And the title is referring to me cooking, not me cooking food if you get it? It's like a play on words...? Never mind, to the important stuff. It's absolutely fascinating driving through the States and just watching from your car window the scenery change drastically before your very eyes without going more than a few miles. Still heading steadily southwards through California, I left behind the green hills of San Francisco and continued on with everywhere about me gradually looking more and more like a scene from "Cars". Orangeries and vineyards gave way to hills of shaggy dry grass with the odd tree here and there and then even those soon disappeared leaving nothing but endless, lifeless rock and sand. And the occasional cactus. (Cue the whistling and tumble weed.)
...to this.
Leaving my vehicle and stepping out into that dry air, realizing that the cook is being cooked by that unforgiving, Californian sun was my warm (understatement of the century) welcome to the Mojave Desert. A breathtakingly beautiful spectical and an aridly empty wasteland at the same time, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd waken up on planet Mars.
Had a near miss with this fella...
The Mojave Desert is a place I'll never forget. Thought it seems empty, it is full of surprises. Pleasant ones like discovering that pistachios are grown here and that there is an annual pistachio festival that I was able to attend, and then some not so pleasant that you've got to really keep an eye out for. Venomous creatures such as rattlesnakes and sidewinders, tarantulas and black widows, Gila monsters, etc. The list goes on. That's without the coyotes...
Of course I had to get a
green keyring...
And then there are the Sullivan's. Long term friends whom I had the pleasure of staying with for ten days. Helen, the wonderful wife and Mum, is an amazing cook and makes the absolute best cinnamon rolls on the planet. Seriously, you haven't lived until you've tried one. There were some fantastic other things we got to concoct in her kitchen with 11 year old Chelsea FC fan, James, such as the amazing pizzas you'll see in the photos. Part two with more photos coming soon...
Helen making potato salad. I used to really dislike but
eventually acquired a taste for it.
Fellow handsome ginger, James...
Cross chopping pecans...
Come on, let's cook something!
...for delicious desserts
Meatball sandwiches. Delish.
Leftover chilli and rice in a slowcooker layerd with wraps
and topped with cheese. Absolutely fantastic.
The Mojave Desert
(Images)
And then a little surprise. I saw this commercial around the same time as the festival so I thought it was kinda fitting. And it's kinda green...
"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator
of the universe and spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly
Leaving my vehicle and stepping out into that dry air, realizing that the cook is being cooked by that unforgiving, Californian sun was my warm (understatement of the century) welcome to the Mojave Desert. A breathtakingly beautiful spectical and an aridly empty wasteland at the same time, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd waken up on planet Mars. 
