Cozy Fireplaces of Palm Springs

Since many parts of the US are buried in snow at the moment, I thought I'd prepare a post with warm n' cozy theme to it. Winters in Palm Springs are mild compared to most other places in the US. The average daily temperature is somewhere between 65 and 70, but the evenings can drop as low as 45 to 50. These are perfect nights to light the fireplace and settle in with a good book, a glass of wine and a plate of cheese. Both Shimi and Owen like to curl up in front of the fire at my feet and enjoy the warmth as well. Like most homes in Southern California, my fireplaces are gas (not wood burning). While clean easy to light, they just don't have the same effect as a wood fire. I suppose it's the smell of the fireplace, and the crackling sound that I miss, but even a gas fireplace adds warmth and ambience. So today I am posting a few photos of charming fireplaces. Some are mine, others are ones I've enjoyed here. I hope these warm you up! Brrrrrr "...Baby it's cold outside..."

above: I love a massive stone hearth like this

above: this is a photo from last year, enjoying a glass of wine at The Viceroy hotel in Palm Springs

above: A homey touch...

above: relaxing outside by the fire

above: this is actually not a fireplace at all...it's a plasma flatscreen TV. How California huh?

above: Classic Palm Springs Mid-Century Modern style: the fireplace at The Parker Palm Springs lounge.
-Rick Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: Sculpture & Vases

For this week's edition of The Sunday Art Review, I decided to feature sculpture and vases. I photographed all of the pieces myself, which you probably worked out by looking at the poor quality of the images. We have an abundance of wonderful art here in Palm Springs, with numerous galleries, museums and extensive collections in private homes as well. Aside from being a member at the Palm Springs Art Muesum, I enjoy viewing various kinds of art wherever I go. I almost always have a camera handy to capture anything that catches my eye. For some reason this piece to the left mesmerized me. The color was deep and rich, the shape was enticing. It was so smooth and shiny that I found myself slipping along it's edges, almost feeling the touch of the "mother" depicted in this piece. Above left: This sculpture is entitled "Mother and Child", but sadly, the artist unknown.

above: a series of vases on display at a private gallery. I just liked the way they looked set in the wall.
The sculpture of Jean-Pierre Hobon:

above: this is about three feet high, all metal but very three dimensional.

above: both of these metal sculptures are 5' high, and had wonderful imagery within. Look for the birds on the right.

-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: My Favorite Christmas Songs

Well, it's that time of year for all things Christmas, and I've been shuffling the ole iPod to my Christmas tunes. There are some songs that I love, and could listen to over and over. Now, it would be difficult to make a short list of my favorite ones, but I like herculean tasks from time to time, so decided that is exactly what I would do for this week's scintillating edition of: The Saturday Seven: My Favorite Christmas Songs
#1 The Christmas Song, by Nat King Cole

#2 The Most Wonderful Time of The Year, Johnny Mathis or Andy Williams


#3 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Judy Garland
#4 Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee

#5 Last Christmas, Wham!

#6 Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Beach Boys

#7 White Christmas, Bing Crosby


Bonus Entries #1 Mele Kalikimaka, Bette Midler



Bonus Entry #2 Gabriel's Message, Sting


What are YOUR favorite Christmas songs? In the spirit of Christmas, ALL COMMENTS ARE FREE TODAY!
-Rick Rockhill

On Food and Things...

Friday night we got back to the desert a bit later than usual, but we usually like to go out to dinner just the two of us after a long week at work. It helps end the work week, and mentally gets me in a weekend frame of mind. I contemplated going back to the Tropicale restaurant, which I wrote about last Saturday. The Tropicale has wonderful food and is really fun, but after some brief deliberation in the car, we decided on the Purple Palm restaurant, which is at The Colony Palms Hotel. It's one of those retro 1920's era hotels that was recently restored to it's full glory. I just love it too. The grounds of the hotel are so inviting, casually elegant. They have candles everywhere, which provides a great ambiance to the place, especially poolside.

above left: the clover leaf jacuzzi is really neat. above right: the swank retro dining room in the Purple Palm restaurant channels the Golden Age of Hollywood. Being The Palm Springs Savant, I am right in my element at this place!

above: Our reservation was for 10:00 pm so the place wasn't too busy. We both had the most amazing dinner: We started with the Caprese Salad, with fresh buffalo mozzarella, red and yellow heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, greens, aceto balsamic, virgin oil, and fresh lavender. Then for our entree, (photo above right) we both had the Grilled Hawaiian Ahi Tuna. It was set on a bed of capellini pasta made from beets (red color), sliced brussel sprouts, roma tomato relish, honey tangerine butter, red pepper jus, served with a ring of honeydew-jalapeno sauce. It was SO incredibly delicious.
On Other Food and Things...
Last week I had a business dinner, and we went to a cool place that had something I'd never seen before: food served "Hot Rock" style.

above: "hot rock" thin sliced NY Steak. it was served with chili ponzu sauce, and sesame goma sauce. The hot rock was brought to the table sitting in bowl on a bed of rock salt. The raw steak was on a side platter.

above: the neat thing is you cook your own mini steaks, right on the hot rock, then dip it in the sauces. It was so very cool! It was a fun way to eat and entertain everyone along the way.
-Rick Rockhill

Have A Very Retro Christmas...

