We left the world behind for a week

It seems not to have missed us!

We’re back from Rancho Mirage, one of nine cities in the Coachella Valley about 120 miles due east from Los Angeles. The streets are named after founders like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, bandleader Fred Waring, and Dinah Shore. Sonny Bono plays big here, too. Gerald Ford retired here and named a street.

Actually, retirees rule. You fly into Palm Springs airport from the south, thereby getting an eagle-eye view of the entire strip of cities with names like Palm Desert and Thousand Palms. (I wasn’t counting.) The seven-day weather forecast looks like it came off a copy machine: daily highs like 79, 79, 79, 80, 79 for early March. Still snow above the 7,000-foot mark in the San Jacinto mountains. In the middle is a funky mountain town called Idyllwild — seemingly a world away from the heat and affluence of the valley. Horse riding in the mountains instead of golf in the valley. 

The 46 miles up, up, and up from Rancho Mirage to Idyllwild on Highway 74 demands two wheels to fully experience its twists, turns, and attention-grabbing vistas. Next time!

Back in the valley, big tennis tournament was underway — the BNP Paribas Open. Tennis rackets stuck out of every fourth backpack at the airport, which doesn’t use enclosed sky bridges. The passenger loading ramps are outdoors on the tarmac. So is the airport concourse. Sandstorms are the major meteorological worry here. Actually closed down a major thoroughfare Tuesday morning. 

A web ranking of Coachella Valley golf courses lists 45 public and 45 private. That doesn’t count the 3-pars. We played nine holes at The Springs and, for being the first outing since October, played pretty well. Helps that none of the courses here, from what we could see, have roughs or deep woods. Lots of sand and a fair amount of water hazards. First nine I can remember playing using only the same ball. 

Many of the residents of this gated, golf course community drive the private streets by golf cart but not just any — one resident had his remade to resemble a Shelby Cobra. Others wore Rolls Royce grills.

Our hosts introduced us to the local In & Out Burger chain. Place was hopping at 2:30 in the afternoon! But favorite place was the enclosed courtyard at the home of our congenial hosts. Yeah, we had some of those grapefruits for breakfast. Orange and lemon trees in other yards. Air handling registers in the ceiling rather than above the floor; more call for chilled air, which falls, rather than heat, which rises. Every property enclosed in some way. Homeowners association maintains flower beds, cacti, and palm trees. Oh yeah, high winds scattered palm tree bark hither and yon. Saw a collapsed veranda roof and some uprooted palm tree roots. Thoughts and prayers.

Didn’t get a selfie looking up Marilyn Monroe’s billowing skirts, the peripatetic 26-foot statue now enlivening Palm Springs. Is that so wrong?! Apparently, the valley has its own bluenoses.

Protests besieged the installation in 2021 amid calls that the work was “misogyny in the guise of nostalgia,” “derivative, tone deaf,” “in poor taste,” and the “opposite of anything the Museum [of Art] stands for.”

— ArtNews

We missed the Academy Awards telecast, mainly because your correspondent went looking for it at 7 p.m. not realizing that it started at 7 p.m. alright, but Eastern Standard Time. Heard it was pretty good. Only saw two nominated movies, Oppenheimer and The Holdovers. Still think Paul Giamatti should have won for the latter. His face is all acting. Cillian Murphy’s acting consisted of a cigarette and a fedora. Like I’m an expert! But Robert Downey Jr. disappeared into his role.

Who knew nuclear bombs could be so exciting!

Was airborne flying in when Joe Biden said the state of his constitution is sound. He had a good night. Blaska has had a few of those as well. See that the head guy in Haiti is getting the hell out of there! Shouldn’t they all? See once again the attempt to defenestrate Robin Vos came a-cropper. Lucky that his opponents can’t shoot straight. Closing down still more college satellite campuses here in Wisconsin. No longer is higher ed a growth industry. Learn to weld! Looks like it’s Biden v. Trump, the rematch. Oh wait, RFK Jr. is floating Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura as his potential veeps. As Jimmy Dean once sang, “There’s a light up above!”

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Wait a minute! Did we just let Aaron Jones go to the Vi-queens?

Now I’m all angered up again. You?