Thursday 21 November
As usual we woke to another bright sunny day in the desert.
We expected Alex and family around midday. Suddenly the noise level shot up in and around the villa. Undoubtedly Greg makes the biggest contribution to the decibel level. Everything he does seems larger than life. Lots of times this is great when everyone is in a party atmosphere. However there are occasions when he pushes his viewpoint by making lots of noise.
Sadie has become less chatty than she used to be maybe becoming a teenager is the cause. She still says I love you when it’s bedtime or you are parting.
Alex has not learnt how to lose weight and she looks heavier than ever. I wish she would make the effort to restrain her drinking and eating not in the form of a diet, but through reducing her appetite. I’m afraid that if and when she takes on the role at The Foundation she will have less time for herself and eating maybe a comfort zone.
Carrie is developing and changing quite considerably. She has grown up and become much more confident as she has learnt to enjoy books and reading. She has always been confident to explore what many people would regard risky situations. Now her new confidence has spilled over into her becoming more chatty.
Maggi had prepared an excellent fish dish made from a type of fish I hadn’t heard of before and have since forgotten.
Greg went on his usual run, Sadie stayed in while Maggi, Alex, Carrie and I drove into town and had a drink at one of the many establishments on the main shopping street El Paseo.
Friday 22 November
I’m beginning to get over jet lag. I woke up at 6 am rather that 4:30. It meant I’d had 7 hours sleep.
Greg wanted to go for a walk and I said I would accompany him. However he had to return by 10 am for a call and I didn’t want to leave without drinking my coffee and cleaning my teeth. He set off with Carrie in the golf-cart, which is part of the features of the property.
I followed on to the Homestead trail. I drove there but you could walk it without any difficulty. I reckon it took me 45 minutes to trudge to the top where a cross stands. The cross has light bulbs running across it which makes it visible for miles.
When you arrive at the pinnacle and look down across the town below you see how artificially the place has been carved out of the desert. The mountain and area up until the main road is a desert while across the highway the manicured streets are a sharp contrast. The roads neatly laid out with palm trees lining the streets and the wealthy residents hidden behind their pretty properties.
Lunch
Everyone, except Alex, drove to the town centre to buy Sadie’s belated birthday present and have lunch. She chose a pair of tights and a top. She looked good in them.
We then crossed the road to eat at Porta Via. Greg and Carrie already seated waved at us as we entered. We had a very ordinary meal with a bottle of ordinary wine at $60. As usual average food and high prices. Thank goodness Greg insisted on paying.
We returned to the house and messed around for the rest of the day.
Saturday, Arsenal, The Cross, Tramway, Barnes & Noble
Arsenal
I set the alarm for 6:50 so I could watch the Arsenal match against Notts Forest which kicked off at 3 in the UK. The Gunners played brilliantly especially in the first half. They could have been 4-0 ahead. Odegaard and Saka together made mincemeat of the defence on the right.
Unfortunately Arsenal only led by one goal at half-time. The strike, by Saka, summed up the difference in skill level between the two teams. He skipped across the middle of the penalty area and shot into the opposite corner of the net. The crowd jumped up as one.
The second half became more defensive for Arsenal, but picked up when Partey scored a long range shot. Nwaneri capped the day’s performance with a goal after only 5 minutes on the pitch. A well deserved 3-0 win. A felt glad I had made the effort to watch the game.
The cross
After the football we all decided to go for a walk up to the cross again. All six of us climbed aboard the golf cart and drove across Highway 74 to the start of the trailhead.
The sun shone down as we climbed slowly up to the summit. Greg and the two girls strode on leaving Alex and myself with Maggi who walked nervously across the rocky and shingle ground. The journey up takes about 45 minutes.
We had the customary family picture at the top and then headed back down again. Again Greg and the girls shot off and left us with the golf cart keys. We made our way down steadily and arrived at the golf cart.
