This was taken literally right outside our condo door. We were right on the 2nd hole of one of the two golf courses there. All three grandsons love to golf, so it was perfect for them!
And let's just say--their dad doesn't mind it too much either!
After dropping them off at the clubhouse, George, Alison, and I would go off and do other fun things.
One day, we went to the local flea market held on the college campus there.
We definitely had to try the mini donuts. They were really messy--but delicious!
These kids are always so much fun! They really keep things lively!
On another day, we all decided to go up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. We wondered why everyone had their heavy coats on but us! We certainly found out!
Although the 2 1/2 mile trip is only ten minutes to get to the top, the temperature is 35-40 degrees colder at the top!
Yes, it was freezing! Luckily, we were able to buy blankets in the shop on top!
There was even snow on the ground! Such a difference!
Had it been warmer or we had prepared better with winter clothing, we could have gone on some of the 54 miles of hiking trails.
As it was, we only made snowballs . . .
and most of us had hot chocolate (while George had his Diet Coke) . . .
and then we got back on the tram for the return ride.
These trams are really unique and one of a kind. They rotate 360 degrees while you are inside and do so twice before you get to the bottom, so literally you see the entire area.
Yes, it was a fascinating adventure, but we were so glad to be back to the warmth when some of us were dressed like this! Hah!
Preston is seriously a little Michael Jordan in the making! He spent hours on the basketball court while we were there.
George had the best time playing with him.
The guys had a great time on the putting green, too.
This is George's kind of golfing for now.
On another day while John and Parker were golfing, George, Alison, and I went to the zoo in Palm Springs, the Living Desert. The zoo is always one of my favorite places to go!
I have been to zoos all over the country (and world, if you count the Shanghai Zoo), and love to see how each area adapts the zoo for their terrain. This zoo had a huge miniature railroad.
When we saw the camel, the obvious question was whether Grandpa wanted to ride it or not. "Of course, not!" he said. Everyone remembers too well the time he couldn't get off the two- humped camel at the Great Wall and became a bigger attraction than the Great Wall itself!
Tyson and Preston were good sports and off they went! It did help to actually have a saddle on the camel, I must say.
The kids loved feeding the giraffes at the enclosure there.
However, they do have sticky, yucky saliva!
After seeing the real warthogs, Preston climbed on one himself--of course, it wasn't real.
Next, we stopped at the animal show. Here the guide showed a real crocodile skeleton and how far they can extend their jaw.
This guide is a long ways from home. We talked to him afterwards and found out he was from Florida and worked at a zoo there.
The tortoises are always fun to see.
The meerkats always remind me to have better posture! Hah!
Right in the middle of the zoo is this small mountain, and what did we find there?
Bighorn sheep. It was fascinating to see them maneuver around on the steep cliffs while we were so close by. Usually you would have to look way off with binoculars to watch this!
It was, also, interesting to note that you could actually tell the age and sex of the bighorn by observing their horns.
I think ram of about 5-6 years. Right?
The coin race is always fun.
Really a unique day that we enjoyed with Alison and the kids so much.
This was the beautiful area at the entrance of the hotel and condos where we stayed.
Beautiful inner courtyard of the hotel and golf shop.
Final day of golfing, and the guys were just outside our window when I shot these.
Seriously, these guys all were such good sports to humor me as I took all these pictures. Thanks for allowing me to have fun in this way, too!
And all too soon, we had to leave this beautiful Palm Desert Resort and were on the road to John and Alison's home. What ordinarily would take about eight hours turned into about ten. It seemed like we were never going to get there!
I was fascinated by the hundreds of windmills that provide power to the surrounding areas. With very little water in the vicinity for dams, man has had to find other ways of generating electricity
Yes, we had such a great time! Thank you so much, John and Alison, for this wonderful retreat which we absolutely loved, as well as spending more time with your family! It will definitely be a time of so many pleasant memories we will never forget!
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