Living in Palm Springs, it's not hard to find plenty of authentic "Mid-Century Modern" homes. We embrace our past, with many of those 1950's stylish homes being restored to their original glory, with the all the modern conveniences of a new home. This time of year, I enjoy visiting friends with those great Mid-Century homes to see how retro they go with their Christmas trees and decorations. It's like stepping back in time. Last Christmas we were at a Christmas party at the former 1950 era home of Frank Sinatra. They decked out the home in fabulous retro Christmas decor, I expected Nancy Sinatra to come walking in with her hip high boots and start singin'. Anyway I digress. I thought I'd share a few fun "stock photos" of retro-esque Christmas trees. Hope you are in the holiday mood...

above: He's probably listening to Lawrence Welk. All he needs is a "Hot Toddy"

above: the color wheels were essential to these metallic trees...

above: Liberace was known for having a white tree, but with far more glitz and decorations of course!

above: just for good measure, I decided to throw in a purple tree...why not? Happy Friday all!

-Rick Rockhill

Keep Your Gas To Yourself, Please

What is it about certain people who think they can pass gas in a crowded public place and think no one will notice? People in elevators, standing there, studying the movement of the elevator in silence, watching the sequence of floors pass by....suddenly decide to pass gas? What's that about? For example, I was recently at an event where a large group of people were walking through a narrow space, so it was much like a cattle call. Some fool decides to let one rip, but I must say it was rather clever. The noise of shuffling feet and idle chatter masked the sound (or at least made it unable to be traced to the source). But suddenly I saw people ahead of me turning their heads with a look of disgust. Then as I walked forward, and into the noxious gas and was subjected to the human fumes of horror, I too squinted and put my face into my sleeve to minimize the chance of inhaling any further vile emissions.

I went to the theatre recently, a guy stood up and stepped out of the row of seats and into the aisle. He proceeded to fart, then immediately walked back into the row to his seat. Unfortunately he didn't wait for it to dissipate, so he left a trail of baneful effluvium in his wake. Ugh! And finally, I was on airport shuttle bus recently, sitting patiently, reading e-mails on my Blackberry when all of a sudden I hear a long, rippled,vibrating sound emanating from the front of the bus. I thought to myself, "no it CAN'T be!" My fears of social indiscretion were confirmed when the bus driver started chuckling and said aloud: "Wow, that was a good one huh?" I moved swiftly to the back of the bus looking for an escape route through the opening on the roof of the bus. So my proposal is to establish "no farting zones". We can easily install signs such as this one above to make it easy for people who lack social grace and manners. perhaps I'll write a letter to my Congresswoman. Or better yet, to all the Presidential hopefuls, since that's about the level of importance their debates seem to be focused on anyway.
-Rick Rockhill

Wisdom Wednesdays: Featuring Dr Wang & Madame Esmeralda

DR WANG & Madame Esmeralda
This is Madame Esmeralda's last week in Palm Springs, and her final appearance on Wisdom Wednesdays. Dr Wang would like to sincerely thank Madame Esmeralda, the Gypsy fortune teller for doing such a fantastic job the past month and a half. One final time, Madame Esmeralda lends her special brand of advice to Dr Wang's readers. Click the video below to check out this week's special message from Madame Esmeralda:

ASK DR WANG
This week’s letter is from Cornelia in Wheaton, IL.
Cornelia writes; Dear Dr Wang,

I love your column each week, and look forward to Wednesdays to print it and share it with my co-workers over morning coffee. I am writing about one of the bosses here in our office. One of the girls discovered he is having an affair with a woman from the office building next door. The trouble is that we are a small company, and we often have lunch with his wife every few weeks. We like her very much and feel guilty that we know her husband is cheating on her. Should we tell her what we know? We all agreed that we would want to know if it were one of us, but it is quite different since we work for her husband. It’s a mess, but I just don’t know what to do. What does your good fish wisdom see?

Cornelia

Dr Wang responds, Dear Cornelia,

This was much easier than I expected. The Great Bubble Wall was very clear with the answer. Your boss’s wife already knows that her husband is cheating on her. She has decided to live with it, to preserve her marriage and the convenience of their life. Interestingly, there were some heart-shaped bubbles, indicating that they still love each other in some way. My suggestion is to stay out of the situation and do not mention the other woman to her at all. However, there is something far worse he is hiding from his wife. It appears he has a child from another woman who is now a teenager. And needs money for her education. This will present issues for his wife when there is a sudden reduction in cash as he pays his secret daughter's tuition. You will discover this when she visits her father at the office in a few weeks. You can innocently mention to the wife how delightful her daughter is the next time you see her. This will tip her off, since the only child she has with your boss is a son.

