First Entry: A Different Kind of Homeless

I noticed the first entry did not post! Here it is, from Palm Springs:

We left the comfort of staying indoors with friends, we drove south into the warm air of Desert Hot Springs. The first night of 2015 sleeping in the van again was tight and cramped. Sadhu, the cat was the most comfortable as he had the whole car to get comfortable in.

That night we heard a quiet click, then the beep of the van as if a key were in the ignition. We sat up! Someone was trying to steal the van- and we were in it! They heard us and the door burst open. They were gone like a doubt passing from thought. Danny looked around and saw no one. I fumed that I'm blind without my lenses in. We locked the van. We didn't sleep well. Should I mention it was in a hotel parking lot?! When I looked up Desert Hot Springs I found it was on the top 100 worst crime locations in the country, worse than big cities.

Day two, eye problems arose. I couldn't put my left lens in and it was painful to even open the eye. Problem: $120 to my name until after I do my contract work this week and get my book royalties later this month. Thankfully, a dear friend paypaled money and Wal-Mart vision center was great. After my job is done I have to go back Friday for a second eye exam. Parking lot camping continues. Wal-Mart was excellent to stay at. About a dozen other overnighters peppered the lot and it was quiet.

Last evening we spent the $7 each to go use hot springs pools and showers at Desert Hot Springs Spa and Hotel.
We met Allen, who is down from Oregon to take care of his dad in LA. He's working on a hydroponics idea. We traded cool places to go and discussed positive changes coming with hemp production in the US. He is vehicle camping too. Also a free spirit. If only people realized they could be free and happy was his thought.

Later we met a young couple in from Tahoe. They were disappointed by the chlorine in the mineral hot springs. Lee Caleb Pollock, metal sculpture artist who was here to sell his work at an Art show. We talked about traveling and different hot spring locations worth visiting. He mentioned trying to distance himself from his last name as he works hard to create beautiful artworks rather than gimmicks. Maybe one day, he will be the remembered Pollock.

We picked up trash in a public park, entertained local kids with our pets, and when a homeless woman threw garbage out her window and drove off- we threw it in the garbage cans. We see our vehicles as our home, we may be homeless but we don't have to fit the stereotype. 

This morning while writing this I watched a woman scout out clothing. We gave her food. I chased off a guy who started going through her things while she was in the clothing donation bin. When Danny talked to her, she was searching for blankets. She wasn't drugged, drunk, crazy or smelly. She was friendly and down on her luck.