It gets dark here around 5:00 PM, making it seem much later than it actually is. Yesterday, after we returned from our motorcycle trip the sun was slowly sinking and we had just enough time to workout for a while before it got dark. With the onset of winter, the temperatures overnight make it is just too cold to go swimming first thing in the morning even though the water is kept at a tepid 85-90F. So, once the sun set, we went to the pool for a swim followed by a relaxing soak in the hot tub, a perfect finale to a great day.

This afternoon, Rick joined me in the bird carving class held each week here with Vern, Catalina’s resident talented wood carver. By the end of the afternoon, Rick’s chunk of wood began to resemble a bird more than mine did and I have been at it for two weeks already. Vern is a patient teacher and a terrific coach so with his help we will all look like we are actually talented by the time we are done.

Tonight Jennifer joined us when we went to the Thursday night street fair in Palm Springs. The same street we strolled along on Tuesday was now closed off to vehicular traffic and there were dozens of vendors, musicians, artisans and food kiosks in the place of moving cars. With the Christmas lights lining the sidewalks, there was a definite festiveness in the air as hundreds of shoppers strolled along the five or six-block promenade. What a great contrast it was from the quiet daytime experience we’d had here earlier in the week!

I didn’t take my camera with us tonight so this is a picture Rick took from the plane when he flew to Vancouver from here two weeks ago.