Elaine left sunshine to arrive in pouring rain...

We welcomed Elaine to the scorching desert today...yeah, right! We enjoyed champagne then went for a hot tub and swim in the rain...you can't get us Canucks down! Then to a wonderful rack of lamb dinner thanks to Trader Joe's. Don, at home in Victoria, was apparently looking forward to a beef stew...something Elaine's not that keen on so he's taking advantage.









Our wonderful rack of lamb.

Itty Bitty Book Review: "The Paris Enigma"

"The Paris Enigma" by Pablo de Santis

This is a pretty good mystery by an Argentine writer who studied literature at university and became a journalist and comic-strip creator. This is his first novel and won a major prize. Rancho Mirage Library had it in their new book section.

It takes place in Paris at the time of the world fair and building of the Eiffel Tower. If you're a mystery fan it's worth a look.

I have a couple of other new books from the library that I might start although they are due tomorrow and not sure if I'll be able to renew them. Jose Saramago's "Death with Interruptions" and Simon Winchester's "The Man Who Loved China". And then there's the Maeve Binchy that was in the condo...probably good for being half asleep reading at the pool when it gets sunny again. Pouring rain in PS at the moment.

Hope it stops before Elaine arrives this afternoon! However, the rest of the week is looking pretty good.

Cool posters

These posters were in the bathroom of where I got my hair cut the other day...made me feel like I was in France. Thought my readers might want a change from my mountains. I never tire of them and love being surrounded by them. I initially didn't like it when they got snow on them but now I'm enjoying seeing the heavy snow, the melt, snow again, melt, and soon I expect they will be without snow completely.

BTW, I particularly enjoy hearing from people who read my blog when I'm travelling and away from my usual social contact. Thanks to those who have emailed me lately...it's really appreciated!

Same old, same old

Another lazy morning poolside...not a cloud in the sky. Now for lunch outside on the patio. Then to the new fancy Ralphs to get something for Valentine's dinner that Jim will cook. They have a great deal on tenderloin and lobster tail. We always get a laugh out of what a deal Valentine's is here...like a national holiday. Looks like folks are going to get a good holiday weekend after all except for Monday although the weather forecast seems to be as unreliable as the west coast these days. The storm that was coming in went through last night very quickly and left a bit of rain it would seem.

I think there might be a painting somewhere....

If I ever get the energy to paint I certainly have lots of great material from my mountains photos.

Question for my blog readers

We were in a pool shop today buying an airmattress for Jim and a noodle for me when the owner asked us if we could guess the use of this swan. We didn't guess correctly...now let's see if any of my readers can get the right answer. Looking forward to hearing from you!



Just a gorgeous day today. I was lying out by the pool at 10am and it was warm and we spent most of the afternoon there. They say it's going to change for the weekend...that will now make two poor holiday weekends for folks.

First golf game for months....

I was really thrilled that I could actually walk around this Par 3 course and hit the ball reasonably well...I parred the first and last hole (usually I put it in the water on the last hole!). The walking on the soft grass seemed to do my back and knee good and on the way back we sat in the sun having lunch at a little fish and chip place in Palm Desert. Then hot tub, swim, lazing in the sun. I actually read some of my book. Although the high today was apparently 65 F and the comment about the weather was "Shiver my timbers" we were in the direct sun while playing and it felt like about 75 F. I wouldn't have wanted it hotter.


I'm pretty proud of this first shot after such a layoff...on the green and pretty close to the tee.


We do enjoy the views on the little golf course...$10 for 9 holes today since it was "senior's day".


More views.


We were pleasantly surprised that a number of the dogs who used to howl don't seem to be around but we would have missed our old friend, Patch, who is on the left. He usually waited until we teed off to bark then wagged he tail and twirled around for us. No more friendly antics now since he has a new pal who didn't appreciate me taking a photo...I think poor old Patch thought he had to act tough.

More desert snow shots

From outside our garage.




From the Rancho Mirage Library

Weather...

This was the scene yesterday in downtown Palm Springs...3/4 of an inch of rain has fallen since Thursday. Hey...I know that doesn't sound like much but this is the desert and we didn't even bring an umbrella! We took advantage of the rain to see two films, Revolutionary Road and Gran Torina...both excellent. I also bought another iPod so I hope I don't have any more senior moments and leave this one somewhere....




This morning we woke up to a clear blue sky and wonderful snow on the mountains. The first photo is from our living room...we glimpse a bit of the mountains. Then I went out to the pool to take the others. As soon as I finish this post I'll be heading for a hot tub and swim. Next week Elaine will be able to join me!

