New York Times Article on Greg Davis, owner of Joshua Desert Retreats
Reservations Rates Guestbook Maps Homes

Featured in the Escapes Section

Living Here | Desert Houses
 No Sandbox Needed
Greg Davis, owner of Joshua Desert Retreats sitting in front of the Adobe house with Della
J. Emilio Flores for The New York Times
As told to AMY GUNDERSON
Published: September 29, 2006

WHO Greg Davis, 49, a landscape architect and contractor from Beverly Hills, Calif.

WHAT 1-bedroom house

WHERE Twentynine Palms, Calif.

I grew up in Hawaii, so I know about being connected to the natural life force of the land. I bought my first house in this area eight years ago to use with family and friends. They all said, "You’re from Hawaii; what are you doing in the desert?" But the desert is very much like Hawaii. Nature has been supported, not paved over. I soon started to rent out that house, buy others in the area, and now I own 12 desert homes that I rent out through my company, Joshua Desert Retreats.

This area has become a destination for artists, but it seems like everyone in Southern California at one time or another growing up has gone camping in Joshua Tree National Park, so we get a lot of ex-campers, too. This house technically isn’t in any town, and getting to it requires driving along a dirt road. The town of Twentynine Palms is home to the main entrance of Joshua Tree National Park, 15 minutes away.

I’m out here all the time. I’ve been in L.A. for almost 30 years, and it’s one of my favorite places to get away from. This is the perfect time of year for me to go to the desert. It’s still summer and still hot. After all, I’m from Hawaii, I don’t like the cold. Outdoor living spaces are really important in this house, and I love sitting by the pool or taking a swim at night. When my body temperature, the pool temperature and the air temperature at midnight are all the same and I’m floating in the water, suspended under a dome of stars, I wonder, does life get any better than this?

"From The New York Times on the Web © The New York Times Company. Reprinted with Permission."