Day 18 - Geococcyx Californianus

There was sand just inside our doors where last night’s wind storm had penetrated the seals around the door with extra fine sand.  Those winds were strong!

Not a roadrunner

Morning waterings of the courses

Aleta came back from her morning walk and reported that she had seen a road runner near the back of the resort.  Road Runner!  I grabbed my Acme camera and headed out the door.  I walked to the back of the resort and scouted around all points.  No road runner…apparently he had been notified of my intent.  However, I did see a praire falcon and a hummingbird visiting a wren, so not a total loss. 

A little about our villa…  We’re on the third floor, with our balconies facing the east.  Perfect for watching sunrises and for hiding from the late night high winds that channel through the pass virtually every night.  We have a full kitchen and a laundry room.  The great room adjoins the kitchen and has a dining room with seating for six.  The couch and chairs face the gas fireplace and we have a large picture window facing east.  We have two balconies, each with patio furniture. Finally, two bedrooms with king size beds and the guest bedroom also has a kitchenette.  Nothing like roughing it in the desert!

We bought this and our Desert Springs timeshares in preparation for our retirement.  Little did we know that we would be retiring this early and getting to enjoy them like this already!

We headed east again, this time to Fantasy Springs Casino to make our reparation payments to the Cabazon Tribe.  Then on to Old Town La Quinta to have lunch at Stuftz...a pizza place recommended to us by the bartender at Mortons.  One thing we haven't found in the valley is good pizza.  In the old days, we flew out of Chicago and always got our pizza fix at Giordano's before and after the trip.  Now that we're driving it's almost vital that we find a good pizza joint here.  Find it, we did!  This place has a deep dish with veggies piled high and a crust reminiscint of PWs.  Yum!

Roadrunners like pools,
But not today!

We head back to the resort…nice cool day to relax and enjoy the place….and maybe find a roadrunner or two! 

More walking, no roadrunners.  Dern!  What is it that makes me, Marvinoneryus Wanafindabirdicus, love Geococcyx californianus, roadrunners, so much?  Probably part of it is because we don't have these birds in the midwest, but there's something more...something I can't quite put my finger on.  Perhaps it's all those years watching Wiley chase him with those incredible Amce tools and weapons.  Or maybe it's because they are so much fun to watch.  They are super fast runners and yet they can fly, which they do when you least expect it!  They are very comfortable around humans and I've seen them at the pools at Desert Springs, on a car at Del Taco, and many times outside our villa here.  Regardless of why, I so love these birds, why oh why can't they love me!?!?

Our moon

iPhones are essential
for grilling!

Roadrunner or not, we had to eat and tonight we cooked our steaks on the grill outside. The sky was bright with decorations, so we had much to look at as we shivered in the night wind.  In the east was a full moon and to the west was Venus and Jupiter. Finally, the steaks are done and back inside we go to enjoy our meal and watch a movie.  Another great evening in the desert!