Microblog

Dwight went for a jog, I went for a bicycle meander, stopping for coffee and picking up groceries along the way. After yesterday’s somewhat arduous hilly hike, this felt like a rest day.

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.

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.

Contrails painted the sky as we hiked a trail in Joshua Tree National Park.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It was 65° warmer at Palm Springs PSP than when we left Minneapolis/St. Paul MSP this morning. This is cool for Palm Springs but it heats up next week. Here, we’re walking from the arrival gate to baggage claim.

Plants drippered, fridge tipped, bags packed. Ready for an early morning departure. (The Vikings stadium roof is visible through the far window, glowing blue. The lighting is dynamic; for example, during the Christmas season it features a candy cane design.)

Walked home from a clinical study check-in, grateful for an eyewateringly expensive study drug in my daypack. The study, funded by the Department of Defense, promises to save many millions of dollars in cancer care. The contrast with last week’s abrupt shutdown of USAID-funded research feels deeply unjust. Thousands have been left with experimental drugs and devices in their bodies, without access to monitoring or care.

Sub-zero (Fahrenheit) sunrise this morning. The Mississippi was unusually calm, mist rising from the near-freezing water. Another day to stay inside.

Woke up to Gold Medal Park, Guthrie Theater and Mill City Museum in a snow globe. A perfect day to stay in, ride an exercycle, and start packing for our annual snowbird trip. New this year: we’ve arranged for bikes, so I’ll be gathering our helmets, locks, and some tools.

I thought I hadn’t gone for a walk today. I’d just gone about my day: coffee with friends, my monthly labs for the clinical study, and picking up ice cream for Sausage Saturday. Then I glanced at my watch and realized I had gone for a walk! (The fire symbol indicates calories burned.)

Waited at the bus stop after my Thursday class. Thanks to Google Maps’ real-time bus arrival info, I minimized my wait time on a chilly day. A temporary light pole was slowly becoming a community bulletin board. A sign advertised “Chaman y Curandero”–Shaman and Healer services. Another notice detailed a street protest against actions of the current Administration which damage our community.

For a few days it’s tip-the-fridge time. Here, I’ve assembled ingredients for a strata egg bake. We collect stale bread in the freezer, then periodically incorporate it into bakes, Italian bread salads, stuffings, etc. For the strata, I cubed the bread then dried it in the microwave.