Life's a Stitch

I've had all good intentions to post about interesting Palm Springs stuff, Olympic Opening Ceremony entertainment, Valentine's Day, but the older I get, the faster time goes and I'm frequently trying to play catch up.

So let's start from way back, Palm Springs. I had never been there, nor had any desire to go, but once there I was hooked. Was it the warm dry weather? The interesting terrain with accompanying Indian lore and spirituality? Who knows? I know, though, that I'll be back.

My favourite spot? Indian Palms Canyon. In the middle of the desert, way down in an earthquake created  crevasse, a palm oasis following the fault line.

Hundreds of years ago the Aqua Caliente Cahuilla Indians used this sacred place, surrounded by desert, for farming and as a meeting place to share meals, hunt and weave baskets. Artifacts of their culture remain today. You could imagine the kids playing hide and seek around the giant palms.

 
Thirty years ago, little boys playing with matches accidentally ignited all the palms for miles along the canyon. The trees miraculously survived, bearing scars:

We hiked way up the ridge over the canyon. Those are the miles of palms winding below:

And back to the hummingbird feeder near the trading post:

Magic.