Mexican Riviera Cruise, Day 1: Sail Away & Evening at Sea

Having set sail from San Diego at 4:00 PM, there was plenty of time to enjoy the journey out of San Diego Bay, out into the Pacific Ocean, to watch a perfect sunset. While enjoying our “Sail Away Cocktails”, we met a friendly group of passengers who were traveling together on a reunion trip. We had a lot of fun chatting and getting to know each other; in fact they graciously invited us to dine with them at their table. Looks like we have some new friends on board the Dawn Princess….it was a great start to the cruise.

-Rick Rockhill

Dr Wang At Sea

Day one: I settled into my luxury stateroom on board the Dawn Princess ship. I am quite excited about this vacation to the Mexican Riviera. Being a freshwater fish, the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean frighten me, but I feel quite safe on this cruise ship.

-Dr Wang

Mexican Riviera Cruise, Day 1: Departure from San Diego

Today we set sail on a seven day cruise to the Mexican Riviera. It's a perfect get-away trip for anyone living in Southern California; Palm Springs is just a two hour drive to the Port of San Diego. My last cruise was back in April when I went on a 19 day cruise through the Panama Canal. Click here to read the first of my daily blog entries for that cruise back on April 19th. For this journey, we're on the Dawn Princess ship. I have been on the Dawn Princess previously, when I went on an Alaskan cruise.

Above left: The deck chairs on the Dawn Princess await passengers. I had an early embarkation on the ship so it was still quiet on most decks. Above right: still in port at San Diego, the view in the distance is Coronado Island, across from downtown San Diego.
Special Guest: Dr Wang Goes to Mexico

Dr Sidney Wang, resident oracle of this blog is also on this cruise to the Mexican Riviera, and will be posting his own updates from on board the Dawn Princess ship. The good doctor is checked into his cabin, and is relaxing on his balcony, enjoying the sea-air and meditating about the journey to come...

Above: I love this view of cruise ships! This is our ship, the Dawn Princess.

-Rick Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: Palm Springs Art Fair

For this week's Sunday Art Review, I attended the Palm Springs Art Fair, held on various weekends on North Palm Canyon Drive in downtown. I strolled through the park, enjoying the wide variety of art under canopies and tents. Some of these works are easier to see than others...my camera isn't always the best at filtering out bad light. There were about a hundred different artists in town, I only photographed a few of course. These photos are intended to give you a sense of walking through the art fair. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Above: These five paintings are actually a series...intended to be viewed together.




And finally...below, some metal cactus "plants" which were actually quite nice...

Well I'm off to the Port of San Diego soon, where I leave on my cruise to the Mexican Riviera. Stay tuned for daily travel blog postings for the next seven days!
-Rick Rockhill

Dr Wang's Telepathic Contact With Secret Dinosaurs in Palm Springs

Yesterday's post about dinosaurs allegedly hiding in the Palm Springs area raised a number of questions from readers across the globe and with local desert residents alike. Rumors that the local Morongo band of Indians have been hiding the dinosaurs sparked outrage in the local community. Over the years, there have been numerous reported dinosaur sightings in the foothills of the San Jacinto mountains. Ever since the Indians built the dinosaur statues off the route 10 freeway, it pretty much dismissed all filed reports regarding dinosaurs. However there continue to be persistent rumours that dinosaurs are still living, and in hiding among the famous windmill farms at the entrance to the Palm Springs desert area. In a phone interview with a local man (see right), he stated: "You see, the windmills were not really built to generate energy, they were built to contain and control the dinosaurs. I just know the government or those Indians are hiding something top secret within the windmill area", he said.

In an effort to uncover the truth, I turned to my psychic betta fish, Dr Sidney Wang for help. Being fully trained in telepathic communications, Dr Wang attempted to locate the dinosaurs by concentrating on the area just outside of Palm Springs. Dr Wang gazed into The Great Bubble Wall in his tank, as a crystal ball-type device to obtain actual visions of the dinosaurs. He settled into a very tranquil state, at the bottom of his fish tank, meditated briefly and altered his state of consciousness to allow the psychic medium to take effect. Within minutes, he began receiving signals of energy from the dinosaurs! "What do you want from us?" one dinosaur asked Dr Wang. Jolted by this communication, Dr Wang's fins trembled and his entire body shuttered. Dr Wang called out: "Why do you hide in the foothills of Palm Springs? You could be famous, on the news, on TV and movies!" To his surprise, the dinosaur responded: "What are you talking about? We worked secretly for Hollywood studios for several years as actors in the Jurassic Park films. It wasn't easy, but we are retired now, living on our actor's retirement fund in Palm Springs, just like all the other prehistoric actors, now leave us alone!" With that, the psychic channel slammed shut, and Dr Wang's eyes shot open. He knew it would be pointless to attempt further communication. But he did solve the mystery once and for all.

