Unusual Flowers

(This bloom on our Peruvian Apple Cactus [Cereus peruvianus] opened last night and was gone by mid morning.)

Today I got to experience two beautiful but unusual flowers.

About a week or so ago I was sitting on our patio having coffee when I noticed a very small bud coming off of the Peruvian Apple Cactus that we had planted about two months ago. I was actually quite surprised that the cactus would have a bud since it was really just a large branch that had fallen off of our of our neighbor's specimens. I had noticed that the gardeners were going to throw it away and decided to retrieve it and have it planted in our garden where another plant had died.

Each day since then the bud grew and grew until it became about six or seven inches in length. Yesterday I noticed that it had gotten quite red on the end and looked like it would open soon. Then this morning I looked at it and low and behold it was in full bloom. Of course I called Steve and our neighbor to come have a look. The neighbor said, "Oh, that is one of those night bloomers," (which I didn't know) but sure enough. By 10 o'clock when a friend arrived and I showed it to him, it had already started to close and by this afternoon it had completely closed and begun to die. It certainly was a good thing we were around today or we would have missed it entirely. The other thing this plant is known for is its fruit. I don't know if the plant will produce any this year, but I'll be looking for it.

The second unusual flower I saw today happened in the afternoon. I had gone up on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway with a couple of friends to hike. We decided to go on a hike to Round Valley that is on the way to Wellman Divide. It meanders up through deep pine woods along a nice stream. Due to its elevation of more than 8,000 feet the vegetation is more alpine than desert and so we got to see newly emerging Skunk Cabbage and ferns.

(One of the Snow Plants [Sarcodes sanguinea Torrey] that we saw today on our hike.)

However as we were rounding a bend in the pine forest area, I noticed a bright red object on the ground that almost looked like a toy or something. Upon investigation it turned out to be a plant, something that I imagined was in the fungi family. Of course I took pictures hoping to find out just what it was. But it was certainly something I'd never seen before. Not too far from where we spotted the first one, we saw a couple more. On our way back down when we passed the first one we had seen, we noticed another hiker taking a picture of it. He too inquired if we knew what it was. Saying I didn't, but thought it was a fungus from the way it looked and was growing, another hiker who passed by said, "It is a snow plant."

Upon coming home, I looked it up on the Internet and sure enough he was right. This is what it said, "Snow plant grows in the thick humus of montane coniferous forests from 4000' to 8000', often under pines, from the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains northward, blooming from May to July." And that is exactly where we were and the plants appeared to be just emerging right on time.

To see more pictures from today's hike, go here.

Paper Heart - Searching for Love

(Michael Cera, Jake M. Johnson, Nicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2009 in Park City, Utah. - Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage..." kept popping into my head as I watched the award-winning film, Paper Heart, directed by Nicholas Jasenovec, tonight at a special screening for members of the Palm Springs International Film Society.

Combining elements of documentary and traditional storytelling, reality and fantasy, Paper Heart goes on a quest with comedian Charlyne Yi to find out the meaning of "true love." Along the way she interviews real couples (mostly heterosexual) about what they think love is, and then tells a snippet of their story using paper cutouts in a sort of child's puppet theater. She also meets Michael Cera and over time begins to develop a relationship with him. This then turns the focus of movie onto Charlyne and her feelings toward love.

I'll be frank. I think this movie will have its share of die-hard fans, but it will also have its share of viewers who will hate it. A lot of it has to do with style. The actors have a very low affect, a dry sense of wit, a quirkiness that probably appeals to a younger audience than my age group. But I confess I found it funny, cute, clever and entertaining. My partner however would probably have walked out if I hadn't been there with him. He said he didn't actually get into the feel of the movie until almost three-quarters of the way in. A long time to sit through something that doesn't click with you.

Not due out until August, most readers will have a while to wait for this late summer movie, but if you are looking for something on a hot summer day, I'd suggest checking it out.

Should we sue to have our legal Commonwealth of Massachusetts marriage recognized in California?

(The Rev. Samuel Rodman II presiding over our Wedding Ceremony on October 7, 2004 in Boston, Massachusetts.)

