end of an era:
Susan Luckie reilly
provides own legacy
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er family name is intertwined with the history of the City of Twentynine Palms. With the passing of Susan Luckie Reilly on her 101st birthday in June, an era has closed in that history. Susan’s father, Dr. James B. Luckie, of Pasadena, sent World War I veterans suffering from respiratory ailments—mustard gas poisoning, asthma, and tuberculosis—to Twentynine Palms during the 1920s so the clean air and warm, dry heat of the hi-desert could help heal them. Many veterans and their families homesteaded in Twentynine Palms and played a large part in the building of the community. The 40 acres of land that Dr. Luckie donated to the local American Legion Desert Outpost 334 became part of the park that bears the family name: Luckie Park. One of the murals of the Oasis of Murals in Twentynine Palms is dedicated to Dr. Luckie and depicts his work with veterans. While Dr. Luckie was a part-time resident, his daughter Susan settled in Twentynine Palms permanently. Susan developed a love for the desert and became a seasonal park ranger and naturalist for Joshua Tree National Monument in 1965. She was one of the founders of the Morongo Basin Conservation Association, and was a leader in desert conservation. In 2004, on the 10th anniversary of Joshua Tree National Monument becoming a national park, Susan was awarded the first Minerva Hoyt California Desert Conservation Award for her achievements on behalf of our deserts. Susan’s legacy continues through her donation of her home in Twentynine Palms next to the boundary of her beloved Joshua Tree National Park to the park for a research center. Susan was born the same year that the National Park Service was founded—1916—and she died on her 101st birthday. “Ms. Reilly and her family are part of the foundational fabric of Twentynine Palms and the entire Morongo Basin,” said Mayor John Cole of Twentynine Palms. “Her legacy will live long after her.” “Susan was an inspiration for a generation of young women seeking roles in conservation and land management,” said Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent David Smith. “She was an amazing neighbor, a great teacher, and a friend to all of us who love Joshua Tree and the California Desert. I am thankful to have been able to know her.” We are grateful for Susan’s passion for preservation of our deserts, and we hope she continues to inspire future generations to continue to work in the same spirit.
Susan Luckie Reilly pictured at the dedication ceremony for Luckie Park.
there’s more Tortoise online! www.jttortoisetelegraph.com 1
Tales from the tortoise
Joshua tree retreat center new directions at mentalphysics after a controversial year
by Steve Brown
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he year 2016 was a challenging one for The Institute of Mentalphysics which owns and operates the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. The venerable spiritual icon of the hidesert, founded in 1941, had begun to host large scale musical events, from three days of Childish Gambino (actor Donald Glover’s rapper alter ego), to the Desert Daze music festival, and the clearing of several acres of raw desert to provide sandy parking. The executive director for The Institute of Mentalphysics, Victoria GeVoian, had arranged for the clearing of the land sans any kind of permit, and between that and the loud music, audible late into, if not throughout, the night, and the bright lights of the events across the desert night sky, had made some highly critical enemies in the local Joshua Tree community. To be fair, the decision to host events of this scale also made some local businesses, especially those in the hospitality industry, quite happy. Hotels as far away as Twentynine Palms enjoyed bookings for the events, boosting occupancy rates and profits. While it was a departure from the more homespun spiritually-oriented events hosted at the retreat center—Bhakti and Shakti fests, Contact in the Desert, and a myriad of spiritual workshops and retreat, these large scale events proved that Joshua Tree was an attractive location for hosting musical events that would draw crowds from all across southern California. But locals began to ask how did Childish Gambino fit in with the spiritual mission of an organization officially registered as a church? People were incensed at the apparent disregard shown for the natural desert landscape by management at the retreat center, neighbors were upset at loud music continuing into the wee hours of the morning. In little time, the retreat center had become the epitome of the disturbing trends brought about Joshua Tree’s exploding popularity, bringing noise, light pollution, traffic, crowds, and an apparent disregard for the desert itself (made worse because it was done by a “spiritual” organization), to a desert many residents feel passionately about and want to defend. The 420 acre spiritual retreat center established by Edwin J. Dingle—Ding Le Mei— where his Tibetan-inspired practice of combining breathing exercises, diet control, ancient universal truths, and meditation known as Mentalphysics has been taught; the retreat center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his son, Lloyd Wright, had suddenly gotten everyone’s attention. As if the center itself was awakened by the changes, suddenly GeVoian was gone, and a fairly new board member, Terry Taylor-Castillo was named as interim executive director. I wanted to see what was next for Mentalphysics and the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, so I sat down with Terry in the midst of the expansion of the center’s bookstore and offices to see what comes next for this unique facility and