This season we decided to relax for three months at the Coachella Lakes RV Resort in the California desert. The weather has mostly been in the 70s and 80s and we are loving donning shorts and t-shirts every day. The park is brand new and offers many amenities including pickleball courts, an 18-hole putting green, and two swimming pools.
Ugly Librarian Outfits and Dog Show Groupies
Before we left Jackson, our dog groomer told us about the AKC All Breed Dog show taking place in January at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio. For kicks and grins, we decided to check it out. It was cool seeing all the beautifully groomed breeds, but mostly what we noticed were the fashion disasters worn by the female handlers. Picture a 1950s dowdy librarian look. And this lovely attire was actually being sold in booths at the show.
The Desert, Ugly Dog Show Attire, Pickleball, and an Angry Porcupine
Later, googling "ugly clothes at dog shows" we learned that an AKC show guideline states that a handlers' clothing "should not hinder or detract from the presentation of the dog." The irony is that they totally did. We were more focused on the unattractive togs than on the dogs. Knee length skirts and flats. And pantyhose. Who the heck wears pantyhose these days?
We also found that just as there are lighthouse geeks in the world, there are also dog show geeks. Anne Marie thought she was going to have to revive a woman who was swooning over her "idol." And the focus of her excitement wasn't over a dog. It was over a dog handler. Apparently the fangirl follows one particular handler (the woman in yellow in the photo on the right) but had never seen her in person, only in dog show magazines. She was utterly beside herself and it looked as though she was going to start hyperventilating. Alrighty then.
The Perils of Pickleball and Stepping on a Dog
We recently decided to join the other 36.5 million pickleball playing Americans and began playing each morning. It's super fun and we're slowly improving. We are trying to be somewhat careful because as the popularity of pickleball soars, so too do injuries. Not surprising is the statistic that people over the age of 50 account for 90% of the injuries with strains, sprains, and fractures at the top of the list.
Unfortunately, about a week into it, Anne Marie cut her hand. No, it was not a pickleball-related injury; the cause was something far less dignified. She was using an ottoman to reach into a cupboard in the motor home to get a glass bowl. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, Olivia had jumped up onto the ottoman behind her. When Anne Marie stepped her foot back onto the ottoman, she stepped on Olivia, causing them both to shriek and crash to the floor. The glass bowl shattered in Anne Marie's hand requiring three stitches, one tetanus shot, and a round of antibiotics. Olivia escaped unscathed.
Two weeks later, the stitches came out and pickleball playing has resumed.
The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens
Last week, we visited the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, a non-profit zoo and desert botanical garden in Palm Desert. The zoo is set on 1200 acres in the Sonoran Desert with 80 acres developed. It took us a couple of hours to walk through the exhibits and was absolutely worth the price of the ticket ($40).
The zoo's mission is desert conservation through preservation and education. The many programs the zoo is involved in include native wildlife rehabilitation, plant propagation, habitat restoration, and breeding of African, Australian, and North America species, including the area's desert bighorn sheep.
We also toured the zoo's hospital where they currently are incubating over 100 desert tortoises, whose status is "critically endangered." Tortoise hatchlings and eggs are removed from the Mojave Desert. Once at the hospital, hatchlings quickly grow in the safe, warm habitat. This increase in size helps to make them less vulnerable to predators. They are then moved back to the Mojave where they then have a better chance of surviving to a reproductive age.
One odd thing happened as we walked up to a porcupine exhibit. Another couple was standing behind a glass wall looking at a porcupine. We noticed that the porcupine was so enraged that he was throwing himself at the glass enclosure towards the four of us. He wanted out. He wanted to back his quills into some soft flesh and do some serious damage. What happened? We'll never know. Porcupines are normally not aggressive and just want to left alone. Maybe he ate a bad leaf?
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I have 2 pictures taken at The Living Desert on my den wall. Love that area.
Char, It is a pretty special place. Their mission of returning endangered animals to their native habitat is admirable.
Tuff way to donate blood! Olivia, bad dog.
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Ouch! It looks like more than three stitches to me. I love the photos of the Zoo.
Thanks for sharing!
You’ll have to check it out sometime when you need an escape from that horrible San Diego weather… 🙂
Love you two, your wit and sense of adventure. Keep ‘em coming.
Hopefully, Anne Marie won’t have any more misadventures to blog about… 🙂
Great to hear from you!! Sounds like a fun place to be spending the winter months. Dessert Museum sounds worth putting on our bucket list. Sorry about your hand Anne Marie! Glad Olivia was okay and you healed quickly! Miss you guys!
We miss you guys and seeing all of your travels on FB! It’ll be fun catching up, again.
Sorry about your hand and I totally agree about the outfits worn by the dog handlers.
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That was so weird about the porcupine. I would have liked to have asked zoo personnel what was up with him/her. Maybe you are right and it was just cranky that day.
Maybe it’s frustrated because it can never have a waterbed? 🤷🏼♂️
Zoo sounds awesome, we will check it out.
See you at your campground next month!
When you check in, ask for one of the pull throughs across from us at #245. They charge a “site lock fee” if you try to reserve it now. But there are still lots of available sites, so something should be available.
I wish I were wearing shorts and a t-shirt every day! Glad your winter is going well (well, except for the bad cut! Ouch!). And I'm thinking Michael and I should learn pickleball, too. Heck, my 80-year-old sister-in-law in New Hampshire plays it. Sounds like fun.
Enjoy!
Steven, With your energy levels? I think you would really enjoy it.
Just now getting to your blog. Good laughs as always. My mom is a dog show person, who also shows so, I go a great laugh at the retelling of your experience. LOL And, I'm so sorry to hear about Anne Marie and Olivia's accident. Yikes the cut looks so bad but, it definitely could have been much worse with both parties requiring medical attention. As for pickle ball, I also finally got Robert on the court here in Fiddletown. We had fun but, thinking that this could be a 'thing' is sadly not a reality. Then again, we certainly don't have the lovely weather for it --- at least for a few more months -- and then it will/should be restaurant time!! Safe and FUN travels you two.
Michelle, We wish you good luck with the new restaurant and hope that you both can carve out time to continue your travels!
Thanks for another fascinating report from you adventurers. We tried a little pickleball with friends in Michigan last October. Very fun, but too risky for my old knee and body. When I saw the picture of your cut hand, I was sure it was from that. But, no, the “accidents at home” strikes again. I’m impressed that you’re back playing ball already—the cut looks nasty! Glad you’re having a good time down there! Thanks for the news.
When we say we play pickleball, what we really mean is that we tap it back and forth to each other. Diving to the ground to save a point is simply not going to happen. 😆
Look forward to seeing you guys back in Mendocino!