I didn’t make it to the desert this spring—J-Tree has long been an unchecked box on my list of climbing destinations—and now that it’s summer I’ll likely have to wait until the cooler months of fall to make my pilgrimage. In lieu of a trip, however, I’ve been keeping up with the state of the wildflowers, the blooming of cacti and the culinary delights of Joshua Tree through the musings, photos and recipes of Lily Stockman’s blog, Big Bang Studio. A painter, gleaner and trespassing wanderer, her postings veer from the raptures of avocados to re-fiberglassing a vintage camper. Worth a read.