Wild Weekend

La Quinta, California: Okay. Maybe not exactly wild, but wild-ish for us after 14 months of quarantined life. We have not been frequenting restaurants (hello - pandemic), yet visited several this weekend. My brother, Rick (and his wife, Ali) flew down from Oregon to see us. Seems it had been far too long since anyone in the family had seen me/us, and Rick must have drawn the short straw, so was designated to check-up on the eldest sibling. Dave and I have not seen a family member (other than Lisa's family) since January 2020 (our nephews wedding in Bend, Oregon).

We fetched Ali and Rick at Palm Springs International Thursday evening and stopped at Fisherman's for fish tacos on the way home. This was a good choice, as Fisherman's have a huge outdoor dining area and we did not arrive until after 7p, so the place was pretty empty. Dave and I used to dine here (usually lunch) at least twice a month for fish tacos. It was so wonderful to be back!

Ali and Rick settled-in to our new abode - instantly hopping in the pool. The pool was at 90 degrees, so anyone would love a dip!

One of our favorite daytrips for guests is to Borrego Springs. Long-time Readers (thank you, all!) will know we just LOVE Borrego Springs and enjoy taking anyone for a day to explore all the art installations and for a meal at any of the great restaurants... though we only wanted to visit outdoor restaurants during this time (all four of us are fully vaccinated).

Rick and Ali were very impressed by all the metal sculptures out in the middle of nowhere in the desert surrounding Borrego Springs. This is an experience that really cannot be duplicated, as Borrego is just an incredibly unique situation.

Dave and Rick barely escape being eaten/stung by a massive scorpion.

Whew.

Probably the most famous art installation/sculpture in Borrego Springs is a serpent that crawls for hundreds of feet - even under the road! - to greet tourists for photos in the desert. How many photos have I posted on this blog of our friends/family with this serpent? Kris and Steve. Tamra and Steve. Mary and Steve. Marcia and Red. Kathy and Woody. (Whoa... lottsa people named Steve!)

Your correspondent and DT posing with the dragon-like snake. Such a dusty dirty windy day.

After exploring twenty-or-so art installations, we went to lunch (another stop on our usual tour) at La Casa del Zorro (house of the fox). This historic inn is so pretty, and they offer outdoor dining in their lovely garden. Though we had only a short visit with my brother and his wife, it was so wonderful to see family again. They seemed to approve of our new house and really enjoyed the pool. We talked for hours, exercised too much, ate too much, and really enjoyed our time together.

Ali and Rick flew back to Oregon Sunday morning. Just in time - as we had one of the worst dust/sand/wind storms we have experienced (have I said this before?). We spent 90 minutes this morning cleaning up after this little monster blew through town. The mountain range in the distance disappeared behind a cloud of dust.

Now, our life has returned to the new normal: exercise and golf. There are a few exciting developments in our little garden: gardenias are blooming and tomatoes are turning red!

The romas are ripening and the plant is still putting-out SO MANY baby tomatoes!

While golfing today (Monday) we were lucky enough to see three huge American White Pelicans... and not to downplay this amazing sight... a few holes later, my ball took a hard bounce and landed in the middle of a palm!

Unplayable lie. Dave found this golf ball weeks ago. It is pink (my favorite color) and has a martini (my favorite cocktail) emblazoned. I had a five on the first hole (par 4) and a par on the second hole... and then it went to poop from there. Still, I'm out there and I'm doing it... several times a week.

Update from Los Angeles: Lucy received a LEGO FRIEND kit and put it together herownself (90 page booklet, including stickers).

Family Garage Band!

Big RV news coming soon! (Just repairs, but we are excited.)

Until my next update, I remain, your checked-up-on correspondent.