Luxury!

We do Joshua Tree National Parkin style. Our good friends Andy and Erin rent a beautiful house in the desert for 3 days and kindly stick us in a huge room with a huge bed and a huge en suite bathroom. We appreciate the hugeness.

The last time we saw them was in San Francisco 10 years ago. A momentous occasion; not just because we had so much fun – cycling the Golden Gate Bridge, eating great Chinese food and watching Newcastle beat Portsmouth in a grungy Sports Bar – but also because it was the day the American people elected Obama for president. 

Carefree Trump-free days. Can we go back please?

Once they’d recovered from the euphoria of witnessing that famous Newcastle victory they get married, move house and give birth to the endlessly entertaining Luella (actually Erin gave birth, Andy just watched), so despite Donald Trump everything is pretty fantastic in their lives.

It’s Andy’s birthday on the Saturday and a couple of pals come over from San Diego to help us celebrate. Here he is accepting a birthday cake from someone strange.

And here we are around the patio fire (L to R: Jordan, Joelle, me, Luella, Erin and Andy).

It got messy later. Tequila and Mezcal heavily involved.

But it isn’t just 72 hours of hedonism, we do manage a walk through the park. A unique landscape of weird rocks, desert flowers and …er, Joshua Trees (funny that).

There’s also a quick pit-stop at Pappy & Harriet’s, an out of the way saloon which doubles as a quirky music venue where the great and the good take to the stage (Paul McCartney, Lucinda Williams, Josh Homme et al). 

There was no-one playing while we were there but we arrange to meet our friend Molly who was on the Lost City Walk with us in Colombia. Who needs Macca when they’ve got Molly!