Desert Lady Diaries

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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!

For this episode of the podcast, listeners were invited to send in one question they wanted me to answer. Here's a sampling of some of the questions answered in this episode: "What makes Dawn Davis produce the Desert Lady Diaries?" "When and how did you become a voice over artist?" "Would you talk about the process of how each episode gets made from start to finish?" "Why do folks here keep the hood of their car raised while it's parked?" "Did you move here to be close to the park?" And several more. I hope you enjoy it - and if you ever have a question, you don't need to wait for an episode like this to get it answered. Send an email to [email protected] and I'll answer.

On being in retirement bliss It was a lunch hour trip to the California Museum of Photography in Riverside, where Julia first experienced Joshua Tree. The exhibit was the result an annual photographic expedition to Joshua Tree National Park. Finding out it was an annual event, Julia put it in her heart to attend and take photos the next year - and she did. During that weekend, Julia says her soul shifted and, "I felt really connected to the area for reasons I couldn't explain." After a number of trips back and forth to visit from her home in the Corona area, Julia moved to the desert in 2010, at a time when the local housing market was in decline. She and her then partner found a three bedroom, two bath house for $50,000. The downsides were Julia was still working in Riverside and continued making the two-hour commute for five years. As well as dealing with a squatter at the property next door. This past summer Julia took a trip with her daughter to see family in the northwest and two weeks after returning home, Julia found herself going back to Washington state to provide additional support for the family after her sister was diagnosed with throat cancer. In this episode, Julia talks about the bliss of retirement, blurring the line of time, allowing herself to do things when she feels inspired and not looking at the clock. She describes it as allowing herself to just 'be', starting new projects in the moment. On her summer family visit Washington state, Julia signed up for a drumming class and talks about making and using different drums. Julia drums at home and finds it transformative, with hours going by as she is just 'being'. Julia is also an artist, painting and using the solar eco- printing process to make one of a kind items for her wardrobe. We also cover some of the changes she's seen in Joshua Tree, the inspiration of community and attending the very first Transition Joshua Tree meeting, as well as the reduction in vacant homes, squatter issues and the increased park and vehicular traffic.

Cheryl's first experience with desert was in the early 80's, driving to Palm Springs for Spring Break with a friend - and her friend's grandmother drove them around Palm Springs to see the sights. After that, Cheryl started coming out to the desert on her own, not really knowing about Joshua Tree until a former boyfriend suggested they visit a place he used to rock climb. On arrival, Cheryl was so taken with the place, she asked him to stop the car, so she could get out and take in the unique landscape and wide open space. Eventually, LA traffic and other factors began to wear on Cheryl and she decided to come out and try living in the desert for a year. From an early age, Cheryl was told she was creative and remembers always working on craft projects. Just out of college with a BA in Illustration, Cheryl expected she'd be working on the commercial side of art and also recognized the role computers would play in the future of some art disciplines. In this episode, Cheryl says she didn't set out to start her own embroidery business. Moving to the desert and creating in a digital medium showed her she could work from anywhere and her many embroidery business contacts helped, giving way to her business, Stitch Art Studio. Not knowing anyone when she moved to the desert and being a business owner, Cheryl got involved in the Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce and shares memories of Turtle Days and Coyote Days and meeting her husband, while serving on the Board of the Chamber. Her community involvement didn't stop at the Chamber. Cheryl talks about finding the Morongo Basin Arts Council, which expanded her community to the many creatives in the area. Cheryl served as a volunteer and in executive capacities with the Council and also presented her work as part of the Highway 62 Art Tours for many years. The Joshua Tree Music Fest has also become a tradition for Cheryl and her husband. After a 2018 trip to the Four Corners, Cheryl and her husband started talking about a side trip to Sante Fe, for a visit with friends. They quickly found a house outside of Albuquerque, which they are actively remodeling to prepare for a Spring 2020 move.