Dining alfresco with birdsong

We had lunch outside yesterday and I captured at least the songbird singing but didn't really spot the bird until it flew away. It seemed to have long tail.

Record-breaking heat scorches southern Australia - Yahoo! News

Weird weather everywhere it seems. Kerry mentioned there was some incredible heat wave in Australia where Donna and Neil are now travelling. Hope they haven't been affected too much.

Record-breaking heat scorches southern Australia - Yahoo! News

Egrets...and more mountain views, of course.

As I was driving out today I saw this flock of egrets and I took a few more shots of my mountains. So far haven't got around to trying paint them this year.

Travel chaos after a year's snow in two hours - Telegraph

Wow...incredible snow storm in the UK. Buckinghamshire (where Patty, Nigel's mother lives) and Oxfordshire (where the Bradshaws live) got hit very bad as well as many other places. People on highways reporting no snow on the road then a foot and a half in no time.

Now, we're complaining about a few clouds in the sky...still actually quite a nice day today and we had lunch out on the patio. A songbird was entertaining us and I hope I got a little video of it. Will try to upload it.


Travel chaos after a year's snow in two hours - Telegraph

Change in the weather....

We have had superb weather for our first five days here but storms are coming in so we got the last of the sun out at the pool for a few days I guess. As Richard and Claudia can attest, the weather isn't always like paradise here...they almost got blown away in Joshua Tree Park camping last year.

Apparently we will get almost no rain although it doesn't look that way from the photos I just took. We were at a very interesting presentation at the Rancho Mirage Library today called the "Wonders of the the Coachella Valley" and this is what the presenter told us. The downside of almost no rain is it will be a pretty average year for wildflowers. There must have been over 300 people at this talk. This library is just amazing in what they offer in terms of speakers, events, and of course the library materials themselves.

On desert time....

Well, you get pretty lazy pretty quickly around here but we're pretty organized now and have in the essentials. Big disaster yesterday when a pitcher I used to mix the martinis had a leak...good thing gin is cheap around here. Been enjoying our $3 Trader Joe's wine from Chile and other great things like cashew peanut butter. Always such fun shopping at Joe's.

The heat, hot tub, and swimming is helping my various ailments but I don't think I'll golf this week. Jim's out golfing at the moment. Taquitz Creek has a great special at the moment...$19 twilight after 3pm which include an electric cart of course. He hasn't played for a while so 12 holes or so will be a great way to start.

Other than the south of France this is the first place I've been able to set up my painting and actually have decent light. Maybe I'll capture these mountains with my experiment with watercolours this time...one can always hope.

On the downside I left my new iPod on the plane. Alaska Airlines has a great system for "left on board" and has been in lots of contact about it but I'm losing hope. Ah well...a lot worse things can happen.


View from the parking lot at Vons


View from the condo.


Another view from the condo.


My little studio drenched in light!

We have arrived in Palm Springs!

I'm so glad we flew...1/2 hour to Seattle...2 hrs to PS. We left at a leisurely time in the morning (11:40am) and arrived at 5;15. And we are less than 10 minutes from the airport and know the drill around here so very easy to deal with. Off to find our swimsuits and go for a hottub and swim. Wireless here works great with both laptops so that's great....photos of my wonderful San Jacinto mountains tomorrow!

Britain's recession will be deepest, IMF warns - Telegraph

Poor old blighty. I never thought I'd see the day when the pound was almost at parity with the Euro.

Britain's recession will be deepest, IMF warns - Telegraph

On the home front we are continually being told Canada isn't in that bad shape. I guess time will tell. The tax cuts in this new budget are pathetic...hardly enough for one lunch each. I don't think that's going to stimulate much. I like the home reno break especially since our hot water heater blew yesterday and so we saved over a hundred dollars in tax credit there (if this budget goes through). We need exterior painting and we may just switch to gas if incentives are attractive enough.

Chinese New Year's Feasts

Richard had Chinese New Year dinner with Claudia's family on Sunday, which was a blast. Lots of great food: lobster, beef and lotus root soup, duck, the works. And the famous red envelopes full of cash. There's another party in a couple weeks with the cousins, a younger crowd. I like the idea of this extended party the Chinese have for their New Year's.

On Monday we lunched with Monique at the University Club and they were offering a special New Year's menu...yum!

And Elaine and I are going to have this delectable sounding feast at the Grand Pacific today.

"New Year foods are symbolic, portending good luck, good health and abundance for the coming year. Executive Chef Rick Choy has condensed the traditionally elaborate twelve-course banquet you’ll find at Chinese restaurants, into a three-course lunar feast brimming with good fortune.