It will take her by surprise, but she will be grateful for this knowledge.

Keep Swimming Upstream,
-Dr Wang

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"Wisdom Wednesdays" features the sage advice of our resident oracle, psychic betta fish "Dr Sidney Wang". Believed to be a reincarnated descendant of King Rama II of Siam, Dr Wang responds to e-mail submissions with advice, predictions of the future and conveys ancient proverbs to provide guidance and support. Dr Sidney Wang's 24 Hour Wisdom, Advice and Inspiration service is also available from the left side navigation for this feature.

How About Christmas Dinner in Palm Springs?

We had some snowfall in our mountains this past weekend. This is my idea of snow. I like snow, but only around 8,000 to 10,00 feet , but not lower! This is my view of the snow-covered San Jacinto Mountains, here in Palm Springs. Several people e-mailed me this past week asking for ideas about spending Christmas in Palm Springs. If you have snow below 8,000 feet and are already over it, why not come to sunny Palm Springs for Christmas. Relax at a spa, shop for bargains at the outlets, or huge diamonds at Tiffany's. Check out the Christmas Show at the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, or visit the casinos. Quaint churches, exquisite golf, super-private resorts, ultra-chic mid-century modern boutique hotels. Go ahead, get away from it all and come to Palm Springs for a care-free, relaxing Christmas. What about Christmas Dinner, you ask? Well here are a few perfect places to consider. As a reminder, with everything on my blog, this is NOT a paid post, just me sharing...

above: Spencer's At the Mountain

above: Spencer's at the Mountain's fabulous patio

above: Copley's on Palm Canyon has the best patio dining in the desert!

above: Johannes has more contemporary cuisine

above: the legendary Melvyn's at The Ingleside Inn-you may see a star or two...

above: the fun Mister Parker's at The Parker Palm Springs

above: traditional dining at Riccio's Restaurant. There are plenty of other places, to suit every budget. So if you are whining about the cold and snow, do something different and celebrate Christmas in the California desert. Christmas dinner in Palm Springs will be memorable for sure.
-Rick Rockhill

Desert Cancer Foundation Benefit: "Night on The Nile"

Saturday evening I attended a benefit for the Desert Cancer Foundation. The "Night on the Nile" Egyptian theme was in keeping with their tradition of having a travel-related theme each year. The event is actually billed as the "2007 Gift of Life Celebration" and is a major fundraiser for the foundation. Integrated Wealth Management was a major sponsor of the event, helping to underwrite costs. The Desert Cancer Foundation provides financial assistance to cancer patients. They pay medical bills to uninsured or under insured cancer patients in the Palm Springs area who cannot afford the treatment they deserve. To support the Desert Cancer Foundation, click here.

Above left: Rick Rockhill enjoys a glass of wine by the enormous Christmas tree. (I had no idea they were taking photos of me, can you tell?) The Thunderbird Country club was transformed to look the inside of an Egyptian Pyramid.

above: the right lighting always makes a difference! It was a dramatic entrance into the event

above: throughout the event, there were fantastic props and elements such as these to create a fun atmosphere.

above left: Some attendees dressed in an Egyptian theme. above right: Rick Rockhill with Queen Nefertiti (oh, and my friend Jason too)

above: the benefit featured a really nice auction of fine wines, art, and certificates to fine restaurants in Palm Springs.

above: the dinner tables were festive, adorned with beautiful floral centerpieces. The tables had pledge cards to donate money to pay for mammograms and cancer screening. The live band was framed by two giant columns, which provided an ambiance of dining inside a Pyramid.

above: A truly magnificent dessert: A white chocolate pyramid contained an amazing dark chocolate mousse, and the gold covered chocolate Egyptian mummy case contained a raspberry mousse. It was one of those desserts that would change your life, it was so delicious!
-Rick Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: A Gallery in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Whenever I travel, I always make an effort to find some kind of art, not only for my weekly Sunday Art Review series, but also for my own enjoyment and satisfaction. My trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was no exception. When our cruise ship arrived in this picturesque city, I had a feeling that it would offer plenty for me to visually take in. In between margaritas, sightseeing and shopping, I spent some time enjoying a bit of culture in a few local galleries. This particular painting (at left) caught my eye. It is, of course Madonna, from her sultry-sex-for-power phase. Say what you will about Madonna, but that woman has definitely made an impact. The sculptures below were quite interesting.

Above: a Zeus like man, who looks rather mighty and forceful.


above: Not only is this a naked man wearing a mask, but there are four dog sculptures surrounding him. I couldn't decide what I liked best.

above: So much to look at, I had to shoot it all. Try to scan down the row and the back shelf. I like the "face" sculpture at the far right.


above: the large abstract circle thingy was interesting, but I also liked the headless naked woman to the right. It was a pleasant morning, and a great way to enjoy another side of Mexico.
-Rick Rockhill