Palm Springs

We just got back from our family vacation to Palm Springs. It was really fun and wonderful to get away. It was a expensive luxurious vacation but it was great to spend some family time. Russell who was a little hesitant to go to the middle of the desert, where it is extremely hot. I took charge to plan all our activities. We went to a water park, Aerial Tram, the outlets, El Paseo Shops and street, Temecula winery, Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Downtown Palm Springs, Mini Golf, and the Apple Festival in Oak Glen. Needless to say the whole family had a great time. In fact Penelope was very upset to find out we were going back home and not to the hotel.

Oh, did I tell you, that we got a new car! Just in time for the road trip. And boy did it make a difference. We got the Toyota Sienna. It is beautiful. Russell traded in her Chevy Malibu and is taking over the Prius. *tear* I like that car. But man, you should see the room that we have in a minivan compared to a sedan. We had plenty of room to spare, instead of having every inch of free space taken with stuff. It was wonderful. And we took it for a good test drive. : )



Of course I can't show you each outing and activity but I can show you some highlights.




One of the cool things that we did, I mentioned above, was the Aerial Tram. Basically at the edge of Palm Springs near the mountain (at about 2,500 feet above sea level) and you take a ROTATING Tram up on cords to 8,600 feet above sea level. It was about 65 degrees during the day compared to the low 100's down below. We went for a hike and then had dinner. (A slight recommendation--go without the food. It was less then satisfactory).

Here are some pictures of fun in the water. Here is a picture of us at the water park.



Here are some pictures of Russell getting splashed by a big wave. He is the one on the far right. Ya, he wasn't having any fun. Look at the face at the bottom, complete misery. LOL.







I took so many pictures of everything we did. I took so many that my camera battery died the last day and had to buy a disposable camera for our trip to the Apple Festival. So here are a couple cute pictures of the kids. Because, let's be honest, they are the ones we love to see. : D










Oh, by the way we did Penelope's 3 year check-up. And she measured 39 lbs and 41 inches tall. The doctor said that she is about the size of the average 4 year old. (50% for a 4 year old is 40 inches tall.) So she is a big girl. She only got a flu shot and she didn't cry at all. She did great!

A couple of quick highlights for the trip. I got to pick grapes from a vineyard! I have always wanted to do that. We took a little bit longer then anticipated spontaneous trip to Temecula Winery. We thought it was rather close but ended up being a bit of a hike. Either way we got to one Winery before they closed and enjoyed conversing with them there. We arrived right as the manager harvester/ owner was leaving. I mentioned I have always wanted to pick the grapes and he willing let me have a go at it. Here is a picture of me picking the grapes. Plus, Russell reminded me that this year was a year that I was able to do a lot of fun things I have always wanted to do. Early this year, in spring, I was able to feed a giraffe.



I am glad I had the opportunity! One of those things you think about but never say a loud because you don't see it ever happening. I would love to actually ride a giraffe but I don't think that is done anywhere else but Africa. Maybe when Russell and I are empty nesters I will talk him into a trip to Africa. At this point I don't see it in our recent future. Here is a picture of the grapes I picked. The ones to the right are Sangiovese grapes, the ones in the middle are Cabernet, and the ones on the left are Petit Sirah. I imagined that the grapes would taste nothing like regular grapes. Well they do still taste like grapes, but you can tell the difference. You can defiantly taste the "wine flavor" that the grapes give in each grape. It was really cool!