Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

We rode this incredible tramway once before in the 1990's and never forgot the experience, so it was a must-do again this trip.  We didn't realize that since then the system and the gondolas were upgraded.  There are just two big cars now (instead of the older smaller ones) that actually revolve as you go up and down, giving everyone a 360 degree view.  It's one of the most scenic things we've ever done.  The trip takes10 minutes to travel to an elevation of 8,516 feet up Mt. Jacinto, where it's  still snowy winter.

We got to the base station when they opened this morning. Beautiful weather for the ride...

No wind, no clouds...although only 40 chilly degrees at the top.

Spectacular views headed up to the station...

And arrival at the snowy top, where facilities include restaurants, a bar and gift shops.  But the real attraction is the amazing views of Palm Springs far below. 

There are also miles of wilderness trails at the top for ambitious hikers and back country campers. 

Lazier people like us can just admire the views before heading back down to the desert.

A wonderful highlight for our last full day in Palm. Neither of us want to think about heading north tomorrow.  :-(

Joshua Tree National Park

Imagine almost a million acres of desert wilderness about a two hour drive from Los Angeles-- that would be Joshua Tree National Park. We drove through the park this morning, and made a few camera stops.  The high desert weather was a bit harsh, and we weren't prepared for any big hikes.

 This is the view from Key's Point (altitude 5,185) and from here on a clear day you can see all the way past the Salton Sea to Mexico with the San Adreas Fault far below on the valley floor. It was about 40 degrees at the summit and windy. After snapping a quick picture I was back in the car pronto.

Another stop a the sunny Cholla Cactus "garden" where you get a stern warning not to touch ANYTHING.

Not even the "pretty" flowers. Especially not the pretty flowers!

Or, you'll soon be doing some of this. Ouch!

We had a great day, but now it's time to relax in the swimming pool with a glass of wine.  The weather is 75 degrees of perfection. Oh yea, and did I mention we're also doing lots of this in Palm Springs?

Life in the slow lane

Let' see...for once I'm at a loss for words describing the "water massage" experience.  Like all massage, it mostly requires doing nothing at all, except in this case you're floating like a corpse on your back in hot mineral water.  The masseuse puts an inflatable pillow behind your neck, and then supports your other sinking appendages with those pool "noodle" things.  I have a mortal phobia about getting water in my ears, so ear plugs were also provided. Of course I didn't trust them and that sort of added to the anxiety.

Finally you just surrender and lie back while he does his full body massage work. To be honest, it takes a while to relax into the experience, but in the end the hot water wins out and you have no choice.  The last time someone carried me trustingly around in water was probably in 1952!  An hour later, I was as limp as a piece of cooked pasta. Well, I'd call that a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We're checking out of the lovely Lido Palms this morning, and moving to the Coyote Inn in downtown Palm Springs for our last 3 nights.  It's pretty hard dragging yourself out of the mineral water, but we wanted to save time for some excursions in the nearby mountains and the Joshua Tree National Park.  The wind has died down, and the weather each morning is absolutely exquisite.

Palm Springs Sunday

Here's John, checking out the structural integrity of Marilyn Monroe in downtown Palm Springs yesterday.  He says she could use an earthquake upgrade ;-) You have to wait your turn with the other tourists to get a photo op-- she's a popular gal. 

We found a first rate contemporary art museum in Palm Springs,  just around the corner from Marilyn. 

 Many interesting objects, glass, native American art and sculpture.

Some amazingly realistic "people." I walked right by this couple.

 

Here's my G-rated photo of an entrancing lady.  I had to drag John away ;-)

After that excitement, a walk at Moorten Botanical Garden.  We went there on a previous visit, and not many people seem to know about this hidden gem right in Palm Springs.  Of course we both went crazy taking pictures of cacti.

And on the way home, a final stop at Cabot's Museum in Desert Hot Springs and a visit to the art gallery there.

The original Mr. Cabot was sort of an endearing crackpot (he slept in a room full of rattlesnakes) who built himself a rambling hacienda on a hill in Desert Hot Springs.

And last but not least...a mineral pool swim.  The weekend people have all left, so we have Lido Palms almost to ourselves this morning.  I have a waku? water massage appointment at 10.  More on that later.

How the other half lives

This isn't an upscale shopping mall, it's the inside of the Palm Springs Airport at 9:00 am yesterday.  Kind of a surreal place to finally touch down, after getting out of bed in the middle of the night to catch our 6:45 direct flight to Palm Springs.  As the weary planeload of Seattle passengers disembarked, I told John we looked like moles blinking in the bright sun.

