01-26-2026 A Desert Birthday

Birthday Girl Deborah on her day at Shermans's

As Mo and I were enjoying a lovely supper on a very chilly day at Sunset House, she came up with a brainstorm. “I think it would be nice if we could fly Deborah down to Palm Springs for her birthday weekend and have her stay with us.” For many years we often depart for the desert a few days before Deborah’s birthday and she just rolls her eyes and says, “That’s OK Mom.” I was so excited to share with her the idea of a trip to Desert Hot Springs for a long weekend with us.

At first it was a bit of a struggle for her to consider leaving her work at this time of year. As a finance director it is the worst time to be away, and Deb is working many hours a day and on weekends to meet all the year-end deadlines that are required. I finally said, “If you don’t go and work all that overtime at home, will you really feel that much better for it?”

The next day she called and said, “OK Mom, it really does sound wonderful. I’ll go.”

Mattie loves her morning walks with Mo in the desert

After arriving on Thursday afternoon, we settled into the park and prepared the MoHo for an extra guest. Everyone had assured me that the Palm Springs airport was small and easily navigated, so we weren’t the least bit concerned about picking her up just after 6 PM Friday evening. We visited a bit with Jeanne and Alan from Vermont, who had arrived the same day we did. It was convenient that they also had a guest visiting during the same time Deb would be with us. We all agreed there would be plenty of time together after Deb and Sara returned to their respective homes.

The road into Palm Springs is familiar, but we have never actually visited the airport. Needless to say, “easy” is relative, especially in the dark. When we took Deb back the following Monday, we learned it really was easy, but that was in the daylight and after understanding where departures and arrivals were located. Deb’s planes in both Medford and San Francisco were each delayed by an hour, and yet magically she arrived within eight minutes of her scheduled time.

Just half an hour later the three of us were settled into the MoHo with a drink and a delicious supper of the beef Bourguignon I cooked last week and froze for the trip. We had so much to share with Deb in her short weekend here, and during supper we made some choices about her priorities.

Setting up the dinette for a bed for Deb is something we have done before when she has camped with us. Mo and I made sure we had her sleeping bag, the mattress pad, and a few extras she wouldn’t be capable of taking on the plane ready to go.

Mt San Jacinto is still visible from our site in the morning light

We all slept well that night, and Deb was delighted that the lovely bathrooms here at Catalina Spa are right out the door. It makes everything much nicer for three people in what is basically a two-person motorhome.

First glass of sweet luscious orange juice

I squeezed the first glass of orange juice for us and we had a delicious breakfast in preparation for our big day ahead. Deb kept asking, “Why Palm Springs?” She didn’t really understand the history or the ecology of the town or the Coachella Valley in general, and I thought the best way to explain it was to take her first to the beautiful Agua Caliente Cultural Museum located right in downtown Palm Springs.

Mo and Deb at the Museum

Before we wandered Palm Canyon Drive admiring mid-century lines and boutique storefronts, I wanted Deb to understand what was under our feet. Downtown Palm Springs, all that prime real estate, sits on Section 14, part of the checkerboard land that belongs to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. In the early 20th century, much of that land was leased out under complicated and often unfair arrangements. For decades, tribal members watched developers and city leaders profit while they had limited control over their own ancestral ground.

Beautiful stories of the palms and tribal life inside the museum

Slowly and patiently, they changed that story. Through persistence, legal battles, economic strategy, and an almost stubborn faith in the long view, the Tribe regained control of Section 14. Instead of selling it off, they built a diversified economic base, leasing wisely, developing carefully, and using the revenue to invest in their own future. The Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza and Museum now stand right there in the heart of downtown, not as a token nod to history but as a statement: we are still here. The museum isn’t just beautiful architecture; it is sovereignty made visible. Taking Deb there first felt important. It reframes Palm Springs from playground to homeland. It reminds you that the desert keeps deeper stories than the ones on the postcards.

