GODAWFUL YELLOW WORKS FOR ME.

Waking up to a cold rainy morning is just motivation to stick close to the park and enjoy the olympic sized pool.  Warmer than I normally like a pool to be, it was a comfort  this  morning. The pool is indoors and it's obvious that it was misty inside the building.
The hot tub is outside and perfect for doing my upper body yoga exercises and just lolling around. Hey! If I were home I’d be doing house or yard work. None of that here.  We did spend the afternoon getting the washing done and playing on the computer-mostly with pictures.
A couple days back, after we visited the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, we stopped at Nye Beach in Newport which was at one time a major resort area. It has a performing arts center and a visual arts center. This sculpture welcomes you to the visual arts building that a gentleman in town directed me too by saying, “walk toward the beach until you find the most godawful buttercup monstrosity you’ll ever see and you are there.”  He went on to inform me the color was chosen by a committee.  I chuckled.  Maybe gray would have fit in better with the landscape, but it didn’t offend me in the least since I love yellow.  The current exhibit was composed of the local high school and grammar school artist’s work. Every year before school lets out, the center provides students with their own exhibit. It’s a nice gesture and one our own arts council does in Calaveras County as well.
The banner was made of paper and plastic quilt patches.
This budding graphic artist made a life size “picture” board. His friends can stand behind the image, stick their head through the hole and have their picture taken.
Red shoes seem to be a popular subject lately since I’ve seen a pair in several exhibits this past year.
I wandered around the Nye Beach area and spotted this watercolor of a kitten in a gallery.
And a sign on a storefront that I liked for its use of artistic lettering.
The first R is made from pennies, the second one is made from small shells. Clever.
And I chuckled over this sign while having a beer and lunch at the American Legion.

HOT TUB IN THE SNOW

Thousand Trails Palms Springs Park is loaded with beautiful palms, bottle brush and other warm climate plants. Its lovely. After our three mile power walk yesterday morning, we walked to the hot tub. On the way, locals were agog at the San Jacinto Mountains surrounding us with an abnormally heavy snow cover at an abnormally low elevation.

Many of them were taking pictures of the hills with broad smiles on their faces, thrilled by the beauty of this unusual site.

Our Saturday night performer, Cowboy Jack,  commented that he had to drive through ice and slush on Highway 10 to get to our park. Snow is big news around here.

The pool and the hot tub were deserted, but we had no compunctions about hot tubbing in the snow. Well, it wasn't really snowing on us, anyway. It was quite cool outdoors and the hot tub was comforting and good therapy for my bum arm. We stayed close to the motor home and worked on computer tasks, mostly pictures, through the day.
A friend of Jim's, who lives in Palm Springs,  had invited us for an Oscar's Party, but we declined since Jim still has a cold. Haven't seen who won what. Probably wouldn't recognize any of then anyway. When it comes to movies, we are culturally deprived. Palm Springers throw a huge public Oscar's Party complete with red carpet, participants dressed to the nines, entering  past a phalanx of  flashing camera bulbs, with an elegant dinner and about four big screen television screens. Its a popular event, somewhat pricey, but certainly a wonderful way to do the Oscar's if you like that sort of thing. Remember it if you are in Palm Springs at this time of year. This town is still home to Barbara Sinatra and other notables. You see streets like Bob Hope Drive, Gene Autry Trail, and so on. This was once the hangout for the "stars". At the visitors center, they sell maps to the homes of the rich and famous, kind of Hollywood in the desert.
 I'd hate to be famous.

HOME ON THE BACK FORTY, DOCTORS AND DRUM CIRCLE

Friends, may I tell you that a blog is a wonderful responsibility. Hey, you gotta be here and posting. The trouble is we ramblers (me a newbie) discovered that the wi fi signal on the laptop isn’t always available as we traipse about the country. At times we are without a cell signal as well.
Here’s the skim: I flew home to Murphys Dec. 7th for a Doctor’s appt. , then a second doctor’s appointment. Attended a fantastic Drum Circle/Christmas Potluck at Jan Stewart’s with neighbor’s Suzy and Karen. See the photos: Caught up by phone with Pam Quyle. In other words, stuffed a lot in the 4 days I was home. I will have shoulder surgery on Feb. 11th, so the Ramblin Man and I will be returning in the cold of winter to take care of me.(I told everybody this ramblin guy was a keeper.)
However, Christmas will be spent away from family as I’m having dental work in Mexico Dec. 16th that will stretch to …?? Who knows? My dentist in Murphys was understandably unhappy that I chose to bypass his expensive treatment for affordable repairs in Mexico. I intend to return home with a new smile.

I flew back to Jamul Dec. 11th. Packed up, and the "Magic Carpet" (Jim's name for his ever movin' motorhome) took us to "The Slabs." Brief history, was once a minor marine base by the name of Camp Dunlap. It was closed in 1946 and sold to a private owner. The building foundations still remain and the place has become known as Slab City, at one time home to 5,000 campers, some drifters, homeless, and retired and vacationing RV-ers. We see a population of about 500 now with tents and million dollar rigs sharing the same neighborhood. It is also home to Leonard Wright, named by Congress as a National Treasure for his painting of Salvation Mountain. I'm having some very unique experiences. Pictures will follow (when I locate my camera cord or buy a new one in Yuma.) There are no services as we normally know them at Slab City, but there is a concert every Saturday night, Church on Sundays, a library, pet cemetery with the admonition CAVA CANI (beware of the dog) written by a typical Slabbite by the singular name of Tom (last name unknown) who wrote The Damn Fool. There is an outdoor natural hot tub and a community pit shower. (The Japanese have nothing on Slabbites.) They have an Ad Hoc Mayor by the name of Linda who has lived here for 20 years. She also publishes the Slab City Newspaper and has a radio station. I'll post again in two days when we reach Yuma where we should have a steadier wi fi signal. For more on Slab City, type it into your search engine and you'll find much information.
Chaio.