuzzy bunches. i wish i would have got a shot of this, but mostly this was happening in steep and narrow parts of the road where parking is limited.
most everything was really green and lush. there were so many natural vertical gardens happening along the rock walls of the road. it never fails to amaze me where plants will choose to grow. and the best part is seeking out new growth and blooms. the wildflowers are like surprises amongst all the expected shrubbery. suddenly there is this color and shape that you don't expect. they are so precious.



have i mentioned how much i dig my adventure loving family? well i do! they are so much fun to be around. i am a lucky girl. we had a really good time (crazy wind and all - check out everyone's hair below).  even the dogs had a really good time (i swear they are smiling in the earlier photos).



p.s. we didn't take anything from the protected wildlife areas. we did however clean up! people can be such pigs!