Spirit of the Wind

I went to Antelope Valley last weekend, and the wildflowers were blooming.
It was mostly California poppies, but there were other flowers as well.

There was actually quite a lot of traffic, despite there being very few people in those photos. Most were hanging around near the entrance, though, and I was hiking a mile into the park, over steep (and incredibly windy--I was nearly blown over) terrain. It looks warm, but with the wind it felt very cold; I had to wear two fleeces. The area is big wind country and you can tell why hiking there.

I did see some wildlife. A few lizards (probably side-blotched), some birds. But overall, not very much. There are rattlesnakes in the park, but I didn't see any, and I couldn't identify any of the birds.

I'm sure the flowers seem intense, but compared to many years, this one was actually not that vivid. Sometimes, they look like this. Someday I'd like to see the Valley when it's blooming like that.

So, as everyone has probably heard by now, the United States government has shut down. Not, of course, the worst parts of it: The military continues to operate just like it usually does, and I doubt anything would get in the way of the federal government providing funds to further militarize state police. But national parks, the Environmental Protection Agency, and even parts of the Food and Drug Administration are shut down. It doesn't look like there will be a quick end to the dispute, and everybody seems to be settling in for the long haul.

This, of course, means no work and no pay for me. So I'm looking for temporary work, and maybe even permanent work, because the shutdown is threatened to go on for months.

Despite the shutdown, New Year's was enjoyable. Went on some pleasant walks with my family, saw a beautiful coyote, and was beaten by small children at laser tag. I took a lot of photos during New Year's; some of them are below. I'm mostly pleased with how they turned out.