Funding beautiful homes, one dress at a time

On our walk, Desert House, commissioned from architect Richard Neutra in 1946 by department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann. The LA Times lists it as one of the ten most important homes in the LA area (stretching it geographically). Kaufmann also commissioned Fallingwater from Frank Lloyd Wright, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. While Desert House was being built, Kaufmann stayed in the much more modest Villa Hermosa, where we’re staying.

How we got our bikes: the kindness of strangers on Reddit

Took the bike for a final spin while Dwight cycled to the pool for laps. Renting bikes is expensive–it would’ve been cheaper to buy bikes–so I posted a call for help on Reddit and received many helpful responses. One person offered to lend us his two Treks for a reasonable fee. After checking his previous posts and seeing his good karma rating, we agreed. The proceeds went to his wife’s nursing education fund.

Hockney and a museum visitor

At the Palm Springs Art Museum, walked around a retrospective of David Hockney prints. In this gallery, I caught an actual gallery patron (with hat), seated, looking at individual flower prints Hockney created on an iPad. On the opposite wall, a wall-sized print depicts the artist (with cap), seated, looking at the same flower prints.

Mastering the South Lykken Trail

Another hike on the South Lykken Trail. This will probably be our final foray into the mountains around Palm Springs this trip, with highs in the 90s forecast for the next few days. On the day we leave, the forecast high is 97° compared to a sunny 54° back home in Minneapolis.

‘Adobe Oasis’–3D-printed art installation

On today’s random bike ride, I stumbled upon this adobe art installation, part of this year’s Desert X exhibition. Interestingly, although mud is an ancient building material, this exhibit was created using a modern method: 3D printing. While adobe is a durable material in desert climates, with examples of buildings lasting millennia, this particular structure is temporary and will be removed in May.

Mastering the Araby, Berns, and Shannon trails

We retraced a loop we’d first walked a few days prior. Overnight high winds had stirred up fine particulate matter (we are in a desert), triggering an air quality alert and making the climbs a bit more challenging. Missing a city bus at the end, we summoned a Lyft to a hostelry where reviving beer and nachos awaited. A good day.

Where graffiti is encouraged

You just don’t see graffiti in Palm Springs, except here, on my cycle ride today. This is the site of a now-demolished fashion mall, an improvement and a monument to pragmatism, IMHO. A governing board oversees this site, applying just a few rules. Elsewhere, a call to the city’s graffiti-abatement hotline promptly summons a cleanup crew.

Exploring the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum

Our Sunday walk included a stop at a brand new museum to learn about the Agua Caliente people who’ve lived here for thousands of years. The galleries took us through their origin story (which is as believable as any other) and up to today. It’s interesting to know they’re the biggest single landowner in Palm Springs, and a lot of properties here are built on their leased land.