Until 2024, I had not experienced a New England summer — its clear blue, massive skies, rocky coastline, and bustling waters — but had seen many paintings of the area, particularly Maine, by admired regional artists as Adele Lemm and internationally acclaimed artists as Edward Hopper. I grew up in the Mississippi Delta and attended Ole Miss. It wasn’t until my mid twenties while living in New York City that I heard the term, “summering.” In Manhattan that term, among my peers, meant shared summer house in the Hamptons. When I moved to Charleston “summering” reemerged and meant long week stays in the North Carolina mountains or in a quaint port town along the New England coastline, most easily accessible by sailboats from the Charleston harbor.

A short road trip connects two very different California deserts. Palm Springs, a chic mid-century architectural haven and retro playground for movie stars, such as Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra. The other, Joshua Tree, a hippy and mystic, stripped down piece of earth known as the backdrop and incubator for music projects by icons, such as Graham Parsons and U2.