We're stuck down in the SOCal desert - missed our flight when we took MIL to emergency room - about 5 miles south of 29 Palms close to the Joshua Tree National Monument (Park, to the newbies). Biggest Marine Corps base in the world is about 8 miles across the valley. They get to play with all kinds of cool stuff - very normal to see big flares drifting slowly down from way up in the air - listening now to them blowing stuff up - don't think it's all artillery - we're getting the occasional window shaker and see pretty good sized grey clouds coming up from a cleft in the mountains. Go get 'em jarheads!
Something to be said for the desert and a long view - we looked at 5 acres west of here in a little raised bowl surrounded on two sides by Monument land. For scale, the big foreground rock on the right is 10-12 feet high and my honey is wearing a dark top and blue shorts standing next to an orange cone - pretty much right in the center of the pic. Takes a pretty good lawn mower to deal with the rocks in these yards! Marine gunnery takes place by the far hills.
Looking at all sorts of stuff - saw a little adobe in rough shape but with several advantages - cheap being one, original kitchen and other details being others. Sucker for old stuff here.
