Here at Borrego Art Institute’s ArtPark Gardens you will find a variety of herbs, vegetables, cacti, and fruit trees. This desert garden is my favorite. And my favorite plant growing here? Mint! Close to the center of the garden grows a patch of mint that seems to never die, despite extreme temperatures, e.g., searing heat…
Homes Wanted for Bees
This is a jar of wildflower honey produced by Tanner Obermeyer, rural beekeeper, and he needs homes for his bees. No doubt you have heard of the drastic decline in the bee population and I am also sure you are aware that our very existence depends on bees to pollinate the plants that grow our…
Flowers from ArtPark Gardens
These are the most beautiful flowers in the world. They are growing in ArtPark Gardens next to Borrego Art Institute. Not that the quality of Mexican sunflowers was something that has ever come to my attention before, but I think this is maybe the point – Wade and Will caused me to think differently and pay…
Everyone Knows Her
Everyone in town knows Angela Ramirez, beloved bartender at Carlee’s Bar and Grill, sometimes foodie, darling of the contemporary cocktail world, and uncrowned monarch of Borrego Springs. Before taking this picture, I asked Angela to show me her shirt, and my readers who are “spiritually” inclined will recognize the familiar Patron icon. Born just around…
Invasion of the monster vegetable in Borrego Springs
Over recent weeks there has been a silent invasion of our small town. In the side streets. lurking among the greenery, sometimes concealed behind plastic sheeting or even protected behind wire mesh are these monster Kadu. There are long ones and round ones, ridged ones, yellow ones and green ones, patterned ones, and some that…
Happy New Year!
Manhatten had Studio 54 but here in Borrego Springs we have Carlee’s. Last night, Andrew Macula’s legendary bar and grill had a New Year’s Eve party and I was exhilarated to be there in the thick of the dance floor, whooping it up with locals, tourists, and staff that create the unique atmosphere of this special event….
Mr. Coyote in Borrego Springs
I took this picture at dusk with my long lens. These elusive creatures intrigue me with their mysterious presence, self-possession, and fearless grace. There is something heart-stopping about coming eye-to-eye with one on a dark street, and it never ceases to amaze me to see them here in Borrego Springs. In summer I am often…
Borrego Springs Farmers Market
Each Friday morning (except during the holidays when they are open on Wednesdays), I visit Borrego Springs Farmers Market and arrive at eight just as the stallholders are setting up in order to get the best pick of the plants. With rising expectation, I pass some of the bleary-eyed patrons stumbling home down Palm Canyon…
Mike Horton’s Last Cigar Story
“Hot Mike Neon” it says on his business card. Around Borrego Springs he is known as “mad Mike,” the neon guy. That’s because he is a true artist whose medium is neon. But Mike is also known as a great storyteller. A bunch of us were sitting around ArtPark Gardens the other day exchanging local…
Borrego Springs Graffiti
At the corner of Borrego Springs Road and Yaqui Pass Road stands the ruins of Norris Bakko’s Chevron Station. Almost every inside wall is covered in tags, collages, drawings, and paintings in an overwhelming variety of styles. This is the collective unconsciousness of Borrego Springs sprayed all over the walls. I wish I could interpret it all. And…