Palm Springs Gold

Recently I had some landscaping done in the yard and decided to add a few boulders as accents in the front courtyard. As a focal point at the main entrance it was important to me to find just the right rocks. So off I went rock-shopping. Where exactly does one go to shop for rocks, I wondered. Sure enough I found a few rock supply stores, and off I went.

Without being a Geologist, I already knew that there are many types rocks, so I set my mind on a variety known as 'Palm Springs Gold'. The courtyard already has 32 tons of crushed gold rocks as the ground cover in our desert landscape. Once at the rock supply store, I was directed toward the area where the Palm Springs Gold rocks were piled high. I scaled the pile with one of the workers. Once I selected my rocks, I labelled them with my last name so the workers would identify them for delivery. As I stepped back and gazed at the label I found it amusing to see 'Rockhill' scrawled on three boulders atop of a big pile of rocks.

A few days later a nice man in a massive truck used a huge crane to hoist these three boulders in the courtyard. Weighing around 2 tons each, once in place they were not to be moved ever again, so I used a variety of hand signals to direct the crane operator on how to position them as best he could. Funny, once in place they don't look quite as big.

The gardeners have begun planting various eco-friendly, drought-tolerant plants in and around the boulders. In the peak season, it isn't uncommon to reach 118 degrees, with virtually no rainfall, so its environmentally responsible to use as many plants as possible that require little water. Most of the yard is now cactus and such, which suits me fine actually. Next step is to install a few low wattage accent lights here and there, for dramatic effect. Anyone who knows me well understands that it's all about the lighting with me. Until the next time....