Blue Skies and Gorgeous Sun!

Absolutely exquisite day here in Palm Springs....high in the low 70's F with a nice breeze. I'm staying with my friend Lisa, a dear friend and golfing buddy from Rock Creek, OR where I live. She and her husband live in Palm Springs for about 5 months of the year - their condo is on a golf course. Lisa plays with the ladies' league, as she does in Oregon. So I went out with her this morning, although I can't play golf because of my fractured elbow, but rode in her cart and of course gave her all sorts of great advice ;-) It was a beautiful day to play! We came across...is it an egret (see extra)? in a pond on the course. It allowed me to get quite close. 

After lunch we drove out to the Coachella Valley Preserve  which was unfortunately closed for hiking and visitors, but we found one trail slightly south that was open. We found these beautiful palms growing in an oasis - the main blip. 

Leaving the preserve we headed to Shields Date Garden - a marvelous dive into the world of dates. Founded on Christmas Day in 1924, the business has flourished. Lisa and I shared a scoop of date ice cream and our friends ordered the date shake. Both filling and delicious!