Today the California Supreme Court ruled that Proposition 8, the voter approved initiative in California that stipulated that California would only recognize a marriage between a man and a woman, would stand. And, in a rather awkward ruling, it also ruled that the 18,000 or so same-sex marriages that were performed in the months preceding the voter approved initiative would continue to be valid.

But what the court did not address is whether California will continue to recognize same-sex marriages conducted legally in Massachusetts, Canada or other parts of the world where it is legal.

From the court’s ruling: “We have no occasion in this case to determine whether same-sex couples who were lawfully married in another jurisdiction prior to the adoption of Proposition 8, but whose marriages were not formally recognized in California prior to that date, are entitled to have their marriages recognized in California at this time. None of the petitioners before us in these cases falls within this category, and in the absence of briefing by a party or parties whose rights would be affected by such a determination, we conclude it would be inappropriate to address that issue in these proceedings.”

So once again we're in limbo.

Being a Tourist

(Aaron being a tourist at Bubba Gump's on the Santa Monica Pier.)

Don't you hate being taken for a tourist? You know the people walking around taking pictures of every little thing. Standing in front of the ferris wheel, the pier, the museum sign, at the restaurant. Yup, you feel like a jerk. Yet at the same time, you want some sort of reminder that you were there. Tangible evidence that you were actually there.

So it's a fine line. You'd love to take those pictures if only no one saw you doing it. But in order to have them to reminisce and laugh about years later you have to bite your tongue and sit there, putting on that fake smile that says, "I'm really enjoying this. This is fun."

And because we get so much company here in Palm Springs I guess we do our share of trying to pretend we're not tourists. But heck we need the tourists. And, when it is your own relatives you do crazy things because you love them. So keep on coming. We love you all.

Angels & Demons... Rome gone mad

(Going into conclave to select the next Pope, the Cardinals of the Catholic Church are faced with multiple threats in the film Angels and Demons.)

Right away I am going to say that I did not read the novel, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, so my take on the film by Ron Howard based on Brown's book is only my take on the film; not how well it was adapted from the novel.

It was action packed. There were twists and turns. Tom Hanks as the symbolist Robert Langdon is like a character on CSI; rushing from one crisis to another, hoping to find the clue to prevent the next murder. And Ayelet Zurer as Vittoria Vetra the physicist whose helped invent the time-bomb anti-matter vial just seems to be a beauty. The story involves the Illuminati who have kidnapped the four cardinals most likely to become the next pope. And at 9, 10, 11 and midnight they are to be killed.

If you like suspense you'll find most of this fun, even if it is a bit contrived and not utterly convincing. (Why would someone so knowledgable in church symbolism not know how to read either Latin or Italian?)

But if you like fast action, cruel murders and the demise of the protagonists, go see this thriller. If not, stay home and watch CSI and read the book.

Every Little Step Delivers the Tears

(Every Little Step takes us along for the auditioning of the cast of the revival of A Chorus Line.)

We weren't minutes into Adam Del Deo and James Stern's documentary, Every Little Step, when the music, archival footage, memories and stories came flooding back and we were trying to hold back the tears.

There is a lot about the 70s that seems dated, (the archival footage and reel-to-reel tape deck for one) but the story of dancers and actors struggling to get the part still hold true. As a documentary about how Michael Bennett and those who helped put together the workshops that would lead to one of the longest running Broadway shows ever, the movie is moving and cleverly juxtaposed with the auditions for the revival of A Chorus Line.

You care for these contemporary dancers as much as you do the stories of the original cast from more than 30 years ago. By comparing and even split-screening the auditions of two or three of the finalists for each part, you get the feel for Bob Avian, Marvin Hamlisch and Baayork Lee, as they listen to, watch, coach, debate, and finally dismiss and choose the cast. It is a wonderful way to understand and get the feel for what A Chorus Line is all about.

To Steve, of course it brought back memories of New York and those no longer here; Roger, Brian, and Michael. And all those familiar songs... "I Hope I Get It," "I Can Do That," "At the Ballet," and "What I Did For Love".

Kiss today goodbye,
The sweetness and the sorrow.
Wish me luck, the same to you,
But I can't regret
What I did for love, what I did for love.

