On the White Line

When I left Milwaukee last month, I had no art or craft shows officially lined up for my time out West. That was a concern… it’s critical that I sell some shard jewelry on this trip.

My one glimmer of hope was that a few shows put me on their Wait List. The Wait List can be a dreaded no man’s land where you may never know the reason you were put there… and if you’ll ever get off.

In that uncertain predicament, I have made it a policy of giving the event organizers a call. It’s a chance to introduce myself, let them know I am a professional and, hopefully, leave them feeling that I would be an asset to their show.

I can’t confirm that the phone call has given me an edge over other Wait List vendors, but I’ve been moved off the Wait List and on the artist list for two shows in Arizona next month. Yes, I was doing handstands when those notifications came through.

So, now I’ve got two art shows, a Saint Patrick’s Day Faire and my stand-by spot on weekends at College of the Desert. So far, sales have been good. Considering January and February are usually completely dead times, I’m hoping this migration West for the winter will be good for business.

We went to Sonny Bono’s old church this morning… St Theresa’s. I enjoyed the children’s choir, and I must say, they were very generous with the ashes. Some people walked out of there with 4″ crosses on their foreheads… not the usual smudge of ash I’m used to.

Our feast at the casino buffet this evening. It was delicious.

I wasn’t about to turn the RV into a Polish kitchen to carry on my family’s Fat Tuesday tradition of pączki and pierogi (those are Polish donuts and dumplings, for those who don’t know). Instead, Liam and I ate light all day and then headed to the buffet at the casino here in Palm Springs. Wowsers… they’ve got quite a spread.

I snapped the photo above just before I was “informed” that photos were not allowed in the casino. Consider this a renegade photo… I’m so reckless!

Hope all of you were gluttons today as well. Cheers! (more…)

We were at the end of our hike this morning when we spotted a Japanese couple standing on the steep-sloped trail. They were holding hands and looking directly at the rocks.

I thought, “This is a bit weird.”

When we got closer, the man turned to us and said, “Rattlesnake.”

There, under a rock ledge only a few feet from our heads was a rattlesnake. He was not “rattling,” and he didn’t seem to care that he had an audience.

Production

After our hike, we went right into production… our first full day of work in eight weeks. We are waaaaay behind. That said, the warm weather makes working outside easy, and that means production is much more enjoyable.

Salmon with Dates and Basil

As a little treat, I tested out a new recipe this evening. I really don’t like fish, but I cooked some salmon and it turned out scrumptious. Here’s the recipe:

1 tbs melted butter
1 sliced date
8 leaves of fresh basil
2 salmon fillets
Salt and pepper

Place salmon in an ovenproof dish (I used a glass pie pan). Add freshly ground salt and pepper.

Mix butter, date and basil in a bowl. Spread mixture over the fillets.

Cook in the oven for 14 minutes (sorry, I used our convection oven and set it to “grill,” so I’m not sure what temperatures to use).

Then I served it with black beans with peas and hot pepper flakes and a side of avocado slices. Mmmmm.

A view of Bob Hope's former home.

Sure Palm Springs boasts all kinds of poolside resorts and celebrity connections, but I’ve been more impressed with the hiking trails…. well, the three we’ve explored so far.

Two of the hikes took us vertical on trails that zigzagged to the summit of the hills/mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley… from there we could take in views of Palm Springs, the valley and the snow capped mountains in the distance. The other dropped us into a palm-filled canyon. Gorgeous and a welcome change from the (more…)

Unexpected jam session in Apache Junction

Mom was supposed to fly back to Milwaukee yesterday, but that whopper of a storm that everyone is talking about put her flight plans on hold… the airport in Milwaukee was shut down due to the weather. Instead, she’ll be heading home tomorrow.

The good news is that mom got to join us as we visited with our Yooper snowbird friends, Jimmy, Norma, Lynn and Jim. As luck would have it, we were invited to an old-fashioned jam session in the neighborhood. Great fun.

