This winter, Southern California got a lot of rain, not just along the coast but also inland and in the desert. This means that this spring the desert blooming is expected to be very nice.
As it has been sunny and warm again this whole week, we believe that now is the time for a trip to the desert to find some nice flowers and maybe even blooming cactuses!
We have heard from several different sources about Coyote Canyon in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. So, we decide that this is our destination for today. We take the usual route over Poway and Ramona from there we take 79 north and then S22 down to Borrego Springs. Coming down from the mountains we already see how green everything is, a nice sight and very different from the bare brown desert in late summer. In Borrego Springs we take a left on Christmas Circle towards Coyote Canyon. We are not the only ones; there is a endless stream of cars heading in the same direction. Luckily, the further we get into the “canyon”, which is very wide, the fewer cars and people there are (still way too many though). After some really rocky passages and the crossing of a river bed, at least all the limousines are gone.
Anyway, we stop several times and take short hikes to get the full experience of the blooming desert. It is gorgeous and the sweet smell of the flowers is mind blowing. Marco takes a lot of amazing pictures. Away from the trail with all the cars and the people it is still very peaceful and quiet and the temperature is just right to be out in the sun.
It’s been a wonderful trip!

One week ago I was sitting in a very “cold” room with about 30 other individuals, taking the Californian Real Estate Sales Agent License Exam. It took me about 3 hours to get through the 150 questions and I left the room not knowing how to feel about the test at all. Did I fail, did I pass? I was not very confident and was jittering the whole week, logging on to the website of the Department of Real Estate (DRE) every day to check the status of my exam.

Today I finally got the big relieve! When I logged in to the DRE website this afternoon it said: “You passed the Salesperson examination on January 21, 2010.”! I am so relieved and can now look forward and put away the heavy books on Real Estate Principles and Practices, etc.

Kind regards - yours Jackie