Anything else?

Well, since you asked, yes.  My friend and neighbor Michael came home from Arizona, where he was with family for the death of his sister, and we went out on Thursday for a belated Thanksgiving dinner, albeit a little unorthodox.  We went to Picanha, a nearby Brazilian restaurant, a carnivore's delight, where they come to your table with skewers of meat, and the other food groups are, well, afterthoughts.  We've been there before, were greeted like old friends, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

On Saturday, Art and I went to the Metropolitan Opera in the movies.  Most of you who have been in earshot of me in the last few years know about this; the Met films a matinee in HD, and it is shown in 160 movie theaters around the world.  It is a wonderful experience, at a fraction of the price of live opera and with more comfortable seats (not to mention the ability to eat and go to the bathroom!).  On Saturday, it was a seldom-done baroque opera, Rodalinda by Handel.  The costumes, staging, sets and singing were all wonderful, but both Art and I found the male lead being a counter-tenor unnerving (for those who don't know, countertenors are the 20th century's version of castrati).  Nonetheless, it was an experience worth having. 

Saturday night was a different experience entirely.  Michael and I bundled up (it is still cold here when the sun goes down, the operative word being sun,), packed up our folding chairs and some thermoses of hot chocolate, and headed downtown (yes, Palm Springs has a downtown) for the Festival of Lights parade.  I put my natural cynical nature aside, and had a wonderful time.  I took a million pictures, and will bore you with a few.  (skip down if you hate parades).

Michael, getting into the hot chocolate!

My kind of nutcracker!

Where else would you have a decorated golf cart in a parade?

A snow plow?

Then, there were the Jews for Jesus!

I tried to get a picture of the big fat guy, but he escaped before I could capture him.

Okay, enough with the parade.  Sufficie it to say, we had a grand time.

On Sunday morning, I skipped the gym (on a day where I really needed it), and went to the Tamale Festival in Indio, one of the desert cities east of Palm Springs.  It is a foodie's delight, apparently one of the top rated food festivals.  Mariah and I went last year, and although it is more fun with two (or more), it was still enjoyable, and tasty.

Here is Grandma Lupe, of Grandma Lupe's tamales, the first prize winner last year

And here is the line at 10 A.M., opening time - apparently these peopl had been waiting since 7 A.M.

Yes, I had a few.  And they were great!

I was meant to go to another opera event in the afternoon in Rancho Mirage, but there was no way.  By then, I was seriously in need of some deck time, and so my afternoon was spent lazing and reading and napping, and, well, just living in Palm Springs.

And so, that is what one does for a week in Palm Springs.  Remember, the door is open!