Trip to the desert

I drove to Palm Springs yesterday to pick up two collections for the auction. It was nice out there, not too hot yet. 

My friend Ken and I had lunch at Rick's. Ken lives in one of those storybook modern Palm Springs houses, his was designed by the legendary architect William Krisel. Great pad.

Rick's makes really good food. I have been very good of late, almost no red meat for two months, I have been bad on exactly two occasions.

Trying to limit my salt and sugar too. I honestly feel pretty good on fish and chicken.

I broke down yesterday.

The owner of Rick's is Cuban and prepares his native cuisine exceedingly well and so I went for the pork loin sandwich. 

First pork I have eaten in a long time and darn did it taste good! Great black beans and rice and plantains too. If god didn't want us to eat it why did he make it taste so damn good?

Afterwards I drove out to Big Morongo Canyon to try to do a bit of midday birding, never easy.

I took a short hike with my friend Vickie who lives nearby.

Vickie is an artist who does great assemblages. Tom gave me an old guitar and Vickie is going to do something cool with it. I delivered it to her yesterday. We always have interesting conversations, in some ways having similar and parallel youths and deviations. Took a few of the same wrong turns. And right turns, come to think of it!

The Morongo Canyon is so neat. A little oasis. You see birds there you rarely see anywhere else, like summer tanagers.

Wonderful to get out and stretch the legs for a little while and talk with my good friend.

Unfortunately my avian timing was not optimal yesterday. I did see a yellow rumped warbler and a female vermilion flycatcher but not a whole lot more.

This was my second time there and I already want to go back and hike the whole eight mile canyon loop.

Very cool day and that is pretty much all I got.