it's the end of an era as we know it (and I mostly feel fine)

Yesterday Van officially no longer owned the Rancho Mirage house.

Van owned the house for only 2.5 years, but it was a very particular 2.5 years, overlapping a great deal with the pandemic.  That meant that all of us were able to work remotely (or required, for at least some of that time), and that meant that it wasn't a problem spending multiple days in the desert working there and then enjoying the house and surroundings.  By my estimate, between us Conrad and I visited and stayed at least 40 times in that period.  

We had two US Thanksgivings and one Christmas and NYE there.  I had one birthday there.  We cooked for friends a few times, we had many cocktails.  I used the gym far less than I intended.  We splashed in the pool and soaked in the hot tub.

We lived there fully when there, and we looked forward to being back there when we weren't.

Six days ago I drove Van and Olive out to Rancho Mirage.  Van and I did what little was left to do.  On Sunday, I had a full trunk and Olive in the back seat, and before noon I was heading down the driveway, the view of the house in the mirror my last look at it.

So then, the end of an era.  A short era, an important one.  It's fine - the sale of the Vancouver condo to come might hit me harder - but it's not 100% happy.  It's fine.  Mostly.

Thank you, not-so-little house on San Gorgonio.  You were a good home to have.

A river used to run through it

What a difference a week makes!

Two weekends ago, Conrad and I walked down to the arroyo below the library in Rancho Mirage and admired the flow of the Whitewater River coursing by.  A week later I got up on the Saturday morning and walked down to see the river one last time.  That last time, alas, was the weekend before.  All that was left was a muddy bed showing where the river had been.

I'll be back in the desert for sure.  Tennis, concerts, getaways - there will be things that pull me down there.  Nothing, though, will beat out this past winter and spring in my mind for how I saw the desert in its abundance when water is available.  Goodbye little river, heading to the Salton Sea.  I was glad I got to see you when I did.

More desert blooms

I will miss a lot about going to the desert so often, not least is seeing what is in bloom.  There are people out there who are not flower people, I know, but I love them.

This past weekend I had a couple of morning walks, one to myself and one with Van.  As we went about Magnesia Falls Cove, I snapped shots here and there.  Some of the blooms are native to the desert (and my gosh, the palo verde trees were a riot of yellow flowers - so incredible), and some were planted in yards and gardens.  All were lovely in their way.

So then, some flowers...

Ocotillo.

Desert willow.

Oleander.

Yucca.

Baja fairy duster.

Yellow trumpetbush.

Brittlebush.

Creosote bush.

 

will miss/won't miss

It's Conrad's last morning at the house in Rancho Mirage.  Next weekend, Van and I will enjoy our last couple of days here (Conrad will be in Michigan).  I'll miss a whole lot of things about it, having been down here at least, oh, 30 times since Van bought the place almost 2.5 years back.  Not least among the things I will miss is good old Mingo. 

No, we never could figure out how to safely mount and ride him, but we did get a kick at seeming him float and twirl about the pool.

What I won't miss?  This.

That was at about 11:00 or so yesterday morning.  In April.  Ugh.  I give immense thanks for being able to afford the luxury of air conditioning!

a river runs through it (the desert, that is)

Remember how I posted about the Whitewater River, tucked up in that lovely reserve, all those flowers?  The river isn't just in the foothills, however.  It runs to the Salton Sea, though as I understand it, all too often any waters that make it as far as, oh, Palm Springs sink into the porous soil of the valley and end of flowing through the ground or just soaking in spot.

The generous snows atop the mountains this year have had an impressive effect, however.  The river is flowing and flowing, and so it is that it is sliding through the arroyo just blocks from the Rancho Mirage house.

Conrad and I took Olive down walking that way this morning and climbed down close to the river.  Conrad even dipped his hand in it, but I kept the little girl away so as not to muddy her paws.  The arroyo is normally the domain of private golf courses and driving ranges, but not these days.

I caught a few photos because I don't know when we'll see something like this again.  Oh, we've seen water down there on occasion as the outflow from a particularly good rain, but this?  No, not this.  In the one shot, looking toward the mountains, the near mountain (San Jacinto) contributes, but it's the far and taller mountain (San Gorgonio) that is the source of the stream waters. 

