Somewhere over the western U.S.

What modern air travel looks like. I had an aisle seat on this flight and the woman with the window closed the shade. I can't understand why someone would do that. The view you get from the plane at cruising altitude is beautiful and mesmerizing. With the shade closed, you might as well be on a bus.

Desert Hot Springs Motel

The Desert Hot Springs Motel, by John Lautner. Acrylic furniture by Charles Hollis Jones. That acrylic chair in the middle is reasonably comfortable but nearly impossible to get out of. You have to slide yourself off the side.

Joshua Tree

The awkward, furry Joshua Tree. Somehow, I identify with them.

Volkswagen Spider

Near an auto repair yard outside Desert Hot Springs, California.

Doolittle House

The Doolittle House, by architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, just outside of Joshua Tree National Park.

The house is invisible from every angle except head on, and even then it is well-camouflaged. The fence is menacing--it appears to be made out of rusty iron. The whole complex looks like the lair of an incredibly wealthy ant lion.

Institute of Mentalphysics

The Institute of Mentalphysics, outside Joshua Tree National Park, California. The buildings were designed by Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright's son.

Proto-DEVO

In the library at the Beat Motel in Desert Hot Springs, CA.

Cabazon, California

These are the dinosaurs that appeared in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. They're in Cabazon, California, just outside of Palm Springs on I-10.

If you walk inside the brontosaurus, you will find a gift shop devoted to creationism. You can buy shirts like this one:



Two days after we arrived, an enormous arson fire was started near Cabazon that we could see in Desert Hot Springs, about 20 miles away.

Park Bench

Just north of Santa Barbara, CA.

The 7th Best Pool in the US

Jenny's friend works for some lifestyle magazine or something like that and gave us a video of the 10 best pools in the US. The Aerie pool was #7.

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean, near the Cliff House Restaurant in San Francisco.