Look, my eyes are dry.
The gift was ours to borrow.
It's as if we always knew,
And I won't forget what I did for love,
What I did for love.

Gone,
Love is never gone.
As we travel on,
Love's what we'll remember.

Kiss today goodbye,
And point me t'ward tomorrow.
We did what we had to do.
Won't forget, can't regret
What I did for love.

What I did for love.

What I did for love
Love is never gone.
As we travel on
Love's what we'll remember.

Kiss today good bye.

And point me t'ward tomorrow.

Point me t'ward tomorrow.
We did what we had to do.
Won't forget, can't regret
What I did for love
What I did for love

What I did for love.

Learning to Find Common Ground

(President Obama speaking today at Notre Dame University once again called for civility and respectful discourse.)

I didn't go to church today, but President Obama's remarks at Notre Dame should make all of us, religious or non-religious, think about how we can have a civil discourse while at the same time respecting one another. Powerful words!

"For if there is one law that we can be most certain of, it is the law that binds people of all faiths and no faith together. It is no coincidence that it exists in Christianity and Judaism; in Islam and Hinduism; in Buddhism and humanism. It is, of course, the Golden Rule - the call to treat one another as we wish to be treated. The call to love. To serve. To do what we can to make a difference in the lives of those with whom we share the same brief moment on this Earth." -- President Barack Obama

To read the whole speech, go here.

Vegetarianism

(Tonight's main course consisted of Artichoke, Leek & Fennel Stew with Puff Pastry and White Beans with Roasted Tomatoes.)

Growing up I was a vegetarian. To many people this almost seems incomprehensible since I am way too old to have grown up in the age of healthy eating. But since my parents were Seventh-day Adventists, it was part of our lifestyle. Of course that meant lots of beans, (legumes as my mother would say) salads and canned or frozen vege-meat products. It wasn't bad, (the vegetarian cafeterias in Adventist schools or hospitals could be) but by the time I was in college I began to enjoy the delights of eating fish, chicken and meat.

Nowadays however it seems that more and more people for various reasons are becoming vegetarians, and some even vegans. We have several friends who are and there are lots of restaurants and cookbooks that have spectacular vegetarian menus and recipes. And, as it turns out, one of my vegetarian friends was going to be visiting Palm Springs for a couple of days and we wanted him to come over for dinner. So that meant preparing a gourmet vegetarian meal. But since he lives in Vermont, I wanted it to be foods reminiscent of California or at least spring.

Steve loves such a challenge and so off to the cookbooks and Internet resources to come up with a creative menu. He settled on a Chilled Pea and Tarragon Soup (substituting vegetable broth for the chicken), followed by Artichoke, Leek & Fennel Stew with Puff Pastry, White Beans with Roasted Tomatoes and a Green Salad with Beets, Goat Cheese & Candied Walnuts, along with French Bread with Olive Tapanade. Dessert would be a fresh Strawberry Cheesecake.

(Savoring the vegetarian food at the dinner party.)

It then turned out that Steve had to volunteer yesterday at the Desert AIDS Project so I had the pleasure of doing the cooking. Normally I just make one or two things, along with the dessert, but this time I did everything but the salad. It was fun.

The two things I loved on the menu were the pea soup and the stew. Normally I hate pea soup, but this fresh pea soup with tarragon that was served cold with crème fraîche was absolutely yummy. And although I found the stew recipe from The Greens Cookbook: Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine from the Celebrated Restaurant by Deborah Madison and Edward Espe Brown to be a bit complicated and unclear, the end result was spectacular.

Now eating a meal like this won't convince me to once again become a vegetarian, but it certainly shows that vegetarian cooking can be just as tasty as any other.

The Roquefort War is Over

(Just a few days ago the U.S. dropped its threatened 300 percent tariff on French Roquefort cheese.)

Whew! There is one cheese that I love above all others and that is blue cheese. Granted there are some fine blue cheeses made here in the U.S. (Great Blue Hill, Point Reyes Original Blue, and Bayley Hazen Blue), however there is nothing like French Roquefort.

