Palm Desert

This place was delightful this time of year and the company made it even better. Your nieces were entertaining, of course, and I also learned many new things, like what to call a guy driving a standard-sized pickup truck with a huge lift-kit under it for instance. It's fun to learn new vocabulary from people in their thirties, though Barb will soon no longer be in that group.

We all hated to go home but personally I couldn’t afford to stay much longer. The lifestyle there is many notches above my customary level. Nancy counted 7 Rolls-Royce autos but I didn’t want to take my eyes off the traffic as using the cross walks could be very dangerous with the handicapped parking tags swinging back and forth from the rear view mirrors of oncoming cars.

It’s a beautiful place but there are plenty of empty homes everywhere. Maybe some retirees visit a few winters and then just think about visiting any additional years. There are still many new homes and businesses being built so more people must still be planning to buy there. We liked the sun, wine, spa, and walking in warm weather the most.

The snow is giving us a good showing this year in Spokane. Lucas and Miles stopped by for a visit this morning and they had party plans the remainder of the day. I’ve written to Todd with my regrets for the organizational meeting for the Hurricane Katrina build as I know you’ll keep me informed of any new details.

My mom was happy to see me yesterday. She is enjoying this latest red cast I guess because it’s still intact and on her wrist. Tomorrow we will visit her doctor again.

Maybe things are settling down in Kenya. It surely has changed many things with Earthwatch being canceled for some sessions. The dedicated staff depend on these groups for income so hope things get back to normal soon.