The first course, delectable spot prawns and scallop in egg crepes with Hon-Shimiji and Maitake, is shaped and tied like a money purse. That’s followed by pan seared Berkshire Pork Rack served with Ox Tongue Dumpling in the shape of an ancient gold ingot splashed with liquorice and anise, and Lotus Root Rosti. The dumpling and lotus root portend prosperity. Finish off the meal with a coconut tart that marries caramelized walnut and cinnamon gelato with a wish for a harmonious family and a sweet year ahead."




Chinese New Year's Parade in Vancouver

Weather - 7-day Forecast Summaries

We woke up with a dusting of snow this morning and it seemed wretchedly cold. Looking out at a combination of snow, sleet, and rain that is currently falling in Victoria.

I always get a laugh out of how the weather people in Palm Springs try to get variety in describing good sunny weather.


Weather - 7-day Forecast Summaries

Palm Springs here we come

We've decided to fly to PS since I can't see sitting in a car for four days with this sciatica. I'm pleased as I don't like driving that route in winter. Looking forward to getting to the warmth. Modernism week coming up soon after we arrive. I see they're having a big martini party at the Frank Sinatra House...$125 a person is a bit rich for our blood and we did visit the house last year on the bus tour.

Newseum | Today's Front Pages | Map View

I felt this was a very cool site especially for newspaper junkies like ourselves. If we get to Washington D.C. again we'll have to get to the Newseum. One of the inaugural balls was there I believe.

Newseum | Today's Front Pages | Map View

New iPod

Well, my old iPod packed it in so I was thinking of waiting until we were in the US to buy one but Best Buy in Palm Springs is asking $249.00 US for the 120 GB and our local Future Shop was asking the same CDN for a silver one. Simply Computing (the latest Apple outlet in Victoria and is a very cool shop) matched the price and I could choose a black one.

I love the video aspect and it certainly would have been great to have in France when we were there for long periods since the media is the pits and all movies in theatres and in video stores are dubbed into French. Weird system the French have...Monique's mother thought Robert Redford was French! You can rent movies from iTunes for $4.95, have them on your iPod for 30 days and then have 24 hours to watch them once you start. And of course you can watch them on your computer screen rather than the small one on the iPod. Probably can hook up to TV's as well if they're relatively modern.

Children's Art

Guess we haven't all been in the sunshine...

Seems it's been quite foggy in Vancouver all week. We did start with fog ourselves yesterday but four sunny days before that were fantastic.

This photo was taken from Cyress mountain overlooking Vancouver. I'm mainly making this post to see if Blogger has got back their future scheduling feature back so if you read this on Wed and it's dated Thursday...I guess not.

A new day dawns

Yesterday began with a beautiful sunrise. It was very moving to watch the emotion and excitement with Obama's inauguration. I think it did remind people of the moon landing when just about everyone in the world watched it. I thought of that and took a photo of the TV just as I did when the moon shot happened.



I thought his speech was serious and down to earth and just what was needed. It wasn't a time for soaring rhetoric. I liked the fact that he included "non-believers" in his appeal to people of all religious faiths. And didn't we all smile when the Rev. Joseph Lowery said:

....help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right."

But of course it was the kids that stole the show.



It certainly is going to be interesting being in the US these next couple of months.

Yes, we can...

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today."

- Martin Luther King

Can anything be more appropriate today than these few words from Dr. King's famous speech. I remember studying this speech in a rhetoric course in 1976 at the University of Oregon when Jim and I were doing graduate work and was very moved by this passage. I don't think then I could have conceived of this day and guess that these words would become known to so many people.

What a wonderful feeling of hope in the United States and the world.

This is the full text of this amazing speech.

The I Have a Dream Speech - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net

Itty Bitty Book Review: "Good to a Fault"

"Good to a Fault" by Marina Endicott

This novel was nominated for the Giller this year. Of course Boyden's "Through Black Spruce" won as it should...he's an amazing writer. But I think this one deserved the recognition of a nomination. Not the greatest book in the world but worth a read and moved me to tears at times. I thought it was going to cave in to sentimentality at times but managed to avoid it. Endicott was born in Golden, B.C. and now lives in Alberta. The novel is set in Saskatoon although setting isn't particularly important.

The Day of the Jackal

This is a 1973 film that we saw probably about when it came out. I noticed the DVD at the library yesterday so picked it up. We thought it was a fabulous film at the time and it was really worth seeing again. Apparently Roger Ebert gave it a perfect 4/4 rating but it was a box-office failure according to Wikipedia:

"The Day of the Jackal is a 1973 film set in late 1963, based on a novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth. Directed by Fred Zinnemann, it stars Edward Fox as the assassin known only as "the Jackal" who was hired to assassinate Charles de Gaulle.