resource for our communities, after a year of tumult and controversy, and to learn a bit about Terry and how she wound up in this position. It turns out her story has a bit of desert style synchronicity to it, and maybe an angel or two. “I grew up in the Pasadena area, lived all over in different places—Malibu, Ojai, places like that,” Terry said. “My first trip to Joshua Tree was in high school, and I had an amazing experience. So, Paul Andrews, who is on the board, used to do the Whole Life Expos and Whole Life Times magazine, which Art Kunkin started after he had the LA Free Press. Paul bought Whole Life Times from Art, then he started the Whole Life Expos, or someone did and he bought it from them, so in the nineties, I’m going to say ‘92, I was at an expo and I met Don and Barbara Waldrop who had been left with this place after Ding Le Mei died. They had a little booth, the books, [Ding Le Mei’s] My Life in Tibet, and I wrote books on angels, so I was speaking there, and maybe they came to my talk, it’s been a while. Somehow they wanted to talk to me and they said, ‘I wish you could come out and help us at the Institute of Mental Physics in Joshua Tree.’ “I was like, I haven’t been out there for a while, I should come out and see what you’re doing. Long story short, I never did. Until many moons later. “Fast forward, years later, I’m spending a lot of time out here whenever I can, but I have
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to still be in the Claremont area. My mom had Alzheimer’s and I was the main person. We always kind of thought we’d move out here, so we were out here a lot, probably at least four to six times a year. Then we ended up moving in 2014 after my mom passed away.” “Facebook pops up with friends you might know, and Paul Andrews comes up and it says ‘Joshua Tree, Contact in the Desert.’ So I do the friend request and said, ‘Are you in Joshua Tree’? He said, ‘Yeah, some of the time. I do an event out here.’ I invited him to come to the gallery and catch up on stuff. He said, ‘I think you should get on the board of the retreat center,’ and he gave me a tour and we talked more about it. I did end up on the board, and so did another local person, Gerard Noonan. The first time they had people living in town on the board. So there was more board involvement, and we had just gone through the land clearing issues and all of that. The board started to look into making some pretty big changes. It just seemed time. After a series of discussions and research, Victoria resigned and I stepped off the board to be interim director. Terry, who joined the board in the midst of last year’s controversies, noted that the board has come up with new priorities that do not include large scale music events, though Desert Daze will be returning to the retreat center this October. But she added that there is a spiritual component to that particular music festival. “I really feel live music is a spiritual experience for a lot of people. They look forward to coming to a festival and Desert Daze is different in that they have yoga tents, they have sound baths, they really get into the whole kind of a hippie spiritual experience. It’s a really well run festival, and at night it looks at a magical land. Of course the noise went on too late, and that will change this year. We are changing focus with the festivals as that’ll be it as far as that type of festival.” “We want to do more community things. We want to slowly but surely have more family things. Start integrating the community which I think would enjoy this place. I’m looking for that kind of thing. I want to do more things like that. “Eventually, we’d like to do a farm to table kind of restaurant thing here, like the [29 Palms] Inn does. We have two places where that could happen. The Water Terrace or Friendship Hall. With the Water Terrace, a lot of groups rent that out themselves, so that would cut into the retreat business, but it would be nice to have something open daily the community could come eat at. A healthy restaurant that has nice food.” With the expansion of the bookstore, Terry said they intend to have additional events there as well, from author talks and book signings to mini-psychic fairs. And a coffee kiosk may be in the works as well, making the bookstore a friendly place for locals to start their day, and creating more ongoing contact between locals and the retreat center. A “friends of” group is also being organized to establish more local support for the center, as well as to ensure community involvement with its future. “In October, I’ve reserved Friendship Hall and the Caravansary for the preview for Modernism [Week], and we want to have a fund raising dinner and a tour of the grounds, kind of the preview of Modernism, maybe get some people from Palm Springs, and we’ll have the rooms so people can stay there, or people can just come to the fund raising dinner. We’ll maybe have an art presence too, and that will be part of one of the things we’re doing that’s new.” Combined with the new more community-oriented direction the board is advocating, is the ongoing needs to maintain and upgrade the infrastructure on this immense rambling facility. Terry adds that they would like to eventually add solar power and other improvements to the site. “Ding Le Mei, who was the founding teacher, he had told his group when he was getting older that there would come a time when Mentalphysics would have low interest in it, but in the future, in 100 years from when he started teaching, people would be more interested in it again. And we’re almost there, it’s in 2020.” After a year of controversy, it looks like this retreat center is ready to be at the heart of the next century of Mentalphysics. For more: www.jttortoisetelegraph.com.
