Jeremiah and the Red Eyes

From 6 - 9 p.m., on Saturday, January 11th, 

Angela and I will be out in Wonder Valley to play at The Palms.

It's all part of our California desert adventure weekend. 

There's no cover and tips will be greatly appreciated. 

So come on out to the high desert if you can!

Happy New Year All!

I am going to have a community meeting on January 29th at 1100 hours.  Captain Newport and Lieutenant Niles from the Morongo Station, San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department, will be in attendance.  I am also hoping to have a full update regarding all the work Frontier Communications has done in the community.    

Desert Trail Column - January 2, 2020

Ryan Brown was the special guest speaker last Sunday at Wonder Valley Community Church, 82575 Amboy Road at Kuhns Road. His sermon was interesting and enjoyed by all. Thank you, Ryan!

The Glass Outhouse Art Gallery, 77575 29 Palms Highway at Thunder Road, will hold an Artists Reception on Saturday, January 4 from 1 to 5 p.m. for artists Joel Daavid and Jullian Sandell. Music will be provided by Mark and Friends. This show will run through January 26. For further information, call Laurel at 760-367-3807.

Our Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road at Blower Road, has been closed for the holidays. It will reopen on Monday, January 6 at 9 a.m.

We send out Rainbows-of-Turquoise-and-Narcissus to Kip Fjeld who celebrates his special day this week. Happy birthday, Kip!

Karen’s Commentary: A few weeks ago, I noticed that a huge dumpster had magically appeared by our (unfortunately) closed Wonder Valley Fire Department. This was not good. The next day and the day after that there were uniformed worker bees emptying out the housing area and the old station itself. After going home and taking some nausea pills, I avoided looking in that direction. What a sad, sad state of affairs.

Darlene’s Commentary: I had a good Ho-Ho-Ho and a good drenching! Luckily, I have a nice stack of firewood, and most of it is covered. Now things will be much easier – I just hope those windstorms will settle down, especially when the thermometer tiptoes toward 32 degrees! I have a feeling that Mother Nature is making plans for a spectacular bloom again. I can see tiny green shoots already!

Morongo Basin Transit Authority’s Ready Ride is available in Wonder Valley on Tuesdays, Fridays and the first Wednesday of each month, excluding holidays. They will transport you to and from any business in Twentynine Palms, but not on Base. On Tuesdays and Fridays, pick up at your residence is at 7 a.m. and return is at noon; on first Wednesdays, pickup is at 7 a.m. and return is at 1 p.m. Cost is $5 for adults, $2 for disabled or seniors 60 and older. Call 760-366-2395 from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday to schedule rides. You must call by 6:30 p.m. the day prior to your desired date.

Handy Hint: MilitaryBenefits.info lists hundreds of companies that offer discounts to veterans. Discounts range from $500 off an eligible new Ford vehicle to 10 percent off at some Burger King locations.

Today’s Thought: “No time for your health today will result in no health for your time tomorrow.” – Irish Proverb

Until next time . . . remember to take time to enjoy the WONDERs all around us.

Year-end request for donations: Friends of Wonder Valley

For better or worse, Wonder Valley is gaining in notoriety. AirBNB now lists 117 vacation rentals in Wonder Valley, and more and more people are coming here for the growing music scene, and to simply enjoy the beauty of the desert. Who can blame them?

Local authors Catherine Connor and Bill Hillyard discuss Hillyard's book
Welcome to Wonder Valley.

Despite these changes, persistent poverty remains a reality in Wonder Valley. Citi-data, an information aggregator, reports the annual median income for a two-person household in Wonder Valley at $16, 379. The same number for residents of nearby Twentynine Palms is 2.5 times that number at $40,888. (1) It is not unusual to find people living here who lack electricity, water, or proper sanitation.

The Friends of Wonder Valley, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was founded on July 5, 2018, by a group of local volunteers, “...to enhance the lives of the people in Wonder Valley by providing programs that engage residents and build community, including arts, music, theater, education, food, health, recreation, and others as need arises and our capacity increases.”

How do we do this? In many, many ways.

The local community center hosts two monthly food giveaways serving more than 100 families a month. FOWV supplies the boxes, the tape, the carts, the printing and promotion, along with many volunteers to make sure the food giveaways serve as many people as possible, while maintaining the dignity of those who participate.

All packed up for the USDA -- the night before. Food boxes for 100 families.

Setting up for the Salvation Army shopping-style distribution.
People tell us how the distributions really help with their food budgets.

In addition to the food distributions we support local writers and artists. A successful Artist of the Month program featured local artists Chris Carraher, Joe Barrett, Suzanne Ross, Robert Rowell, and Lisa Manifold. We hope to resume this program in the coming year. In the last year we’ve sponsored readings for local authors Ruth Nolan, Ken Layne, Catherine Connor, and William Hillyard.

Mock up of the Simi Dabah sculpture installed at the WVCC.
Scheduled for first quarter 2020.

Most of our events take place at the Wonder Valley Community Center, but early next year we expect to expand into an additional space. This will allow us a private meeting room. People in the community have expressed a desire for meditation classes, and a caregiver support group, which could find a home in the meeting room. The added space will increase our overhead, but we are certain it will be worth it for the community.

If you have enjoyed your time in Wonder Valley, please consider giving back to the community by supporting the Friends of Wonder Valley.

