Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade

Here in Palm Springs, it's not easy to get in the Christmas mood. We don't get snow on the desert floor, nor do we have cold temperatures typically associated with Christmas season. Instead we rely on other cues to get in the holiday spirit. The Annual Festival of Lights parade is one such event. It features over 100 floats and parade entries with thousands of strings of lights gliding down Palm Canyon Drive to cheering onlookers. The event attracts close to 100,000 spectators each year and includes locals and international tourists as well. The floats include everything from firetrucks, big rigs, mobile homes, tractors and vintage cars, and regular vehicles all decorated with fabulous festive lights. It also features horses, camels, dogs, marching bands, elected officials and celebrities too. I didn't have too many good photos of my own, so I "borrowed these" from the Desert Sun. I hope they get you in the Christmas mood!

above: True to our western desert heritage, a cowboy on a horse, with lights of course.

above: this neat truck carried Frosty the Snowman

above: I like this photo, with the horses and palm trees in the background.

above: What's a parade without a beauty queen? Here is Miss California

above: Santa makes his appearance

above: Vintage firetrucks line up

above: Even camels participated in this year's parade.

Yes, indeed Christmas is here. What does your community do to usher in the holiday season? Go ahead, leave a comment. Don't be a Scrooge!

-Rick Rockhill

The Holiday Festivities Begin

The holiday season is in full swing in Palm Springs. Holiday gatherings, parties and festivities of all kinds have started. The Palm Springs Savant is on the guest at all the exclusive events in town. The past Friday night I attended Christmas parties of several friends that were equally enjoyable. The first was held at the former estate of Christine Onassis, a marvelous home here in Palm Springs that can be rented for vacations or private events. The hosts of the party requested that guests bring canned goods for a local food pantry in lieu of host gifts, which I thought was a capital idea! The second party was at a private home in the Twin Palms estate of Palm Springs. It was an ultra glam holiday party, with a guest list that included actors, writers, producers, titans of the business, artists, moguls of the investment industry, and some members of famous Hollywood families who must remain unnamed for privacy reasons.

above: Palm Springs Holiday Kitsch: Fabulous white Christmas trees were adorned with black ornaments.

above: The pool was completely covered with plexi-glass, and provided a stunning surface that glowed in the evening. This surface of the pool was covered with guests when the party was in full swing.

above: Tables of fresh fruit, cheeses, holiday cookies and appetizers kept the guests happy.

above: amazingly, this was the only photo I took of people all night. One of the party co-hosts Jim poses here with one of the more colorful guests that evening. She was wearing a pair of shoes with unbelievable heels...

above: Guests were treated to party favors- purple silk bags filled with squares of chocolate. It was a delicious way to end the evening.

above: I did not miss an opportunity for a new martini photo. I'm sipping a Blue Raspberry martini, one of my favorites!. Thanks for stopping by today, hope you have a great week.

-Rick Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: C'est Cezanne!

In last week's Sunday Art Review, I featured the work of Marc Chagall after having been inspired by seeing one of his paintings at a gallery here in the Palm Springs area. I had a similar experience this past week where I had the opportunity to see a lesser known piece by French artist Paul Cezanne. Known as the father of modern art, his work has fetched the highest prices ever paid in art auctions. Acceptance and success did not come easy to Cezanne; his paintings were rejected by the official Paris Salon early in his career. A combination of perseverance and practice and yielded an impressive body of work which came to be well respected. He is known as a bridge from the post-impressionist period to the early 20th century art, inspiring greats such as Matisse and Picasso. Cezanne's style is very recognizable and intense at times. His work was the inspiration for this week's Sunday Art Review: C'est Cezanne!

above: Le Lac Bleu

above: Nature morte

above: Esta Que

above: Chateau Noir

above: Flowers and Pears

above: Mont Sainte Victoire

above: The Card Players

I hope you enjoyed today's Sunday Art Review featuring some of Paul Cezanne's work. Which did you like best? Go ahead, leave a comment, it's good for you.Thanks for stopping by today.

-Rick Rockhill

More Martini Madness

Martini Madness continues, as photos pour in from around the country- well, Indianapolis and San Diego anyway. Few can resist the temptation...the call of the refreshing and sophisticated cocktail that embodies "hip and cool". Pictured here is The Duchess of Windsor, reincarnated. Doesn't she look elegant and regal? Kind of like a Duchess I think. The next photo below is a gentleman at work who I refer to as "Toddington", the martini mate of The Duchess. Along with me, Toddington was one-third of the now defunct morning ritual "Tea Toddling Trio" at the office (the other third moved to Indianapolis). So now, it's just the "Two For Tea Party" every morning at work (me and Toddington).

above: Toddington, so sophisticated, so debonair. How fortunate he is to have The Duchess as his martini mate.

above: BenWu, the former "Tea Toddling Trio" member who defected when he moved away to be with his ever-lovely wife. We miss Ben at the office. He sends this photo to join in the fun.

Well Happy Friday to you! I have a fun-filled busy social calendar ahead of me this weekend, so stay tuned! What are your weekend plans? Is a festive martini on the cards???

-Rick Rockhill

Martini Madness Sweeps the Nation!