Interim director Terry Taylor-Castillo, in the retreat center’s newly expanded bookstore, far left. A teaching session at this year’s Shakti Fest, left. The beautiful grounds of the 420 acre retreat center, above, the oldest and largest retreat center in the western united states. Spontaneous yoga on the path during Shakti Fest, below. One example of the architectural design work of Frank Lloyd Wright and his son Lloyd Wright that can be found at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, bottom.
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Tales from the tortoise
becoming snake jagger By Snake Jagger by way of introduction
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he desert produces some fascinating creative spirits, and often, they have stories as interesting and varied as themselves and their work. Whenever possible, we like to share those stories with our readers to give you a deeper look down the tortoise hole, into the minds and souls of our friends and hi-desert neighbors. I’ve known Snake Jagger for quite a few years now, and his artwork has been featured on the cover of our sister publication, The Sun Runner. He’s featured in our Morongo Valley episode of our TV series, Southwest Stories, doing lip-ups and talking about Frank Sinatra and his Dad, lip synching competitively, and being a pirate, something we share (it’s a long story). Snake is a uniquely talented desert artist with a penchant for creating desert scenes of orderly, sometimes raked, desert landscapes, with the occasional UFO, doorway, or even a rake, included. It’s what he calls whimsical surrealism, and the name fits. He has a playful painting style that is a perfect match for his personality. But don’t just listen to me. Read Snake’s story in his own words. I’ve done minimal editing because I like to let people tell their story their way. He’s working on a book, so the Tortoise Telegraph is serializing his story in this, and upcoming, issues. It’s a great way to get to know Snake, and it’s a hell of a ride. You can also peruse Snake’s online gallery and shop online at www.snakejagger. com. And yes, that’s one of his works in our masthead. – Steve Brown
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Chapter 10 Explosive Hawaii
ay and I both got jobs working at Pino’s restaurant. It was my second time working there. Thankfully whenever I had to leave a job, I left on very good terms, and was always welcomed back. We would trudge through the jungle in our black and white—black pants and white shirt—and work into the night, then we would have to make our way back to our tent in the dark, moving through the jungle quickly, on paths we created, so as to keep as many mosquitoes off of us as possible. The second you stopped, they would attack. It was nice to get home to our little tent and kitty. We were roughing it, but being young and able to deal with it, we had no complaints. But Kay was pregnant, and we had to start thinking about moving on up to an apartment, if we were going to be practical about the situation. I think we were there in the jungle for a couple months, when one day, I told Kay I was going to the other side of the island to go body surfing. She would stay home in the tent, studying the Bible and relaxing on a day off. I have no memory of where I got it, but someone had given me some LSD. I had taken my share of this drug in LA during my last year in high school, and once and awhile I had taken it in the desert too. So I was looking forward to enjoying the 12 hour high I would get from swallowing this tiny pill. But I needed to get away by myself, as I’m sure Kay would not have approved, and I was really doing something that was frowned on by the Witnesses as well. But I just wanted to experience a trip while I had the chance. That was probably one of the most unforgettable times I have spent in the ocean. There is something about LSD that makes you see and feel everything in minute detail. The way the ocean would move, and the way the tiny drops of water would splash then meld back into the whole body of water, I was experiencing it in a very moving and personal way. I had a good time that day, body surfing in some of the best waves ever, riding the tube, and being one with the earth, it was magical. But It was getting late in the day and I needed to start heading back to the valley and home. I got back to Iao, with the drug still lingering in my system. It was getting dark outside and Kay and I were talking, when we decided to take a walk down to the river, to wash up and continue our conversation. There we sat on the big boulders that lined the river, talking about things and splashing the cool water on our faces when I suddenly noticed a strange glow coming from the jungle, in the area where our tent was. We both jumped up and saw a giant fireball that just exploded in the distance. It was our tent! On fire! We had left a little candle burning, not thinking anything like this could happen. The fire looked huge, and we started running with all we had to get there and put that fire out, and hopefully save our little kitty who was locked inside. I was frantic! I got there first, and started yanking a few of the banana trees that I planted out of the ground and began to beat the flames out. Kay was right behind me trying to be helpful, but she got smoke in her lungs and had to back off. I finally got the fire out, and was concerned about Kay, because she was coughing hard and I was worried about the pregnancy. Also we were both frantically calling out for the kitty, because she wasn’t there. She finally came out reluctantly from the surrounding shrubbery. A little scared but alive and unhurt.