THREE WAYS TO GIVE

1. Go to: https://www.friendsofwondervalley.org/ and click on the DONATE button in the right hand column.
2. Write a check payable to:
   Friends of Wonder ValleyPO Box 1704, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277.
3. Or, if you would like to give anonymously, please go to: https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/3520421

If you provide us with your address, we’ll send you a bumper sticker of the Dale Basin Field Club.

If you have already given to Friends of Wonder Valley, or are signed up to give monthly, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support. If you have not already given, please join us in making Wonder Valley a great place for everyone.

Have a wonderful New Year and decade!

Teresa Sitz
Secretary
Friends of Wonder Valley

1. Median household income in 2016:
   Read more: http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Wonder-Valley-Twentynine-Palms-CA.html

Campfire Tales, Brilliance and Passion in the Mojave

Wonder Valley is a rather small place in a big vast desert. For it's size it sure has it's share of talent. The spotlight this week is a man of great talent but that's not what I want to examine here. What I want to talk about is drive and passion. In my little corner of the world passion is far and away what I admire most about someone.

Each time I go to our local entertainment and social hangout here also known as the Palms Restaurant I am greeted with the smiling face of the fellow we know and love as Kev. Kevin Bone is bar keep, cruise director, actor, theatre director, festival coordinator and master promoter and an all around good guy who's passion (remember that word) always amazes me.

So, all that said, lets sit around the virtual campfire and chat about Kev's Campfires, a new reoccurring production that is as unique as it is brilliant. Picture this... The back room at a Mojave roadhouse, pitched mountain tent, a roaring fire, 3 microphones a few guitars, a keyboard and three talented singer-songwriters telling stories and singing songs. Add to that S'mores and mulled wine and one is smack dab in the middle of Kevin's passion.  You see, Kevin's passion is providing our little town with unique entertainment that gives you that warm feeling in your soul. For that he deserves not only your thanks but your admiration as well.

The singer's campfire is something Kevin says he's been wanting to do for a while. I'm glad he got around to it at Christmas time because it fits right in like turkey and dressing with a side of mashed taters and gravy on a gold winter's night. As I listened to the songwriters apply their trade, a double Southern Comfort in hand,  I reflected on my time in town known to be the Live Music Capital Of The World. In my ten years in Austin I never saw anything like Kevin's crafty little songs around the campfire brilliance.  The reason for that is a lack of the passion that Kevin is blessed with. Three good performers and a fantastic idea made for some pretty cool stuff on a cold, damp but starlit evening out in the middle of nowhere. The big city has nothing on Wonder Valley and a lot of that is because they don't have a Kevin Bone.

And with that friends here is a taste of what you missed or had the pleasure of experiencing.

Ronnie Ruff

Wonder Valley, California 

Desert Trail Column - December 26, 2019

 

 

Our Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road at Blower Road, is closed for the holidays. It will reopen on Monday, January 6 at 9 a.m.

 

Ryan Brown will be the special guest speaker at the Sunday church service at Wonder Valley Community Church, 82575 Amboy Road at Kuhns Road, on December 29 at 10:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome! Call 760-391-0480 or 760-401-6128 for further information.

 We send out Rainbows-of-Turquoise-and-Narcissus to Glenda Berndt who celebrates her special day this week. Happy birthday, Glenda!

 

We also send out best wishes to Mary and Les Lindsley who celebrate 38 years together this week. Happy anniversary, Les and Mary!

 

 

 

Darlene’s Commentary:  We’ve sure had some beautiful days and starry nights recently, even though it’s been really cold at times. A few days even had some warm sunshine, giving us spring-like weather in December! Mother Nature sure knows how to turn that dial up or down. And when that dial is down, I have a sudden need for firewood, but mine was all jumbled and jammed into an unruly mountain. I want to thank my dear friend for turning that mountain into a tidy, neat and nicely-placed display. It is actually like an artist’s work of beauty! Since it’s stacked in proper order, it’s so much easier to use. Thank you, thank you, Agent 007!

 Karen’s Commentary:  An article in the November 2019 issue of AARP Bulletin says that many people have an inflated sense of security about the social platform Nextdoor because it’s supposed to be limited to your neighbors. But there have been reports of criminals posting fake car sales or contractors for hire – even pretending to be nannies. They want your information so they can steal your money. So don’t assume you can trust an online stranger, even one who claims a local connection. Use neighborhood apps to keep up with events, not as a marketplace. This sounds like good advice to me. Nextdoor is great, but always be cautious when it comes to matters involving money.

 A group of Wonder Valleyites gathers at The Palms every Sunday morning to discuss the week’s happenings in our area. You can usually find them having breakfast in the diningroom in back. Everyone from “newbies” to “old-timers” are welcome to join in the conversation!

 Handy Hint:  Nuts stay fresh for a year or longer when stored in the freezer. To eat, just thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then munch away!

 Today’s Thought:  “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” – Marcus Aurelius

 

Until next time . . . remember to take time to enjoy the WONDERs all around us.

Kev's Campfires

Kev's Campfires
As if you're sitting around the campfire, under the stars, with three amazing singer/songwriters sharing their songs and stories. Except it's indoors, where it's warm and cozy (wtih s'mores and mulled wine!)

First "Campfire" -- The Holiday Show
Saturday, December 28, two shows:
6:30 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.

featuring musicians:
Becca Byram, Merz, and Michael Lille.

The back room at The Palms
83131 Amboy Road, Wonder Valley CA 92277
suggested donation at the door: $5. Limited seating.