January through March 2011

When this is the view from our back deck, it usually means that winter is coming on.  We enjoy holidays with our kids, then our thoughts begin to migrate to where the weather is warmer.

In January, so do we.  We arrived in Palm Desert, California on January 4th.  Setup was quick so we could spend our time enjoying the sun.

This golf hole was in front of our coach.  No comparison to the view from our back deck, but still not bad, and much warmer and drier.

We stayed at the Emerald Desert RV resort, and it was a resort in every sense of the word.  It was beautifully landscaped. 

The walks were lined with citrus trees with ripening fruit available for the picking.

Several of the neighbors in our little cul-de-sac were from Oregon or Washington including our friends from Vancouver, Jim and Diane. There were regular happy hours. In addition, Pen's cousins from Illinois overwinter here. They were great fun. Her brother lives a short drive away. Several friends from the Portland/Vancouver area also spent winter vacations here. Really increased the appeal of spending winter here.

Just because we're living in the RV, there was no reason to change our activities a whole lot, we just stay warmer doing them.  Here, Penny works on a quilt.  She has a sewing machine dedicated to the coach.  Ted has a complete tool set that stays in the coach including some woodworking tools. 

It doesn't have to be a slacker lifestyle.  The resort has an excellent workout room which we utilized almost every day. 

While the area is very different from what we're used to, the desert has its own charm.  In the background is the city of Palm Desert.  Lots of interesting activity, excellent restaurants, and big name entertainment at the community theaters and surrounding casinos. 

During the time we were there, much of the desert was in flower.

From our coach we could see snow in the mountains during our entire stay.

If we really started to miss winter, we could go to the snow and ice, then return to Palm Desert and change into shorts and short sleeved shirts.