When it does rain....

There are three television shows we watch EVERY week, "Lost", "Survivor", and "The Amazing Race". Since we do NOT have a DVR we have to watch them at their normal network time. Yeah, you can watch a couple of them online or on iphone but its not the same. Paul and Michele watch "Lost", Mark and Carol watch all three shows, and their latest episode comes up whenever we talk. I do miss the freedom of the DVR and the HDTV big screens back at home and should get home in time to watch "The Masters" on the big set. Will Tiger be playing. I sure think so.
We are getting our NetFlix movies down here and have been to several movies including "Avatar" & "Alice In Wonderland" both at the Desert IMAX in 3D. We also watched the Oscars, yay for Sandra Bullock, and I will watch some of March Madness basketball outside on our compartment TV. I hope the Dawgs of Washington make the tourney! We are both reading a lot. I've read about 20 books since we got here including "Treasure Island" on the iphone.
Next year the current plan is to spend Thanksgiving & Xmas at home, then spend January and February here at Outdoor Resort, and try and spend March and part of April on the beaches of Southern Cal. Starting in San Diego and slowly working our way north to Morro Bay. Unless the weather forecast is bad, then we will be golfing here in Palm Springs another month.

Almost Californians

Well, we have been down here five months a year for the last two years so I guess we are settling in. We shop at "Statler Brothers" markets (they have great meat) just around the corner, and know where all the Costco's and WalMarts are here in the desert. We know the key movie theaters, and have located a few favorite restaurants. We live in shorts and t-shirts and sunglasses have become as important as a wallet. Another big discovery down here is In N Out Burgers....the best hamburgers I have ever had. We probably eat less burgers down here than at home but when we do we treat ourselves to In N Out. Only available in California, Nevada, Arizona, and newly into Utah. Try one if you get the chance.
Yesterday, I rode the bike through the park which is very flat and easy to pedal through. I rode around the perimeter of the 1200 sites and that took about 20 minutes. The other main clubhouse, the El Saguaro, has a little larger rectangular pool that is salt water. The clubhouse across the street from us, The La Palma, has a free form fresh water pool. Both have two large outdoor spas. There are six other mini-club houses with pools and a spa and a tennis court. The main clubhouses have four tennis courts each. Next year we are thinking of taking the free tennis lessons. Between golf and tennis you can keep busy.
Another thing about living in the desert is that in late September or early October they pull all the grass out and replant. The whole golf course and all the sites and clubhouses. I understand that for about a week or two it can get pretty dusty. Who knew?

Catching up!

I haven't blogged for quite a while and since I am primarily doing this as a keepsake of the trip I thought I had better get it up to date. I don't know if anyone has been reading this but if you have I apologize for the lapse. I was using Facebook and neglecting this blog, so I have some work to do to get this caught up from mid-February.

As I mentioned earlier, we took six weeks of golf lessons, an hour a week, and have been following up on that by going to the driving range at Rancho Mirage Country Club. Outdoor Resort has an agreement with them, and you can hit as many golf balls as you want for $5. Not only is it fun to play down here on the course but we have a nine hole par three course a block away from our house so expect to play a lot when we get home in April and the season is just starting.

We are getting to know quite a few people down here and in the park. We went to Bingo last Wednesday when Larry and Rose were here and Susan won $36. Like everything here in the park it is cheap to play Bingo. $6 for a sheet of ten games, and about 8 cards on each sheet. It's really nice that the owners association runs everything and doesn't but money ahead of service and convenience. I had pancakes and coffee at the cafe for $3 the other day...again the cafe is for the convenience of the lot owners and renters. There are lots of activities, two "scramble" golf tourneyments a week, and a lot of tennis activities and lessons also. There are block BBQ's, dinners, dances, entertainment, etc. We missed the "Potato Bake" last month which is very popular.

It's amazing how lush the resort is. It is hard to believe that this is the desert. A far cry from the places we have stayed in Arizona and Nevada that's for sure. The surrounding mountains and the amount of grass and flowers in the park makes it feel like spring and summer back home, but the palm trees give the location away. The winter has not been up to Palm Springs standards, but its very easy to be spoiled quickly down here with sunny clear skies at 7am and extending all day. Even if it rains here it never seems to last more that a few minutes. The main compaint this year is that it hasn't been in the mid 70's or 80's enough. By Tacoma standards the winter here would have been a better than average summer, yes, really!

Here's a few pictures of the park.

End of the canyon

View from the trail

Bend but don't break

Canyon cactus

Humming bird feeding at the trail head

Wild flowers in the canyon

Hiking the trail

Susan videoing the stream

Desert wild flowers

Stream feeding the canyoun.

Your hosts

Larry & Rose Mackey at Palm Canyon

Palm Canyou From Above

Palm Canyou

Palm Canyon...from the canyon top looking down.

Indian Canyons

Just outside of the main road in Palm Springs, Palm Canyon Drive, is a local park which in on Native American land and operated by the tribe. There are two canyons you can hike there although it is usually referred to as "Palm Canyone". You have tall canyon walls on both sides of you during the hike and a stream running throught the middle of the canyon feeding the palm groves that grow on both side of it. It is very lush and its hard to believe that this is in the middle of the desert. I recommend a trip here if you are in the area.

The Riviera Resort and Spa

We visited this hotel in December when Mark and Carols were visiting. It's a great place for lunch by the pool during the day or a drink in the evening.

The Riviera

Many rumors exist about the number of Hollywood affairs that have taken place in recently refurbished hotel. It's rooms, patios, and pool areas (some featuring private cabanas) are secluded and private. The decore is art deco and the main colors are red, silver, and black. It is quite a striking place. We really liked the pool area.