So a few days ago it was announced that the European Commission and the U.S. had reached a provisional agreement in a long dispute over the European Union's ban on hormone-treated beef. The deal ends for now the threat of retaliatory duties from the U.S. on EU products ranging from Roquefort cheese from France to Spanish hams and Italian mineral water.

According to Murray's Cheese in New York, the U.S. was going to slap Roquefort with a 300% import tariff which was up from the 100% that was imposed in 1999. After calculating all the costs from its production, exchange rate, shipping, tariffs, etc., it would have put the cheese at around to about $31 a pound prior to any retail mark-up.

So although we don't have any fabulous cheese shops here like in Boston, New York or San Francisco, I'll still be able to afford some Roquefort cheese from time to time.

Is Anybody There? Doesn't Provide Enough Comic Relief

(Michael Caine as Clarence is one of the few friends that Edward, played by Bill Milner, has in his parent's old folks home.)

I was hoping for a lot more humor, levity and empathy in John Crowley's movie, Is Anybody There? set in a family-run nursing home in England.

Having had both parents in nursing homes, I am familiar with how depressing they can be, not only for the loved ones of those there, but also for the residents themselves. I can't really imagine growing up in one, so I could certainly empathize with Edward's plight, played marvelously by Bill Milner; but I certainly wouldn't wish it on any young child.

Of course seeing various residents come and die, Edward becomes obsessed with what happens to them after death. Perfectly understandable. But having old folks for playmates doesn't always lend itself to a good time. That is until Clarence, played by Michael Caine, comes along. He doesn't want to live in the "old folks home" any more than does Edward, but with his spunk, wit and former occupation of a magician, the two become friends. Yes it is cute and somewhat charming, but Clarence too eventually dies.

Unfortunately for me Edward's curiosity, Clarence's child likeness, and the English accents just didn't provide enough of a laugh or lift to not make the movie a bit too close to home and depressing.

Carpenter Bees

(We recently had a visit by a female Carpenter Bee to our patio in search of a place to lay her eggs.)

A week or so ago I noticed this huge bee that resembled a bumble bee buzzing around our patio. Our dog, Pinot Grigio, noticed the bee too and would at time go chasing after it. I didn't think too much about it except that I didn't actually like it buzzing around so close to me while sitting on the patio.

Then a few days later I noticed a small pile of sawdust by the leg of our antique Indian chest that we have outside on the patio. That is weird I thought. At first I just took the hose and washed the sawdust away thinking it had somehow fallen out from somewhere in the old dried chest. But then a day or so later, there was the pile again and this time I noticed that small specs of wood dust were coming out of a perfectly round 1/4 inch hole in one of the legs. That is when I put two and two together and thought, we've got a Carpenter Bee.

Sure enough it seems that the female Carpenter Bee is a solitary bee and looks for untreated or old wood in which to bore a deep hole for their nest and to store pollen for their newborn. And, although the holes usually aren't deep enough to cause lots of damage, I didn't want a nest in my furniture on the patio. So off to the hardware store to see what I could find to get rid of this persistent bee. They suggested ORTHO® Home Defense MAX® Wasp & Hornet Killer Foam Spray. So once I was sure the bee was boring away, I sprayed the foam into and along the hole and that seemed to do the trick. The bee did not come out and the sawdust stopped coming out of the hole. The next step was to take some Teak Oil and oil down the whole chest. Hopefully this will discourage the bees next year when they go looking for something to bore into.

Time for a New Shower

(Choosing tile can be overwhelming, but we decided on Jeffrey Court's Irish Ice Chapter 17 in Limerick with Frosted Glass Mosaic.)

It's been a while since we redid a bathroom, but after living with our master bath shower with its older chipped tile, leaky faucets and rattly shower door, we've decided to bite the bullet and redo that part of our Master Bath. Unfortunately this might turn out to be the more expensive of the renovations, but it has just been too hard to keep our older shower clean.

So for the past few days we've been looking at tile, shower bases, doors and faucets. We've been to Home Depot, Lowe's, along with a couple of specialty tile and bath show rooms. Finding a contractor was the easy part since one of our neighbors has used him and I have met him a couple of times on hikes around the valley. Trying to keep it simple, yet updated and interesting, he gave us a couple of great suggestions that we would not have thought of and is letting us purchase most all of the materials which will keep our costs down.

