Tuesday - a little shopping

the "festive" wreath from yesterday's post

Dave and Paul played 9 holes this morning on a very small residential golf course nearby.  Very narrow fairways running between homes, not a great course, but it was good to get out and swing those clubs anyway.

What is better than a little outdoor exercise with a friend and good conversation over a great cup of coffee afterward (thanks Erin).

After walking the dogs in the desert and then lunch, we set off to do a bit of Christmas shopping.  On the way we took a slight detour up Tramway road to see if we could find the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.  I talked with Tom Bell for a bit, ( he was coaching me on the best way to make bbq ribs without smoking them.  His are A number 1 good, so I think I'll try them)  while Dave was trying to find the road.  He has such a great sense of direction and found it without my help!   Imagine that....

Civilization stopped immediately upon turning up Tramway road and we drove the winding, rocky road up to the Tram's departure point.  I knew the tram ride wouldn't  be for me before we took the drive, but one look at those cables heading straight up the mountain and I was very, very sure.  Views of the valley were spectacular though.  I tried to photograph the panorama, but the pictures didn't capture the sight at all.  Here is a really lame one, but its the best of the bunch....   Another thing for Jesse to help me with - panoramic shots.

the coachella valley, wind farm end to the left and Palm Springs area on the right

Really interesting cloud formations overhead today.  I think a "storm" is coming in a few days.  Storm meaning wind and wind change only.

The mountains we drove through had really interesting patterns of white on the darker boulders scattered everywhere.

We came back down and continued our quest.  Got most of what we went looking for - one present and our new "Christmas" tree.  We won't put it up til after the weekend though, its supposed to get very very windy and this tree will be outside Beluga.

Nina and her sister Pia drove to Joshua Tree National Park this morning (an all day trip), so Paul and Polly came over for a glass of wine at sunset.  We had planned on going out for Mexican tonight, but have postponed it until tomorrow night - its Nina's birthday!

The interesting cloud formations stayed with us all day and they made tonight's sunset really interesting.  The color was everywhere, north, south, east and west.  It was hard to know where to look!

Oh, and by the way, Fred, Jeanie and Judi - what did you think of the DWTS finale?