La Quinta, California: Lenny brought the kids out to us Saturday, and we will return them Thursday and stay in Los Angeles for a few days to celebrate the 4th of July holiday with everyone. First things first:
We found this 500 piece puzzle in Eugene. It didn't take Lucy and Leo three hours to get it all together. It was titled Fashionable Dogs, and is made by galison. Now they have started on a Cavallini & Co. Mineralogy Vintage Puzzle - a gift to Dave from the kids. This one is 1000 pieces, so we will see if they can finish it before we need to return them to Los Angeles. Thing is, it is just soooo hot (110+), we need to do a few indoor activities, and swim later in the afternoon when our (91°) pool is in the shade.
Several weeks ago, we had booked a fun water activity for the kids to enjoy Sunday. Last year a surf park opened in Palm Springs - Palm Springs Surf Club - and Leo & Lucile have been taking surf lessons, are going to surf camp next week, so in my little mind, this would be a good activity... and it would have been had it not been 115°. Dang.
We went anyway.
The wave machine can create several types/sizes of waves, and the sessions seemed to be organized by skill level/wave height. Our grandkids did the smallest waves, and they were not allowed to use surf boards - only boogie boards. (This was a mission to figure everything out.) Surf pool temperature was 85 degrees.
After a few runs, Lucile (10) was having none of this. She didn't like it all - maybe because she had never used a boogie board? (I think she didn't weigh enough to hold the board down.) The clerk who had checked us in happily exchanged her wave pool wristband for a water park wristband, so Lucy was happy. Dave stayed to watch Lenny and Leo on their boards, and Lucile and I went to the shady restaurant and ordered cold drinks and a platter of sliced watermelon. That really hit the spot!
After their hour session, the boys joined us and after everyone had cooled off, I bought a water park wristband for Leo and the two kids ran off to go down the (there are 3) waterslides and float down the lazy river. There is nothing lazy about this river - it flows fast.
water slides are on the hill at the rear.
It was an interesting outing, for sure, and I think the kids will come back when the weather isn't quite so hot (September?) and when they can surf instead of boogie. The thing about the Palm Springs Surf Club - it isn't a club at all. It's open to the public and an all-day admission is $40. There are locker rooms, several bars and restaurants, water slides, lazy river, swimming pool (with life guard), hot tubs, cabanas for rent, and a surf gear shop. The space is available for private parties and there is an amphitheater somewhere. Everything is quite stylish, clean, well-staffed, and the food menus looked good (but we only had the watermelon).
We had planned to go out for dinner, but Leo and Lenny were completely wiped-out from boarding in the heat for an hour. Luckily Bubbe had one of the kids favorite meals up her sleeve!
Our grandkids love anchovies!
Though the weather is going to be hot all week, we will keep them entertained and cool.
Until my next update, I remain, your watery correspondent.