Patton and Picnics

Patton insisted that recruits run 1 mile in 10 minutes with full equipment, in heat up to 120 degrees AND exist on one canteen of water per day

The "girls" in a Cholla Cactus garden. VERY prickly! The cactii ....... not the girls!

Patton's troops didn't eat like this. More "Two Buck Chuck"

Yucca, Joshua Trees and Creosote bushes everywhere.

The Desert Training Center, established in 1942 by General George S. Patton, is the largest military maneuver area ever created. It covered 18,000 square miles in California, Nevada, and Arizona. In preparation for WWII battles in North Africa, over 1,000,000 military personnel were trained in desert warfare techniques at the center. A memorial museum to General Patton and the DTC is located at Chiriaco Summit, near Palm Springs, at the site of Camp Young, Patton’s headquarters and one of 12 WWII training camps that were part of the DTC. It’s not the best museum we have ever visited but, it clearly illustrates the hardships that 1,000,000 men and women experienced.

The DTC is on the way to the south entrance of Joshua Tree National Park, a unique desert environment which we first visited last spring. Revisiting with Rob & Betty in late autumn revealed an entirely different stage in the desert ecosystem. Many of the plants were flowering. Last spring everything appeared to be dormant. Our picnic area, in the shadow of huge boulders with Yucca and Joshua Trees surrounding is one of the most unique picnicking spots, we have experienced.

Mid Century

Happy Hour around the pool at the Orbit In with the young couple who recently purchased the property. The Orbitinis kept getting refilled!! How many lava lamps can you count?

Rob parks his fancy ride in the vines

Happiness is a crushed grape!

Palm Springs is known for the abundance of “mid-century” residential and commercial architecture, with samples of work by John Lautner, Richard Neutra, R. M. Schindler and prolific regional architects William F. Cody, Albert Frey, Donald Wexler, E. Stewart Williams and, William Krisel distributed around the area. To say that “mid century” is a big deal around here is an understatement. So …………………. when Rob & Betty, the most recent Brockville friends to visit, were looking for a hotel, they selected the Orbit In (one “N”). The Orbit In is “mid century” in spades!! Our kids, who weren’t around mid 20’th century, might not “get it” but, when we see the lime green walls, pink bathroom tiles, lava lamps, arborite surfaces, and “Jetson” furniture, it is like revisiting days of yore. The Orbit In is very well done.

Like ourselves, Rob & Betty have been known to “sample the grape” from time to time. As a result, we decided to head out in search of the Temecula Wine region, a relatively new California grape growing region near Palm Springs. Rob had been practicing with the paddle shifters on the 6 speed transmission of his Audi A4 convertible and treated us to a “mountain ride” up and down and around the switchbacks on the “Palms to Pines Highway”, rising up to 5,500 feet and back down to 500 feet. In the process the terrain transitioned from dry desert to tall mountain pines and back again. After witnessing police racing to a call, some running down the street with guns drawn, we arrived at Temecula and their wineries. We sampled some interesting wines, had a great lunch then, it was back to the mountains! A great day and great fun!

Two Buck Chuck

The Shiraz was good ............... the Chardonnay is an award winner!!!!

You may, or may not, have heard of the legendary family of California wines known as “Two Buck Chuck”. They really exist!! The Charles Shaw winery in Sonoma, owned by Bronco Wines, produces its line of varietal vinifera wines, which are sold exclusively through the “Trader Joe’s” grocery chain. Each bottle, regardless of grape variety, sells for $1.99 [that’s $1.81 Canadian…..yesterday;-)] in California and, $1.00 more in non-California Trader Joe outlets. We had a bottle of their Shiraz for dinner and, DIDN”T DIE!!

But get ready for this………… “Setting the stage for this year’s 2007 California State Fair Wine Competition, more than 3,020 wines were entered for judgement from more than 660 participating wineries. Sixteen panels of four judges, (that's 64 separate judges), awarded 1,529 medals this year, including 69 Double Gold, 230 Gold, 823 Silver and 407 Bronze awards. I’m sure you’ve all heard about last months, June 28th, stunning revelation Charles Shaw 2005 California Chardonnay (yes, that $1.99 “Two-Buck Chuck” made by Bronco Wine Company and sold through Trader Joe’s) was judged the Best Chardonnay from California at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition...”

I guess $1.99 for the Chardonnay is a good deal!!! We thought we would find a “Two Buck Chuck” label but, the label is simply a very innocuous “Charles Shaw”. Boring but, a good buy!!

And……… a word about Trader Joe’s. Entering this grocery chain is like walking through a time warp. The employees all look like throwback 60’s hippies. The food is entirely organic BUT, reasonably priced!!! The background music is all from the 60’s so, you see the aging customers (nothing wrong with that kids!) bopping down the isle to “the Dead”, Jefferson Airplane or, some other 60’s mainstay. Cool. California really is a “place apart”.

The Dollar

If anyone sees Ottawa mayor Larry O'Brien, tell him we saw his likeness in the Palm Springs Desert Museum.

We have been enamoured with the Roadrunners running around, until Brenda learned that one of them ate a hummingbird in a nearby tree. Now, they are the devil incarnate!! Where is that Wile Coyote when you need him?

