Just because

Vacation: Sun

On Sun we had a leisurely breakfast, talked, and sat in the sun for a while before getting ready for our 2nd home tour.  This one was not a vintage home, but rather, was a brand new build that was built from a vintage Donald Wexler design.  The home tour was called Steel & Glass. 

While beautiful in its simplicity, I found this home to be far too cold and sterile for my taste.  Some of this may have been due to the furnishings/decorations. I did like how light and open it was.

Living room

Breakfast area looking into kitchen

Pool and spa

Since it was Sun and we saw several open house signs, we decided to pop into some of the open houses.  We went inside 2 large homes near a golf course, both well over $1M, and then 2 more modest homes close to the 1 in which we were staying, priced at $399K & $449K.  It was fun to talk to the agents and learn more about the rental season there, which is understandably much longer than here in DE.

Next we had lunch at Trio which was yummy and then walked over to a vintage sale in a nearby parking lot.  They had a lot of really cool stuff but we all thought the prices were high.  I took these 2 photos because my friend Thad loves all kinds of vintage chairs and Pyrex.

I'd never seen anything like this

Cute polka dot design

Once back at the house we spent some time in the pool and hot tub, then showered and got ready for a nice out.

1st we went to happy hour at Trunks which was fun, then went back to Sherman's Deli to have cake since we were too full on our 1st visit there.  The slices were huge and we ended up taking parts of them back to the house for later.

Then we went to a drag show at Toucan's which advertised appearances by queens from RuPaul's Drag Race Morgan McMichaels, Delta Werk, Pandora Boxx, and Raja.  It was free/standing room only and we really couldn't see the performers from where we stood.  There were some people who rudely pushed through the patrons as if they were going somewhere, so within about 1/2 an hour all 4 of us were over it and left.  Oh well, what do you expect for a free drag show?

Vacation: Sat

Sat morning we had a leisurely breakfast at home, then cleaned up and got ourselves ready for our 1st home tour.  The home was basically gutted and redesigned which took 18 months, and then professionally decorated with lots of touches of the new owner's favorite color orange.  The home was then named "Maison a l'orange" (the orange home).

It.

Was.

Stunning!

Seriously, this is my DREAM HOME.  I could totally live in this home and not feel the need to change a thing.  I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed touring this home.

Front view with its asymmetric roof line and privacy wall

Living room

Dining area

Living room with fireplace and pool out back

3-legged chair

Love the textured wall tile in this sleek orange & white kitchen

Love the way these floor-to-ceiling windows make the fireplace appear to float

Love the wallpaper in this guest room

Mirrored vanity

Spouse behind the tufted granite-topped bar

Open floor plan

 

Love the wallpaper in this guest room too

Another guest room

Love the way Spouse's shirt coordinated with this room's color scheme

My shirt coordinated with the master bedroom's color scheme too

The owner loves the color orange

This metal tile seemed to shimmer

Fire pit with built in circular seating

Gorgeous pool and spa

Loved the vintage chaise lounges and the modern dining cabana

Mountain views from the back yard

Our tour was limited to 30 minutes and they literally had to gently remind us that our time was up and that another group was scheduled to start.  I just couldn't get enough of this beautiful, stylish home.

After the tour we went to the grocery store and bought some snack food and booze for our pool party.  A colleague of 1 of the Newlyweds was in town with his wife, so they invited them.  Another friend of the Newlyweds came from LA, and my old friend Billy who lives in Palm Springs also came.  We had snacks, drinks, music, pool and hot tub time.  It was a lot of fun!

Beardy boy

Vacation: Fri

Fri morning the 4 of us had coffee and talked for a while.  One of the Newlyweds went for a run while Spouse & I ran to Walmart.  Since we don't check our bags we couldn't bring any shampoo, moisturizer, shaving cream or deodorant, so we picked up those things and some miscellaneous snack foods.  Interestingly we noticed several people brought their dogs into the store, on leashes of course.  These weren't service dogs with their marked harnesses; they were just pets.  Being a dog lover I   didn't mind this, but I can imagine it might be an issue to people who are afraid or allergic to dogs.  Coincidentally we ran into a friend from DE in the Walmart in Palm Springs!

