I guess it's appropriate to follow up the longest California photo gallery I've ever done with the shortest. This was a one-goal one-stop outing to a location in Yucca Valley. I got a tip from Jodi Wilson at Joshua Springs Calvary Church that there were blooming pencil chollas there, and since this was one of my longest standing "wants" (not the plant itself but to see it in bloom) and having mostly recovered from my recent attack of gastroenteritis, I drove out there to investigate. Sure enough, there were a good number of plants with blooms and I was ecstatic to be able to photograph them and cross this taxon off my list. I had read somewhere that it was a fairly inconspicuous flower but it certainly didn't seem that way to me. This kind of quick field trip may be the only kind I can do for a while since we have two new basset hound puppies at home that require our more or less constant presence. Anyway, thanks Jodi.