Vacation with the Snow Birds

From my chair at home again . . . I'm remembering the first time we drove into Palm Springs, no bookings made, just going by the seat of our pants, young and in love. It was the final destination of our first road trip, having stopped somewhere in northern CA, in San Francisco and LA. We loved it so much, that the following year we convinced my parents and younger sister to come with us. A memorable trip that was, all in one car! I remember my dad thinking a good way to save money would be to get a room with two queen beds…. push them together and the five of us could sleep in a row… my 17 year-old sister, in the middle. One night . . . that was it. I nearly tripped on her when I got up as she had, unbeknownst to me, moved on to the floor.

For a number of years, as we made our way down with our kids, we stayed in motels … until we learned that we could get a 2 bedroom condo for the same price. That cinched the deal for us! Maybe each generation just has a new perspective on that.

Palm Springs must be the capital of condominiums/townhouses owned by people there or elsewhere, using them as investments and renting them out through rental agencies. Oftentimes a golf course goes right through the middle, so that you can sit on the patio and watch the golfers. The pools, golfing, hiking trails, shopping and great restaurants all combine to provide a very relaxing kind of vacation.

One of the first things to do when we get there is to get groceries for our breakfasts, lunches and maybe an easy dinner. On this trip we picked up bread, bagels, waffles, porridge oats, jam, peanut butter, tuna, eggs, cheese, smoked turkey, mayo, salsa, nachos, salad dressing, lots of veggies, including greens, avocados and fruits to make salads and berry toppings. I know this may sound too much like cooking, but I enjoy the relaxed mornings, listening to the coffeemaker beep and not having to get ready to go out.

This was our first time in this particular complex. Instead of a golf course, it had  a number of tennis courts on the premise.

Those who are serious about tennis always look so cute in their outfits. I’m thinking of two friends who would love this place.

Places that we ate at were Applebee's, Ruby’s Diner, Mimis, Outback, Baja Fresh, CA Pizza and Olive Garden. Sitting outside on a restaurant patio on a warm evening was one of my favourite ways to eat dinner… providing me with fresh incentives in the kitchen and anticipation for the warm summer months to come.

But first it has to stop snowing.