Having friends down here on my home turf is something I really enjoy; and it doesn’t happen enough - believe me. So I was quite pleased when Boy Wonder said he would be able to come out for a visit this weekend. We had a project to work on and many things to discuss, but that was just the side salad to our main course of relaxation and fun.

A co-worker of mine invited us over for dinner Saturday night. His boyfriend cooked a traditional French dinner, a tarragon turkey breast with country style potatoes. It was delicious and very heavy, it was French after all. After that we all went over to Hunters for a little outing. We were sitting outside and my friend Michael remarked that he loves raffles and always wins; we were about to be asked to participate in the raffle they were having later. The man did not ask Boy Wonder or me to purchase any tickets, but gave Michael and his partner two for free. Michael shouted with glee and proceeded to tell us what he has won in the past. He really has won quite a bit. At about 11:30 they began to announce the winning numbers. Michael got the tickets out of his pocket in a confident stride and asked “So what am I winning?” I had no clue since I was left out of the pool. The first number was drawn. Not his. The second was announced and as cool as a clam Michael said “Ok I’ll be right back, I won” I didn’t believe him as he walked towards the table in the front to claim his prize. He returned moments later with two tickets to “Taste of Palm Springs”, sponsored by Kaluha. It is a dinner event with food and wine donated by local restaurants and wineries; it is a chance for them to showcase their products to the public in the hopes that they will either return for dinner or keep them in mind when choosing a wine for their next party. It should be really cool and since Michael won’t be here I get to go for him!

Sunday it was time to work, but not before a little brunch. I do not eat out here so the choice for brunch was left to an unverified recommendation from someone. “A Bit of Country” is what the place was called, but soon after we were seated I thought it would be best if it were re-named “A Bit of Crap”. Our cutlery was a step above plastic and the chairs were clearly designed for different tables; I almost asked for a booster seat. Our waitress was either completely swamped or completely oblivious, either way I was not happy. I gave her thirty seconds to come back for our order after arriving earlier to take our drink requests. After seeing her race frantically from front to back several times all the while apologizing to the tables around us for just about everything I began to count a little faster. She came back at 26. We gave her our order and she asked if we wanted anything to drink - again. We told her just coffee. She giggled and apologized - again.

Everything came to the table at about 15 min thereafter. Boy Wonder was pleased with his waffle and was happy to see the butter was melted, probably because she forgot about the dish sitting under a heat lamp. My eggs were scrambled with Chorizo and resembled Kibbles and Bits. This was not what I had envisioned and it reminded me just why I cook at home.

After that culinary insult we were off to the Aerial Tramway, a huge rotating cable car, (the largest in the Western Hemisphere) and Palm Springs’ main attraction. It goes right to the top of Southern California’s second highest peak. Going from 75 degrees, flip flops and palm trees to snow, pine cones and boots was something. I had been up there before, but that did not help me remember to wear boots; I had socks with my athletic sandals thinking it would be sufficient. As my feet began to get wet with snow I cursed myself for such a stupid oversight. Still we had a nice hike and the ride is always fun - definitely a “must-do” when you’re here. Just get a load of the view.

Lunch was better, kind of, at least for me. We ate Mexican. Not because we wanted to, but because we couldn’t come up with a better idea when we discovered the vegetarian restaurant we wanted to try is closed on Sundays. I had fish tacos and Boy Wonder was brave and ordered the ceviche. The fish was not so fresh. He craved bread, anything to try and remove the memory of the pasty dish. Right after that near mid day disaster meal it was time to get to work for the next 4 hours. I think it went well, time will tell, but I can’t right now because it’s a secret.

I am happy to report that dinner went very well. We had tapas at “Azul”, a cute little outdoor space that serves till 2, every day. Poor guys. We had deep fried wonton blue crab ravioli over shitakes in a light cream sauce, beef skewers and a cold tomato, eggplant napoleon with Buffalo Mozzarella dressed with Balsamic. We hashed around ideas, talked about what we liked and what we didn’t about our work day and grooved to some really great tunes.

It was a great weekend even if the food wasn’t.

