helen mirren gejegor: Palm Springs Rocks!

aerial photo: city-data.com

I've been living in Palm Springs for nearly a decade, and yet each day I am pleasantly surprised by the natural beauty of the California desert. In my forty-something years I've lived in New England, New York, San Diego, Chicago and London, but I'm the happiest living here in Palm Springs. I often credit the majestic San Jacinto Mountains as a source of happiness and serenity. I could stare at them for hours and still look forward to the next dawn or sunset, where the sun casts an incredible range of colors across the peaks and foothills. What is it about this huge rock-land mass that holds my fascination? The thought of the sheer force and energy that caused them to rise above the surface from plates shifting angrily deep below the earth's surface some zillions of years ago. I'm fascinated by the seemingly ever-changing range of colors from the position of the sun, the atmosphere, presence of snow, ground cover, etc. How is it that a large brown mass could possess such beauty? After all, it really is just rock and dirt, right? Or is it?

Often times I think about all the people who have lived in and around these mountains. Long before air conditioning, native Indians thrived here, finding water from the natural springs deep in the mountain canyons. I wonder about all the other people who have also stared at these mountains for generations, to find peace in the shadow of this great range. Pardon the pun, but these rocks really ground me and make me feel happy.

Perhaps that is why I decided to add a few boulders to my own yard. My yard has a desert landscape motif, low water consumption with generally a lot of cactus and palm trees. I decided what was missing were a few big rocks. So last Sunday, I journeyed to the tiny town of Whitewater, just outside of Palm Springs to shop for rocks. Yes, you read that right, to shop for rocks.

Rock-shopping is more complex than you might imagine. There is color, size, weight, shape and texture to consider. We drove around their massive land area to find a few good rocks. I took photos of the ones I'm considering. If you have any favorites, I'd like to know which one(s) you like best, and why. It may sound silly but I want my own yard to have a geological connection to the massive San Jacinto Mountain that I spend so much time admiring. Then I can sit on my own rock and spend more time staring at the mountain they came from.

Oh, and please resist any smart remarks about my last name and this post. The irony of this didn't escape my notice. (Yes, I'll have my own Rock-hill when I'm done) but I'll never really own them, I'll just borrow them from the earth for a few more decades and pass them on to someone else to admire.