Downtown Desert Nights

So.... warm evenings outside, hanging out downtown with live music & street vendors... and someone actually had the audacity to ask me the other day if I was homesick. Sorry..... NOT!

Every Thursday night the streets of downtown Palm Springs are closed off & hundreds of vendors and musicians fill the area and people pack in from miles around and hang out & shop & groove and just be human. It is a good thing. Tim & I rode our bikes downtown last night and walked among the throngs (carrying our bike seats) and made our way all the way to the other end of town for our celebratory beer (see photo above, thanks to our tattooed waitress!).


Tim found his "beef jerky heaven" vendor --- lotsa HOT jerky for my little 'rock man'! I was in my own special heavenly place, too, because, not only were there multiple jewellry + handbags + soaps + incense + 'you-name-it' hippie artists everywhere.... there were MANY falafel vendors!! Must fill up on my falafel quota before Canada beckons us back. I'll miss it sooooooooo much!! I could buy presents for everyone I know & become queen-of-the-world (thank gawd all our budgeted money is spent....). We also sat & listened to a great duo of guitar & flute on the street & bought their CD. Their website is kinda new-agey-fruit-tutti but they were surreal & gorgeous and awesome people to listen and talk to. Later, after we rode home, we hung out in Shaggy & drank our "two buck chuck" while listening to their CD.

Also finally bought "Guns, Germs & Steel" by Jared Diamond and hopefully will begin reading again. Just really haven't been doing much of anything lately except the ol' Battery Recharge (such a good metaphor!)... I did start reading the book today but fell asleep after a few pages. Seems my body finds sleep & relaxation much more important than trying to learn the history of the past 13000 years (even tho' it won the Pullitzer Prize and all......)

Anyway, pictures at left and below are of the El Paseo area of Palm Desert --- open at night (of course). My brother explained that night time is a reprieve from the abusive hot of the summer days here. During blistering July and August, people hibernate inside air conditioned havens during the day & then venture outside to the cool spaces at night. Already feels like that to us Canadians, tho (even in December......)
Exceptionally lovely for the nocturnal among us.....

Anyway --- lotsa new pix from these two evenings at my photo page. Check 'em out if you get a chance.... ciao!