Alex sat in the front and put the cart into reverse and it slowly drifted backwards powerless. She then said the battery must be dead. The three of us sat there for a couple of moments. I got out from the back seat to see what I could do and found that Alex hadn’t actually put the key in the ignition. It started very easily after we had completed this simple task.
Tramway
After lunch Greg Carrie and myself set off to the other side of Palm Springs to the Tramway. This is a cable car that carries you up 6,000 ft to the top of the mountain range. The journey to the base takes about 40 minutes and I drove.
When we arrived we queued to enter the park. At the entrance the guide told us that we had a 99 minute wait. We turned around and headed home.
In the evening we all sat down and watched the mildly amusing School of Rock with Jack Black.
Sunday, another hike and dinner at out Tommy Bahama
Today only Maggi and I ventured out for a hike. We set off to the Arthur Smith Trailhead. Lots of places and roads around here have names attached to them. I don’t know if people have paid to have their names plastered on roadside signs or they have been wonderful members of the community.
We parked at the trailhead and decided to follow the track entitled Indian Canyon. Just after we entered the narrow part of the canyon a group of 3 told us they had seen Bighorn sheep in the canyon. We wandered on and then saw them high on the ridge.
Basically we just spent 90 mins or so walking around this canyon up to the point where the rocks meant we would need to climb to make further progress. We saw another group of Bighorn Sheep on the valley floor tucking into some very unappealing prickly vegetation.
I enjoyed the complete silence in the canyon.
When we returned Alex occupied herself with yoga, Greg splashed around in the pool with the kids and Maggi and I kept ourselves busy doing nothing much.
The afternoon drifted past. Alex had two visitors who live in Seattle but vacationed here for a week or so.
All the girls took off to town to watch the film Wicked. Greg bounced up and down and shouted a lot at the TV while the Seahawks won their match.
At 5 pm I walked to El Paseo, the town centre to have a drink and meet everyone else.
Tommy Bahama
I arrived at El Paseo and walked up and down until I found a bar called Armaando’s. They really didn’t know how to serve a scotch with water on the side. After a couple of attempts I received what I wanted. Greg joined me.
Just the one drink and the we drove I the golf cart down the road to Tommy Bahama’s. To enter the restaurant we walked through their clothing store.
Everyone turned up with the girls excited about the film Wicked which they had just watched at the cinema. We had an OK meal at an exorbitant cost. I chose the rib eye steak which came with a piece of broccoli and mashed potatoes. I found the mash lumpy and the broccoli barely cooked and mostly stem. The steak passed the test but I could only eat half. I certainly wouldn’t return.
Monday – Packing day and off to Seattle.
Morning walk etc
Maggi and I drove back up the road to Randall Henderson Trailhead for our morning constitution. A small car park that looked as if it had just been resurfaced greeted us.
We followed the path up to the top of the pass. On the way we said hello to most of the people we passed. However we stopped to chat with two women and the conversation jumped between, where are you from, where do your children live and how to cook for thanksgiving.
The weather doesn’t seem to have changed at all during the week we have stayed in Palm Desert. It has made our morning walks pleasantly warm. I have never felt stifled by the heat. One of the ladies we met said her parents who live here year round have to get up at 4:20 in the summer if they want to do anything outside and be home by 10 am.
A Roadrunner happened to be the only interesting animal we spotted. No sign of any Bighorn Sheep today.
Last Afternoon in Palm Springs
We packed all our stuff and left the villa just after one. Outside a cleaner waited to enter and start work. We drove to 1501 Uptown Gastro Pub for our lunch. This establishment, just near Palm Springs Airport, would be an ideal pre-flight dining choice if the food tasted any good. However it transpired that we had arrived at a totally overpriced rubbish place. I had a Rueben Sandwich which was just acceptable. I paid and the bill came to $380. The cost shocked me as the quality didn’t match the cost.
We needed petrol in order to return the hire car with a full tank and needed help. The charming guy running the petrol station taught us how to use the petrol pump. I felt like a real tourist.
