Buddy's Myth

This year for Christmas the family decided to go to Palm Springs, CA. to celebrate the season. This way no one had to clean their house either before or after the holidays and the Dad wouldn't have to bring every single Christmas decoration out of the attic to decorate for a holiday we wouldn't be in town for. It worked for mom, dad, and me last year when we went to Suzanne's place, but it didn't work out as easily for Suzanne. So the Suz (my sister Dr. Suzanne R. Smith) got us Deluxe accomodations through a friend of hers. She knows a guy who owns two homes in Palm Springs. He was kind enough to let us stay and make ourselves at home. One is on a ridge overlooking the city. They filmed part of the James Bond movie "Diamonds are Forever" at this house. The other is the former home of Jack Benny. Both homes were built with entertaining large numbers of wealthy visitors in mind, so the four of us had a little room to move around in each. The trip was a blast. The Dad and I played golf three times while the Mom and the Suz played tennis (see below).
We enjoyed fine acomodations, fine dining, and fine weather (until the day we tried to leave, when rain and fog socked in the airport so that no airplanes could get in or out, forcing us to stay another day in the Jack Benny house--rats). We hit the casinos several times, and while I started out on the up, I soon lost my winnings and left them some of my hard earned female deer. The rest of the gang did well, especially the Dad, who won big on most days. I skipped the last two trips to the casino, having learned my lesson. The gods of probability were not smiling on me.
On Christmas Eve we took a tram ride to the top of a mountain overlooking the city. We ascended 5873 feet (that's over a mile to you and me) to an elevation of 8516'. It was sixty degrees in the city and thirty at the top. The tram car rotates 360 degrees as it rises, so you get incredible views on the way up and down.
The day after Christmas we went to Joshua Tree National Park. The Dad had never been to true desert before, and it was awesome for me to be there for his first excursion into the terrain that I love. I did a little bouldering and we all did some hiking, including a .25 mile hike that was an incredible one mile long. Nature is an odd thing at times. Some photos of Joshua Tree are below in yesterday's postings.
Mucho appreciado to Mike Kilroy, who owns the houses; to the Suz, who worked hard to set it all up; to the mom, who spent months downloading pertinent information and guides; and to the dad, who bankrolled the food and fun and expertly guided our rented monster SUV through the sea of palm trees and Lexuses (Lexi?). I helped out with humerous quips, jocular asides, and photographic prowess.