Palm Springs revisited

Two weeks ago, my Mom & I undertook a trip to Palm Springs. We "hitch-hiked" a bit as Larry was also going there but for a different purpose. We flew down with him and he helped us out with our rental car & getting our luggage. Then he left us to our own devices! His visit was all business, and I didn't think we'd get to see much of him. It was Larry's idea that I should accompany Mom to visit Palm Springs. After a 5 year absence from her favorite vacation spot, it was time to revisit. So, here we are, on the WestJet flight looking forward to our first glimpse of this beautiful desert city.

We checked in at the Royal Sun where Mom and Dad stayed for a couple of winters. As you can see, the weather is lovely, the sun is shining and we are warming up in the sunshine!

We enjoyed a couple of breakfasts at the Indian Canyon Golf Course. It's such a beautiful wide-open view from inside the restaurant. If the weather had been a bit warmer, it would have been great to eat outside. This day the wind was breezing through the eating area so we opted to eat inside.

On Saturday, Kerry and Jo drove in from San Diego where they are spending 2 months doing MDS work. Accompanying them for the ride was a couple from Langley, BC and so we joined them for lunch a long with Rob & Diane. We had a great time visiting. We had lunch at Maxcey's and supper later at Mimi's.

Fun times

One of the places Mom wanted to visit was Rite-Aid, a pharmacy that for years has sold hard ice-cream. So, after a couple of days of "begging", I couldn't put her off anymore & we went for a butter pecan cone!

Since there was no good place to sit down & enjoy it, we quickly drove to Starbucks, ordered a good strong cup of coffee for me, & then we both enjoyed ourselves! Browsing through their array of coffee mugs, I indicated which one I had my eyes on. Mom promptly purchased it for me as a Valentine's gift!

Somebody else who happened to be in Palm Springs at the same time we were was my Aunt Carol & Uncle Vern from Winnipeg. Aunt Carol is my Mom's younger sister. Here we are at Elmer's having dinner with them.

During the day they were busy hiking & doing other things but in the evening we spent time playing Shanghai with them. Their hotel was just a hop, skip & jump away from ours so it was very handy!

The Rock Garden Cafe

Though the weather was not as warm & dry as anticipated, we did find a morning to go for breakfast to our all-time favorite - the Rock Garden Cafe. There's just something about sitting in the sunshine, drinking coffee & enjoying huevos rancheros (or just plain bacon & eggs if you don't care for Mexican!)

Mom was convinced that 60 degrees would be too cool to eat outside, but you can see she has shed some outerwear already!

An unexpected surprise was having Larry join us for a bit. It was an "off day" for him, where some clients were leaving & others arriving, so he had time to come & enjoy the sunshine with us.

Time to leave, but we'll be back in March when the weather is a little warmer!

The beauty of Palm Springs

One day Mom & I went for a little drive in hopes of finding some pretty flowers and a great view of the mountains.


We didn't have to go far. Just a few blocks away from our hotel, we stopped and enjoyed a beautiful vista. It just makes you go "ahhhhhh"! It relaxes and refreshes the soul.

I enjoyed the beauty as much as Mom. However, she had the sense that it might be her last visit here & she wanted to soak up the beauty & impress it upon her memory.

Personally, I think she'll be back!

The Cheesecake Factory

Today we go to another favorite spot - the Cheesecake Factory. We treated Mom to a new experience for her! We caught a ride with Rob & Diane and Carol & Vern joined us, too.

It's located at a place called "The River" so it has a beautiful backdrop of water & flowers.


At first Mom wasn't at all convinced that this would be a good place to eat, since she doesn't enjoy cheesecake at all! Once she realized there was food other than cheesecake available, she ordered a luau salad. Well, the salad was tasty, but HUGE! She shared with anybody who wanted to try it, and she quite enjoyed it herself. She pretty nearly polished it off!

Then, came the cheesecake! I was ready to share a piece with Mom & asked her opinion as to which of the 30 different choices sounded remotely attractive to her! Well, together we chose a white chocolate caramel Macadamia nut! She likes anything with nuts! When all was said & done, she devoured nearly half of it herself & pronounced it delicious - not at all tasting like the cheesecake she did not like!! Live, learn and never say never!

Breakfast at Indian Canyon Golf Course

Once again, we're back for a last breakfast at Indian Canyon Golf Course. Mom asked to come back here, so I know she enjoys this place!

It has the benefit of a huge window that looks out upon the golf course. So, we could be warm & enjoy the view at the same time.

After breakfast, we went out & took some pictures. It's amazing how often when you start taking pictures, someone comes along & offers to take a picture of both of you!

Farewell to Palm Springs - for now!

One more picture of Mom at Indian Canyon, with the fountain in the background.

After this, we drove up to the very end of Mesquite Avenue which brought us to the Indian Canyon trails.

Since Mom & Dad enjoyed hiking in the area for many years, it was fitting that Mom should get as close as possible to the mountains she loved without having to climb them, which of course she is unable to do.

I guess you could say this was her farewell to Palm Springs. Who knows, maybe she'll be back again. If not, I feel blessed that I was able to share this experience with her, knowing that it brought back memories of the past as well as created memories for the future.

Visit to Scott & Kim in Oregon

  It's now almost 3 weeks ago that we went to visit Scott & Kim in Oregon. Their wood-burning fireplace provides a cozy, warm and inviting backdrop to their home. We had a great time with them - visiting, playing scrabble, going out for dinner, a trip to the coast to Newport Beach, etc.

  It was nice to just hang out & visit. We don't get to do that very often. Since they weren't home for Christmas, we thought it would be nice to go and help them choose their Christmas presents with them.

 

  We even managed to be there for Kim's birthday. We celebrated by going out for dinner to her favorite Mexican restaurant.
i Feliz cumpleanos!

Yakina Head Lighthouse

  We have been at Neuport Beach a couple of times but had never gone up the lighthouse. This time we did.

  Waiting our turn to go up the narrow staircase.

  122 steps up...

 .. to a beautiful view. Actually, this view isn't from the top. The top 10 steps or so reveal the actual light at the top. Kim's blog has a better picture of it than I have, so see hers!

Cobble Beach

  This was not your typical sandy beach. Rather, it consisted of cobblestones and it was like walking on marbles!

 

 

 

Scott's parents generously allowed us the use of their time share for one night. We had a wonderful time. The following day we went shopping at the outlet malls in Lincoln City. We found tons of great bargains and had a blast! Who knew clothes shopping could be so much fun! It helped to have good company, too!