Wonder Valley
Left Image: Leon, Tiny and Harold. The guys are brothers and veterans of the Army and Navy. Right Image: Terry and Lillian. Lillian is a retired nurse who was born in Camden NJ in 1911. The first thing she asked me was "Did I see her mouse tattoo?" It ends up being a ribald joke.
Left Image: Don Page. Right Image: Jack, ex-marine and firefighter…etc. He is considered the local historian and a community leader. The poodle is the only dog of his pack of 4 dogs that's allowed in the house.
Left Image: Darlene and Bill with his brother and her sister. Darlene is closely related to Bonnie Parker (i.e. .Bonnie and Clyde). Darlene bartends at The Palms. Most of her family now lives in houses on the same street in Wonder Valley. Right Image: Elvis and daughter, Tvzi. He is an Elvis impersonator who does a regular karaoke night at The Palms.
Left Image: Lillian Schudar holding a photo of herself as a young nurse in Delaware. Right Image: Lauren Sibley, cooks at the The Palms. She is dressed up to see her boyfriend who lives in Santa Cruz.
Left Image: Darlene and Bill at the Palms. Right Image: Terry and Joi, He's a Vietnam Vet and has spent most of his life in the military. While in the service he was part of a team that holds the world record for the longest continuous flight of a remote controlled plane. He says, he met his wife by using the cameras on these planes to spy on her while she sunbathed. She's skeptical of this story. She is a bartender at the Palms. She has taken one trip out of state and now harbors a distaste for bus travel.
Left Image: The band, Too Blond, playing at the Palms Restaurant. James Sibley, 25, and sister Laura Sibley, 20, have lived in Wonder Valley for four years. Right Image: L to R. Goldie, Corey, Trevor and Jerry Robb. Goldie is getting ready to take the GRE test. Corey is a works for the fire department. Jerry is a mechanic.
Left Image: Donald and Richard Page, Father and Son, 20 year residents. Richard works for the Fire Department and grades roads on the side. Right Image: Perry Hoffman, artist. Moved to Wonder Valley two years ago from San Francisco. He works at the 29 Palms Inn. He owns a flock of peacocks that apparently thrive in the desert.
On a road trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in 2000 I stumbled upon Wonder Valley, California. These are the remains of homesteads. In my down moments I photographed some of the few remaining residents who often spend the hot days and cooler nights at the one watering hole, The Palms.
