Loved this photo….so simple and yet so clever...

Coachella Watercolour Society Show and Demo

Erna and I went to this yesterday and saw lots of neat paintings and felt inspired to paint after seeing the demo….whether that will translate into action for either of us…

When it's so sunny out it's hard to be indoors but apparently the weather is cooling down this week and clouds on the horizon.  If so,  a time for painting,  reading,  and hot and sour soup.

 Fellow doing the demo.

 Then we went downtown and went into a great little clothing shop where I bought a top I just love!

Front

Back.

Mystery flower solved….

Susan King identified the flowers as dianthus….thanks,  Susan!

New discovery for lunch...

Campechana (Mexican Seafood Cocktail) 12.95

We passed this place recently when we were at the Thai Smile and also someone recommended it.  It looked pretty interesting.  I had the fish and chips and Jim had chicken tacos and pasta.  Both excellent and very reasonable.

The people at the next table started with oyster shooters then had the Campechana….looked absolutely delicious.  That's what I'll be getting next.

The new Louise Penny novel coming out Aug 25

Take a look for a description….sounds like it will be a wonderful read!

http://page.macmillan.com/smp/nature-beast?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_term=NatureBeastDescriptionReveal&utm_content=-na_learn_buynow&utm_campaign=9781250022097

Does anyone know what these flowers are?

Susan and Chris brought these flowers three weeks ago today when they came for dinner three weeks ago today and they are still going strong.  They've been in my kitchen window so get a lot of heat and sunshine.  Most flowers would have wilted long ago.

Matisse

I love Matisse as most people know and found this quote interesting.

“If people knew what Matisse, supposedly the painter of happiness, had gone through, the anguish and tragedy he had to overcome to manage to capture that light which has never left him, if people knew all that, they would also realize that this happiness, this light, this dispassionate wisdom which seems to be mine, are sometimes well-deserved, given the severity of my trials.”

- Henri Matisse, interview, Matisse on Art

 Our favourite….what we looked at in the living room in our villa in Carqueiranne for four months and what we look at in our living room in Palm Springs.

 

I thought this was rather funny….Linda posted it.

Wonderful visit with Elaine...

Yesterday,  Elaine made our lunch…BLT sandwiches and took us out to The Greek Islands Restaurant for dinner.   We had spotted this restaurant when we were on our way to Woody's from the night market and it looked like a fun place dine.

We began with calamari and saganaki….very authentic Greek presentations,  then  I had the "baby lamb" (wonderful roast lamb in a clay pot),  Elaine had lamb chops (really more like rack of lamb),  and Jim had mousssaka.  All washed down with an excellent Greek wine.

Thanks you so much,  Elaine!   We began with lamb and ended with lamb….guess you could say we are fond of lamb….

Very dark so didn't get any good photos.

 Elaine making our lunch.

 Having fun at Revivals…these were "chair covers" for Easter".  We hit all our favourite high spots….the thrift stores,  the dollar store (where things are REALLY  a dollar)  and the library book sales.  Elaine got a mystery for the plane and Jim got quite a haul as usual.  I got a book on Paris,  a book on cats,  and Ursula Hegi's "The Vision of Emma Blau".  Then we showed Elaine around where we play golf and have dinner watching the sun go down behind the mountains.

Today, we left around 8am to take Elaine to the airport and when I went to change the sheets,   I found a beautiful thank you note and these lovely gifts….as if the wonderful wines,  the French cushion,  and dinner weren't enough!  Thank you,  dear friend.

Yummy Roger's Chocolates from Victoria in a sunflower tin which will be perfect storage for art materials.

And from Vancouver today….photo in the Vancouver Sun

With the caption…"Sorry,  the rest of Canada, but this is what we have"

Afternoon drinks and a beautiful cat to boot….