Imagine my surprise when my good Blogger friend Bee posted this photo on her blog sipping a delicious and refreshing martini! Bee was on another one of her wonderful cruises when this photo was taken. Martini Madness photos are all the rage in the blogosphere these days...(ok, not really, but humor me please). Martinis have been the cocktail of choice with legends like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and of course, James Bond. Here in Palm Springs of course, we sip martinis to keep cool, after all it's a dry heat in the desert! Thanks Bee, I'm so happy you joined in the fun.
The photo that started it all...

above: It was on our cruise through the Panama Canal, back in April 2007 when I was enjoying the Martini special each day in one of the ship's lounges. Our favorite bartender Jose made THE BEST martinis, and he snapped this photo of me sipping a Cosmo. It became my signature martini pose from that point on. Check out that fantastic ascot in this photo, it's one of my favorites.
Other Blogger friends have joined in the fun too...

above: Michelle, from the House of Lime blog posted this photo some time ago, and I never thanked her for joining in the fun. So who's next? Anyone else want to participate in Martini Madness? Post your photo on your blog and let me know!

-Rick Rockhill

Celebrities of Palm Springs Life

As far back as the early 1940's, Palm Springs has long been a respite for movie star celebrities, singers, politicians and the rich and famous. Depending on one's social circle, it's not unusual to run into someone famous at a cocktail party or while attending one of the many affairs that take place all season long here in the desert. Most prefer to fly under the radar and just be themselves. But sometimes celebrities agree to be photographed for Palm Springs Life magazine. All the years we've lived in the desert, I've saved every copy in the archives in my library here at home. I thought it might be fun to share a few covers of Palm Springs Life. Some were published before I moved to the desert, but I wanted to include them here for you. Most of these people either lived here, had a second home, or rented a house in the area. You just might know one or two of these folks, some of whom are practically my neighbors...

above: Barry Manilow, yep, I'm a fanilow.

above: Cher. Her ex husband the late Sonny Bono was a former Mayor and then our Congressman.

above: Debbie Reynolds, not only does she still spend time here, but she performs here too.

above: Donna Mills, still looks stunning today.

above: Frank Sinatra, Ol Blue Eyes. He reigned supreme ruler of the desert.

above: Kirk Douglas, even his kids come here these days.

above: Lily Tomlin, a local favorite.

above: Linda Gray...I hear she may be on an upcoming cover soon.

above: Miss Nancy Sinatra. These days she likes to ride her Harley through town.

above: Robert Wagner, still looks dashing even with his silver hair.

above: Stefanie Powers still has it, and is well liked here too.

above: Suzanne Somers, She's practically my neighbor too...

above: Tiger Woods, he loves to play here.

above: Victoria Principal, active as ever and looks stunning.

Anyone here you especially liked? There are literally hundreds of other celebrities from the magazine covers, but these are some of my favorites. These days Palm Springs is attracting some of the young Hollywood jet set. Clooney. Pitt. Damon. Jolie. Latifah. So the tradition continues...right here in our beautiful desert. Hope you enjoyed the quick look.

-Rick Rockhill

A Quiet Dinner At Home

After a few busy days being out and about, we decided to enjoy a quiet evening at home. The evening temperatures in Palm Springs have been quite pleasant of late, so we opened up all the doors along the back of the house, which surround the pool. It provides a pleasant atmosphere, particularly for dinner. I decided to make salmon, having been inspired by a recipe shared by my friend Tom. I used his Mom's recipe and modified it a little. OK, I modified it a lot, but I still give Tom's Mom credit for the idea. It was just John and me for dinner, but I set the table with cloth napkins and place mats just because. After all, I'm worth it. (Why does that sound like the L'Oreal commercial??) I sliced a loaf of fresh French bread, and opened a bottle of wine to breathe. I returned to the kitchen to begin preparations for dinner.

above: It was a nice calm night, the pool was glowing and still. You can see it from inside the house in the photo above right (which is the same as the large one above, just no flash).

The Chef At Work

above: I sliced and chopped the block of fresh feta cheese.

above: Using fresh, locally grown organic Medjool Dates, I pitted and sliced them into quarters.

above: The fresh salmon was marinated in lemon-infused virgin olive oil. I sprinkled a layer of feta cheese on the base, placed the salmon down, and began layering sliced dates and sliced apples.

above: Then a full layer of feta cheese, along with some White Vermouth and a drizzle of lemon-infused olive oil on top.

above: using a top layer of aluminum foil, I sealed the edges and baked at 350 for 20 minutes. Before removing from the oven I browned the surface under the broiler to give the feta cheese and dates a slight crisped finish.

above: I served the baked salmon on a warmed plate, garnished with slices of the baked apple slices, fresh wilted organic spinach and spears of steamed organic asparagus.

above: I served the plated salmon and snapped this photo before sitting down to enjoy.

above: the kids sat underneath the table at out feet, enjoying the smell of dinner. They are so well behaved, neither of them bothered us while we dined.

Well that's all really. This is a REALLY EASY dinner to make- if you have aluminum foil and a few odds and ends in the house anyone can make salmon. Try it sometime. But do me a favor, if you do, regardless of what variation you use, please call it Tom's Mom's Salmon. It's good karma to do so.

-Rick Rockhill