Flying Palm Fronds...More from Palm Springs

We woke Tuesday morning to palm fronds flying everywhere. We are told that palm trees rarely fall down but the fronds, some very big, do go flying when the winds kick up. There were wind warnings for the entire day.

The wind didn’t stop me from a morning swim but I was fishing palm fronds out of the pool as I swam my laps.

After a leisurely morning at the pool, we headed to Palm Desert for lunch at Tommy Bahama, in the Gardens on El Paseo and then some shopping on El Paseo, a glorious shopping and art gallery street that is sort of the Rodeo Drive of the desert.

At Tommy’s we did sit out on their upper level deck but because of the wind, despite sunny skies, they had the heaters on and we enjoyed the warmth. The Tommy Bahama's restaurant is a lot like a Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. Both have menus with a tropical theme and the servers wear their store's cheerful clothing. After a meal at Tommy's or Margaritaville, I always go shopping in their store.



Jim had the St. Kitts blackened roasted fish sandwich…a beautiful piece of fish in a bun and accompanied by a chopped tomato, cucumber, and onion salad.



My choice was the South Beach Cuban sandwich, a warm grilled sandwich of sliced ham and pork with cheese and pickle. My sandwich was accompanied by Yucca fries.



Much as we wanted Key Lime Pie or Coconut Pineapple Whipped Cream cake, we resisted. We drank Mango Iced tea with our lunch.



Then it was on to Saks, Williams Sonoma, Banana Republic, Fresh Produce, Tommy Bahamas shop and many of my our other favorite shops.






We spent quite a bit of time at the Coda Gallery, a large gallery with a beautiful variety of art, both paintings, sculptures, furniture, and glass work.



Dinner was at El Mirasol, our favorite Mexican place in Palm Springs…I like El Mirasol because it is off the beaten path, away from downtown, and for its fresh authentic food.





They still feature their homemade Pipian sauce which they make fresh daily. They still had some when we got there. I had Grilled Shrimp in Pipian.



Jim tried something new, Shrimp Piccado, salted shrimp with peppers and onions.



With a couple of blended Margaritas, we were happy