Greetings and Salutations from the desert oasis called East Jesus.  We can officially call it an oasis as we just finished planting two 5 foot tall palm trees beside our buried bus.  Of course one of our artists has already called dibs on building a bus stop between them but that’s what E.J. is all about, possibilities. What one person throws away as junk or trash we try to take another look at and turn into art.  And it must be working because we keep attracting new people with new ideas and their efforts keep East Jesus growing.

That said we must admit that our busy season is coming to an end.  Since January 1st 2012 we have hosted over a thousand people from tours to concerts to just visiting for a few days.  We have entertained writers ranging from local papers to the L.A. Times and Time magazine, filmographers from CBS and GoogleTV, performers from northern and southern California and visitors from Europe and North America.  We have had millions of snapshots taken on everything from camera phones to state-of-the-art film cameras. Just the other day we noticed the tv wall used in an internet meme.  We’ve ensnared the hearts of several dozen musicians who played here or are looking for the next chance to film a music video here. There have been way too many moments around the fire and living area that caused laughter and way too many discussions that veered into the absurd. We have been introduced to and made friends with an ever diverse crowd and look forward to introducing more people to our little experiment in living off-grid.

So as our crew disperses to the far corners for the summer we’d like to thank everyone who made this season so special and memorable as well as give an opportunity for one last hug before the heat makes the thought of touching anything repugnant.

So to those who spent their winter hiatus here and working: Jake – dishwasher, lumberjack and melter of plastic toys, Marty – cook, information hound, and keeper of the Mutt, Bob – chauffeur, hauler, and guy to call when stuck in sand, Chicago Joe – electrician, builder and wearer of the beer belt, Anna – painter, nurse and estrogen carrier, Phil – panel washer, writer and king of the one liners, Matt – tech wiz, party animal and owner of the iron stomach, Mopar – , procurer, community outreach and wizard, Ken – video, security and conspiracist along with wife Sue – bartender, tire planter and the only person who can keep Ken on track, we offer up thanks and the knowledge that we couldn’t have done it without you, there will always be a chocolate martini and a place for you here.

For our other friends who stopped by and either did work or just made the place fun and interesting: Adventuretainment, O.Z.O., Orphans in the Afterlife, Christian Hernandez, Technomania Circus, Sara – our English WWOOFer, Mike James and the Open Mic Night After the Apocalypse, the Marines, the Hive Gallery, Dum Spiro Spero, Katalyst Films and a whole host of individuals who added to the history of E.J. These are the priceless memories that will be talked about around the fires to come.

And finally to the Angels of East Jesus – Big Steve, Ranger Hill, Mr. Holiday, Chaos Karen, Reverend Flip, Kilted Bob, Pirate Benton, Beard Berlant, and Zebulon who are always hovering about and thinking of us and stop by just when we need them with just the thing we didn’t know we needed — I can think of no better compliment then to observe the obvious: Charlie Russell sure did know how to pick ’em.

With spring in the air and summer around the corner it’s the perfect time to think of outdoor activities and a perfect time for us to throw a party. On Saturday, the 24th of March, we will have two birthday boys, a couple new pieces to install in the Garden and on the Tower, a second story to build, and the end of our fundraising campaign. That the end of the campaign happens to coincide with so many fortuitous omens can only mean that it is meant to be, that so many friends have not seen each other or all the new work means it should be done, and the opportunity to have these creative people in this environment can’t be missed.

Now I can’t reveal all the details at this time because you never know who is reading the internet but safe to say there will be food and drink, fire, art, music, laughter, ——, a revealing of “Moonraker” on top of the Tower, maybe some home movies, a pancake breakfast, some nudity at the hot springs, some bad entertainment at the Range, and maybe the military will use the bombing range for some background sounds.  Hope to see you here.