If you peek at the picture below, you might recognize the Lynn and Jimmy from their “other life” as Da Yoopers of “Second Week of Deer Camp” (and others) fame.

Lynn, mom, me and Jimmy... yes, my conversation did put Jimmy to sleep.

We were awake waaaay before the sun came up on both Saturday and Sunday trying to get on the “standby” list for the College of the Desert Street Fair. Standby check-in was at 5:30 am.

Of course we didn’t have a clue of what we were doing, so on Saturday we were there before 5 and found ourselves weaving around campus trying to find things. While Liam headed for check-in, I was on a mission to find Lot 15 for temporary parking. After 20 minutes of driving around, I just picked a spot on campus and sat there until Liam called. As luck would have it… it was Lot 15, and I didn’t even know it.

Just before 7am on Saturday, Liam called that our number was picked from the lottery, and we were in the show. We weren’t all that surprised because the rain was keeping the regular vendors away. Despite the very wet weather, and the likelihood that there wouldn’t be a lot of people attending, we decided we would give it a go and chalk it up as a learning experience.

A Learning Experience

There were many lessons to be learned on that day. The entire “standby” process was quite a production… paperwork, lots of waiting, a little confusion and a quite a few people with limited patience. Painless for the most part, but still plenty of hoops to jump through.

There was light rain most of the day and shopper traffic was light, but we still sold some jewelry and added some names to the mailing list… and learned a lot about the “system.” Meanwhile, on Sunday the weather was gorgeous, traffic was a little heavier, but sales were less than rainy Saturday. Imagine that.

The verdict… we’ll continue doing this show. We didn’t make a lot of money, but any income is a blessing right now. Plus, the customers who did buy were enthusiastic and interesting… the type of people we like.

Yesterday was spent packing Pat and driving to Phoenix. Just as we pulled in, we got a call that her flight today was canceled because of a big storm in the Midwest. Looks like she’ll be staying with us a few days more. Her flight now leaves on Thursday.

Here’s a look back at our first week in Palm Springs… including shots from the College of the Desert Street Fair:

Liam made us a special treat this evening — chocolate cake in the microwave — and it was scrumptious!

Here’s his recipe (he doubled it for the cake pictured above).

4 Tablespoons cake flour (1/4 cup)
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
3 Drops of Vanilla
A small handful of chocolate chips (optional, but oh so yummy)

Combine the dry ingredients in a small Pyrex bowl with a fork (most people use a coffee mug, but Liam prefers how the cake turns out in a flatter pan).

Add the egg then mix. Add the milk and oil then mix.

Microwave for 3 minutes (5 minutes for a double batch). Watch as the cake starts rising out of the bowl. When it stops rising, it’s done.

Flip the cake onto a plate and serve.

Liam loves adding nuts to the batter. He also says he likes to dress it up with a dollop peanut butter, cream cheese or fruit to the center from time to time… I’m not sure where I was when he was perfecting this recipe.

Eating Well

Although the cake isn’t really diet food, we have improved our eating habits in the last few days, and we all feel better for it. Today, Pat made chicken and spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker with fresh basil. Then served it over whole wheat noodles with salad. Mmmmmm.

The view from my bedroom window in Palm Springs, CA.

After nearly a month on the road, we’ve settled into an RV park in Palm Springs. It feels good to stay put for a little while… and to have constant hook-up for electric, water and sewage.

We’re still getting ourselves situated, so our posts will short and sweet for the time being… plus we’ve got sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s to enjoy right now.

We bid farewell to our friends Jim and Betty Sanford in Phoenix before heading onwards to Palm Springs, CA.

Ginger, Tim and Jim offer a song... and Patsy loves every minute of it.

We can always count on Jim and Betty Sanford for wonderful hospitality. This visit was no different… lots of food, great company and plenty of music. Patsy experienced her first Irish hoolie, and I think she had a great time!

Click the photos for more pics from our visit to Phoenix.