We had a really wonderful time in Palm Springs. You know how some people like to go on vacation and do lots of activities and some like to go on vacation and lay low, and the result of those different types of people going on vacation together is that everyone ends up feeling a teensy bit grumbly about their vacation expectations or concerned about other people’s vacation expectations? Yea, that…. didn’t happen. This trip was one of those rare vacations where there were activities for the activity people and lounging for the lounging people, and just enough occasions to meet in the middle where everyone was happy.
Weird, a family vacation where everyone was happy?
Myself, I’m about 75% do nothing, 25% do something on vacations. I love vacations for the chance to sleep without an alarm clock, catch up on books or writing, and lay by a pool / beach / lake. Give me water, cold drinks and printed words and I’m a happy girl. After 3 days of literally doing nothing except reading and catching up on my blog writing, I decided maybe my laziness was getting a little out of hand and my mom and I went for a walk. I plotted a course to the nearest Starbucks and back and it turned out to be a 5 mile walk. (In the desert. It was hot.) But it actually felt really great to move, and that’s where I realized my 25% do-something has to come in to play on vacations too.
We also took a short road trip up the highway to go to Café Rio (a must on every west coast visit) as well as a nearby outlet mall, went out to dinner a few nights, explored downtown Palm Springs and did the Aerial Tram and a short hike through San Jacinto State Park. Since we were staying in a house, I brought a handful of recipes I had had in my saved files forever and hadn’t had a chance to try, and made my family be a guinea pig for my culinary adventures.
Matt, who is probably about 75% do something and 25% do nothing on vacation, went golfing 3 out of the 5 days. Palm Springs is apparently some of the nicest golfing in the whole country, so he was pretty content with these outings. My Dad and brother-in-law went golfing too, and my sister and brother spent a few days doing some long hikes in preparation for their summer backpack trip to Yosemite. My mom and I vacation pretty similar, so she was my reading buddy, cooking buddy, perusing baby-stuff-online buddy, chatting about life buddy and 5-mile walk buddy. She might have not appreciated that last one as much as I did though!
All in all, it was a pretty great vacation considering – you know – how spending 5 days with your 7 family members in 1500 square feet could go. Everybody left a little more relaxed, tan and content.
A few pictures from one of the nights we went out to eat in downtown Palm Springs
My morning routine: some light reading by the pool plus I love the view of the mountains past the palm trees!
Culinary adventures (shrimp, tomato & feta pasta // summer rice salad)
Took the aerial tram to the top of San Jacinto Mountain and looked down into Coachella Valley. Then we hiked a short trail {in the snow, despite the fact that it was 88 down in the valley!} to some overlook points.
My mom & brother played a lot of backgammon and they talk smack to each other all week in between games. The evenings were pretty low-key… even vacations require some cable & wi-fi time!
Time to go home…
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