Roadrunner

As we left Sunnylands last Friday, I noticed a roadrunner in the parking lot.  His mate was out yonder, under one of the other cars.  He was such a beautiful fella!

We didn't seem to bother him, so we just left him where he was.  I always enjoy seeing roadrunners.  We used to have a family of them in our neighborhood, (quail also), but when they put up the new housing development, they disappeared.  I do miss seeing them.  One of them used to chase my petite cat Daisy down the street!  One neighbor used to feed them hamburger!  They really are quite comical!

Cacti~Shadow Shot Sunday 2

I absolutely loved all these cacti at Sunnylands when we visited it Saturday.  Aren't they adorable?  Loved the shadows, too!

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 for January 29, 2017.   To visit SSS2, please go to:   http://shadowshotsunday2.blogspot.com/

Sunnylands, playground of presidents

Two of my colleagues retired 6 weeks after I did last June.  I actually retired May 1, 2016.  I was burned out and mentally and physically EXHAUSTED.  I simply could NOT go through another year of testing and torturing third graders during testing week.  Besides, my grandson was born April 30 and I wanted to assist our daughter with his care.  So, I retired 6 weeks before the end of the school year.

I haven't regretted it for ONE SECOND!

Anyway, we "girls" get together every couple of weeks and go somewhere.  Today it was to Sunnylands, in Rancho Mirage, playground of the presidents.  In the 40+ years I've lived here, I never visited Sunnylands!

We got there right as they opened at 9 a.m. and the parking lot was filling up.  We decided to forego the $21 tour of the house and opted instead to just walk outside in the gardens.  They are beautiful, but don't expect a lot of color.  The gardens there are water-conscious...aloe, cacti, and drought tolerant trees like palo verde and acacia.  Still, the grounds are beautiful.  The garden tour was FREE!  There is a coffee shop and a beautiful patio that looks out to Mt. San Jacinto.

Here are some pics from our visit today:

 The house.  The tour here is $21.00!!!!  (too much for us retired teachers!)

 Beautiful view of the San Jacinto mountains and snow!!!

 A view of the house and lawn...

 President Obama donated this bench

 Lots of cacti!!!

 One of the two water features

Nice, shady garden!

I would recommend that you visit Sunnylands once.  Frankly, that's enough for me.  On to other adventures!

Flowers and garden update

I'm REALLY enjoying my garden this year.  I haven't planted vegetables (except the cabbages out front) for over 25 years.  Make that 30.  I grow sweet peas every year, and some flowers out front, but this is the first year I've had a REAL vegetable garden.

I went out back this morning to take some photos of it.  We've had frosts here the last two mornings, so I've been covering my tomatoes and peppers with bubble wrap.  It seems to be working well.  My tomatoes are THRIVING!  YES!  I may run out today and buy some more.  I have PLENTY of room!

I had 9 cabbage plants last spring, but when our eucalyptus fell down, broke our fence, and broke our water line last year, they were bulldozed and raked over when we had to relandscape out front yard.  However, this year I have about 6 green cabbages and 6 red ones out back.  So far, the critters haven't bothered them for a while, but I do expect that to change.  I also have a nice cauliflower growing out back.

Here are some photos from this morning.

And, of COURSE...my daisies out front:

Update on Whitewater Preserve

Whitewater Preserve has now been closed Sunday and Monday.  I saw photos from the local paper and the road was IMPASSABLE!  Too dangerous!  There were rocks everywhere and the river was flowing too quickly.

I DID go out this morning and take a couple of photos of the wash which runs from Palm Springs down to the Salton Sea.  This was in Rancho Mirage, not far from where former president Obama played golf over the weekend.  I took these photos from the park in Rancho Mirage.

 There normally is NO WATER in this wash.  In fact, it runs through several golf courses!!!!!

A view looking up the wash with a rainbow.

This obviously isn't my photo!  This is from the Toro Peack webcam yesterday, looking out over all the snow on the Santa Rosa mountains.

Whitewater Preserve and WATERFALLS!!!! 5 of them!

I belong to the Whitewater Preserve group on Facebook and yesterday I read there were 3 waterfalls running up there.  Sometimes after a storm there is a large one, but 3?  That's highly unusual!  So, I mentioned to hubby that we should drive up there and he agreed (I nearly fell over!)...

So, off we went!  I also knew it would be windy up in the canyon, so we both took our jackets.  Good thing, because the wind was coming right off the snow-covered mountains!

