A Day of Funk and Elegance!

April 21

Today we were up at 8 for laundry day!!  About 9:30 and 86 degrees, we left Bea and Tom's to go out for breakfast in Palm Desert. The place chosen by out hosts was

Keedy's, the "Best Greasy Spoon," once featured on the Food Network. Since 1957 this place has had the same Formica tables, counter, stools and fountain. The men ordered chicken fried steak!!!

At 11:00, we headed for Santa Roda and San Jacunto National  Monument where there was a short paved walk amid desert flora. At 11:45 we arrived at the Palm Springs Art Museum for a funky exhibit presented by collector Donna MacMillan. The exhibit demonstrates embellishment and excess, and is sub- titled "Baroque to Bling."  There is a bonnet with 31,000 corsage pins, a giant charm bracelet, a silver encased pillow entitled "Somewhere between Sleeping on the Streets and the Silver Clouds," and a necklace titled "Freud."  Shortly after noon left  the museum a 45 minute shopping spree at Barnes & Noble  and were home at 1. The temp was now in the mid-90s!

Our afternoon was very leisurely-naps, reading, laundry, chats, soaking up the desert air. I walked the 3 mile perimeter of Desert Horizons, the gated golfing community in which the Sextons live, in  hopes of getting 10,000 today.....I succeeded!

After showering, etc., we headed for the Desert Horizons Club for a Wine-tasting Dinner featuring Trentedue Wines, produced in a family owned winery off Rt. 101 north of Santa Rosa. When the family arrived at Ellis Island, the patriarch was asked a question and answered, "Trentedue."  He thought he was being asked how many there were in the family so the family name became "Thirtytwo!"  

Anyway, we were served an elegant five-course prepared by the Desert Horizons chef, each course served with a different Trentedue wine: a large scallop cooked with bacon and capers, a piece of crumb encased sea bass with roasted lemon slices, a small loin lamb chop served with polenta, a palate cleanser of sorbet, a piece of filet of beef with a dollop of pate and asparagus. Dessert was chocolate soufflé served with  Trentedue Chocolate Port. Quite delicious and classy!  

We sat with Bea and Tom's friend, Betsy and Jim Hansen, and conversed easily and comfortably with them and other Sexton friends. Peter chatted with a man who was born in the same hospital he was in Brooklyn!  I had an interesting conversation with Lee, the first female mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Quite an evening!