Indian Canyons hike
Hiked a loop formed from three trails, ascending through desert landscapes and descending into canyons where water sources support thriving California fan palms. The land we walked on belongs to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians which maintains the land and charges a small entry fee.
Accidental tourists: flight or sit tight?
The PowerPoint slide flashed a title we weren’t expecting: “Working in Tranquility: Landscapes, Interiors and the Modernist Corporate Campus.” We’d walked into the wrong lecture. But we shrugged, deciding to stay and see where it led. Later, we had lunch at Blackbook, shown here, where I enjoy spotting the occasional straight couple who’ve wandered in by mistake. Some flee, some stay and relax, others stay and cling closer.
Smoke signals in the desert
Contrails painted the sky as we hiked a trail in Joshua Tree National Park.
The sculptures the city keeps trying to move
On our Sunday morning walk, snow-dusted Mount San Jacinto while it was 70 degrees in the valley. We passed a large residential lot in a quiet neighborhood, overflowing with exuberant sculptures crafted from found objects by the homeowner. The bright colors and fanciful shapes stood in stark contrast to the understated elegance of Twin Palms, the Frank Sinatra house, just a block away.
Remembering the Bauhaus school, 1919–1933
A morning lecture on the Bauhaus school and its demise under National Socialism offered a stark warning about politically dictated aesthetics. This is especially relevant now, as our Administration insists on architectural styles for federal buildings reminiscent of those mandated by Germany’s 1930s leadership.
Valentine’s Day at the Palm Springs Art Museum
A rose graced our lunch table today at the Palm Springs Art Museum between exploring two galleries. A morning highlight was a James Turrell installation whose work I first encountered on Naoshima Island, Japan, and whose outdoor installation at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis I only recently discovered. After lunch, I smiled at a piece by artist John Dickinson, which “takes care of any pomposity” a room might possess.
Getting around the Coachella Valley by bike, bus, EV, and foot
It never rains in Southern California… but today a welcome shower promises a colorful desert bloom in the coming weeks. Undeterred, we picked up bicycles that will be our companions for the next few weeks. For the first two weeks, we also have an EV (the learning curve on charging is proving interesting!). The local bus service complements our transportation options, and of course, we can always walk.