What a nice feeling to have the day stretching ahead with no particular plans, so we took a short drive to visit the date gardens near Indio and Thermal.  The retro feel was the same, but each time we come back there's more urban sprawl.  Forty years ago, it seemed like the date gardens stretched on for miles on each side of the road.  Still, it's fun.  We didn't have a famous date shake, but bought some of our favorite giant Madjools.  They taste like soft, luscious caramel.

 

 On the drive back to Palm Springs, we stopped for a short walk at 1,000 Palms Canyon.

A beautiful little pocket oasis in the desert...

 

And at last, our home sweet home for the next few days.  Three hot mineral pools right outside the door, and a tame roadrunner for entertainment.

He is not camera shy!  John took this great picture of him on the doorstep, begging for cracker crumbs.  So our first day of vacation came to an end, and we slept for 10 hours listening to the wind whip through the palm trees all night.   I can't remember the last time I slept so long and well.  

The only plan now is to soak up the water and sun.  Although I'm thinking of having something called a "water massage" where an older Swiss gentleman swirls you around the the mineral pool for an hour.  Ah. Wish you were here.

A blogging holiday

1. New purple bathing suit
2. Sunglasses
3. Flip-flops
4. Sunscreen
5. T-shirts
6. Good novel
7. Pedicure
8. Camera/Ipod
9. Husband

I'm so ready to head south! There's a winter rain storm beating on the windows and it's a perfect morning to pack for our California desert vacation.  I'll look forward to blogging about something much prettier than asparagus next week.  To the ladies at John's work-- perhaps you'll be treated to another photo of him lounging poolside, which I understand caused quite a sensation in the shop last time :-)

If you don't hear from me each morning bright and early as usual, well...I'm planning to be as lazy as possible and give my poor old blogging hands a rest.

The first asparagus

It's hard to say when asparagus is the "first" of the season, since you can buy it fresh at the grocery store all year. The asparagus for sale this week at the Metropolitan Market came from Baja Mexico with a Dole Corp. label attached. Our local backyard is bigger than it used to be. I sautéed the $3 bunch with garlic, butter and sea salt--a simple method and the leftover spears are good in salad.

It's kind of a shame we've lost much of the anticipation and pleasure from eating strictly seasonal produce.  Back when farm families grew fresh vegetables, meals were planned around whatever was abundant in the garden.  For example, in Pennsylvania we would have all-you-can-eat summer suppers and a pot of boiled corn was the only thing on the table. Everyone ate buttered cobs until they were stuffed with corn. I can just hear kids whining these days, is that all we're having for dinner?

Asparagus is the vegetable that really says Spring. Once upon a time, I was a young housefrau in Germany and I'd bicycle to Zweibrucken with a few pfennigs in my pocket to buy something for dinner.  Baby Amanda was perched on her seat tied to the back of the bike and my grocery basket was balanced in front.

The arrival of the first April asparagus at the German market was an almost religious event. I remember standing back just watching, because those German lady shoppers were serious about getting the best and freshest.  It was expensive, so special dinners were featured with just white asparagus. Like rhubarb, I think it was considered a spring health tonic as well as a delicious vegetable. The Germans of my grandparent's generation had food rituals about what they ate and when and how.

This was the first white asparagus I ever saw, and to be honest those thick stalks looked as pale and unappetizing as uncooked weisswurst. I wasn't much of a cook back then, and the only asparagus I ever had was thin and green, so I thought it was a different type completely. Later I found out the Germans have a special labor-intensive technique to get their white asparagus.

When the spears emerge from the ground sunlight turns the stalks green. About 6 inches of dirt is piled on top of the plants so that the stalks stay underground. Even smothered like that, they grow at the same rate as an uncovered green stalk. When the tip just breaks the soil surface, the farm worker probes under ground with his special knife to cut the stalk.

 A typical German asparagus dinner is...

white!

Little bed-hogger

Maya

"Sleep is the best meditation."
 

Dalai Lama

Little scout

Nova

"In a word, I was a pioneer,
and therefore had to blaze my own trail."

Major Taylor

What's so funny?

MET production of Rigoletto

We had a healthy helping of culture this weekend. On Sunday we went to a play, and on Saturday morning we saw Rigoletto simulcast live at the movie theater.  The original opera story takes place in 16th century Italy, but for this new production the setting was changed to Las Vegas in the early 1960's.

