May 14, 2024 - On the way home

Happy birthday sister Anne.  She turns 70 today. She said that's the oldest she's ever been!   FUNNY!

I always tell everyone I am a klutz. But I think they don't always believe me.  Welllllll. I was at the gas station looking for food.  The donuts looked really good.  I picked out a jelly filled and then bent down to see what was hiding on the bottom shelf.  Fritters. I thought "Wilbur likes those". While still bending down, looking in the cabinet, I opened the glass door. RIGHT INTO MY FOREHEAD.   OW. So when I tell you I am a klutz, I am. Me rolling my eyes at myself!

I thought this was a pretty duck. 

If you look close there is a metal dragon 

I liked the velvety look to these hills. 

Which mountain?  Shasta?  I think it is.  After we have gone through the mountain.  Lake shasta is nice and high.  Not like previous years. 

A weird flat top

Mountain. 

Staying at Columbia River RV Park in Portland. Nice park but planes are loud.  You are right by the airport. 

A random picture of feet? 

We should be home on Thursday. 

May 10, 2024 - Leaving Palm Springs

We are on the way home.  This is what you want to see the windmills doing when you are driving... nothing... no wind. 

Still snow on the mountains.  Very rare. They have had a very cool and wet spring.  

Leaving town. 

Last walk around the resort. Vodka refused to look at camera.  Bad dog. 

We made the boys take a picture of us. We were laughing as our drives were 6 feet apart.  Good friend golfing!

Nice picture of golf course. 

What else?  Eating and drinking after golf.

Managed to get Alicja and Bill to a brewery.  Alicja isn't a beer drinker.  About 3/4 of a beer after golf.  I know you are thinking, "how could she and I be friends?".  We find other things to talk about!  We are both yakkers!

This was a weird, cloudy,  super windy day. 

And of course one more mexican dinner and margaritas.  Yes I am on antibiotics for my bad tooth and shouldn't be drinking.   But it's margaritas!  Alicja wanted to go for mexican and a margarita.  How could

I refuse. Also note my necklace. Alicja bought it for me a few years ago.  I get so many compliments on it. 

And a doggie picture!

May1, 2024. Palm Springs area

Well what have we been up to?  A lot of golf.  

Oh and throw in an abscess tooth (me) that I am on 10 days of antibiotics, that aren't really helping.  Ugh

And then a couple of days ago, my back went out   Could barely walk.  Had to golf the next day   So extra strength Tylenol, followed by extra strength muscle and joint advil, then around 11:00am got a beer from the cart girl on the course!   Then came home to grit in my eye.  Out comes the contacts and rinse with contact solution.  Yay.  Eye is feeling better today.

And tonight I dropped a plate on my big toe, nice bruise.  

I'm not sure I have many more body parts to hurt on this holiday!

And eating out and being invited to friends for dinner!

Super windy day!

Nice scenery.

We've been married too long.  Standing the same way!

Me trying to do the "Irene" stance.   Gigi friends will know what I mean. 

Can't see Alicja for the hair.  The same windy golf day!

Me protecting things. 😉

An OK back swing.

Wilbur getting a "fade". She also cleaned up his eyebrows.  Men. Let the hairdresser do eyebrows AND EARS.  Pls!  Women get your men to do that!!!

Well apparently you get a treat after a hair cut.  WILLY'S donuts!  Hee hee

This is dinner at Kim and Jennifer's.  They have a lovely place in Palm Desert. Kim was Wilbur's best man at our wedding.   Really fun people!  Oh there oldest son, Davis!

Again with the wind!

I thought this cloud looked like a space ship.  Too many sci fi shows for me!

We had a couple of SUPER windy days.  Dust everywhere. The locals say after the tropical storm last August, everytime there is wind the dust is bad.  I guess it really stirred up the sand with all the rain 

The tumble weeds are HUGE!  This was the day it was windy.  It calmed a bit so we took dogs to our dog park.  I threw a couple smaller ones over the fence, but couldn't manage these ones.  While we there BAM, the wind gusted and we beat it back to the trailer.   It rocked the trailer all night. Crazy. We felt we were back in Indio. It gets a lot more wind.  

We are at Alicja and Bill's for dinner.  She wanted to bbq a tri-tip roast.  Turned out excellent.   We had it on buns with au jus for dipping.  

Alicja slaving away.

Oh we brought mini bundt cakes for dessert from "Nothing Bundt Cakes".  Funny

Wilbur puts up a drying rack for laundry.  He did all the laundry this week. (me with bad back!)

When in the desert, margaritas are mandatory. We went to Pueblo Viejo.  The one on Cook street. We discovered the sister restaurant in Indio, when we use to stay out there.  Yum. Good lime margaritas!

And of course dog pictures. 

April 22 - Palm Springs

Ok I think I messed up the dates on the last blog.   This is a catch-up to today.

Ok another margarita and some tacos for lunch.  Oh and my new $5.00 hat from the COD fair.  Seriously everything at this one vendor was 5 bucks!

Saturday night was the talent contest.  At McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert.  Great theatre.   It is a talent show for local artists.  Pianists, singers a JUGGLER this year.  Dance troupes and a Cello player. Always enjoyable.  They had 85 entries that they whittle down to 13.  And the audience gets to vote for fan favourite.  I checked and one of the fan favourites also won the overall.  A young gentleman pianist.  Very good.

History

In May 1973, a group of Coachella Valley business, education and cultural leaders organized as Friends of the Cultural Center, Inc. and committed themselves to the creation of a state-of-the-art performing arts center.  Their vision was to enhance and enrich the lives of Palm Springs & Palm Desert residents by making the performing arts available to as many people as possible.  Fundraising began in earnest with thirteen sold-out performances by Fred Waring. By 1984, local developer Terry Hahn contributed $1 million to the project and Gerald Ford became part of the board of directors. Ford, in turn, convinced Bob Hope to contribute to the project.

Vision became reality in January 1988, with the opening of McCallum Theatre.  Opening night was an all-star tribute to Hope. According to Palm Springs Life, Van Cliburn inaugurated the Steinway piano. Lucille Ball had guests teary-eyed from laughing. Alvin Ailey dancers put their best feet forward and Sarah Brightman sang a tune from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera a month before it opened on Broadway.  In the audience that night were Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Gerald and Betty Ford, Walter and Leonore Annenberg, and many other notable VIPs.

More golf.

Wilbur and Bill at the driving range before golf.  Does it help?  They think so.  Haven’t seen them on the PGA tour yet.

Just to prove I also golfed.

A random picture of me cooking on our single induction burner outside.  If you ever get another stove for your house, go induction.   Seriously.

We all decided to go to a local hockey game.  The Coachella Firebirds.  Which are the farm team for the Seattle Krackens.  

The tickets are not cheap.  And we (Alicja) paid for parking.  

And typical of all arenas, the beer is EXPENSIVE.  $20.  Two beers and a tip were $43.

However in the 2nd period I went to the washroom and went to get another beer.  And this guy says “hey the line ups behind me”  he was joking around, as there were two cashiers.  But I pretended to obey.  And then another women goes to the other cashier.  So I was giving him heck that he made me lose my spot,  and he said “I’ll buy you a beer”  and I said are you sure (knowing how pricey they are) and I also pointed out I was married..  he gave me a sideways hug and bought me a beer!  Pays to approach half drunk guys!

Homemade chilli cheese dog for dinner after the hockey.

Me and my friend!