Each year the Londons come out to Palm Desert for February. We look forward to spending time with them when they are here. This year they had a large house with spare bedrooms and bathrooms and we were delighted to drive over the mountain and have two days and an evening with without having to drive back over the mountain in between.
We started with the Palm Beach Air Museum located adjacent to the airport. 
We are in front of one of the few remaining B-17 Flying Fortresses from a fleet of over 12,000 built during WW II housed at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
Carol and David in the radio room of the plane
Our next event was a jazz concert by Houston Person at Pete Carlson’s Golf & Tennis. Yes that’s right the venue is a Golf and Tennis shop by day and often after dark a jazz venue.
The Jazz was wonderful as was the venue. We were surrounded by a seemingly endless array of golf accessories not to mention clubs and ball.
Before that we stopped at Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert. There we fell in love with an exhibit of photography themed around History, Memory and Social Justice. We recognized many of the photographers and enjoyed experiencing work that we had not seen (or didn’t remember seeing).
The next day, Thursday, brought more interesting stops. First we went to Sunnyland, built by Walter Annenberg where 8 of the last 9 presidents visited and made use of the house for important conferences and just to relax. We toured the gardens and the visitor center which did not require advance purchase of tour tickets. 
After swinging by the house to freshen up and meet David we set out for the Palm Springs Art Museum, where we arrived just in time for a docent tour with Ann Loeb, the same docent we toured with a year ago. wonderful energy and excitement about the art she chooses to feature. 
The picture is mostly to provide an overview of the space from the mezzanine looking up to the 2nd floor. We decided to take in a special exhibit where we found this sign:
Carol and I were quite excited as we drive through Anza just about 12 miles from our home park often and are less aware of the Cahuilla Indians than we might be.
After a light meal in the gallery courtyard cafe, Carol and I said good by to the Londons and headed over the mountain to Jojoba Hills SKP Resort.
A small story of coincidence: Last May we attended my class of ’64 Reunion and I served as Class Marshall. A photographer took pictures of all of us in the regalia of top hat and cutaway. I have sort of been waiting to receive the promised print. When we arrived at Toby and David’s in Palm Desert, David handed me an envelope addressed to him, mailed just before they left Providence with my picture and a letter of thanks to David! I sent an email thanking the university alumni association for the unique delivery method, only wondering how they knew we would be together, on the west coast in February.
Four roaring engines, the smell of pure fuel, and a plexiglass nose. What a thrill to be around the machine that took it to the Nazis, and helped restore peace in Europe.
I was stationed at Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in 1987, which is now becoming a distant memory. Thank you for stirring some nostalgia my friends. The desert has such a different feeling in the air compared to cool, damp Rochester.
Like your comments on the B 17. What most do not kn ow was the horrible mortality rate among the crews of 19 and 20 year olds. fewer than 50% survived the 25 missions needed to get time off back in the US.