Keeping with the theme of the trip we arrived into the Grand Canyon Park last night 12 minutes after the pizza joint closed. About an hour prior we decided that a couple beers and a pizza were going to be the perfect close to today. Unfortunately that was not going to happen. We found a café across the street and went inside. Looking at the menu I lost my appetite and was going to order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and maybe a cup of soup. Sensing my upset and disgust at the menu Scott had the brilliant idea to call the restaurant at the hotel El Tovar and see when their last seating was. It was in 30 minutes. We were so there. We had a decent meal, but compared to what our option had been, it was perfect!

Sunrise was at 7:38 and it seemed a waste not to see it in a setting such as this. It was freezing due to high winds. Stopping for shots I was so cold that I could barely operate the camera and while Scott was taking his pictures I found refuge crawling under a pine tree out of the path of the wind. I felt like some mountain creature, all I had to do was shit in tiny pebbles and start gnawing on some pine bark and that would have sealed it.

Given our time constraint we only had about an hour to hike down the canyon a bit. Not before the most awesome breakfast ever in the restaurant of the El Tovar. Scott chose this history rich hotel because not only was it solid with spirit and structure, it sits on the rim of the canyon. We walked out of the hotel directly to the rim overlooking the stage where the Colorado River and the high Arizona plateau did their dance to the song of time millions of year ago. The canyon is immense dropping a mile down in some places. We took a short hike down the canyon before moving on to Hoover Dam. Going back up was quite a workout and because of the elevation I was a bit dizzy and had to take the stroll a bit more slowly. It was better this way because I could take in more of the scenery.

We parked at the dam and walked toward the center of the dam. Scott told me to close my eyes and led me to the railing where he told me to open my eyes and what I saw was amazing. The engineering that went into this structure is impressive as is the power it generates. They say Vegas is lit by the power from the dam. What I thought to be kind of cool was that there is a spot on the walkway where the state line between Nevada and Arizona is drawn as well as the line for the change from Mountain to Pacific Time. A funny thing happened right before we entered the park, we had to pass through a security check and well…

Click the image above to watch the video.

My drive home started on the Mass Pike Highway 90 at 8:30am yesterday and I was in Cleveland, Ohio by 6pm. Originally, I thought the drive would be 12+ hrs on two separate days, but as I kept driving and the hours kept flying I thought, “What the hell, let’s keep going!”

I love to drive and this was the perfect day for it, until I reached just outside of Buffalo and encountered some serious snow. I was a bit nervous seeing that I had never driven Milo in the snow before, but it wasn’t collecting and melted before it stuck. When I stopped for a slash and a snack I thought it would be a perfect time for a video to document the event.

I also captured the sunset along the Pennsylvania state line. I felt like a photographer for National Geographic who waited all day and timed everything just perfectly for this exact moment.

Ma Hazzard didn’t expect me until today so when I realized I would be early I decided to surprise her. My plan went down w/o a hitch. I called my brother to propose a little plan to surprise our dear ole Ma and start the holiday season on a great note. I arrived at the restaurant before them and was seated at the booth when they walked in the room. She saw me sitting there, but instead of looking surprised she looked as if some one had just given her a wedgie. It was a look of confusion meets physical discomfort… a real “HUH???????” That lasted a second until she dropped her purse and put her hands to her mouth in shock. I told her that I decided to have dinner with her. She still kept her hands and arms on her chest in disbelief that was soon turning into a sob filled joy. I stood up in front of her, attempted to hug her with her arms still wrapped around her body clutching herself. She would not let go. Did I mention that we were standing, all three of us in the middle of the aisle?

I finally had to say “Mom, hug me. People are watching” as if we were in a play and that was the next scene. She soon came to and gave me a big hug. When she finished crying we had a lovely dinner. Now you can watch my original plan in full, living color below.

Sarah and I were walking along the beach of the Indian Ocean when we came across what looked like a bunch of snails. These snails had feet that looked like gelatinous wings that flapped along the sand carrying them quite quickly. They all seemed to stop at the same time and then dug themselves into the sand where they remained until the next wave came in. Then they did it all over again.

There was no mention of them on any of the informational posters that were lined up along the beach. I’m fine with the mystery. For us city kids, any up-close nature is awe-inspiring. Even after a lengthy African safari!