Of course after looking at a lot of products, we realize that faucets can run from really cheap to incredibly expensive. And since we want two single-handled ones (one for the overhead shower and another for the hand-held shower by the built-in bench) we opted for something contemporary and on the lower end of the price range. But the real shock is always how much tile costs, especially if you want something nice. When we picked out the Jeffrey Court Chapter 17 Irish Ice in Limerick, it didn't actually seem too bad, but once we ordered everything today, those specialty trim and bullnose pieces really made it add up fast.

The other thing we have decided on is a shower base made by Acorn Engineering that is pre-cast Terrazzo, composed of marble chips and Portland cement. Having a one-piece shower base seemed the best in upkeep and drainage and although we looked at the Kohler cast iron and Swanstone compressed shower floor; but we like the look of real stone for the same price as those two products.

So we've now order the materials and sometime in early June we'll be using the guest room bath while our old shower is torn out and the new one put in.

Fighting Corporate America

Have you ever tried to contact a customer service agent either online or by phone? Often it's nearly impossible to get a real person who can actually help you solve your problem. But today, after several weeks of rather impassioned calls and letters, I actually got some results from two different customer service agents.

The stories are rather long. One involved AT&T Wireless charges to an account that had been set up years ago when we moved and had to change a Cingular SIM card to an AT&T one in order to get good reception. Saying that it was impossible to cancel the line without exorbitant charges was the usual routine, (the letter seemed to get lost) but finally today I was told by a manager that all charges had been dropped, fees waived and that my final bill would be reduced by 78%.

The second involved an electronic payment by my bank to Discover that cleared my bank account, but didn't end up in my account. That resulted in a huge jump in my interest rate of more than 18 percent, a late fee, harassing phone calls and letters. Finally after several calls, investigations by the bank and credit card company, Discover admitted it had been their fault and hoped that "it had not caused me any inconvenience." Yet they only seemed to indicate that they would rescind the late fee, and interest, but said nothing until I called to inquire about getting my old interest rate back. "Yes, your rate has been returned to its January level, all fees and interest credited," said the customer service rep. So I prevailed on that one too, but only after calling to find out why.

So I would say be persistent. Hopefully with enough patience, persistence and perseverance, you'll reach someone with the authority to actually follow up on your complaint.

National Postcard Week

(This vintage postcard shows the Welwood Murry Library downtown that is now going to be renovated and once again become part of the Palm Springs Public Library.)

There are weeks and days celebrating almost everything under the sun here in the United States all the time. Most of these events go unnoticed, except by those often involved in the professions or interests that they celebrate.

As an example we just had National Library Week (April 13-19) and this week it is National Nurses Week (May 6-12), National Music Week (May 3-10) and National Postcard Week (May3-9) among others.

A few years ago before we moved here to Palm Springs, I thought it would be fun to have a few vintage postcards and began buying them at flea markets and on eBay. Mostly I collected postcards from the two towns in Massachusetts that I was most associated with, Lancaster and Milton. This interest I am sure came from a friend of mine who had had an enormous collection of postcards from Provincetown, Massachusetts.

(This turn of the century postcard shows the Milton, MA Public Library just after it was built. It recently reopened after being refurbished and having a large addition built onto it.)

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, postcards were very popular as a way to send a quick note or greeting to family and friends, especially before telephones became universal. Tourist towns like Provincetown and Palm Springs, California, of course generated lots of postcards that their visitors could send home. And, even today, postcards seem to be most used by tourists when on vacation as a way to still send a quick note home.

Over the years I've even framed a few postcards as a cheap form of artwork. Some of these were souvenir postcards my mother had from the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, while a few others were of old Palm Springs that were put in horizontal frames over the twin beds in our guest room as a sort of headboard.

Postcards, like all mail, are no longer cheap to either buy or mail (if you mail one this week it will only cost $.26, but on May 12th it will cost you $.27) so to celebrate, go out and find a cool postcard and mail it to someone. You could even send one to me.

Paris 36 (Faubourg 36)

(Nora Arnezeder as Douce is the heroine of the French musical comedy Faubourg 36.)

