Lemon tree, very pretty

 

We're staying in Lemon Tree Villa, named by the new owner after the tree in our courtyard. By miracle, it survived the recent pruning rampage on the grounds and it's covered with ripe fruit. They still provide the pole fruit picker for guest use, so we'll take some home tomorrow. Most fall on the ground and go to waste.

It is the height of high season in Palm Springs, so everything is busy and crowded, from streets to restaurants. I'm not too sorry missing Village Fest tomorrow night, because it will be wall-to-wall tourists. And no wonder people flock here in April-- town feels like a paradise, with flowers blooming and the desert mountains still a delicate shade of green. The heat is just around the corner.

Yesterday we joined a long line of cars paying admission at the Indian Canyons Preserve, then walked the 1 mile loop at Andreas Canyon. It was a lovely morning and good timing. We were just leaving as two school busses pulled into the parking lot. 

More pictures, mostly taken by John:

Change is the only constant

 

About 10 miles separate Desert Hot Springs from Palm Springs, but they are different worlds. It can be a bit discombobulating.

We had time to kill before checking in yesterday, so stopped at Moorton Botanical Garden, a place we visit every trip to Palm Springs.

Our timing was perfect-- we caught a tour with a very entertaining and knowledgeable master gardener. We learned so much about the beautiful and unusual desert plants. It was a real treat.

Then on to our hotel, a historic downtown inn where Lucy and Desi once stayed. We knew it changed name, ownership, and was remodeled since we were here last. What to expect?

This should appeal to the well-heeled Coachella Music Festival crowd. Not sure about the regulars like us, who have been coming back for years. It's lost that "old California " vibe we loved. The overgrown vegetation that gave the grounds such a sanctuary feeling was cut back to paint the exterior.  Fewer birds, of course.

The furnishings and plumbing fixtures are modern and sleek (European?) but frankly, not functional. There's a fancy espresso machine, but they forgot to give us cups. However, we have a complete set of cheese knives. Ha!

The overstuffed furniture is gone, also the useful kitchen table. The walls are white with modern art instead of desert scenes. Sadly, someone thought it was a good idea to paint the beautiful, natural flagstone floors black. 

Anyway. Only an ungrateful person would complain about this lap of luxury! We will certainly enjoy our last stay here at last year's prices. Having made the reservation long ago, we were grandfathered in.

A before and after picture of the pool:

And our private courtyard:

Well, that bad weekend weather feels like it never happened. Warm, sunny days ahead for the rest of our visit. Looking forward to a walk in the desert and some downtown Palm Springs vibe. After all, we're staying with the the hip crowd here. Last night was quiet and the bed comfortable.

All is well.

Howdy

 

And Happy Easter morning to all. 

It was sunny and warm, although windy, when we arrived in Palm Springs on Friday afternoon. We made a short stop at Cabot's Pueblo Trading Post in Desert Hot Springs, as always, for the mandatory photos of me in front of the Big Indian and Museum.

Well, as predicted, the icky Pacific Northwest weather followed us right down to the desert. 

We woke up early as usual yesterday, and sat in the hot tub watching the sun rise while the dark clouds moved in rapidly in from the west. 

The weather fronts here don't mess around like our pokey, slow things! Then suddenly, we were treated to a spectacular full rainbow as the morning light hit the misty atmosphere to the west. I can't ever remember seeing a more perfect rainbow and was too awestruck to run in and get my camera.

How could it not be a good birthday after that omen, despite dismal rain and temperatures about 30 degrees below normal. But it was a totally relaxing day, with nothing to do except take advantage of the hot mineral water pools. The motel was deserted, except for another elderly couple.

Fortunately, they also have a nice indoor pool here at Lido Palms, along with a sauna. So you don't have to sit outside with rain falling on your head.

A much smaller chance of wet stuff today, and then the desert sun comes back for the rest of the week. 

We lucked out last night on a new Mexican restaurant in town called Delicias Mexican Cuisine.  Desert Hot Springs is not known for fine dining, to say the least. So that was a great surprise. The mixed drink menu was as long as the food menu, and we treated ourselves to couple of real fancy ones.

I was looking forward to a good sleep, but the walls in this old motel are thin. We had noisy, nocturnal neighbors last night-- the only thing I have to complain about.

It never rains in California...

 

Not. 

An unusual Easter weekend storm is expected to bring flooding rain to the Coachella Valley, along with wind and below normal temps. Great timing, huh?

Well, its hard not to be somewhat disappointed after looking forward to a sunny desert vacation for months. The worst weather will be Saturday, but we'll be hunkered down at our spa motel in Desert Hot Springs. 

Along with an outdoor pool, they have a covered mineral water hot tub I intend to take full advantage of. Then after the storm passes, next week looks pleasant when we move down to Palm Springs. 

I'll check in later from the Golden Wet State. 

Big garden, litttle garden

This looks like a glorious spring garden, but the lush green is mostly clumps of invasive scillia, my nemesis. It spreads prolifically and crowds the spring bulbs and everything else just coming up, from lilies to hostas. 

Scillia grows from tiny deep bulbs that are impossible to dig out without disturbing everything around them. So each spring, I hack the tops off to give the other plants some breathing room, which only makes the problem worse. Then the scillia leaves die back, and you forget about it for another year.

There's endless gushing about the joys and satisfaction of gardening, not so much the frustration and hard physical labor. At some point, it just gets to be too much. 

Drifting into a smaller world as we age is common and that's OK. There's a certain freedom to not burning energy on unimportant things. Like digging bluebells, a real labor of Hercules. 

And who says bigger is better? Like this dish garden I made a few weeks ago with an old bonsai pot and some china knick-knacks.

And another one that survived winter on the front porch. Miniature garden worlds are enchanting, and you can weed with two fingers!

Dante

 

Before Easter, we traditionally watch something from our DVD collection of old Biblical classics, like "Ben Hur" or "The Robe." However, this week we got hooked into a new PBS series called "Dante: Inferno to Paradise." 

Dante's epic poem is the most influential work of literature in the western world. I don't know if college students read it these days (other than English majors) but for centuries, Dante was the staple of higher education. 

The program sounds dry, but it combines intense, lurid visual art based on the poem, dramatic reenactments of the story, along with high brow academic interviews. How refreshing to see bright young liberal arts scholars so immersed in literature. It gives a person hope for the future.

John took a real fancy to Dante's white cap with ear flaps and strings hanging down. He kept asking what it's called. I thought it was just a cowl (type of hood) but a bit of Googling revealed a whole host of Renaissance men's headgear. The white cap is called a "linen coif" and the red cap is probably a "sock hat."

Anyway, Dante wears it well. After this show, maybe a new fad?