Today Shirley, Max & I went up the aerial Tram to the top of the world. From the top of the mountain, at about 8200 feet above sea level, you can see the valley floor and (to the left) the windmill farm, generating clean, renewable, power for the valley.

We had lunch at the cafeteria, perused the gift shop then took the ride back down to tram central.

After a short nap back at the condo, we went looking for hors' deourves at Babe's Restaurant (at The River complex) but discovered they no longer serve them for happy hour. We were told this is an inexpensive dinner... but it has been discontinued. Strike One.

While at The River, we took this pictures of Max and me.

So, we went to the Fresh Grille at Rancho Las Palmas where we were told they serve Krispy Creme Bread Pudding. But, they no longer have it on their menu. Strike two.

We ended up at the In-N-Out Burger joint which seemed to make everyone happy. In-N-Out is actually a cool place to eat because they have a very simple menu. Hamburgers, Fries, and drinks. Nothing fancy... no complex choices. Just burgers, fries, and drinks.

On the way home from the In-N-Out, we stopped at Stater Bros. and bought some Krispy Kreme doughnuts as a substitute for the Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding we didn't get to have.

Life is full of alternatives.

More Fun In Palm Springs

My cousin Shirley St. Clair, from Eugene, arrived on Friday night and we've been busy ever since. Yesterday morning we had to do the College of the Desert Street Fair, of course. Shirley loved the Street Fair, but I am the one who scored a lot of really good purchases.

We had dinner (Saturday) at the Black Angus. None of us were starving so we took advantage of a "Dinner For Two" special... and split it amongst the three of us. There was still food left over to bring home.

Today we had reservations for the afternoon matinee of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. Before the performance, we had breakfast at Ruby's Cafe then lingered around down and wandered into a few shops. As a single woman, she's always got her eyes open for an interesting man... and she found one in a T-shirt shop. (See picture above)

This other picture is of Max with a bronze of Sonny Bono, prominently displayed in central downtown Palm Springs.

Back to the Follies... No pictures are allowed to be taken inside the theatre and no description can do it justice. You just have to experience the action and incredible costumes. The youngest performer is 54 and the oldest 83. It's truly amazing.

Here is an excerpt from the Follies website:
"The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies is a world-famous, Broadway-caliber celebration of the music, dance, and comedy of the 30's and 40's, with a cast old enough to have lived it. Now playing through May 20, 2007 is our all-new 16th edition entitled Gotta Dance! (And do we ever!!!)

The Follies has proven, beyond a doubt, Billie Burke's (a.k.a. Mrs. Florenz Ziegfeld and a star in her own right) famous quote, "Age doesn't matter unless you're a cheese." We pledge to remain true to the spirit of the 20's, 30's, 40's and promise to provide a world-class entertainment experience at every performance!"

If you ever get to Palm Springs... The Fabulous Follies is simply a must!

Lana, Rob, & the Girls

Lana, Rob, Rebecca & Michelle came over from San Juan Capistrano (about 110 miles away) for 3 days last week-end. They arrived on Friday and left Sunday evening.

Here is Grandpa Max on the condo patio with (from left to right): Lana, Michelle, Max, Rebecca and Rob. Lara is loving life at BYU and wasn't here for the photo opportunity.

Saturday, as reported on the post below, Rob & I played golf where the elite meet hook and slice. Lana, Max and the girls hung out around the condo and pool area. Sunday Lana, Rob and the girls all got up early and went to the College of the Desert Street Fair while Max and I slept in. Max & I hope to go again this week-end when my cousin, Shirley, is here from Eugene.

And here at the lower right is Grandpa with Michelle and Rebecca. Pretty good looking trio, I'd say.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get some more posts done before heading north to the "real world" next Thursday.

Carol

A Different Kind Of Vacation

Whew... it has been a different kind of vacation. I have, literally, been working (via phone, computer, printer, scanner, Fax) every spare moment and haven't taken any time to write or post pictures on the blog for some time. Sorry about that. It's not that we aren't having any fun, but I haven't taken a lot of pictures like usual.

