Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Magnesia Falls, Rancho Mirage

Hiked 5 miles with the Desert Trails Club
To see more photos, click here

Monday, October 1, 2012

Tahquitz Peak (fire lookout) Idyllwild

Hiked 9 miles today - what an amazing view from here!
To see more photos, click here

Friday, August 10, 2012

San Jacinto Peak

Hiked 11 miles today from the top of the Tram!
To see more photos, click here

Friday, August 3, 2012

Big Horn Sheep seen from Bump & Grind trail today, Palm Desert

And they say there's no Big Horn Sheep on the Bump & Grind?!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Ernie Maxwell Trail, Idyllwild

Hiked 5 miles today with the Desert Trails Club
To see more photos, click here

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Saturday, May 5, 2012

1,000-year-old Serrano Indian Petrogylphs, Pipes Canyon, Pioneertown

Hiked 5 miles today with The Living Desert
To see more photos, click here

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Former dolomite mine - Cactus Spring Trail / Horsethief Creek

Hiked 5 miles today with The Living Desert
To see more photos, click here

Friday, March 30, 2012

Hiked 10 miles today with the Desert Trails club

Art Smith Trail (Palm Desert) Beavertail Cactus
To see more photos, click here

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Stone Pools (Indian Canyons)

Hiked 6 miles today with the Coachella Valley Club
To see more photos, click here

Friday, February 24, 2012

Pushwalla Palms (Coachella Valley Preserve)

Hiked 6 miles today with the Desert Trails Club
To see more photos, click here

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center (Palm Desert)

This is a baby "Chuckwalla" (in the iguana family)
Hike led by The Living Desert

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Maynard Mine Trail (Indian Canyons)

6 miles total, 2080 ft. elevation gain
To see more photos, click here

Friday, January 20, 2012

South Lykken Trail (Palm Springs)

Was inspired to do trail by this wonderful hiking book!
To see more photos, click here

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Chuckwalla Loop (Rancho Mirage)

5 mile loop - nice view of Mirada Estates
To see more photos, click here

Friday, January 13, 2012

Ladder Canyon & Painted Canyon (Mecca Hills)

Hike led by The Living Desert
To see more photos, click here

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Ancient pre-Cahuilla Indian Petroglyph (on West Fork Trail)

Hiked 6 miles today in Indian Canyons
To see more photos, click here

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Araby/Berns/Shannon Loop (past Bob Hope's house)


Hiked 6 miles today with the Desert Trails Club
To see more photos, click here

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Eisenhower Loop trail at The Living Desert

Nice view of the valley - 5 mile loop

Friday, December 9, 2011

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Never Ending Canyon (Mecca Hills)

Hike led by The Living Desert
To see more photos, click here

Monday, November 21, 2011

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Just returned from Lake Tahoe

Stunning view from Mt. Rose hike I went on

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Went on a hike through gorgeous Murray Canyon

Centuries ago, the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled here.  Walking these old Indian trails through this scenery is amazing! 

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Went on a hike in beautiful Palm Canyon

Palm Canyon (15 miles long) is the world's largest native California Fan Palm oasis.  These huge trees are absolutely gorgeous!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Friday, December 10, 2010

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Palm Springs Modern (part three) Landscaping


Bird of Paradise -- I took this photo in our backyard!

Landscaping in Palm Springs ranges from extremely well-manicured to boulder-strewn! With enough water added in, the climate encourages tropical plants and vivid flowers. The rugged mountain backdrop adds even more gorgeous texture and color to the view. The most popular plants in Palm Springs seem to be Palm Trees (both Fan Palms and Feather Palms), Cacti of all sorts, Bougainvillea of many colors, and Birds of Paradise -- it's truly an oasis!

When viewing the photos below, please hover your mouse over the word "Notes" on the lower right side, so you'll be able to see the descriptions!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

BOOKS:
Palm Springs-Style Gardening
Landscape Plants for Dry Regions
Gardening in the Southwest

WEBSITES:
Hot Gardens
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument AZ
Joshua Tree National Park CA
The Living Desert CA
Agave Americana

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Palm Springs Modern (part two) Swimming Pools

Water has always been an important theme in the Palm Springs area, for the beauty as well as the cooling effect.  I have chosen the most interesting residential pools to share...
Bob Hope's pool and 17,531 sq. ft. house! (1)

Elrod House pool (2)

When viewing the photos below, please hover your mouse over the word "Notes" on the lower right side, so you'll be able to see the descriptions!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

(1) 1979 Bob Hope House (John Lautner) photograph by Julius Shulman & Jurgen Nogai, 2007

(2) 1968 Elrod House (John Lautner) photograph by Julius Shulman & Jurgen Nogai, 2007

(3) Palm Springs Modern p. 40

Friday, November 13, 2009

Palm Springs Modern (part one) Architecture

Palm Springs was sparsely populated until the arrival of air conditioning in the 1940's! Then it became a hotspot where Hollywood came to play. The town really kicked into cocktail hour in the late 1940's and 1950's when Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball (our friend Susie owns Lucille Ball's former home in Thunderbird Country Club), Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Jack Benny, the Gabor sisters, Red Skelton, Dinah Shore, Liberace, and Kirk Douglas moved in. Some of these entertainers would "break in" their routines at clubs here, before headlining the showrooms of Las Vegas. Palm Springs was the ideal escape -- at the time it was a dusty 4-hour drive from Los Angeles and inaccessible enough that there were few paparazzi... In the 1950's golf took over, and many people moved to "country clubs".

Bob Hope's house, see amazing aerial photo below

These affluent vacationers wanted their second homes to be beautiful and different. Wood disintegrates in the desert, so the architects who came here started designing homes with glass, stone, steel, and concrete. They wanted differing rooflines: curvy, butterfly, zig-zag, pointy. And, they wanted transparency between being "indoors" and "outdoors", lots of skylights, and interior spaces more "open" and minimal. Thus the architectural style known as "Palm Springs Modern" was born, also referred to as Mid-Century Modern. Palm Springs Modernism reflects Hollywood, tourism, the desert, and wealth. Similar forces existed in Los Angeles, but in Palm Springs they were concentrated in a small, isolated area. The architects who subsequently became famous for this innovative, unique style are: Richard Neutra, A. Quincy Jones, Paul R. Williams, Albert Frey, E. Stewart Williams, William Cody, Donald Wexler, Palmer and Krisel, and John Lautner.

When viewing the photos below, please hover your mouse over the word "Notes" on the lower right side, so you'll be able to see the descriptions!
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

BOOKS I RECOMMEND:
Julius Shulman: Palm Springs
Palm Springs Weekend
Palm Springs Modern

PALM SPRINGS MODERN LINKS:
Palm Springs Modernism Week
Palm Springs Modernism Show and Sale
The Palm Springs Modern Committee
Palm Springs Preservation Foundation
Palm Springs Art Museum: Architecture and Design Council