The film was expensive to produce, as it was filmed on location throughout Europe. Despite being heavily promoted, being based on a successful novel, and receiving generally positive reviews, the film was a box-office failure. It did, however, make Edward Fox a star, though many speculated the film's lack of an established star (with Michael Caine having lobbied for the lead role) was the reason for its lack of success. In his review of the film, Roger Ebert gave it a perfect 4/4 rating, and referred to it as "one hell of an exciting movie", and a "beautifully executed example of filmmaking".
- from Wikipedia

If you haven't seen this film you are in for a treat...and great on location scenes of Paris.

Can you be in love with a cushion?

This cushion is saving my life these days. I've been troubled with sciatica since the end of November off and on and mainly on lately. Leslie suggested this and it's helped tremendously along with physio and anti-inflamatories. It's going to be very helpful for the long car ride down to California. Jim's going to buy one for himself as he feels it helps give him support while sitting as well.

It's actually called a "Contour Lumbar Cushion" and is available at the "Relax the Back" store...great product.

A Majority of Two

This is another blog I've been following recently and it's rather fun because the woman lives in Vancouver where I grew up and is about my age so I've been enjoying her stories and reflections on things. Very different from the Paris blog that brings a young European man's perspective. This is what makes blogging fun!

I've been finding these blog by taking a look at Blogger's "Blogs of Note" recently.

A Majority of Two

Snow in Joshua Tree National Park

Looks like they got snow in December in the park...this is a pretty desert like place usually!

PARIS 2e

I don't read many blogs but I came across this one and have been enjoying the photos from Paris.


PARIS 2e

We're not alone in this miserable weather

This is a photo of the old port of Marseilles...even at this time of year you would normally be walking in fairly warm sunny skies.

MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - Heavy snowfall in Marseille forced the international airport to close and paralyzed all train and bus traffic on Wednesday in France's second-biggest city.

The usually busy and sunny Mediterranean port city ground to a halt as snow overwhelmed infrastructure and stopped school buses and all other public transport.

"The weather conditions no longer allow air traffic to take place in satisfactory conditions so the airport of Marseille Provence is closed to air traffic," a spokesman said.

The airport was expected to remain closed at least until Thursday morning, management said.

France is experiencing a cold weather snap that has gradually moved from north to south. Electricity consumption has hit record levels as families turn up home heating.

Rail, road and air traffic have been disrupted for several days, notably at the main airport in the Paris region, Charles de Gaulle.

Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau demanded an investigation on Wednesday into "unacceptable" chaos at Charles de Gaulle, where hundreds of flights were canceled and thousands of passengers stranded earlier this week.

In Marseille, the main Saint Charles train station was paralysed as signaling froze. School buses were canceled in the entire Bouches du Rhone administrative area, where Marseille is located.

3191 ~ a year of mornings

This book coming out of a website was mentioned in the TC. A rather neat idea and I've been enjoying their follow up which is "A Year of Evenings". I guess that will be a book too. They have a new project for 2009 which sounds interesting as well.


3191 ~ a year of mornings

The amazing Olympic mountains

The other day the mountains and ocean just looked fabulous and there was some wonderful light going on. These photos were taken around noon.

Even more snow in Vancouver....unreal!

From John Denniston's Photo Blog:

January 4th, 2009 — It was supposed to rain yesterday afternoon and wash away the snow but instead there was another 6 inches of snow. By 6pm the transit system was paralyzed as these two people found out. The bus they were waiting for slide into the curb twenty feet from their stop and was stuck. The driver told them he wasn’t going anywhere soon and it was best for them walk.


- John Denniston Photo

James Joyce Bistro and Peacock Billiards

Jim and Ann invited us and other friends for lunch at the James Joyce Bistro Sunday. It was a really fun and interesting group to chat with sitting amidst all this wonderful artwork that Robert Amos has produced for the bistro...the tables and bar with quotes from Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake and paintings and design work everywhere. And a special treat was Robert was in the group and talked about the artwork and his friendship with Dave Peacock and their obsession with Joyce. The food was great and I do recommend having a meal here.

Peacock Billiards and James Joyce Bistro

Afterwards we dropped by Jim and Ann's RV that they have parked in the West Bay Marina for the past couple of months. They have a fabulous view and are very cosy there. Ann and Jim live in Sequim but enjoy coming to Victoria and they have loved being on the harbour. They are the folks who have that very neat boathouse we stayed in on Lake Sutherland a few years back.



Robert talking about his artwork and love of Joyce.



Some of Robert's creations.