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!