Erna and Marvin invited us all over for drinks this afternoon and it was great to see them and Jared and Lara who are visiting for a few days.  Lara brought her cat,  Abner,   Of course,  Elaine,  and all of us are crazy about cats.  What a sweetheart!  He's  about a year old and just hung out and even allowed us to pet him.  Erna served yummy goodies so not much need of dinner tonight.  Finished off a few pieces of pizza from Bill's and the last zinfandel…excellent.

 We get the pleasure of some of this hanging over our patio wall.

 Abner,  not quite sure whether to venture out.

 Elaine,  Lara,  Erna.

What a beauty!

A great treat for us….

Elaine and I went to Total Wine and she treated us to 6 wonderful California Zinfandels.  The one we had last night was a very special one from Ridge Vineyards and wouldn't you know it,  the bottle got recycled before I had a chance to take a photo but I found something on the Internet.

And the others…..we thoroughly enjoyed them all so far.

The one left is the one in the middle….guy with the black hat.  It's from Dry Creek Valley and called
FUGITIVE, THE  (aka Red Wine)….love the presentation!

It's Monday….

and we're at Bill's Pizza.  First time for Elaine and she is impressed!

Itty Bitty Book Review: "My House in Umbria"

"My House in Umbria" by William Trevor

I enjoyed this very much….Trevor is really an amazing writer.  I have a vague recollection of seeing the movie with Maggie Smith but the story seemed different somehow…much more complex.  I see Palm Springs Library has the DVD so will be interesting to see and compare.

In keeping with the French theme...

We went to Pommes Frites yesterday for lunch and it was fabulous as usual.  Elaine spotted frog's legs on the menu so we started with a plate of those to share….excellent choice!

And then Elaine and I had their "fish and chips" which consists of a piece of tilapia to die for…always grilled to perfection and "frites" that are very authentic "French" style.  I've never had as good anywhere in North America and not always in France.   All washed down with a nice bottle of Cote du Rhone.   Jim's "steak frites" was excellent as well.  Too busy eating and enjoying to remember photos so got this on the Internet.

Meeting the author….

The other day Elaine and I went to the Architecture and Design Centre and we both bought this fellow's book, "Palm Springs Modern Living"  that he was signing.  Great timing for us!

Palm Springs’ Midcentury Modern architecture, the people who designed it, and the people who live in it

Palm Springs is as much a showcase for its unparalleled collection of Midcentury Modern architecture as it is for the unique people that designed and inhabit that architecture. With Palm Springs Modern Living, photographer James Schnepf has created a wonderful collection of photographs that document both the iconic architecture and fascinating people of this desert oasis. More than fifty modernists, artists, builders, and architects were interviewed, including such Midcentury Modern luminaries as Donald Wexler, William Krisel, and Hugh Kaptur, and their stories and anecdotes provide a perfect complement to Schnepf’s vivid photography. Together, they manage to bring Palm Springs to life in a way that most volumes of architectural photos could never hope to achieve.

James Schnepf is a location photographer with an emphasis on people. He has photographed for a long list of America’s leading corporations and publications, and these assignments have taken him to all parts of the world. In his travels he has always kept an eye open for a climate and community to balance the cold winters of his family’s Midwest base. He and his wife, Christiane, found that place in California’s Coachella Valley, where they own a 1959 William Krisel–designed home.

A fabulous find….

And as we were wandering the market and downtown,  we came across "The French Boutique" which has lots of things especially from the south of France!  The fellow is from Aix-en-Provence and we had a nice chat with him and bought two throw cushions which I absolutely adore since between the two of them (both sides have different things),  there is everything I love about the south of France.  Elaine bought me one (thank you dear friend!) and Jim bought me the other.

Busy time in Paradise….

Elaine enjoys swimming as much as I do so we've done lots of that.  In addition to our morning swim we caught the clouds turning pink at dusk.  Thursday,  we wandered around downtown and caught the beginning of the Night Market before heading to Woody's for dinner and music.

We hadn't been to the market for a while and didn't know they had all this great food these days.  Smelling all this stuff grilling certainly whetted our appetite!

A few downtown scenes….lots of shops with cool stuff.

And now the food….people lining up before the market officially was open!