More snow up there still despite the recent heat, and so I expect and hope to see this river flowing again when I come back next weekend for a last few days in the house before the sale closes.

desert flowers

It's been a remarkable winter in California.  No genuinely hot days to speak of until, oh, this weekend ahead, and plenty of snow on the mountains and rain down below.  It's caused deaths plus a whole lot of problems for thousands of others, I know.  And yet, it's so badly needed in this era of drought.

The big evidence of the winter still sits on the mountain tops.  Yes, even in SoCal.  We have some pretty high peaks here, but the snow has come down below 5000 feet on multiple occasions.  The small evidence?  The flowers blooming all over.  People get excited about the explosion of poppies, but I am rather smitten by the beauties of the desert.  A lot of yellows all about, in among the surprising stretches of greenery, but some other colours peeking through.

Van and I took Olive for a walk late morning,

and even in the Rancho Mirage neighbourhood, there were delights.  I'd have to look up the names of the flowers other than the prickly pear,

but these were just a few of the ones I noted nearby.  I believe that they are all native desert plants as well, which is all the more delightful for seeing them.

And then, later in the day, we went for a drive and walk and saw so much more.  But that will be a post to write on Thursday or Friday, not late at night Wednesday (or rather, Thursday given that it has gone midnight) when I can't sleep.

dinner at home last night

To be clear, when I say at home, I mean the house in Rancho Mirage.  Which, yes, technically belongs to Van.  But we are utterly at home here, and really, it's me doing the cooking, so....

We went out later in the afternoon to pick up some groceries, so I got a late-ish start on dinner.  That's fine.  That meant we got to enjoy the night sky over the mountains as we sat outside. 

It got darker by the end of dinner, and we picked out stars before heading inside.

I had put some lamb shanks in the over to braise, but I was concerned that by the time they were done and then I had reduced the braising liquid, it would be a very very late dinner.  I let them finish cooking and cooled them, putting them in the fridge for tonight.  They'll absorb some of the braising liquid, which will prevent them from drying out, and I can readily de-grease the liquid before reducing it, just lifting the fat off.

While the lamb cooked, I popped another meal into the oven to cook.  It's a simple effort I've done multiple times (and sometimes with lamb shoulder chops).  I laid some sliced onion down in a casserole dish, then some sprigs of fresh thyme.  Over that I placed two thick-cut pork chops on the bone, each seasoned with salt and pepper.  A little more thyme, then more onions.  Cover, and bake for a good long while (a couple of hours or more) at 325, the same temperature that I had the lamb cooking at.  A few Brussels sprouts to cook and put on the side, and that was that.  The salt helps draw moisture out of the onions, and it all cooks down into a self-saucing dish that tastes like a really delicious onion soup.  Some crusty bread with it would have been ideal, but the chops were sizeable, so I didn't worry about having too much else on the plate.

Van made us Vieux Carré cocktails,

and we toasted the evening. 

He made us a second cocktail each for later as we sat outside on the patio furniture, gabbing and keeping Olive company.  A fine evening.

Oh, and what's really lovely?  A man who does dishes.😉

morning walkies

It's spring break!  Van and I came down to Rancho Mirage on Saturday evening, and got the week here underway late Sunday morning.  Oh, I'll be working from down here - I have a chapter to write, I have meetings to attend, I have emails to respond to.  But hey, it's nice to be here, starting the mornings by walking the little girl.  Hooray for an escape that may be work related but hasn't involved flying to Chicago or elsewhere in the US or even overseas!  Walkies, decaf, and the days will begin.  Ahhhhh.

a happy place

I came back from our South American vacation with a cold.  A bloody cold.  My second one of the calendar year, to boot.  Even as I write this two weeks after our return, I have a lingering cough.  Ugh.  Colds.

Thanks to the cold, I missed two days of work.  I had only been into the library one day in the previous three weeks, but I didn't want my cold to be the souvenir I gave to others.  I stayed home, fielded emails somewhat, did a couple of online meetings as best I could, and then on the Thursday hightailed it down to the desert.

