Palm Desert

This was our second full year in Palm Desert.  We love it. 

 There is a farmer's market inside the park every Thursday.  Lots of fresh veggies.  Dates are grown locally.  Those offered here are very different from the ones you pick up at the local grocery store.  Penny never cared for dates until she ate a few of these. 

 From our pad, we can see the balloons that offer tourist rides in the evening.

 Sometimes a stray breeze can send these guys a bit off course.  We thought this one was going to land in our resort.  It didn't miss us by much.

This Cooper's Hawk posed for us on the fence outside our coach.

Even the beggers are different.  Forget grackles and pigeons.  This roadrunner was begging in a small cabana outside the local Walmart.

 One of the best things about this area is all of the great eating places.  This is Sherman's, a Kosher deli not far from the resort.  Great Matzo ball soup, corned beef, pastrami.....  Much better for the soul than the waistline.

 This quirky little hole in the wall is Randy's.  The breakfast menu is ten pages long.  Best Hollendaise sauce we've ever eaten.

 This sign gives a hint about the laid back atmosphere here.  We sit in the sun, chat or read books while waiting for our orders to come up.  Penny has a binder of menus for our favorite places.  I know, those of you who really know Penny, are rolling your eyes, and saying, "of course she does".  Even though this sounds like we eat out all the time, we try to go out about once a week.  However, there are exceptions to the rule.  Today was one; we ate out twice in one day.

 We love any place that has a little whimsey.  This sign just east of Palm Springs (which is about 15 miles east of Palm Desert) is great.  We can't help thinking about our daughter, Erin, when we pass this sign.  At the age of 3 she rode her rocking horse and sang "It's Not Easy to Be Green".

 Nearby is the College of the Desert.  The landscaping on campus is great.  Ted particularly likes this xeriscape (such a Ted word).

 Every weekend a street fair pops up in the College of the Desert parking lot.  You can find just about anything you need here and lots of things you don't.

One of our favorite parts of the day, however, is the evening when we retire to our cozy little bedroom, settle into our bed, and read a good book until we're ready go fall asleep.