Dance wit cho blonde Date (reference Animal House)

It's dark and misty in Iowa AGAIN. I miss Palm Springs! I ventured there over MLK weekend with my High School buddies. It was a great respite from Iowa's gray winter. Day one in paradise was a bit rainy. After that - sunshine baby! That and my girls made all the difference. They shine like the sun too.

It was a small group this year - just four of us were able to make it to CA. But we were mighty! Paula and I arrived first - flying in the last leg together from Dallas. Julia followed from Denver shortly after. We got the rental car and headed to the resort in Indio - a suburb of Palm Springs. On the way we picked up groceries and, you guessed it, liquor! In the small world department, the wine sommelier at the liquor store, Steve, was an old friend of our classmate, Jack Bunce. He also knew our pals Roger, Kirk, and Greg. We stopped up the wine line with a walk down memory lane.

for one thin dime, Steve filled us with wine sips and memories

Then we were on to the resort, through the rain - even a bit of floodwater. Good job Paula for piloting the ship! We reached the resort and got checked in. Our nicely appointed room overlooked the Lazy River.  There were palm trees! In the morning we woke up to a sunny day yall! There was a slight chill in the air but the sun felt good as we roamed the property and got the lay of the land. The amenities included a large pool, a couple hot tubs, game room, movie room and a small store/coffee/beer place. The clubhouse for the golf course reminded me of the Atlantic Golf and Country Club - except for the palm trees and view of the low desert mountains with a dusting of snow.

That afternoon we had a date with dates! On our way to the resort, we had scoped ouShields Date Garden Store, advertising delicious "date shakes". Must have! We stopped on our way to pick up Sally from the airport. I tried several types of dates in the showroom/store. Shields invented blonde and brunette. I purchased the blonde ones. Paula, Julia and I split a delish shake and then we watch the "Must See" video - the words sex and date were involved. It was quite fascinating. The dates were yummy.

 We were thrilled when our pal Sal arrived from snowy Portland, where the two snowplows the city owns didn't bother to run by her house. Luckily her husband Bob got her to the airport. Our girl needed some R&R. We sat in the hot tub that afternoon and were entertained by 86 year old Elsie, who was originally from the Cedar Rapids area. She relocated to Alaska where she raised a family for many years, now living in Seattle. The four of us couldn't really get a word in edgewise about our exciting exotic lives. Interesting (self-centered) lady.

downtown PS

The rest of the weekend was filled with laughter, shopping and serious talk about family, cooking, health and the state of the world. Not in that order. I'm lucky to roll with some good cooks! One night we had grilled swordfish steak tacos and fresh mango salsa. Thanks, Jules! I stuck to clean up duty.

One highlight of the weekend was lunch with our dear friend Robyn's sister Karla, who has lived in PS many years. It was loads of fun to catch up with Karla who reminds me greatly of her momma, Jody Henningsen. We sure missed Robbie Dob, though. She was stuck in Orlando due to work obligations.

Left - Sal, Julia, Paula   Right - me, Karla

Some of my favorite time in Palm Springs was spent walking each morning with Paula. The sun shined and the scenery was beautiful! I could get used to that.

walk view

What a fun vacation! I wasn't ready to go home. The weather, the food, the bevies. No work. My magnificent pals. I brought some blonde dates home. $7.99!