I have to admit, neither of us are big fans of removing operas from their place and time.  Everyone  knows themes like love, betrayal and death are timeless and universal, so these overly-clever productions are sometimes just a distraction from the music.  But in this case it worked because of the incredibly talented young singers having fun with their Rat Pack roles, not to mention some of the best music in all of opera.  (It would be hard to completely ruin Rigoletto.) Afterwards, we decided it was one of the most entertaining opera performances ever.

Anna Karenina

The play on Sunday was Anna Karenina, based on Tolstoy's novel.  It was showing at the Book-It Theater at the Seattle Center, one of those small, round venues where everyone is close to the stage.  The book Anna Karenina is almost as long as War and Peace, so it was pretty amazing that such a complicated story could be dramatized on an empty stage with just a few simple props.   We enjoyed it, and certainly felt like we got our money's worth-- it was almost 3 hours long!

Rigoletto and Anna Karenina are filled with the worst human horrors: betrayal, loss, deceit, suicide, murder.  There are tiny moments of ironic humor, but the way the audiences were laughing at some of the most serious scenes, you would think we were watching comedies.  John and I often look at each other in disbelief while people around us are cracking up at the opera or theater.  We don't go out to movies often, but I guess "inappropriate" laughter is common there, too.  I found an article in the Chicago Tribune that tries to give an explanation.

Alki Beach tides

If you're bored, here's the next best thing to a walk on the beach-- 30 hours of tide action condensed into 3 minutes.  Look how foggy the mornings are on Puget Sound, and how beautiful when the sun breaks through.

No not yet

Just a plain soup and salad dinner at home last night-- we aren't lolling around in California sunshine quite yet.  I think some of you thought we were on our way after reading my post yesterday, but we have another week or so of Seattle clouds and rain to get through before the plane heads south, hopefully with us on it.

Today?  We're going to the movie theater to watch the live MET production of Rigoletto, set in "rat pack" era Las Vegas.  Of all things...more on that later.  Have a good weekend!

California dreamin'

I welcome the thought of a sunny California morning, one of those clear, crisp days that holds such a stunning light you can almost reach out and touch the sky. It's a small hope but the kind I dare to allow myself these days-- simple obtainable things like a strong, hot cup of coffee, a movie that ends happily, the beautiful hair-raising crescendo of a Puccini aria.

Gail Tsukiyaya, from Dreaming Water

Did I mention we have a long-anticipated vacation coming up soon?  Andy Warhol once said, “The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting.”  Especially on a cold and dark February morning.

"Cupid, draw back your bow..."

Raphael's version of Cupid

Happy Valentines Day everyone, and especially to John reading this at work.  Thank you for the roses yesterday and those very special surprises you left on the kitchen table this morning. I'm excited about the opera tickets! You always make me feel loved with your thoughtful gifts.  I'm afraid these days I show my love more with food, and along those lines tonight we're having your favorite veal Parmesan dinner.

And so...on to Cupid, the icon of love for 6,000 years. Eros (Cupid) and Psyche first appeared in Greek mythology. The simple version of the story goes like this: Cupid's mother (Venus) was jealous of princess Psyche and ordered Cupid to make her fall in love with the vilest thing in the world.  When Cupid was sneaking into her room to shoot Psyche with a golden arrow, he saw how beautiful she was and pricked himself with his own arrow instead, falling instantly in love with her.

After that, Cupid visited Psyche every night while she slept, his voyeurism becoming the spicy inspiration for countless works of art through the ages. 

Cupid and Psyche, by Burne-Jones

Cupid and Psyche, by Antonio Canova

Cupid at the Helm, artist unknown

Cupid, by Bouguereau

Cupids with Butterfly Wings, by Mantegna

Cupid, by Joshua Reynolds

Cupid and Psyche, by Gentileschi

Cupid and Psyche, by Warren Criswell

There's something for everyone when it comes to Cupid and Psyche art!

And this last painting will make John happy because it's by one of his favorite artists. Lucas Cranach's over-refined ladies give me the creeps with their tiny heads and long arms...the style is called Mannerism. There's a Cranach painting at Seattle Art Museum, and I like to say mean things while John admires it.

Cupid and Psyche, by Cranach

And so I'll end with that-- Happy Valentines Day, and special love to my followers. Wishing you the sweetest day possible!