Sand Storms and Lots of Wind

The one thing that stands out in our memory about this area is the wind that comes occasionally. Yesterday was one of those days. I was driving to meet Josie for lunch at 11:30 and I could see this brown cloud approaching while traveling west on I-10. Of course, once you hit the cloud, the sand is almost blinding. There were sand clouds coming and going all day and it took Josie almost an hour to come home from work, and it is only about 17 miles away. Our lunch was fun and we ate at a place right across the street from the shop called John's Cafe. Although known for their burgers, Josie had a hot pastrami sandwich and I had a hot turkey sandwich - both were very good.

It is sad to see this once bustling and famous town deteriorate. There are small shops up and down the main street in Palm Springs that are empty and for rent. Josie said that during a discussion in the shop, the employees said that all of the real famous people that used to come to Palm Springs are dead and there aren't any new ones taking their place. Of course, the economy also has something to do with it. The buildings are mostly old and there are no new housing developments going in. There is some growth in some of the surrounding communities like Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells and Palm Desert, but the area has changed since we used to come in the mid 80's.

The wind continued all night and it is surprising that we never received a drop of rain through it all. The news has shown wet weather all around us. Today is Josie's last "scheduled" day and she is hoping to be asked to come back on a part time basis. I start back to work again today and will work up to Christmas day. That's about it for now...