Spring Break in Indian Wells

My friend Harry and I accepted the generous offer of our friends Debbie and Dan to spend a few days with them at Deb's home in Indian Wells California. Harry took me to school last Friday and kept my packed suitcase, bringing it along when he and his brother picked me up from school that day. School could not pass fast enough...I was so excited. Right from school to the airport. What a deal! We arrived around 7:30 pm CA time and Deb & Dan were at the airport to pick us up at the Palm Springs Airport which, incidentally, sports a lovely, open air area between drop off and pick up, and has a concourse named for Sonny Bono.
We stopped at a famous Italian PS spot called Tony's where it felt more like NY City than CA. Everyone had East Coast accents and looked like extras from the Sopranos set. Guys with dark shirts open at the neck and elderly ladies whose hayday had been sometime in the early 60s but who still had the same hair color and Jackie O sheath dresses only now size 14 instead of 8, chatted and sipped on cocktails. Scores of autographed pics of 50s and 60s celebs surrounded us. What a wonderful welcome to PS. We actually ended up dancing with many sixty-somethings who looked very much like these patrons when we went to The Nest and boogied to the music of Tim, piano bar soloist extraordinaire. It was like discoing at Scottie's in Minneapolis during the 70s.






Dan drove us to Indian Wells (another huge plus of this vacation was being chauffeured everywhere by Dan!) where Deb's home is and for the first time saw the beautiful pool in the backyard and the spectacular view of the Santa Rose Mts.




Her neighborhood is full of stunning landscaping from cascading red bougainvillea bushes to gigantic succulents.
Over the next few days we spent hours by the pool reading, relaxing, laughing, and my version of swimming which includes no leg motion and a flotation device directly under my backside. Whenever we wanted a snack, we could walk over to one of Deb's tangelo, orange or grapefruit trees and pick one. I'd never had fresh citrus fruit before and now I'm spoiled for life.
One day we went to a street fair held in the parking lot of the College of the Desert where we had a fabulous hotdog for breakfast (yes, that's right, and it was surprisingly great.) Debbie and I bought hats for wearing in the sun and Harry bought a very unique visor that sported fake gray fur on top, somewhat resembling hair.
Since we are all children of the 60s, we have a fond appreciation of that beloved B-level show, Hullabaloo, and lucky for us Dan has acquired the DVD set. Several months ago we were watching an episode and developed a keen admiration for one of the dancers named Tommy (we know this because each dancer has his/her name in huge letters displayed on the Hullabaloo shirts they wear.) Tommy's energy and boogaloo spirit are always a notch above the others, and in this particular act Tommy hopped from side to side, arms plastered against his sides, legs tightly together, as if he were performing an accelerated hop-scotch move. Tommy's ability so impressed Harry that he made his own Hullabaloo shirt by taking an old t-shirt and writing Hullabaloo on the front. And you know what was on the back: "Tommy," of course. When Dan started playing the DVDs, Harry dashed to the bedroom and came out in his t-shirt, shades and his new hair-sprouting visor - oh and shorts too. He then joined the Hullabaloo dancers by gyrating next to the television set, keeping in perfect sync with their head-wagging, booty-wiggling moves. The audience was in awe and entertained beyond our wildest dreams.

If you click on the pic below, you'll see a video of Harry performing his splendiferous moves.




We also had some memorable meals, one at Sullivan's, where the steak was to die for. At the Cafe' Italia we were serenaded by wait staff who belted out Broadway hits, and at the Pacifica the generous manager treated us to an appetizer of grilled scallop on wasabi mashed potatoes. Very unique, beautifully presented and delicious. For thirty years I thought I didn't like scallops because the last tiny ones I had were slimy and rubbery, very unlike this fist-sized perfectly done distant cousin. Fabulous.
One night Dan grilled NY Strips, chicken breasts, asparagus, brussel sprouts, red pepper, corn on the cob, and spuds, all done on a regular old-fashioned Weber charcoal grill and all done perfectly. Another memorable meal.
We saw part of a magic show at the McCallum and went to an antique car show as well as a farmers' market in La Quinta.
All in all it was four of the best days I've spent in years. Good food, good surroundings, good entertainment, and best of all, good comradery and friends. Wonderful memories....





Oh by the way, this is what was in store for me when I came home:















Viva Indian Wells!