yes, but how was PS otherwise, Peter?

If you had told the me of 30 years ago, living in Terrace, BC, that I would spend half of my life (almost that at this point) in the US and that I would LOVE visiting the desert, heat and all, I would have scoffed.  Greatly.  Loudly.  Pointedly.  And yet here we are.

I do love going down to the desert.  I loved it even before Van was in our lives and we were spending so much time at the house he owned in Rancho Mirage.  Is it a vibe?  Amenities?  Landscape?  I don't know.  I don't think about it that much.  I just like going.

So here's what I enjoyed this time...

Our hotel.   

For years we've driven past the partially complete property in the middle of downtown Palm Springs, wondering when it would ever be re-started and finished.  Well, guess what?  They finished it last year, and it's now a Hyatt property.  It's also dog friendly, so we could bring Olive.  Our verdict?  Good hotel!  The room was basic but spacious.  The artwork around the facility was cool. 

The layout of the hotel and the landscaping were great. 

Nice pool - we only lounged by it but didn't splash in it. 

All in all, it was an impressive space.  We'd go back.

Walking around town. 

It was nice to stay where we did because it meant easy walking each morning.  I went through Old Las Palmas and surrounding neighbourhoods.  I went past the Palm Springs Art Museum. 

The mornings were mild enough that walking was fine.  I was glad to get out, see the town, take photos, get some steps in.

The cocktails! 

Yep, my mostly dry March is over at this point.  I really need to do a similar thing after spring break, though, and through until our May trip.  Anyway, I loved the inside bar at the hotel. 

Really good and interesting drinks.  A Mastiha Spritz for me,

and then a Hugo at the (not as good) pool bar the next evening.

Mostly, though, it was just great for the three of us to get away. 

Yes, room logistics and sleep can be wonky, but it's worth it to enjoy time with Conrad and Van (and Olive!).  I hope we'll be back down that way later this year for Conrad's birthday.  Should be fun! 

three meals in the desert

Two dinners and a lunch for us to talk about.  Here we go.

Wally's Desert Turtle.  Our favourite place to get to.  Yes, there is better, more adventuresome food in the desert.  And, honestly, service was kind of lacking this time.  But we love it there.  My streak continued:  so far as I can recall, I have had liver and onions every time I have eaten there, and this time was no different. 

Yum!  Also, chocolate souffle shared for dessert. 

What a nice evening it was, service glitches aside.  So happy to be back.  Conrad was able to chat with the owner about a possible big birthday dinner for himself later in the year, too.  You know that made him happy.

King's Highway.  Brunch and an opportunity to catch up with Kent for the first time since he and Geoff moved to France, split up, moved back to the desert.  Nice to see him, and a nice choice for brunch.  A diner, but a few cuts above.  I had a mocktail to sip,

then a substantial breakfast burrito because I was in a breakfast-y mood. 

I stole fries from Van, yum.  I'd be happy to go back.

Bar Issi.  The other restaurant at our hotel.  Van and I had been there the year before, but it was nice to get Conrad there with us.  We had a table outside, and the temperature, while warm, was entirely pleasant.  We had cocktails and then dug into a few courses.  A tomato salad that was just dressed, thick slices of heirloom tomatoes - simple and good.  Puccia bread with butters, piping hot and delicious. 

Zucchini blossoms, a nice little treat. 

Two pizzas, one pepperoni and one with chicken and asparagus. 

We ate our fill and took the rest back to the room.  A very nice night, but Van and I did think that some of the little service issues we experienced last year hadn't yet been fully fixed.  Ah well.

All in all, good dining in the desert.  And there are yet new places to try next visit as well as old faves to return to.

Friday evening in

Conrad is off to LAX early tomorrow morning, which means (I'm writing this Friday night) that I should head to bed soon.  But hey, a quick post opportunity while I'm on a roll this week, right?  Sure, let's do it.

Normally we would be at Maestro on a Friday evening, but Conrad had to pack for his trip to Chicago.  He asked that we do takeaway sushi, and I'm totally down with that.  A little later for dinner than usual, but he got the packing done.  Then it was on to sushi (mmmm... shrimp heads!),

sitting out back. 

The jasmine is going wild, flowers starting to pop out,

and after dinner, I was getting little whiffs of their lovely perfume.

Conrad will be back Tuesday, but Van and I will enjoy some time until then.  More posts to come, and then in a week, it's the start of the New England trip! 

as seen on morning walks this week

After a week of hot weather last week, it's been a relief to have cooler temperatures this week, especially overnight.  It is still March, though, right?  I ask because the June Gloom (or, if you prefer, the May Grey) was thick and soupy at least a couple of mornings this past week when I was out on walks. 

