One of the things I like best about Christian is his unending sense of adventure.  This kid is up for anything … and he’s rarely content to become one with the couch.   I knew we’d have a ball in California because there’s so much to see and do.  Our trip was total serendipity.   We had both planned respective trips to Southern California long before we ever met last fall.   I call Christian my “Kismet Friend” because happenstance keeps bringing us together.   Mind you, I’m NOT complaining.

Before I knew Christian and I would be hanging out in Palm Springs, I had planned absolutely nothing.  To me, “adventure” meant trying to pick the best sushi restaurant in town.   That quickly changed once I realized he was on board.  Palm Springs has quite the illustrious history and there are tons of touristy things to do.  (Little did I know he wanted to do ALL of them.)

I genuinely like spending time with Christian.  He’s easy-going, affable and wholly charming.  Why he’s hanging out with me … I’ll never know?  But he functions best when there’s a game plan, so I knew I had my work cut out for me.

Since he likes outdoorsy-stuff, Palm Springs was the perfect venue.  We traipsed around The Living Desert on the outskirts of the city.  Think African zoo meets oasis meets gardens meets, uh, sand.  The week before we arrived in Palm Springs, the valley had gotten nearly 3 inches of rain.  (They’re lucky to get 2 inches of rain a year.)  Because of the deluge, everything that was dormant suddenly sprung in to full bloom.

One of Palm Springs major tourist attractions is the Aerial Tramway that takes you to the top of Mt. San Jacinto.  It’s a 10-minute, 2.5 mile ascent from the desert below to the mountain above.  The trams are an engineering marvel and I knew Christian would dig the 25+ degree difference and the chance to frolic in the snow.  Goal achieved.  What I didn’t know is that he’d want to hike once we got up there.  In the tundra.  With mountain lions.  I sucked it up and traipsed along … only slightly panicking when the sun started to go down.  I felt like one of the Donners on Donner’s pass.  I quickly suggested we visit the bar back at the docking station.  Fortunately, he took me up on my offer.

Palm Springs got its start as a playground for Hollywood celebs back in the ‘30’s and ‘40’s.  A lot of movie studios had their actors under contract with clauses that wouldn’t allow them to travel more than 200 miles away from Los Angeles.  Thus, Palm Springs was a 110-mile home away from home.  How do I know all this?  Because Christian and I went on the legendary Celebrity Homes Tour of Palm Springs (a.k.a. a big bus of old people ooh-ing and aah-ing at famous dead people’s former estates.)  I have to admit I enjoyed myself a lot more than Christian did.  When he asked, “Who is Bob Hope?”, I knew we were doomed.

The bus driver/tour guide is a salty 50-something woman named Annie Hall.  She knows everything and everyone and has enough gossip to talk non-stop for well over two hours.  Christian fell asleep.  I was riveted by her tales of Suzanne Somers “compound” and Frank Sinatra’s “multiple residences”.  Let’s face it … Frank Sinatra owned this town.  And to a lesser degree, so does Annie Hall.

Christian was sad when he left town yesterday.  Why wouldn’t he be?  Hanging out with me is the adventure of a lifetime.  Don’t tell him I spent the entire day today hanging out by the pool doing absolutely as little as is humanly possible.  I’d snap my fingers so cabana boys would bring me drinks just so I wouldn’t have to get up.  I’ll climb every mountain … just as long as there’s Kahlua and coffee at the top.