Busy Day

View from the putting green.
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Sue and Ann had to spend the day at La Quinta for the luncheon and afternoon meeting. We also needed to stay close by so the windshield could get fixed. Matt and Christie played the mountain course with Sammie and Jack. Ann walked early and checked out the La Quinta golf course Beautiful with the mountains in the background. Sue and I checked out the pool and chatted with the State President from Florida who is a real world traveler. We then went to to the luncheon where they served salmon and raspberry crème broullet. Needless to say, Sue was starving after the luncheon because these are not two of her favorites. No problem for Ann though, as usual she cleaned her plate. Entertainment was inspirational in nature, a teacher singer. When we returned, from the luncheon, Christie and Matt had returned and Jack and Sammie were enjoying a drink with them in our room. After they left, Matt was quick to assure Sue that he had not cracked the seal on her Crown Royal, but that Jack had. Because the car had to stay on the property waiting for service, Matt and Christie went for lunch at Club 26 at La Quinta and charged it to the room. Only a $66 lunch for two people eating two open faced sandwiches. What a bargain. Sue and I were at our meeting and they napped until we returned. The car man still hadn’t come to fix the windshield, so we decided to go the the Aerial Tramway. As we left the room for the parking lot, Sue saw the Window replacement truck go by. We tried to flag him down, knowing he was looking for our car, but he never looked back. so we headed for the tramway. What a treat!!!! Though nervous at first, even Ann enjoyed this visit 8,000 feet in the air where one can see from Arizona to the Salton Sea. Going up it was dusk so we could see exactly where we were. Straight up cliffs, sheer drop – offs and a 30 degree temperature change. It was downright cold on the lookout points at the top. A big difference from the 110 degrees down below. It was amazing. The postcards Ann got probably show it better than our pictures, but we will try to get the message. We stayed up there for about an hour. Going up to the parking lot. The car engine took quite a strain. 3000 feet straight up. So the engine had that fan belt burning smell. Going down – same straight drop so the brakes and engine had that same smell. At the bottom, we stopped and added some coolant. If the blue Nelly gets us home, it will be a miracle. Between the mountains and the desert she has really taken a beating. Anyway, we were starving by the end of this trip, so we looked for a place to stay. Two people tried to kill us by trying to drive in our lane and Sue expertly avoided them and we now know that our brakes work fine. We ended up eating at the Cheesecake Factory which was in a sort of mall that looked very youthful especially since the movie theater was there. It was a challenge figuring out the parking but we did it. We had to walk a little way and the walkway had mist machines blowing on us. A different concept to be sure. Matt had shrimp rolls, clam chowder, and some kind of fettucini along with a fufu drink as he called it – a peach daquiri Sue had tacquitos, Ann had clam chowder with a blt salad, and Christie had a cheese pizza.with hot stringy cheese. It was all good, but we were so tired that we just sort of chewed in silence. We quickly ate it up and then we headed back out into the night. On the way, we passed the barbecue place and Christie and Matt had their pictures taken with the local pig. Christie had her own pig pickin which I hope you can see in the picture (finger in pig’s nose.) Arriving back in the casita, everyone fell into bed with snoring beginning immediately. We certainly are not experiencing the nightlife here. Too tired. Tomorrow is our last day in La Quinta and the convention will be the activity of the day. Matt will play the Norman course (Christie hasn’t decided yet.) and hopefully the windshield will get fixed.