Microblog

Walked back from an off-airport Avis location after returning our car, a significant savings over terminal pickup and dropoff. We liked the car (a Kia Niro EV) and would happily own a smaller version of it if we didn’t have many years left on our 2017 Honda Fit. For the next few weeks we’re walking and cycling, and using city buses, Lyft, and a cable car.

On our final Indian Canyons hike before we give up the car (and easy access to the trailheads) we spotted a line of prison inmates carrying rakes, soon to perform fire mitigation. The training may ease their reintegration into society, possibly including joining a fire department. Meanwhile, we hope they’re receiving fair compensation.

On my cycle ride, stopped to watch workers preparing to move the 17-ton blonde bombshell less than 100 feet. The combined legal and moving fees are reportedly around $1 million. I was only three years old when ‘The Seven Year Itch’ first pushed back on the conservative mores of 1950s America.

Drove across the Coachella Valley to a ridge trail with lovely 360° views looking across the valley. Initially, we hiked directly on the San Andreas Fault. Here, we’re looking down at a line of native California fan palms owing their existence to groundwater pushed up by the collision of the tectonic plates.

Walked over to the Annenberg Theater in downtown Palm Springs for a concert with jazz singer, Dianne Reeves. We first saw her in Minneapolis at Orchestra Hall, maybe 15 years ago, and we often play her music at home. She has evolved well over the years: more innovative, more energy, and more of an edge, including a political message to hold onto our humanity.

We hiked the exact same loop we did a couple days ago. We love this loop, over the years we’ve hiked it several times. It seemed less strenuous than a couple days ago, as our bodies acclimate. Here, we’re close to the finish line at Palm Canyon, an oft-photographed spot.

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.)