Amazingly, after the exhausting day of travel, we woke and were moving at 10. By 11 we'd checked emails and called Grandma and Ken to have them show us how to work the speaker system, pool and hot tub. Ken offered to take us on a 45 minute tour of the area, and we accepted. They drove us to their other house (#3) then out and around La Quinta, CA - the town our house is in. They showed us a lovely pizza place in the Old Town, showed us the grocery stores and excellent restaurants nearby, then took us back to our resort for lunch at the Clubhouse. I had an excellent "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink salad."
Alan and I popped back home to pick up our car. Then, we drove Route 111 - the old highway that cuts through all the towns in the desert. We are staying at the far east end, and the far west end of the highway is Palm Springs.
Before the trip began, while Alan was researching movie filming sites to visit in LA, I was finding thrift stores and the Tommy Bahama restaurant in Palm Springs. Both (coincidentally) area along Route 111. We popped into a few thrift stores on our way. We looked at Tommy Bahama shirts for Alan and found a Vera Wang blouse for me. It was missing its tag, so the saleslady gave it to me for $2.49. YAY! We hit a few antique stores. Goodwill. Then we beelined to Palm Springs. We decided that we'd like to go miniature golfing at Boomys, and walking along the Palm Springs shopping strip.
On our way home we made another attempt to find Tommy Bahama, and found it - along with a shopping complex that has similar shops to Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara, or U Village in Seattle. Only better. The Anthropologie is next door to Tommy Bahama. How did they know we were coming? We popped into both, then upstairs to the restaurant, but the bar was crammed full for some football game involving a California team (Not the 49ers. They'd already played), so we decided to try again later. We meandered the mall, walking up to the Brighton to look for sunglasses for me. They'd discontinued my favorite pair, but that gives me hope. There's a Brighton outlet on the way back out of town. Maybe I'll find them there. We walked back to a lovely Cafe des Beaux Artes, but decided after all that the breakfast and brunch menus were more exciting than dinner. So we drove back to the pizza place Grandma and Ken had recommended.
The pizza was excellent! We had the Napa. Ham, bacon, mushrooms, apples, gouda and mozzerella cheese, topped with a mango drizzle. YUM! Gouda should ALWAYS go on pizza.
On the way home we ran into Trader Jos for some munchies and coffee. Then went home and heated up the spa. Alan sat outside and smoked a cigar he'd bought at a shop across from Tommy Bahama (it smelled SO good. I hate cigarette smoke, but the occasional pipe or cigar smells heavenly!). I drank champagne and read a new collection of "Anne" stories I found at Powells. Alan called John to gloat about our spa and putting green, and then read a Dr. Laura book about keeping men happy. We neither of us like her delivery AT ALL, but some of the advice was pretty good. I took the book when he put it down and read a chapter myself.
Once the hot tub was warm, we had a lovely glass of wine, and a romantic evening under the stars which finally showed up! What a lovely end to the first real day of your honeymoon!
