Finishing Palm Springs

You know when life gets ahead of you and it seems difficult to choose one priority over another? Yeah, I'm there, and have been all summer. With beautiful weather making for a picture-perfect Seattle summer, it's been tough to plant in front of the computer to work on photos, let alone compose with words for blog posts. Nevertheless, I'm compelled to share the remaining photos from my work trip to Palm Springs (which was way back in May).

I hope you enjoy a bit of the Riviera Resort and some sights from Downtown Palm Springs, including Marilyn.

    

Up and Away

I'm usually not one for heights. I'm not sure if it's the fear of falling to certain injury or worse, but I shy away from activities that put a great (or even small) distance between me and solid ground. But I'm working on this, and on my recent trip to Palm Springs, I tackled the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

This tram is by far one of the best vertical experiences I've had. Climb in a large tram car with a rotating floor (so you can really get those 360-degree views) and spend 10 minutes traveling from the hot Palm Springs floor up the cliffs of Chino Canyon nearly 6,000 feet to the summit, typically 30 degrees cooler but with all the brilliant sun the area has to offer. Once at the top, the hiking opportunities and views are spectacular. I've captured a few of these below, including my co-worker Bethany smelling a Jeffrey Pine tree, whose bark hints of vanilla and butterscotch. Enjoy!

     

Airplanes and Painted Ladies Galore

One thing that was remarkable to me about the Palm Springs Air Museum--besides the generous pours of wine and the friendly and knowledgeable guides--were the beautifully preserved planes, most in working condition and almost all with a certain feminine decoration.

Painting beautiful women and colorful cartoons on the drab painted aircraft brought smiles, beauty, humor, hope, and life back into the lives of the men at war. It wasn't done to make war pretty or palatable; rather, it gave the bomber crews pride and a unity amongst them. This nose art, with "pin-up" women and names from standard to scintillating, is beautiful and a kind of psychological protection against the stresses of war and the probability of death.

Below you'll find some of these lovely ladies, as well as other markings on the vintage war planes I found mesmerizing and artistic in their own right.