TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:)): Jilberto's of Borrego Springs

Sunday, February 21, 2010

MORNING PHOTO CLASS & AFTERNOON SIESTA

MAIN STREET BORREGO SPRINGS

The gusting winds kept the Sand Man at bay for a big part of last night & Kelly didn’t sleep well either. The slide awnings flapped & the solar panels wiggled & whistled. It is just the way it is with the desert winds & with a few patters of rain on the roof early on we woke up to beautiful cloud whipped moisture free skies.

CHRISTMAS CIRCLE IN BORREGO

The night actually went better than we feared when about 10 o’clock last night we were startled by a loud bang outside, & not too far away. A cautious peering of eyes through the curtain draped side window told us we had neighbors!! My binoculars told me there were two rigs & they were young people probably with kids. One of the travel trailers had double perpendicular windows at the back & that meant bunk beds. And bunk beds mean kids. The bang we heard was a firecracker & it was followed by about a half dozen more. We were not happy campers!!!! Luckily they were down in a gravel pit about 3 or 4 hundred yards from us so at least not in our face. We expected the usual loud music, loud voices, & booze infested antics but here it is Saturday night & they have not been too much of a problem at all. Three small children so we know they will be gone Sunday afternoon.

MORNING SKIES

My photo class started at 10 this morning so Kelly took the opportunity to do laundry right around the corner from where the Borrego Desert Nature Center is located on main street. About 10 people in the seminar which was led by well known celestial photographer, DENNIS MAMMANA. However, the hour & a half class was not about astro photography, but about desert photography. He talked about the importance of lighting, histograms, composition , etc. I would like to get in on one of his night time photo classes too but he doesn’t resume them now until the fall. Informative morning though & I picked up some helpful tips.

THIS MORNING’S DESERT PHOTO CLASS WITH DENNIS MAMMANA

Met Kelly outside & we walked across the road to Jilbertos for a bite to eat. Jilberto’s is probably my favorite eating place in Borrego Springs simply because it’s a simple little no nonsense place. Food’s good & the price is right. Nothing fancy schmancy here & it’s where the locals eat. Specializes in Mexican food & they build a mighty fine hamburger too. Kelly had something with a Mexican name that looked kinda squueshy to me. I’m not too big on anything squueshy unless it’s oatmeal. I am not an adventurous eater thank you very much!!

I’M GUESSING THIS IS A HOUSE FINCH

Took us for a drive around town marveling at the surrounding beauty. What a great picturesque little place this is sitting right at the foot of the huge San Ysidro mountain range. I really must take some time & do some more photos around town.

BORREGO SPRINGS NESTLED AT THE FOOT OF THE SAN YSIDRO MOUNTAINS (click pics to enlarge & can you find the flying cloud dragon in the center photo)

Back to the rig & it was semi-snooze time for us. I was at the computer when a fellow rode up on a motorbike. We had left a note on this fellow’s motorhome earlier today because I thought he might be interested in seeing some of the photos I took of him on his flying machine. His name was Tom & he was down here from Oregon. The pics I took a few days ago of a burgundy cart & multi-colored chute was Tom. He, in turn invited us over to another neighbor’s rig for happy hour & that is how we met Rue & Don who are from Surrey, British Columbia. They have been coming here to this spot for a few years now & prefer the quietness of the desert. And, as usual, they were all very nice folks. I asked Tom about the fellow who had the trouble in the wind yesterday & Tom said aside from a sore hand the elderly fellow was alright. Said they had moved over to the Salton Sea area. Tom is a member of the Escapee’s Boomer Club.

DON, TOM, & RUE

And yes, I did get my days all messed up yesterday. For some reason I thought it was Saturday. The farmer’s market on Christmas Circle is every Friday morning & not Saturday. I think Mr. Crankypants must have shook loose a few brain cells doing that fast waddle across the desert yesterday. Thought I would be very stiff today but I was fine. Guess you have to get over a quarter mile an hour to incur muscle stiffness.

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