We just watched John (just call me John) Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, interviewed on CNBC this morning. Cisco reported revenue growth of 17% and a net income increase of 37% in the quarter and, is forecasting continuing growth of 12 – 17% yet, CISCO IS GETTING KILLED ON THE STOCK MARKET!!!!! The reason for the negative reaction is Cisco advised that their domestic business is falling off with US banks and automakers. Well DUH!!!!! Chambers claims that Cisco is experiencing the best international economy he has ever seen, yet US navel gazers are punishing his company for its international approach to growth. They fail to recognize that the US position as centre of the financial universe is OVER! Some of Cisco’s foreign markets are growing at rates in excess of 35% per year. Methinks Chambers is getting it right.

When super-models and international sports stars are demanding payment in Euros, you know that the US dollar’s days are numbered as the de-facto international currency. Wake up America! Oh wait a minute …………… maybe I should postpone this rant until spring, when we cross back across the 49’th parallel. Traveling in the US, where the Canadian dollar broke through $1.10 yesterday, before falling back, has a certain appeal!! But, one wonders what the future has in store for Fortress America????

You can likely tell that having parked in one spot leads us to think of somewhat more esoteric subjects than “what mountain will we hike today”. Reading local newspapers and watching local news programming is convincing us that the US citizenry is totally unaware. I think I would be looking for a “fiddling Nero” if I lived here. Oh ……. found him ……… he changed his name to George!!

Sun!!

Same old ....... same old.......

Red sky in the morning; red sky at night .............. it's all good!!!

Every day is the same!! We are quickly learning about desert weather systems. It’s actually quite easy …………. there aren’t any! Depending upon whom you believe, the Palm Springs area receives somewhere between 354 and 360 days of sunshine each year. I guess one can flunk out of meteorology school and still do well here as a forecaster. It is a degree or two cooler than south Florida during the daytime in December and January and, because it is a desert, it does cool down considerably at night but …….. no rain! And during all other months, the daytime highs are near the warmest in the nation. Sun, sun, sun.

The owners of the “lot” next to ours arrived from Vancouver yesterday, on their way to Cabo San Lucas for the winter. They started to spend the winter there, after wintering in Palm Springs for 9 years because they prefer the weather in Cabo. It’s warmer. Some people are never happy!!!!

As non-golfers, we were surprised to learn that desert golf courses require re-seeding twice a year because neither Bermuda nor rye grasses can tolerate both winter and summer weather. As a result, you get Bermuda grasses in the summer and rye-grass in the winter. Our on-site, 27 hole course is closed for 6 weeks for re-seeding, opening this coming week-end. It seems that the focus of this entire place revolves around that date. The lot owners are arriving daily in anticipation of “the opening”. It sounds like this place will start “rockin” soon.

More RV centric stuff

Palm Springs from 8,500 feet. It's mountains and desert without water!!

The "sunshade factory" parked 10' from the front of our RV

Voila!! 94% of the UV rays gone.

Brenda toasts our first "martini sunset" from our "new home". You'll likely need to "double-click" to see her.

At our current (and final …. for a while) site, we are parked with the windshield pointed right at the rising morning sun. As a result, the place heats up quickly in the relentless (not complaining) sun. So …….. we wanted to have some sun shades made for the front of the RV to cut the sun coming in the front windows and windshield and, to keep the A/C from running all day. When we called the “sun shade store” they asked if it would be OK if they showed up in ½ hour. After telling them that we were hoping for MUCH better service, they arrived in ½ hour as promised!!! Their truck was towing a trailer which opened up to reveal a fully stocked sunshade factory, sewing machine and all. Exactly 70 minutes later they were gone and, we had custom fitted sun shades on 4 windows and our windshield wipers (don’t want them to rot in the sun). Try to tell me that RV’s don’t get catered to in the south-west!

Kathie and Kerri left this morning after a bit of a farewell dinner at their place last night. It was great to spend a relaxing week with them and to learn from their past experience. “Local knowledge” is a great thing. We rode the Palm Springs Aerial Tram with them on their last day and, rose to 8,000 feet above the city where it was 30 degrees F cooler. From such a height, it is crystal clear to see that this “oasis” of a city would be nothing but desert without the city’s abundant water sources. Lucky Palm Springs!!

K & K

Kathie and Kerri get ready to show us the sights in their sporty ride

A nephew of mine inquired, regarding a previous post, "Why do women of a certain age swim with sun glasses on?" I dunno!

The view from our patio.

We have finally moved to our final destination for the winter in Cathedral City. For this week Kathie and Kerri, good friends from Brockville, have been showing us around the Palm Springs territory. Kerri is an old hand in the area, having been coming here since he was a boy (very few years ago). They are staying at the Intrawest resort in Palm Springs, a beautiful facility which has won awards for the way in which it integrates with the surrounding desert landscape. We’ve been paying attention and taking notes hoping to be able to find our own way around when they leave. They really DO know the area!

Our current site backs onto a golf course so, we will probably have to break down sometime in the next few months and take some lessons. I’m just hoping that there are no errant golf balls flying onto our site to customize our RV, particularly any that I might hit!!

Now the question is ……… will we get bored staying in one place? Time will tell.