I don't mind, believe me.  Makes for great walking.

The recent heat has set so many things blooming.  I very much hope the jacaranda bloom is remarkable this year when it happens.  A couple of days this past week, though, I've come upon these trees.  White or pink flowers, depending on the tree. 

A Google search suggests that the tree is called the orchid tree or mountain ebony.  Either name, it's lovely.

Only a short walk this morning - I had to set off for the library much earlier than usual these days because I had an 8:00 meeting before opening the building at 9:00.  Not much of the marine layer today, but it was a pleasant temperature, and the light on City Hall was lovely. 

I hope to get some good walks in this weekend! 

Tuesday evening

I am so mixed up.  Tuesday evening last night?  Was it?  Really?  I could have sworn it was a Sunday.  Life will get back to normal at... some point.  Conrad heads out of town on Saturday, and then exactly one week later, after his return, he and I head out of town together.  I think that maybe by late April there will be some semblance of routine again, but who knows?!

Anyway... Tuesday night.  Having let loose this weekend, I decided we'd have some wine with dinner (I'll go back to greatly tempering drinking the rest of the week, more or less, and then beyond!), and I made us some dinner out of things found in the fridge and cupboards rather than going shopping.  A simple tomato sauce, some pasta, burrata, crispy prosciutto. 

Not the most refined dinner, but it tasted fine and used up some burrata that was at risk of getting past its sell-by date.

Conrad and I sat outside, watching Drag Race and appreciating having a pleasantly mild evening.  The recent heat was unwelcome, and then we had the heat of Palm Springs, so a relatively cooler (but not at all chilly) evening was welcome.  Plus, the heat has the jasmine in the back courtyard on the verge of blooming. 

Hooray!

Onward with the week.... 

home again

Hey, friends!  We made it home over an hour and a half ago.  An easy ride back from the desert just as the ride down on Sunday was easy and relatively fast.  I'll post from the desert in days ahead, but for now, I've got laundry on the go, and I'm feeling lazy.  We'll catch up soon!  For now, relaxing, much like I did yesterday.  And, like yesterday, I am not getting in a pool.  🤣🤣🤣

 

Amara/Mama M

I'll soon have to grab a small suitcase from the storage locker and get to packing for a couple of nights away.  Conrad and I have been for a short (2-mile) walk, and have had coffee, and it's still a while before Van picks us up to head to the desert, though.  So, let me post quickly from yesterday.  Warning:  it was a very mild day.

What did we do?  In no particular order, then.... A little laundry and dishes.  Some things online.  Fixed the blinds in the front room.  Read and listened to music.  Watched Rental Family during and after dinner.  Went for a walk and then another with Conrad.  Takeaway sushi from Mama M. 

Breakfast at Amara.

  

I'm delighted that Amara and her husband have said they'll come to our party in May.  Yay!  Meanwhile, I look forward to the next time I see Chef Jack and his wife, Joy, at Mama M so that we can share more of our Thailand planning with them.

Alright, Van has messaged.  He is awake!  Now to get things organized to head out of town until Tuesday. 

Friday night at Maestro

In recent months I've taken to summarizing the weekend that was after the weekend that had been.  But we're all off to Palm Springs tomorrow, back on Tuesday, and I thought I'd squeeze in an entry or two before I go.  So, from dinner last night, I present a Maestro meal for your visual feasting.

Van joined us last night, which was nice.  He hasn't been over to Maestro in a while, and they do ask about him when he's not with us.  We sat outside - their outdoor seating is fully shaded by the building across the alley in the evenings - and had an early meal.  The two of them had cocktails (two for Conrad, one for Van), but I stuck to mocktails and enjoyed the one with cafe de olla syrup first

and then their house margarita but made with a non-alcoholic tequila. 

Still trying to stick to one drink each week (but not a week apart necessarily), and I had my drink on television date night with Van.  I will be enjoying a cocktail tomorrow when we have dinner in the desert, though!

As for food, we didn't have too big a dinner.  Plantain chips and guacamole as we sipped our cocktails, then we followed that with the kale and sesame salad,

the bone marrow esquites,

and then a plate of enmoladas. 

All of it good, filling us nicely.  There is a new (to us) musician playing outside on Friday evenings, and we enjoyed his strumming and singing.

After dinner we walked back to the condo.  A little chocolate, Van watered the plants, we chatted a bit, then he headed home to Olive and left us to our devices.  A mild evening followed, and that was perfectly alright by me!