No way to capture the beauty of this 3D illuminated animated map

Deb loved the museum as much as Mo and I did when we visited for the first time last year. The displays are well thought out and beautiful, with homage paid to Mt. San Jacinto and to the story of how the first spring was found. 

display of the fine basketry of the Cahuilla people

The basketry on display is among the finest we have seen anywhere in the West. A favorite exhibit is a three-dimensional depiction of the evolution of the Coachella Valley, from before white settlement through the coming of the stage, the railroads, the highways, and finally the movie colony in the 1920s.

Deb at Forever Marilyn

We found a parking place closer to the center of town so Deb could get the obligatory photo standing next to Forever Marilyn. We then walked Palm Canyon Drive toward the Blue Coyote, a restaurant where Mo and I shared a meal on our very first visit to Palm Springs.

Deb wasn’t all that impressed with all the glitz and glamour and tourism that fills the streets, but she was a good sport and we stopped for a flight of frozen drinks at the Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar. By the time we arrived at the Blue Coyote, the lunch crowd had thinned enough that we snagged a great table adjacent to the sidewalk, always fun for people-watching.

Deb and I both had great meals, but sadly Mo’s chicken taquitos left a lot to be desired. Deb had yummy carnitas and I had a truly delicious bowl of something so big that the leftovers are still in the fridge several days later.

After our late lunch, we walked back to the car on the east side of Palm Canyon Drive, where Deb discovered she enjoyed the casual, slightly funky shops on that side and wished we had gone there first. Ah well, live and learn.

Sunday morning we woke early for Deb’s first swim in the beautiful water at the pools that bring us back year after year. Visiting Joshua Tree National Park turned out to be her favorite day, and I had no idea it was on her bucket list.

Deb and Sue at the Panoramic Loop Trailhead

Mattie wasn't allowed on the trail but Mo found a place to take her for a short walk

It was a perfect day with perfect weather. We entered from the West Entrance near Yucca Valley and encountered very little traffic. Deb was delighted with every turn in the road and every stately Joshua Tree. 

Mattie Mo and Deb at the Hidden Valley Campground

She explained how climbers use spring-loaded cams that expand inside natural cracks in the granite instead of drilling bolts. No hammering, no permanent scars. When the climb is over, the device comes out and the rock remains unchanged. I loved that idea of temporary trust between human and rock.

Panoramic View from the Keys View Overlook

Coming in from the west as we did made the side trip to Keys View simple.  It has been many years since Mo and I traveled there, and on this day the view was perfect.  It is incredible to see the mark of the San Adreas fault and to look down on the Coachella Valley from this vantage point in the park.  

Snow tipped Mt San Gorgonia on the weatern skyline

While we were up there, Jeanne and Alan and Sara appeared in Alan’s big truck and laughed and said hi to us.  A fun encounter before we each continued on our way.

Not positive which campground this is but you get the idea

After Keys View we drove into Jumbo Rocks Campground, where Mo and I have camped before, and decided that we liked the Hidden Valley  campground much better.  By the time we reached the area around Skull Rock the Sunday traffic was growing and cars lined the road trying to see the famous skull.  Deb was ok skipping that part and we continued south through the park.

Sunlight on the cholla

I was excited to show her the teddy bear chollas for the first time, but sadly the turnout was blocked off and the trail was closed.  She still got to see the brilliant backlighting of the beautiful spines in the afternoon sunlight.  

The ocotillo forest was less than spectacular on this afternoon with very few blooms, but the recent rains have caused the leaves to open and she got some photos of that.

Ocotillo not yet in bloom in late January

Leaving the park through the southern entrance was perfect and we stopped to take the obligatory photo of Deb standing by the park entrance sign.

We had arranged to meet Jeanne and Alan and Sara at the infamous Dillon’s Burgers and Beers for supper at 4:30.  Returning home via the back way on Dillon Road gave us time to show Deb what was left of the beautiful grounds at the Thousand Palms Oasis.  

