If I Went to Palm Springs Again...

It was lovely to escape Ottawa's March chill and bask in warm weather again when I went to Palm Springs a few weeks ago.

The relatives who hosted us have traveled south for dozens of years now. They have found their niche in a rented home attached to a golf course...












The complex has an indoor exercise room, indoor and outdoor pools... 













... and opportunities for socializing.

For many years, they drove south in an RV... parking it near a golf course!

I'm not a golfer, so all that is wasted on me! If I were to head to Palm Springs again, I'd go in January, when the weather isn't as hot...

And I'd move around a bit. I'd probably spend some time in the older part of Palm Springs, where one can go on walking tours of interesting neighborhoods.

Architecture and history are more fascinating to me than golf!

An Interesting Resort Hotel

One of the interesting places we visited, during the few days we spent in Palm Springs, was the  Desert Springs JW Marriott Hotel and Spa.

It had its own golf course (of course!)

More interesting to us were the pink flamingos swimming around in a pond outdoors...

Some parrots in cages inside the building...

And an indoor boat launch.

Boats sail through glass doors into the outdoor pond...

We looked around...

Then we chatted with a young man whose job is to make sure those dining in outdoor patio restaurants aren't bothered by birds flying around, landing on or under tables. The mere presence of a hawk in the air deters most birds.

As he talked to us, he kept an eye on a second hawk that was flying around. The dog's task? To flush out the birds hiding among the flowers.

After a quick stop at Starbucks, in the main building, we were off again.

Impressive! How many people it must take to keep this resort going... But for those who can afford it, a lovely place to stay.

Golf Course Winter Homes

As a non-golfer, I was amazed to see how many golf course communities there are in Palm Springs - winter homes surrounding a golf course, which allow people to live within walking distance of the game, often with no fence in between.

It was no surprise to see golfers riding their golf carts down the street, right onto the course. 

In fact, the garage of the house we stayed in had two doors - a larger one (on the left) for the car, and a smaller one (on the right) for a golf cart.

There were even gated communities for motor homes and RVs with their own private golf courses.

Retirement - and golf - are big business in the south. In winter, Canadian "snow birds" swell the Palm Springs population by 30%.

I can understand the appeal of getting away from the snow.

For me, a non-golfer, a patio overlooking the green was a picturesque place to sit. But don't ask me to walk - or drive - around, in pursuit of a little white ball!

California's Salton Sea

Another interesting place we visited on our recent trip to California, was the Salton Sea, a basin of water below sea level located on the San Andreas Fault.

The lake (or sea) has a long history, which I don't completely understand. I think it was a lake (or salt-water sea) on various occasions in prehistoric times, but would then dry out. The saline soil around it attests to its previous life as a body of salt water.

When we visited the information center, we were told that the current lake was created in 1905 by engineers trying to fill a basin with water from the Colorado River, to create a controlled body of water to provide water for irrigation.

The river accidentally broke through a canal, and for two years the Colorado River ran into the basin, creating this sea. That had repercussions elsewhere, as well as here - where desert towns were sudden flooded. Eventually the problem was repaired.

In the 1950's it became a popular tourist attraction in the desert, attracting weekend fishermen and boaters.

Since then, it has decreased in size and become increasingly saline. Consequently many of its fish are dying. The beach is littered with dead tilapia that, from a distance, look like flat stones.







Birds still nest on its shores.

Currently the lake is being filled with irrigation runoff (which probably makes it even more saline, given that irrigation water carries fertilizers in it).

The environmental goal is to keep the Salton Sea at its current level, which is a challenge: Water evaporates quickly in this hot, dry desert location.

Palm Springs Street Festival - and Art Show

One evening a week, there is street festival in Palm Springs.

Vendors fill the street - drawing tourists and locals.

Food is always a popular item!

But there are also art displays...

Paintings, large and small...

Also, sculptures...

