Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Anza Borrego--I loved the way these words rolled off my tongue-- Desert State Park is about 90 miles from where we are in the Coachella Valley.  We wanted to hike, but it was almost too late in the morning, it was so hot. Our destination within the park was an oasis in Palm Canyon.

Because of some brief rain, the desert was in bloom!

Prickly Pear

Lupine

Desert Sand Verbena

Ocotillo in bloom

We scrambled over and between rocks, thinking about rattlesnakes. The park ranger, however, said not to worry about them at all, despite the warnings on TV. I think there were too many people coming and going on the trail.

Two hours later, we reached really big boulders, like this one, to navigate around. 

We had reached the oasis. There really was a stream, one we had to cross carefully on rocks. 

At the end, large California Fan palms huddled together, their skirts forming a kind of sanctuary. 

On the way down we noticed how the way there really was uphill. Much easier, going down, and we had the privilege of seeing a group of Mountain Sheep, staring placidly. Most people stopped for a while, but we had seen these animals many times on the highway back home in Canada.

It was only when we got home again, and I read the brochure, that I realized "borrego" means mountain sheep in Spanish!

Servants at BNP Paribas

At the BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament in Indian Wells, CA, Terry and I had the privilege of watching great tennis players like Peter Polansky and Genie Bouchard.

Genie Bouchard

Peter Polansky

What intrigued me, though, was the role of the “supporting actors”. These are the Ball Kids!

On a brief TV interview, one young lady explained that she had been picked from several hundred applicants for one of the volunteer positions. She would have to know the game of tennis well, as a starting point. Then there would be training, to find out the demands of her role on the court.

From our front row seats, I had the perfect vantage point. The young girl or boy knelt on a cushion close to the net and the tall referee's chair. Their job was to capture the ball the second it rolled out of play. Poised for action, one knee up, they kept their eyes on the ball, springing up to chase it down, and hurry back to their spot. If it was closer to the other side of the court, they went that way, taking up their position on the cushion on the opposite side. The ball kid already on that side would make a point of getting to the other side of the court when he had the chance.

In each corner of the court, close to the wall, at least four more Ball Kids were positioned. They stood at ease, but alert, their hands behind their backs They would be ready to gather up the balls the Ball Kids on the side would carefully roll in their direction. One of them was in charge of The Towel. They would hold it up after play stopped, or the player would signal for it to mop his/her face and arms. Otherwise it was hung on the wall behind them.

Another job was to be in charge of the balls. They would hold the balls unobtrusively behind their backs. When the tennis player was ready to serve, they would hold their arms up in the air to show whether or not they had balls, and then pass one or two to the player.

What struck me was the smoothness of their movements. They knew exactly where to stand, what to do and when to do it. They were an integral part of the tennis game. They were ready!

As Servants on Wheels Ever Ready, (SOWERs) that is what Terry and I are about.

We have skills and experiences that life has equipped us with. We have volunteered to travel around USA and Canada to help churches, schools, orphanages, camps, or any other ministries in their work. We take the unobtrusive role in being useful, mostly far removed from the “up front” role we took in our careers. Our job is to make our “boss” successful.

Judging by the many comments and expressions of gratitude that have come our way, the bosses are happy. That's not why we do it, but it shows that the SOWER ministry works.

Mark 10:43 Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant

San Juan Capistrano

When I was in school we learned a song, “When the swallows come back to Capistrano...” a love song made popular in 1940. It sounded so romantic.

"Terry, let's take a trip to San Juan Capistrano,” I said as we studied the map of southern California. "It's the place the cliff swallows come back to, and it doesn't look that far."

On our time off between projects, we did just that. To get there we took a winding road, reminiscent of our New Denver days, through the Santa Ana Mountains, ending up at the Mission, one of 21 in what later became Orange County. Terry climbs a boulder to take a picture of the only natural lake in southern California.

The Catholic mission was founded in 1776, where three streams converged, by Father Junipero Serro, and the city of San Juan Capistrano grew up around it. It had been an area populated by the Acjachemen band of native Americans, and the priests sought to evangelize them.

At the gate we were given audio devices which gave us a dramatized account of the history of the mission.

Terry confirmed that the sound was clear and he could hear the words well. We had to move away from the groups of school children, although on the whole they were quiet and respectful, listening to the docents interpreting history on their level. 

The Mission is laid out in a quadrangle, with the ruins of the original Great Stone Church off on the side. Built in 1797, it collapsed in an earthquake in 1812, killing 40 people. 

Some of it has been restored, and a section of adobe wall has been covered in plaster to further preserve it.

Crack caused by earthquake

Guy wired attempt to protect a wall.

Four large bells survived the collapse, two of them cracked. 

The bells have been placed in a bell wall, said to be one of the most picturesque sites in California. The two large ones on the right are recast replicas; the original bells shown above, hang in the quadrangle.

Did you know that bells have a language all their own? When a man died, it was the two large bells that were rung, for women, it was the smaller bells. Different sounds rang out for the deaths of men, women, and children. An ancient means of disseminating news!

The archways (seen on the right of the white wall ruins, five photos up) formed a convenient nesting spot for the swallows each year. The numbers of returning swallows has dwindled over the years, due to urbanization They still return over 2000 miles in the spring from their wintering spot in Goya, Argentina, on or around St. Joseph's Day on March 19. The parade and festivities held on that day probably scare them off as well!

The latest attempt to lure them back involves a couple of artificial archways, on wheels yet, with rows of moulded plastic nests nestled along their curves. Their success has yet to be demonstrated!

Despite the fact that it wasn't March 19^th, or that the swallows would probably build their nests on higher places, it was peaceful to stroll the grounds, enjoy the flowers, and contemplate an era gone by.

Yucca plant

Water lilies in the fountain

Koi in the fountain

When I was a child, I thought the phrase "milkweed down" referred to a direction.  This is the first time I've actually seen the milkweed plant, and Monarch butterflies hovering nearby.

The crumbling wall from the back

...the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord...! Ps. 84:4