Sue and Mo looking at the displays on the now closed visitor center

On the way home we stopped at what remains of the Thousand Palms Oasis. I have written many times about walking there, about the quiet ponds and the magnificent fan palms and the simple boardwalks that made it feel intimate and accessible. 

sadly the boardwalk ends after a few hundred feet

Now the gates are closed, funding is stretched thin, and repeated flooding has taken its toll. You have to park along the narrow, busy road, and the feeling has changed before you even step onto the trail. It is hard to watch a place we have loved struggle to hold its ground.

The palms on this natural oasis are as stately as ever

Monday was Deborah’s birthday, and we celebrated with lunch at Shermans Deli. Famous since 1963 for towering sandwiches and bakery cakes, it did not disappoint. 

Fabulous birthday lunch at Sherman's

The food was fantastic, the service flawless, and the sauerkraut served with the pickles was so good I ate it with my fingers. Deb chose a towering slice of carrot cake layered with cheesecake. No candle, no singing, just the three of us sharing something sweet.

That evening we returned Deb to the airport. Her final text after landing in Medford read, “It’s a lot colder here.”

Happy Birthday to my first-born daughter Deborah. You made me so happy with your happiness.

01-20-2026 Traveling South

Low Fog Over Grants Pass in January

Our journey to Southern California is a familiar one. I have written about it so many times that I cannot imagine there is much new to experience, either as a writer or a reader. We left without incident at exactly our scheduled departure time, no glitches, no last-minute items forgotten. The freezing fog warning as we leave is real, but after just ten miles heading south, the fog is no longer frozen, and bits of light emerge through the mist. The passes are clear. The roads are nearly empty in some sections.

Yes, I am excited to be on the road and out of the fog

The skies are clear as we pass Mt Shasta

We are pros at this one. It feels simple and familiar, even though it is a leisurely three-day journey. We stay in the same RV parks, familiar and affordable. Returning to Flag City in Lodi is like parking at home. We pay our Passport America half-price fee and slide into the familiar space. Nothing new here.

Mattie loves the green grass and warm sunshine at the rest area near Corning

Mattie knows exactly where we are. It amazes me how dogs can smell and remember a place. She is excited and wants to get outside to the dog park and the long stretch along the fence where she knows there will be lots of dog smells.

Supper is a meal I prepared and froze for traveling. Easy and delicious. There is one tiny glitch: the Tracker battery is dead. Mo cannot imagine what button got turned on while we were towing, maybe the radio. We discuss the options and decide it is something we can worry about tomorrow.

On this day of travel, we had fantastic conditions: a bit of sun, a bit of cloud, no snow, no rain, and very light traffic. I drove as far as Corning, where we fueled, and Mo took over the driving. I settled back in my seat to watch the birds in the valley refuges as we passed. I opened my phone and slipped into email and then Facebook.

That moment shifted the mood of the day.

Meeting Odel and Laurie for the first time in 2010

Mo and Laurie in 200

Laurie Brown had passed just two days earlier, and her sister announced it on Facebook. Long-time readers of my blog know all about Laurie and Odel. I met them through the blog, and Laurie and I started writing to each other in 2007. By 2010, we met in person on our way east, where they were camped in Minot, North Dakota.

Laurie and Odel visited us at home in Rocky Point in 2011

Laurie helped me understand the RV blogging community of the early 2010s. She helped me connect with other writers and discover that I wasn’t alone out there, writing about our travels.

I am heartbroken.

Lunch at Lefty's in Nevada City, where Laurie and Odel introduced us to Jimmy and Nickie

I called Nickie, whom I know only because Laurie suggested a lunch in Nevada City with Mo, me, Nickie and Jimmy, and Laurie and Odel. The friendships blossomed, with the six of us meeting for meals, hikes, and visits. I treasured her friendship. Nickie was devastated, but grateful to hear from a real phone call and not a Facebook post.

In 2022 we met again with Laurie and Odel and Jimmy and Nickie for a day of dining and hiking

We continued south along an almost empty interstate toward Sacramento. Memories flooded my heart as Mo nimbly navigated city traffic and we continued through the fog to our familiar home at Flag City RV Resort.

I will probably write a separate blog post honoring just Laurie, but for now, it was time to focus on the now.

