108 degrees in the shade....and today while walking Hank in the desert in found a perfectly warped LP, yes kids, LP of Billy Joel The Stranger produced by Phil Ramone. I saved it as a momento from the trip and my youth. Billy Joel was my first concert at 16 years old in the San Diego Stadium. Since my last entry Hank and I made it to California and across the hot and hotter Mojave Desert. The nice thing about this trip are potential places to live continue to be crossed off of the list. St. George is lovely but it is off of the list; Palm Springs in the summer is ridiculously hot for a Bernese Mountain Dog and Las Vegas is out even though it was never on the list. Of all of my observations on the road trip, it was fun to get into this part of the country and see billboards. They are used to communicate serious and not so serious messages, but since Californians spend so much time in the car, they are really used effectively. The two which have stood out for me...The Alien Beef Jerkey Billboards across the Mojave Desert. I actually stopped in Baker, California so I could see the Alien Beef Jerkey stand which was directly across from the world's largest thermometer. WHo knew?! And the other campaign...the Recession Fact 101 billboards on I-10 once you enter the Palm Springs area. I have made the observation that the recession is very alive and well here and the attitude shift has not happened. So someone purchased billboard space to remind people..."This too shall pass". And life in the desert is different and you adjust. I am up at 5am to run or cycle because you need to be "in before 10am or 100 degrees, whichever comes first." And Hank cannot play in the dog park, way too hot. If I walk him in the middle of the day the concrete burns his paws, so 5am and 10pm are the designated walk times. He has thrown up twice from the heat and I had to cover him in a wet towel yesterday. Poor little guy, fur coats and desert weather do not get along....Until next time.