Last Saturday (Feb 17th), my son-in-law, Rob (right) was able to arrange a game of golf for him and me with the owner of the local Jag, Bentley and Land Rover Dealerships. David Murphey, the car dealer, is in the middle of the above picture. The guy on the left works for David. They were the nicest guys and we played at The Club At Morningside, a very exclusive private club (designed by Jack Nicklaus) at which David is a member. Every fairway is lined with million dollar (plus) homes. It was a wonderful experience in how the rich live!

Carol

Max & Cousin Lowell

Every year when we come to Palm Springs, we get together for lunch once a week at the Olive Garden with Max's cousin, Lowell Williams and his wife, MaryJo.

Max & Lowell's Dads were brothers. Max and Lowell both grew up in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. Lowell and MaryJo now live in Edmonton half of the year and Palm Desert the rest of the year.

Carol

College Of The Desert Street Fair

Our annual tradition is to go to the College of the Desert (COD) Street Fair the first week-end we arrive in Palm Springs. This is held every Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 - 2:00. We were so lazy yesterday, we didn't get there so today it was definitely in the plan. It's important to get there early before it gets so busy you have to park a long way from the actual vendors. There are courtesy carts running around to pick people up, but they aren't always available when you want them.

We love walking up and down the aisles just looking at all the vendor's wares. There is everything from shoes and socks to jewelry, furniture, luggage, purses, fruits and vegetables... and just about anything else you can imagine. There are even massage tables for the weary.

We always hit up the sock vendor for our years supply. You can get 3 or 4 pair of quality socks for just $5. Mostly we love looking but we did buy socks, a pair of new tennis shoes, a small nylon shoulder purse and some strawberries.

After our adventure at the COD, Max was hungry so we stopped at Carl's Jr on the way back to the condo. Here is Max with his "Famous Star" burger and a Chocolate Chip Mint milkshake.

Life is Good. Stay tuned...

On Vacation. Not Off Duty

Even though we are technically on vacation, Max can attest to the fact that the first thing I do wherever we land is to set up my mobile office. Here is the office corner in our Palm Springs condo... Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier, laptop computer, and cell phone. You would be hard pressed to give me an assignment I can't handle with this equipment and my two fabulous trusty assistants, Shelley & Perci, back home!

Bring it on...

Carol
Carol's Wenatchee Blog
Carol's Top Properties Website

Settled in Palm Springs

Whooooooo eeeeeee! We are finally settled in Palm Springs until the end of February. Here is the view from our patio, overlooking the green and up the fairway in the other direction. Do you see the little duckies on the water?

It's been a wild ride getting here. We've been on the road since January 15th, but I've been so busy working every spare moment I haven't even had time to post to the blog. But, hopefully, I'll have a little more time now.

Things are going well back home. We are pleased to hear it is cold and snowy, making us feel good about spending the money to be here! My two assistants are doing a great job of helping me take care of in-the-trenches details. My business is so much bigger than in the past and I love having them working with me.

We spent the first week in San Juan Capistrano, California with Lana & Rob and Rebecca & Michelle. Lara is happily settled in at BYU. The second week we spent with Max's sister, Connie, and her husband, Bill, in Sun City West, Arizona.

But, now we are here in Palm Springs and looking forward to some fun in the sun. We arrived Thursday and are pretty well settled into our condo at the Cathedral Canyon Country Club.

It's been a cool winter in the south but the forecast for tomorrow is 80 and mid 70's all of next week. Perfect.

We went out to dinner and Karaoke at the Club house last night with our friends, Bud & Dorothy McIntire, who live across the street. She is the one who arranged this condo rental for us. Bud loves to sing and the rest of us were content to watch him and the others with good voices (or enough drinks not to care). Bud and Dorothy were members of the Wenatchee Country Club before moving here several years ago. They still have kids in Wenatchee so come back to visit during the summer.

We don't have any golf games scheduled yet, but I will probably play with the ladies club next week. I think it's Tuesday. We have some other friends who stay on a short golf course not far from here. Haven't called them yet. This may be a course I can get Max to try to play 9 holes.

We were going to head to the big flea market this morning, but instead I actually slept in. Didn't get up til 9:00. I was amazed. I was awake at 7:00 without any inclination to get up and going.

That's enough for now. Will try to post some pics and commentary from earlier in the trip... and keep up from here on out.

-Carol