Our next day of travel was uneventful accompanied by the fog hanging over the I-5 corridor south toward Highway 58

Site 9 at Mountain Valley Park

I write in the morning darkness at another familiar home, though not quite as familiar as Flag City. Mountain Valley RV Park in Tehachapi, where we have stayed only three or four times. Our old favorite, Orange Grove RV Park, is nothing like it used to be, and we decided the high prices weren’t worth the amenities.

Oranges from the Fruit Depot in Bakersfield

Yesterday, we drove past the park as we turned onto Edison Road for a ten-minute side trip to the Fruit Depot, once again to buy the sweetest oranges ever. I used to pick the oranges every year, but buying a bag for ten dollars is nice and quick—and a lot cheaper than paying park prices just because we like the oranges.

We stopped in Tehachapi to buy a new battery for the Tracker, and she started right up, just like the travel trooper she has been for seventeen years. While Mo dealt with the battery, I ripped into the bag of oranges and cut one into sections to eat right there.

It was like stepping into the sunshine of Southern California when I was a kid, when oranges were picked in yards and tasted like candy—so sweet and juicy. I breathed in the fragrance, cleaned the juice from my chin and fingers, and felt my body relax.

Ahh. The oranges are as perfect as always.

Ready for our last travel day to Desert Hot Springs

We will leave here at daylight, or shortly after, in clouds and predicted rain. The first view of the Mojave as we start down the pass overlooking the desert is never the same. Today is the day. The desert is there, waiting. And our home at Catalina RV Park, another home of ours for almost every winter since 2010, is waiting.

Ahhh.

 

12-31-2025 December

Always amazing to me when roses are still blooming in December

When I wrote the Christmas card to share on the blog, I knew that December would be just a tiny part of that story. There was much to share in this busy and full month, and I don’t want to lose track. As is often the case, this blog post is mainly for me, and I won’t be sending out an email or publicizing it. If you happen to still follow the blog via email or RSS, thank you.

I did steal this image from a facebook post about the fog burying the valley

December began as usual, wrapped in fog. For nearly two weeks, the valley stayed gray and heavy, the kind of weather that presses into a headache and slows everything down. With my strong attachment to decorating for most holidays, especially Christmas, I spent a few days pulling out the decorations anyway. 

Mo and I laughed about how uncentered the tree was based on one's point of view

I waited until the very last moment to put up the Christmas tree and gave myself three lazy days to add the ornaments.

Maryruth and Gerald always serve a lovely meal

Early in the month, we gathered with friends. Dinner with Maryruth and Gerald was a surprise treat when Maryruth called and said, “Can you come to dinner tonight? I have a recipe I want to share.” Maryruth loves to cook, and it is always a pleasure to share a meal in her home.

The book was Atmosphere, fiction about the early days of the space shuttle

Our book club continued our annual tradition of a Christmas party at Kristin’s. As always, it was a special day, with Kristin’s home warm and inviting. Her table décor was fantastic and reflected the book we read perfectly. I think most of us enjoyed the book, even though it wasn’t quite what we expected. It was fun to share the Christmas event with daughter Deborah for the first time since she joined the club last month.

Kristin on the left, then Robyn, Jennifer, Connie, Sue, and Deborah

The Sunday after Book Club, Deb treated Mo and me to a wonderful tour of the local Bear Hotel.  Evergreen Bank has a large facility where they store our summer art bears in winter and our beautiful Christmas panels and 8-foot-tall nutcrackers that line the downtown streets at Christmas time.  On this Saturday, it was the annual Christmas Tree Auction, and Deborah wanted us to see the tree that her workplace decorated and donated for the auction.  

Deb, Sue and Mo within the massive redwood trees at the Bear Hotel

It was a lovely visit, and we were so impressed.  I do hope we can get to the Bear Hotel sometime before summer when the bears are in residence.

We skipped the annual downtown tree lighting because of the fog, rain, and darkness. Seeing photos later on Facebook made us quite happy that we didn’t try to attend. The crowds were huge, and the rain was daunting. Later in the week, a rare break in the clouds brought “a bit of sun,” enough to notice and name, before the fog closed in again.

december morning fog

As I wrote in our Christmas card, December also carried a heavy weight with the news of Mo’s brother Dan’s passing, moments that quietly changed the texture of the days that followed as we adjusted to this sad loss.