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Well, that was that. Everything we had—clothes, tent, personal belongings—was destroyed. All we had left was the clothes we were wearing. I had a few great paintings in there that I had done a few months back, the only one that survived the fire was the little house painting. But not without some damage. Now we were without a place to stay, so I went to Mr. Pino and told him the sad news. The hotel was booked solid so he let us stay in the restaurant for three days until we found a little apartment that was just down the road from the restaurant. We slept on the floor in the dining room, and worked during the dinner hours. The last night we stayed there, we were supposed to keep an eye on a pig that was cooking in the oven, for a dinner party that night. Kay and I both fell asleep in our sleeping bags, waking only when we heard the smoke alarm going off. The piglet in the oven had over cooked and almost caught on fire. We were having a spate of bad luck, I tells ya! The little studio apartment we found was really nice, but in Hawaii a rental could be quite expensive, and we knew we couldn’t handle paying for this place for long. So it looked like we were going to have to make another move back to the mainland and the desert. This was another time when leaving the island was a bad idea. But, the story continues....
Check out more of Snake Jagger’s artwork at: www.snakejagger.com
Desert Plants: Bird of Paradise
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ig, bold, bright and.... tropical? The (Mexican) Bird of Paradise is unlike pretty much anything else seen in the desert. When all the cacti and wildflowers are closing up their show for the summer, the glorious red and orange Bird of Paradise blooms take over the desert stage and carry their display all summer long. But it isn’t just the blooms that are appealing. It has wonderful bright green ferny foliage, so reminiscent of the tropics, that adds another layer of interest. The Mexican (or Red) Bird of Paradise is another lover of full sun, sandy soils and only a little water. It does require more water than many natives though not much more. After getting established, one good drink twice a week will suffice. It will die off in the winter and appreciate being cut back so that it is ready for another brilliant show next year.
– Barbara Demmocks Photo: Lisa Burford
out and about with the tortoise
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K, to be honest, this time of year we’re of two minds about going out. We’d love to, of course, but we’d have to leave our swamp cooler, and we’re kind of emotionally tied to it’s downdraft right about now. But we do venture forth from our offices in the crystal caves beneath Giant Rock from time to time, and we’ve been amply rewarded for doing so. Take, for example, a fine summer’s eve spent at the Oasis of Mara, drinking drinks at the 29 Palms Inn with names like “The Amboy Crater,” out of ice cold copper muley mugs, or eating veggie pizza with all the veggies coming directly out of the Inn’s own gardens, and opting for a sumptuous steak salad, and then relaxing poolside under the palms listening to The Luminators with friends. Does it get better than that? Perhaps, but this is a fine standard to try and beat. Then, we’re delighted to note that the new Kabob Time restaurant (in the Jelly Donut shopping center) in Yucca Valley, is nothing less than incredibly delicious, from their spicy lentil soup to their kabobs, hummus, and more. It’s a very welcome addition to dining options in Yucca. Go. Now.
