Palm Springs Forever

December is for sunshine.

The past two years we’ve been lucky enough to go south for an entire month.  Last year: The Gulf Coast in Florida.  This year: Palm Springs.

We planted our regular life into the sunny California desert.  It wasn’t burning-hot-wear-a-swimsuit-everyday weather.  It was more jeans + t-shirts (with jackets at night).  Kinda just what we needed.

The highlights:

Hummingbirds + juniper bushes + an orange tree right outside our kitchen door.

Bought cruiser bikes on Craigslist.  Loved them to death.  Sold them to a sweet New Zealand couple a few days before we left.

Poolside lunches.  (Most often included homemade guacamole, jicama drizzled with lemon juice + salt + pepper, green smoothies made with our tiny blender.)

Farmer’s markets, runs past dreamy mid-century modern houses, reading library books til the sun drops behind the mountain, achy legs from hiking.

Scrabble at Customs Coffee.

Swiss Donuts (that always came with extra mini donut holes on the house) + date shakes.

Hot pink sunsets + hot tubs.

Really small lizards on dusty hot trails.

Patsy Cline with homemade dinners.

Discovered a for-real French bakery.  Hello baguettes! 

Four days spent hiking in Joshua Tree National Park.  Favourite cactus: The cholla.  Favourite hike: Ryan Mountain.  With many PB + J sandwiches eaten on rocks.  Also: Palm oases really do exist!

Strong, rich espresso at The Real Italian Deli.

Hiked a very small portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.  (Wild dreams come true!)

Oh, and if you want to get rad postcards this is where to go:
Desert Wanderlust, The Ace Hotel, CVS Pharmacy (like for real!).

P.S. There are a few sets of these insanely cute cactus stamps in my shop!