Another tradition came mid-month as we turned west and spent a few days at Harris Beach State Park, tucked into our familiar site with a view of the ocean. We walked the beach, visited the holiday light show, ate seafood, and slipped easily into the slower rhythm that comes with salt air and tides. 

Christmas time in the MoHo is always fun, rain or shine

Mattie, as always, loved her beach time and climbed the rocks with all the strength and enthusiasm of a young puppy.

sunshine at Harris Beach in December

Mo and Mattie walking the beach in the sun

After the light show, we attempted to get an Irish coffee at the Fat Irish Pub near Harbor, just down the hill from Brookings. It was a bit of a disappointment, with several minutes of being ignored at the bar and then an Irish coffee served without whipped cream and barely lukewarm. We won’t have to try that place again. Our first time having supper at Khun Thai in Brookings was a completely different experience. A spotless restaurant, wonderful service, and fabulous food felt like a small celebration before heading home the next day.

Early morning at Sunset House on Solstice

The solstice arrived with bells rung at dawn, though there is a funny story about that one. I woke up early on what I thought was Solstice, ready to ring the bells and play the Jethro Tull video of Ring Solstice Bells at exactly 7:03 a.m. In the still-dark morning, shrouded in fog, I rang Mo’s antique dinner bell on the back deck, with it echoing all over the neighborhood. Returning to the house and settling into my morning rhythm, I looked at my calendar and, lo and behold, I was a day off on the bell ringing. I laughed a lot at that one. I should have paid more attention to the calendar notice I added last month. The promise that the light would now begin its slow return was worth celebrating, even if it was a day early.

One of Maryruths neighbors on the right with Deb, Sue and Mo admiring the menu

That afternoon, Maryruth and Gerald once again hosted a lovely Holiday party featuring her favorite appetizer recipes.  It is something she loves to do, but as with all of us, as we age, it is getting harder and harder to manage.  Her daughter-in-law, Gloria, was a tremendous help, and I am so glad she and Maryruth and Gerald's son Mike have relocated to Grants Pass to help their parents.  

After Christmas Eve Chowder with Mo, Sue, and Deb

Christmas itself was simple and good. Deb came to share Christmas Eve with our traditional clam chowder, which she proclaimed was the best ever. She spent the night, fulfilling this mama’s love of kids, young or old, sleeping overnight. 

Mattie loved her miniature lambie present after she figured out how to open it

Christmas Day was lovely as well, with an eggs Benedict brunch shared with Matthew later that morning. 

Matthew was very good at pouring Christmas Brunch champagne

We even had some presents under our tree, something that doesn’t always happen since we have eschewed trying to keep up with that particular tradition. But this year was different. Mo and I opened some truly wonderful surprises, including a framed photo Deb had purchased of the three girls at my birthday party last September. 

Sue and Deb on Christmas morning 

Melody and Robert sent us a beautiful basket full of goodies from our local Harry and David's store.  I have sweet memories of visiting Harry and David orchards when I lived with the kids in Medford in the early 70's 

Deanna sent a delightful electronic photo frame with software that lets each family member add photos for me to enjoy as they scroll by on a side table in the living room. I found that even though I can see photos anytime on my computer or phone, the random display of people I love in the background is so calming and lovely.

Christmas Day treated us to some much needed sunshine

December ended the way we like best: traditional Pennsylvania Dutch pork and kraut in the oven, watching New Year’s celebrations roll across the globe, then settling in to welcome the new year quietly from home. A month of fog and friendship, remembering loss and honoring memory, the light returning, a return to Harris Beach, and a quiet holiday.

One more day of sunshine in the bedroom before the January fog sets in again.

We are now readying for our annual trip south, and with the fog still hanging over our valley, our departure date cannot come soon enough. But that will be a new story in a new year, with a bit of hopefulness that our world might get a little less crazy and a little brighter.