You'd need a big vehicle to get some of them home - like the Star Wars creature above, and this replica musical instrument made entirely of bits and pieces of golf clubs.

Some sculptors have a lot of imagination!

Several woodcarvers were selling their wares.

These wooden castle blocks on display were popular with the block-building crowd!














I was drawn to an ice cream parlor that sold Dole Whip, a treat I first tasted in Hawaii... a mix of pineapple and ice cream.

The street fair was a busy event.

There was even an "Ask a rabbi" booth!


What a great idea! Maybe there should be an "Ask a priest" stand, too!

What about "Ask a mother?!"









I just had to photograph this bumper sticker on a vehicle parked near ours, a reminder that I wasn't in Canada!

There were a lot of lovely hand-made goods. The only thing holding me back from buying more was the realization that I only had one small suitcase... and I didn't want to pay extra on my flight home for a second bag.

Palm Tree Trivia You May NOT Want to Know!

Palm trees are so elegant...

I never gave much thought to pests that might inhabit them... But I do now!

A few days before I visited Palm Springs, a friend happened to be in Los Angeles during a fierce wind storm.

The winds were so strong, she later told me, that all the cockroaches were blown out of the palm trees! It was strange seeing so many cockroaches running around on the sidewalks after the storm. 

It did made me more wary of walking under palm trees!

I mentioned my friend's experience to a woman whose sister lives in southern California. She commented:
Cockroaches aren't the only pests living in palm trees. The blanket of dead fronds hanging down can also house rats... which is why people keep these dead branches trimmed.

(I wonder if the storm blew any rats out of their comfy nests as well!)

Salvation Mountain

One of the more unusual sights we saw when we visited Palm Springs a few weeks ago...

...was an interesting piece of artwork in the desert...

... ... a creation of rubber tires, bundles of hay, dead branches...

... and paint!

From a distance, it looks like a giant mound of colorful icing!

The artist who created it died before it was finished.

Did he live in this vehicle when he was here? I wondered... Is it another of his creations?!

He is gone, but his monument is far from forgotten!

Dozens of people drive out into the desert daily to look for it.

Some venture to climb the yellow steps going up "Salvation Mountain."

Supporters are trying to maintain this mammoth monument to one man's faith. They hope to raise enough money to buy the land the monument was built on - in the hope that Salvation Mountain will not be destroyed or left to disintegrate over time.

Among the interesting objects scattered around is this boat - which reminds me that Noah's ark was built on dry land, where it must have looked as out of place as this one.

And as out of place as this painted mountain in the middle of the desert.

Mid-Century Modern Elvis Home

Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee is Elvis Presley's best-known residence. But in Palm Springs, California, his name is associated with his "honeymoon hideaway," a house he leased and lived in the year he got married.

The house once belonged to a developer who created a "mid-century modern" neighborhood in Palm Springs between 1955 and 1965.

A short walk from a home owned by Marilyn Monroe and near another belonging to Frank Sinatra, it saw many stars in its day.

The house once owned by Marilyn Monroe was not open to the public.

But we were able to tour the house where Elvis spent a year (and take lots of pictures!)

The steps leading up to the gate reminded me of giant lily-pads.

The living room, with its long white leather sofa, and "peanut brittle" stone wall, was my favorite room.

(We sat on the sofa to have our pictures taken, while my uncle played a replica guitar!)

The living room overlooks a lovely pool...

The kitchen still looks surprisingly modern...

Our tour guide informed us that every room in the house is an irregular shape, the only "regular" shape in the whole place being a rectangular sky-light!








We were able to wander around the master bedroom and sit on the bed and chairs.

Many rooms - as well as the grounds itself - had "secret" exits, through which one could escape from intruding paparazzi!

Replica guitars, golden records, paintings and photographs of Elvis with his wife and daughter fill the house.

In need of updated insulation and windows, the house is currently for sale for $7,000,000.

(But who would want to change a thing?!!)