-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Chinese Funny Fortunes, Part 2

This week's post is co-written by Dr Sidney Wang, our psychic betta fish. I was reviewing Google Analytics reports for my blog and was surprised to see that an old "Saturday Seven" post back on May 12th is the most popular post to date. The topic that continues to attract a fair amount of traffic, nearly 7 months later was "Chinese Funny Fortunes". Since I aim to please, I decided to prepare a follow up to that ever popular post. Which brings me to another scintillating edition of:

The Saturday Seven: Chinese Funny Fortunes, Part 2 presented by Dr Wang

#1 Man who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok

#2. Man who jumps off cliff, jumps to conclusion

#3. Man who gets kicked in testicles, left holding the bag

#4. A bird in hand makes hard to blow nose.

#5. Foolish man give wife grand piano, wise man give wife upright organ

#6. Man who fight with wife all day get no piece at night.

#7. Kissing is like drinking salted water: you drink and your thirst increases

Bonus Entry: When called an idiot sometimes is better to be quiet, than open mouth and remove all doubt. PS- that man in the photo above left is NOT me!

OK, OK I admit, most of them are a bit juvenile, but they do make me laugh. Happy Saturday!

-Rick Rockhill

Dinosaurs in Palm Springs?

Just outside of Palm Springs, along the route 10 highway that passes between the San Bernadino and San Jacinto mountain ranges is an enormous wind farm. These windmills are not only beautiful and majestic, they produce a considerable amount of energy for Southern California. However, these windmills harbor a secret that only the native indians know for certain. Hidden deep within the windmill farms are two dinosaurs who made their home in our desert many many years ago. They typically hide along the foothills of the San Bernadino mountain range, but have been spotted elsewhere from time to time. The local Morongo indians, wishing to protect these dinosaurs had trouble squashing rumors about living dinosaurs..until they came up with a genius plan.

At one of their highway rest stops, they built two statues of the actual dinosaurs behind the diner. Now, when someone reports that they saw "huge creatures lurking among thre windmills" the police just brush off the report as someone who probably just saw the statues at the highway rest stop. Genius? Crafty? Or is it really a government conspiracy to hide to the truth??? See for yourself:

Above: photos of the dinosaurs just outside of Palm Springs. They are a "beard" for the actual dinosaurs that live just further away, hidden deep within the windmills of the desert. Tomorrow, my psychic betta fish, Dr Sidney Wang will attempt to telepathically contact the REAL dinosaurs and share their thoughts.

-Rick Rockhill

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!
Whether you live here in the US, or somewhere else in the world, we should take a moment to give thanks for what we have. I have always been a person with the attitude that "the glass is half full" (vs. half empty), so by nature I have a positive frame of mind. But regardless of the challenges in our lives, find something to be thankful for and smile, at least for today.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us:

Above: Koshimi and Owen eagerly await their slice of turkey & Dr Wang is having special flakes of food today.

Above left: Our dedicated household staff: Our loyal housekeeper, Mrs Danvers was up early to arrange the floral centerpiece, iron the table linens and polish the silver. Above right: our cook, Mrs Smith has been busy making her signature pies and fresh baked breads. Fortunately Mrs Smith's scandalous daughter Shanaynay is working in Vegas tonight so she won't be visiting.

-Rick Rockhill

Wisdom Wednesdays: Featuring Dr Wang & Madame Esmerelda

DR WANG & Madame Esmerelda
For the next few weeks, Dr Wang is leading off his weekly Wisdom Wednesdays column with a special guest. Gypsy fortune teller Madame Esmerelda is in Palm Springs and lending her special brand of advice to Dr Wang's readers each week. Click the video below to check out this week's special message from Madame Esmerelda:

ASK DR WANG, the psychic betta fish
This week’s letter is from Milton, in Boise, Idaho.
Dear Dr Wang,

