I am blown away by this high desert country in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree! This is not the dry, barren place I imagined it to be.  It's alive with birds, coyotes, bats, stars, wind, and blue blue sky. The rock formations are unbelievable.
http://www.joshuatree.org/

I'm staying at my son, Gabe's. Today, in his back yard,  I started a 4'x 4.5'painting of how I feel here.  It's a sense of space and freedom I haven't experienced for a long time. What a great place for a group painting retrea!.  The temps are in the 40's at night and high 60's during the day in November and December, through January.  

Interested?