A musical, a comedy, a French history lesson, and three or four subplots make Christophe Barratier's movie, Foubourg 36 (or Paris 36 in English), enjoyable, but leaves you with the feeling that you've seen this before.

Set in a working class neighborhood of Paris in 1936, an old movie vaudeville show palace is being closed by its Fascist landlord. This not only affects the various entertainers and workers, but also the only outlet for entertainment that many of the workers who live and work in the factories nearby have. It also causes the long-time stage director, Pigoil played by Gérard Jugnot, to not only lose his job and salary, but also his son to his ex-wife and her Fascist husband, now that he no longer has any income. Buoyed by their believe that they can run the music hall by themselves, three of the former workers try to get the place running again, but of course the shows bomb.

But like every good musical, someone comes to the rescue, and in Paris 36 it is an unknown actress, Douce played by Nora Arnezeder, who gets the part of the announcer and then is thrown into a more prominent singing role when one of the other acts fails. Things go from bad to worse, Douce leaves and gets more prominent roles elsewhere, affairs happen, thugs get murdered, all a bit predictably.

In the end it isn't a great movie, but a cute one. And, very French, too!

If It's 1st Friday, It Must Be Time for More Art

(Restored bench and stairwell in the El Paseo Building on North Palm Canyon.)

The first Friday of the month is a time when the art galleries in town often have openings and little artist receptions. Not as established as the 1st Friday Art Walk in Palm Desert, nevertheless the galleries in north Palm Springs are interesting and are providing a sort of renaissance in that part of town.

Tonight we went to four galleries: James Jensen, Michael H. Lord, Continuum and Michael Weems. The first gallery, James Jensen Studios is located in what is known as the El Paseo Building that was built in 1926-27 at 800 North Palm Canyon Drive. This Spanish eclectic complex is built around a courtyard with many decorative features typical of the period. This complex originally included the El Paseo Theatre that served as the City Council Chambers from 1944-48. Recently remodeled by the Los Angeles-based Rios Clementi Hale Studios, the building also houses a newly-opened Design Within Reach store in addition to the Jensen studio, along with another retail/studio space that is currently vacant and for rent. Attracted there by a show of an artist I had met a few months, we went to see "Zoomorphic," the work of Timothy Kroe, who was using James Jensen's studio for his exhibition.

(Carlo D'Alessio's work filled the first room of the Michael H. Lord Gallery.)

From there we moved north to the Michael H. Lord Gallery that recently opened at 1090 North Palm Canyon Drive in an architecturally-significan building built in 1929 as the garage for the El Mirador Hotel. At 6,000 square feet, the gallery is the largest in Palm Springs and shows museum-quality work. When we first went there this past fall, they had not completely the entire gallery space and so we went there so Steve could see the expansion that I had seen a month ago. However, we were pleasantly surprised to see that one of their artists, Carlo D'Alessio, had his show extended. In addition, the gallery director informed us that they will also be using the large space for chamber music concerts. Another successful rehabilitation of a great classic building.

Our last two stops of the evening were two smaller galleries located in storefronts at 388 & 384 North Palm Canyon Drive. The first one was Continuum, which recently moved to this location from its original location further south, where the charcoal work of Dan Pyle was being shown. I had originally seen this artist whose work at a distance vitually appears almost photographic-like. It also turned out that one of my friends, Dagmar Post, was working in the gallery and it was great to catch up to her too.

(Pompeii Vase Horizontal from the Michael Weems Collection with flowers and without.)

Lastly we stopped in to see Michael Weems and his collection. Turns out that he was introducing his jewelry collection this evening, and hosting a lovely gallery party. An accomplished artist/craftsman, he has turned his attention to metal work after working for many years in glass. He takes old car parts that he finds abandoned and reshapes them into both large scale pieces, as well as smaller objects like vases, bowls and jewelry. (We'd actually seen a couple of his larger works at the Michael H. Lord Gallery earlier). One of his pieces that he called "Pompeii Vase Horizontal" was especially striking and something that we could imagine on our dining room table as a centerpiece. So after a couple of pieces of huge sesame encrusted ahi tuna we walked out with the piece that will now grace our table for dinner parties.