For most of my life I have led a very simple life, barely making ends meet, living off the land and doing hard seasonal work whenever I could get it. About ten years ago I married a woman I really don’t love, but we are companions and it saves money living together. Our love life is mechanical, with barely any lust at all. But I have not asked for, or expected more out of life-until now.
I’ve just inherited a substantial sum of money from an uncle in North Dakota who left his estate to my parents, who are now deceased. I had no idea how well-off my uncle was; I always assumed he just had a bunch of farm land and a barn. The situation is that I want to leave my wife, move away from Idaho, and start a new life with all this money. My wife does not handle the finances, so she has no idea about the money I have inherited. I am thinking of just paying off the mortgage, giving her the house, and calling things even. Since we never had anything together anyway except a house with a mortgage I figure she would be making out OK. I really don’t think she will be torn up about a divorce, so I don’t expect any crocodile tears.

What should I do? What do you see in my future?

Very kindly yours,
Milton

Dr Wang responds: Dear Milton,

You must be very careful with how you handle this situation, a misstep will damage your karma and leave you will a run of bad luck that will haunt you for many years. I suggest having a very honest conversation with your wife about how you are feeling about your marriage.

After swimming through The Great Bubble Wall for nearly an hour, I decided I needed further reflection. I swam down to the depths of my tank to meditate in the Ancient Temple, with guidance from Mini-Booda. (Please remember that being a betta fish I am unaware of any local or state laws in Idaho regarding the division of property within divorce proceedings. You should consult an attorney for those matters). However, I suggest you tell her that your uncle has passed, leaving you his property and estate. If you feel strongly about wanting a divorce, do so quickly and do not make her life miserable. You should be generous in your divorce settlement-do more than the Idaho law requires you to do, and I’ll leave it at that.

We have a saying in the underwater world that I think applies to your life at the moment: “It’s better to be lost in the turbulent deep waters than to be resting calmly in a fish net”. Interpret that as: "go for it".

Regarding your future, it is quite colorful! You are going to move to Las Vegas, purchase a condo and work in a casino as a card dealer. Your pit boss at the casino is a midget with red hair. Be careful with this man, he has a short temper to match his height. While working at the casino, you will meet a showgirl who goes by the name “Sweetie”; she will dazzle you with her feathers and sequins. Get to know her, your relationship will add some much needed spice to your life.

Good luck with all the changes.
Keep Swimming up stream
-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.

Exploring Wines: Part 4- Pairing Suggestions with Turkey

Today is part four in my "Exploring Wine" series. I decided to focus on pairing wine with food. People often ask what wine to drink with meat, fish, poultry, etc. As I've written before, the only rule I follow with wine is to drink what you like.
With the Thanksgiving holiday in the US is just a few days away, I've received a few e-mails from readers asking for advice on what wine to serve with turkey. I do have a few suggestions for the types of wine I like with a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner. In general, think lighter wines with turkey. For white wine I suggest a Sauvignon Blanc, and for the red, go with a Pinot Noir. If you are dining with people who enjoy wine, I highly suggest starting with the Sauvignon Blanc, and working your way to the Pinot Noir with the turkey itself. I am partial to reds, so that is what I will show today. Pinots are known for having a light to medium body with aromas like black cherry, currant and even raspberry.
Tasting the Pinot Noir

Above: Pinot Noirs usually have a lighter color than many other reds. As with any wine, always observe the color first. Whether white or red, take a look. Enjoy the richness of the wine. Let your mind wander with the color...how does it make you feel? Warm and cozy? Light and airy?

Above: Then smell the wine. Put your nose right in the glass and inhale deeply. Close your eyes and let your senses take over. Then sip it, and enjoy. A Pinot will smell and taste lighter than many reds as well.
Relax with the wine and enjoy yourself

Living in Palm Springs, I like to enjoy my wine outside, under the big desert sky. But wherever you live, when you drink wine, r-e-l-a-x, enjoy it. Let the flavor wash over you, so to speak. Let it romance you. Enjoy some chocolate as you sip your wines...it enhances the flavor!
Try a range of wines

Above: For Thanksgiving dinner, consider serving a range of two or three wines for your guests to enjoy. Serve with fresh grapes, sliced apples, cheese, mixed nuts and a good, high quality dark chocolate.
A Few Suggestions from My Wine Cellar

Above left: Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc, and above right: Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc

Above left: MacMurray Pinot Noir

And for after dinner...a nice Port

Above: Try serving a Port Wine after dinner. With a cheese plate, fresh fruit or just alone. I like this Ledson Port, it is absolutely delicious.

Whatever you serve, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the wine!

-Rick Rockhill