Today’s walk took me: under “The Bridge of Thighs” connecting two halves of a nudist resort; later, a front yard the artist/homeowner filled with huge, garish, improbable sculptures made from found objects; next, a block away, Twin Palms, Frank Sinatra’s forever cool former home.
Category: California
Yabba-Dabba-Doo
Hiked the South Lykken Trail. Up high, snow was sticking around; on the trail, temperatures were in the 60’s. For some reason, The Flintstones Theme became an earworm. The topography surely provided inspiration for Desert Modernism and the fictional town of Bedrock.
Domestic Duties
With rain set in, assigned duties and cleaned the apartment.
Straight IPA
Celebrated new haircuts with a bar lunch. “Two IPAs,” I ordered. “Grapefruit IPA or straight IPA?” asked the server. “Straight,” I responded, which felt odd considering the venue.
View Through a Hedge
This morning a friend sent me the address of a vacation house her family rented back when Modernism was modern. On my walk, poked my phone through the high hedges, potentially inviting a police presence. Learned it was built by a Hollywood actor who almost won an Oscar.
Coachella Valley
Hiked trails above Palm Springs. The weather is returning to seasonal normal, so we wore shorts and no jackets. The recent rains have temporarily greened up the desert.
Sunnylands
Explored the palatial mid-century former Annenberg family home at Sunnylands, near Palm Springs. Today it’s a retreat for global leaders, focused on the Asia-Pacific region. Most US presidents from the past 50 years have attended international meetings here. (Indoor photography was forbidden.)
Morning Walk
My morning walk took me past former homes of Cary Grant, Bob Hope (photo shows service entrance), and Steve McQueen. I also walked into a Walgreens pharmacy hidden inside a clinic and a donut shop with almost no donuts.
An Inside Day
Walked in rain to a lecture about architect Walter Gropius. Back at our apartment, read by the (gas) fire and looked up at fresh snow on the mountains.
Gassing Up
Gassed up the rental car before returning it to Avis. In one week, the Prius sipped 1.8 gallons and proved we can do without a car for a while.