I've concluded that Summer as we once knew it is a thing of the past here. Our months following this advancing very long, cold winter will probably only be of the Spring variety. The woolly bears were practically nonexistent north of you this year. I saw one or two but that was all. Very unusual. They used to border the pathways in the late Summer...early Fall. I miss them and their slow, but steady, determination to get from point A to point B.

lars, you may know that there's an overlook (scenic view parking lot) on Hwy 190, the road that enters Death Valley from the West, that's on the edge of what has been come to be called Star Wars Canyon. Jet fighters from many different bases (not just China Lake) would regularly fly through it at low levels, lower than the people watching from the viewing spot, to have fun. It attracted a crowd of regular enthusiasts/watchers. I've been there a few times. Sadly there was a crash not too long ago and I think there's no further activity or it's at a reduced level. Do a search for Star Wars Canyon to see what the experience looked like. I also found an LA Times article Star Wars Canyon

Annie, you also have some mention of a flying saucer on that sign on the right, above the peace sign. :) Is that what they are hysterical about? LOL

What I said was that 59°F is a cold morning, but I had set the thermostat to 68°F for the morning, and when I got up at 9:30 AM, I had to change the thermostat to a temporary hold of 71°F. which is the temperature that I prefer. I have always felt cold at temperatures below 60°F, and so when I lived in San Francisco, I always had to dress in many layers, and after two years of living there, I spend all of my winters in Mexico. I really do not like having to dress in multiple layers, unless they are especially attractive layers, but I did like dressing for extreme cold when I was growing up in Texas. I had a large collection of sweaters when I was growing up, but my older sister kept stealing them from my closet without asking (I think because she wanted people to think that boyfriends had given them to her, but she had none) and even her senior picture for the annual had a photo of her wearing one of my sweaters. When I dressed in layers in Texas as a child, I had to carry my sweaters home from school because it was generally too hot to wear them in the afternoons. Here is winter in Cathedral City, with snow on Mnt San Jacinto. I no longer heat the pool in the winter, however, although I did for the first two years we were here.