Upon returning to the house we slipped into our trunks and enjoyed some time in the pool.  

Then the 4 of us drove into town and had a late lunch at the popular Sherman's Deli.  

A friend had recommended it to me and we found the food to be really good.  Every restaurant has outdoor seating so we made a point to request it whenever possible.  I took this photo of my handsome husband using the portrait mode on my iPhone while waiting for our lunches.

We were too full to order any of the AMAZING looking desserts in the dessert case so we made a mental note to come back specifically for that. 

Palm Springs used to be called Hollywood's Playground since many celebrities owned homes here to get away from the hubbub and paparazzi of Hollywood.  We pulled up a list of celebrity's homes on our phone, most of which were in an enclave called Movie Colony, and drove by them.  Many were barely visible due to the high fences and tall hedges, but it was fun to think of Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Dean Martin, Liberace, Barry Manilow and others having spent 'down time' here. 

Later that evening we went to happy hour at Wang's.  We were surprised how full it was for 6:00 but as we soon learned, the nightlife happens much earlier in Palm Springs than in most areas.  Next we walked over to Hunters nightclub for another drink and a little dancing. This guy was selling shots and I couldn't resist snapping a photo of his curvy booty.

Then we had a seat on their patio and talked while enjoying the mild night air.  

Across the street there was a stretch of small stores that looked interesting.  This one immediately made me think of Sean.

Next door at Rough Trade Gear I saw this t-shirt which really made me laugh!

While I don't support anyone calling anyone a faggot (including gays), I do think its funny that this shirt attempts to reclaim the inflammatory word, associating it with power.  I was tempted to buy it, but really couldn't imagine myself wearing it at home.

Then around 8:30 we walked over to Maracas Cantina for a late Mexican dinner.  Although the sun was down and it was cooler, all the restaurants have overhead heaters to warm up the outdoor dining areas so it was very pleasant.

It was a full, fun day!

Just because

Vacation: Wed & Thurs

Wed evening after dinner Spouse went upstairs to begin selecting the clothes he wanted to take on our trip, although we thought we had another full day before we'd be leaving.  I was cleaning up from dinner and loading the dishwasher when I got a text from The Newlyweds: "Can't wait to see you guys tomorrow!"  I began typing my response: "You mean Fri", but before tapping 'send', I thought I'd better double-check our itinerary.

When I did, my heart sank.  I thought we were staying overnight at a hotel near the airport on Thurs night and flying out Fri morning, but my itinerary showed we were scheduled to stay at the hotel THAT NIGHT and fly out THE NEXT MORNING!

It was 6:30pm and we hadn't packed anything, plus we had a 2+ hour drive to the hotel near the airport.  I walked up the stairs and said to Spouse "Don't kill me, don't kill me, don't kill me" and then explained my mistake.  He was not pleased but what were we going to do?

I started by logging onto the airline's website to check in for our flight.  Then I called the dog sitter/house sitter, explained my mistake and asked if she could come a day earlier.  Fortunately she could.  Then I joined Spouse upstairs to pack.  Miraculously we were loaded into the car by 8:00pm.

We arrived at the hotel and I showed my confirmation (on my phone) to the front desk clerk but it didn't come up in her computer.  After searching by the confirmation number, my name, and who knows what else, she finally called someone for help.  After about 20 minutes she finally gave us a key to a room.  When we walked in there were no sheets, pillows, blankets or pillows so we went back down to see the clerk.  She sent us to another room and as we walked in I saw luggage on the floor and heard someone inside yell "Wait!!"  We went back to the clerk who apologized, offered us an upgraded room, and sent us to a 3rd room.  The 3rd time was the charm.

The next day our flight was completely full. 

Plane selfie

Spouse had the isle seat, I was in the middle, and a man who must have been 7' tall had the window seat.  Needless to say we had no extra room to spread out, but then again, its what we expected.  We're aware that flying is typically uncomfortable but necessary if you want to get somewhere far away and/or quickly.  We arrived at LAX, caught a shuttle to the car rental lot, and shortly thereafter drove off in this:

Spouse was happy that the front seat had lots of room for his 'ample' body.  I was happy that it was red.  Finally we were off to Palm Springs!