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Tortoise picks Theatre 29 July 15, 7 p.m.: The Baker’s Dozen present Batter Up, an improvisational comedy show by Theatre 29’s own improv group. July 28-30: Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. Performances by the talented kids of Theatre 29’s Summer Youth Theatre Program. These performances are the culmination of the five week summer youth theatre program. Various times. 73637 Sullivan Road, Twentynine Palms www.theatre29.org, (760)361-4151. 29 Palms Art Gallery 65th anniversary Historic Photo Exhibition and Guild Member Artists Group Exhibition, through July 31. 74055 Cottonwood Drive, Twentynine Palms (760)367-7819, www.29palmsartgallery.com
Reach 100,000 hi-desert locals and 2.5+ million visitors! Advertise in The Joshua Tree Tortoise Telegraph
29 Palms Visitor Center & Gallery Summer Nights art show. Through September 30. 73484 29 Palms Hwy, Twentynine Palms Gallery 62 Territory Extraordinary, through July 30. 61607 29 Palms Hwy., Suite H, Joshua Tree, gallery62.org 29 Palms Inn 73950 Inn Avenue, Twentynine Palms (760)367-3505, www.29palmsinn.com Desert art on the restaurant walls, and live music nightly. Usually scheduled: Beverly Derby & Bill Church, Saturdays; Bob Garcia, Sundays; The Luminators, Mondays; Daniel Horn, Wednesdays; Bobby Furgo and company, Thursdays. The Wonder People usually play first Friday monthly. Pappy & Harriets Pioneertown Palace 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown (760)365-5956, www.pappyandharriets.com Upcoming: July 13: The Great Escape, July 14: Roses & Cigarettes, July 21: Jesika von Rabbit, Fartbarf, $15, July 27: Adobe Collective. Regularly scheduled: Open mic on Mondays with guest hosts, The Shadow Mountain Band opening for other acts most Saturdays, The Sunday Band, most Sundays,. For complete calendar: www.pappyandharriets.com. Hi-Desert Nature Museum Conservation Quest Youth Exhibit, through September 16. July 20, noon: Brown Bag Lunch Lecture, Important Birds of Ancient Lake Cahuilla and the Salton Sea. Kurt Leuschner, professor of Natural Resources at College of the Desert. $5 admission. July 29, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Family Fun Day – Our Planet, Our Home. Arts and crafts, animals and games, face painting and photo ops, treasure hunt. Yucca Valley Community Center, 57116 29 Palms Hwy., Yucca Valley (760)369-7212, www.hidesertnaturemuseum.org Taylor Junction July 14, 7 p.m.: Fresh Re.Search, jazz songs from Victoria Williams, Debbie Davis and Josh Paxton, Gabriella Evaro and Myshkin Warbler. Refreshments by Madame Q’s elixir martini bar. $20. 61732 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree. (760)974-9165. Tortoise Rock Casino Live at the Rock, 8 p.m., Friday nights, free. July 14: Desert Sol, tribute to Tower of Power. July 21: The Garage Doors, tribute to The Doors. July 28: The 182s, tribute to Blink 182. 73829 Base Line Road, Twentynine Palms www.tortoiserockcasino.com Sky’s the Limit Observatory & Nature Center Desert night sky watching events most Saturdays. Outdoor events may be changed due to weather. Free to the public. 9697 Utah Trail, Twentynine Palms (just outside the north entrance to Joshua Tree National Park) (760)401-3004, www.skysthelimit29.org Because In Community We Find Unity Volunteer Fair The Morongo Basin Unity Home is hosting this volunteer fair to encourage volunteering with local community service organizations. Prospective volunteers may gather information about organizations and match their interests and skills to the needs of the organizations. The event is free, with refreshments and drawings throughout the fair. July 15, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Morongo Basin Unity Home, 7237 Joshua Lane, Yucca Valley For information: Dean Lockwood, volunteer coordinator, 760-366-9663 or dean@ unityhome.org. Want to be included in our Tortoise Picks? Send your event info to us at: publisher@ sunrunnersw.com.
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Keeping The Sun Runner Truck on the road since 2004!
It’s definitely pool time!
www.palmcanyonparadise.com
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published by the sun runner, po box 2171, joshua tree, ca 92252 (760)820-1222 publisher@sunrunnersw.com www.jttortoisetelegraph.com www.facebook.com/jttortoisetelegraph www.instagram.com/jttortoisetelegraph published monthly. distributed free of charge in the hi-desert. Editor/Publisher/telegraph operator: Steve Brown Assistant to the editor: Juliett, the mojave sand leopard Photos and editorial by: Steve Brown, barbara demmocks, lisa burford, snake jagger Distribution: eventually by tortoise, of coursus Submit story ideas, photos for consideration, dining/shopping/lodging/favorite places and event photos to: tortoisetelegraph@gmail.com advertising inquiries: tortoisetelegraph@gmail.com or 760-820-1222 (voice or text) see the advertising page at www.jttortoisetelegraph.com for pricing and specs. remember – support your local independent media and it will support your community! distribution inquiries: tortoisetelegraph@gmail.com join the tortoise telegraph online at: www.jttortoisetelegraph.com, on facebook at: www.facebook.com/jttortoisetelegraph on instagram at: www.instagram.com/jttortoisetelegraph join the sun runner, the journal of the real desert, online at: www.sunrunnersw.com on facebook at: www.facebook.com/TheSunRunner join southwest stories with steve brown online at: www.southweststories.us on facebook at: www.facebook.com/RealDesert
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