Right before we even got to the preserve entrance, hubby spotted a waterfall coming off the cliffs.  Another car was leaving and I asked him if he had seen this one!  Nope, he hadn't!  Score one!

The wash had a LOT more water since my last visit!  It was swiftly running.  AND, sure enough, the US Mail Jeep showed up, dashed right through the wash, and delivered the mail!  That guy is either fearless or just plain STUPID.  I haven't figured out which yet...

There were about 6 cars pulled off at the wash.  Sometimes people park there and go for hikes.  We continued our drive to the preserve and found the usual waterfall, which was flowing rapidly, and entered the preserve.  It wasn't crowded at all (thank goodness).  There was a waterfall right by the parking lot and another one further up in the cliffs.  So, now we're up to 4...

We walked down along the ponds and spotted another one...5.  We hadn't seen this one driving in because our backs were to it.  SCORE!  #5

It was an enjoyable outing yesterday, although it was really cold!  Man, when that wind comes off the snow...BRRRrrrrr!  We MAY drive out to the Palm Springs Indian canyons today, if it isn't raining too much...

Here are some of the photos I took yesterday.

 This is the Whitewater River where it flows over the road.

 Nice view looking up at the San Bernardino mountains.

 Another view of the road...

 2nd waterfall...This is the normal one...

 A new one!

 This is the one we missed driving into the preserve.

 Here it is from near one of the ponds...

 This one was really flowing!

 Another one!

 A small one...

 I LOVE all the colors of the cliffs.  Can you see the little waterfall here?

Nice one!

Yup.  The next storm was heading in!

I stood 2 HOURS in the freezing rain to see the former President's plane

Living near Palm Springs does have some advantages.  First, we have a 365 day growing season.  Second, the winters are WONDERFUL!  (summers...uh..no!)...Third, presidents and former presidents come to town for vacations!

And, that is what happened yesterday.  By following the local news, we ALL knew that the former first family was heading to our desert for a well-earned vacation.  Unfortunately, yesterday the weather wasn't cooperating.

The United States of America plane was scheduled to land at Palm Springs airport, so I ungently nudged hubby OUT of his chair and asked him to come with me because I wanted to see the plane land.  Of course, HE was bored because, after all, he had seen 2 presidents land there:  Eisenhower and Kennedy.  Well, I hadn't seen ONE YET!

So, OFF we went!  It was pouring in Palm Springs and the side streets by the airport were already crowded and we arrived there over 2 hours before the former president's plane was scheduled to land.  I knew we better get there ahead of time or we wouldn't have a decent parking place.  We drove around for about 20 minutes and then selected a side street near the southwest corner of the airport, right where the planes come down and land. Of course, the skies opened up.  I had on a shirt, a cotton vest, AND a hoodie.  I also had my good camera (Canon) with me.

I walked over to the fence where quite a few people were waiting and one lady offered to share her umbrella with me.  We chatted for a while and then a couple more people came and joined our conversation.  Soon I was offered a spot under a nice young man's car reflective shield!

I heard a low-flying, large plane and looked up and saw the plane!  However, it didn't land!  It circled and flew back over La Quinta for a 2nd run.

I also heard the second attempt and I DID get a few photos, but it was so cloudy and dark...sigh...AND, it didn't land again.  Apparently it made 2 other attempts, but then flew to March Air Base in Riverside because of the weather.

Hubby came over with his umbrella, but by that time, I was SOAKED.  Water from the umbrellas and the shade completely SOAKED my hoodie and my shoes were completely wet.  I was cold and shivering.  So, we left, went to Gelson's and bought lamb, mashed potatoes, and 2 bottles of wine!

It turns out the former First Family didn't arrive in the desert until after dark.  There were MANY people lined up in Rancho Mirage and also many people awaiting their arrival at the airport.

Despite one's views of this president, many people stood in the rain for HOURS to honor the man and the position.  I'm glad we went...it actually is history.

Here are my photos...dark and cloudy...

 THERE it is!

Look in the upper right corner...I cropped both of these photos, but it was SOOooooo dark!

I actually DID see and hear Air Force One when President Obama was on it during his vacation last year.  It flew directly over our house!  I heard the low-flying, large plane.  Hubby says the Palm Springs airport isn't designed for planes this size and that might have been another reason for its landing at March, but it did land there before.