The Newlyweds had already checked into our MisterB&B rental when we arrived around 4:00.  We hung out by the pool and talked for a while, then went for drinks at Chill Bar.  In the back bar area a charity event was going on that was hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence so we decided to check it out.  A date with this bootilicous beau was being auctioned:

He had a very muscular upper body too, but my photo didn't really capture it.  But that butt!!!  Afterward we went to an arts and crafts street fair, then had a late dinner at Bongo Johnny's.  Once back at the house we enjoyed soaking in the hot tub before going to bed.  

I was happy we weren't yawning while out on the town, since CA is 3 hours behind DE.  We managed to stay up until almost midnight local time, and wake up at a reasonable local time too.

Home

For the 1st time ever, we took a "red eye" home from CA.  Our plane left CA at 9:00pm PT on Wed and we arrived in Baltimore at 5:00am ET on Thurs.  We hoped to be able to sleep on the plane, but let's be honest - the seats really aren't made for sleeping and neither of us could get into a position comfortable enough to doze off for more than a couple minutes.

So after a shuttle ride from the airport back to the hotel where our car was parked, and the drive back to DE, we arrived home at 8:00am ET, having been awake for nearly 24 hours.  We both felt like zombies but were warmly greeted by Marvin & Walter who then followed us upstairs and joined us in bed.  We slept until 12:30, and although we could have slept longer, I didn't want to sleep so much during the day that we wouldn't be able to sleep that night.  

We ate lunch, watched some TV, and generally relaxed.  Spouse did go for his personal trainer appointment last night - such dedication!

We had a great trip and I will share photos and stories in the days to come.

Beardy boy

Formula

I truly endorse this!

Just because

Romantic

Palm Springs, here we come!

Today we arrive in Palm Springs!

I likely won't post until we return due to all the fun we'll be having!

Thanks for checking in here, and I'll share some photos once we're home.

Beardy boy

Valentines Day

Today is Valentines Day.  The day for lovers.  The day couples celebrate their coupleness.

Sorry single people.  Its not you... its us.

While some people view Valentines Day cynically, as a day for restaurants and florists to jack up their prices and for stores to overflow their isles with boxes of chocolates and stuffed animals, I still look at Valentines Day as a purist would.  I like to reflect on the night Spouse & I met, our first few dates, and our bond which has grown stronger during our 21+ years together.

I usually like to send beautiful cut flowers to Spouse's office, have boxed chocolates waiting for him at home, and eat a nice meal together at home.  

But this year will be a little different.  Spouse took off work today in order to pick out and pack his clothes and other stuff for our trip, so he won't be at work to get the flowers.  And even if he were there, he'd only get to enjoy seeing them for 1 day before we leave on a week's vacation, so it would be almost a total waste. So no flowers today.

We don't typically go out to dinner on Valentines Day because restaurants are crowded and prices are high.  We won't go tonight either, as I will be packing and getting ready to be away.  Instead, we'll make a HelloFresh meal and spend an evening at home together.

But we'll still confess our love and undying affection to one another, without balloons or flowers or fancy restaurant dinners.  Because at the end of the day, its just us.

Just because

Business

If you're a realtor and you want to boost your business, plan a vacation.

It never fails.  Whenever I'm planning to be away for a while, my clients come crawling out of the woodwork.  Its like I've put out some invisible sonar signal that says "Call Mark now".  

This week is no exception.  The fact that this coming weekend is a 3-day weekend (Presidents Day) may be a factor.

2 clients with whom I've been working want to come this weekend to look at homes.  I've had to get assistance from colleagues so these clients can tour the homes they've been reviewing online, and hopefully 1 or both of them will want to buy.

Today I got a call from a new client who wants to look at a specific property on Sun.  I've had to get a 3rd colleague to help this person.  But since I've never met or really worked with this person, I decided to simply 'give' this potential buyer to my colleague.

And its not like I won't be working at all while I'm gone.  My personal and work emails come on my iPhone and I'll have to check them and respond to time-sensitive things a couple times each day to keep things moving.

So the next time my business is a little slow, I'm going to plan a quick trip and then just wait for the phone to start ringing.

Beardy boy

Before my eyes

I don't remember where I saw this, but it really made me laugh out loud!

Just because