It's funny.  Had you told me when I lived in Chicago or even when we moved to Pasadena that I would be down in the desert so much, I would have scoffed.  Not me, no - I prefer cool weather and even rain and grey skies.  But we have Van in our life (hooray!), and Van bought a house in Rancho Mirage.  We can't use the Vancouver condo for short or long escapes, but at least we can drive down to the Coachella Valley.

It's a happy place for us.  We've spent many days there, especially during the height of the pandemic when we worked remotely there.  It's a big home, but one we're very comfortable in.  And it's a handsome home - Van has terrific taste and style.  What's most important:  it feels like our home.  All of ours.

So we arrived down there, and it was lovely to see again.  Yes, it was chilly, but we braved it outside for a bit while having a cocktail. 

The vitamin C helps, right?

And, of course, that gorgeous little girl was with us!

As I said, it's a happy place.  I love Pasadena - our home and Van's (and one day, perhaps, just the one home shared among the three of us in our city), but I so greatly enjoy getting away from it all down in Rancho Mirage.

Sunnylands

Two weekends in a row now we've made our way to Sunnylands estate with out-of-town guests.  Last weekend we took Courtney and Robert, this weekend we took Cathy and Bob.

Sunnylands is the former estate of the Annenberg family (of TV Guide and Seventeen fame).  Now owned and operated by a family trust by the Annenberg children and grandchildren, the estate sits on over 200 acres in Rancho Mirage.  It's extraordinary.  Conrad, Van, and I did the house tour over a year ago, and I am keen to go back (and take others with me).  

Our first trip this month was a garden and grounds tour.  It lasted about an hour.  There were surprises.  I thought there might be more lush floral gardens, but no, not all that much.  There is a nine-hole golf course. 

A number of small lakes.  A Chinese pavilion where the golfing Annenbergs took their lunches.  A totem pole,

which was terribly incongruous with the surroundings but commissioned, erected, and restored with the cooperation of the BC First Nations from which the artist came.  It was mixed sunny and cloudy weather, and the views of the mountains were awesome.

We made our second trip this past Saturday without having booked tickets.  Rather than do a tour, we thought we would have a simple lunch at the visitors' centre, then walk the grounds surrounding that building.  It's no less lovely for only seeing that much - lush grass, views toward the mountain, some fine gardens of native cacti and trees. 

We also took another peek at the small, free exhibit on the dining ware from the estate.  Some stunning pieces, but certain small ones - enameled, gilded sterling silver coffee spoons - caught my eye. 

Even cooler?  The place cards.  Wow, some of the names of guests at the estate over the years. 

A whole social sphere that I cannot even fathom, only watch on television.

So yes, we'll need to go back.  If you come our way to the desert, holler, and maybe we can get a hold of some tickets!

welcome rain

It's past midnight, so I guess it's Tuesday now.  I've spent the evening (and some of the afternoon) working furiously on preparation for a slew of professional association meetings coming up this week and the next.  So much PowerPoint, so much script writing.  I really should get to bed.  But I need something non-association finance related to help settle my brain, so I'll express some simple appreciation for the wet and wintry (for us!) weather we've had in recent weeks.  Oh yes, I well know that so many parts of California have been inundated.  Lives lost, homes and businesses flooded, roads washed out.  There is no denying how very awful those things are.

We've had it easy where we are.  A good soaking in Pasadena, less so in the desert.  The scenery on recent drives to and from work as well as down to Rancho Mirage and back has been gloriously verdant.  Snow on the mountains!!  We've needed this wet weather so badly.  Give us a little break in it, and then bring on some more, please.

It's always a little thrilling for me when I see water standing or flowing in the desert after a rainfall.  Seeing normally dry riverbeds with something in them is wonderful.  Muddy brown it may be before it sinks into the earth underneath, but it brings a little hope.  Or maybe it's just the west coast Canadian in me who misses being up in the rainy climes of Vancouver and such.

But come on, who doesn't like waking up to find a rainbow outside?