Well the rain quit last night and it was a beautiful morning. Crisp but sunny with a few light clouds. After getting up, turning on the heat, turning on the coffee, walking the dogs, having breakfast, and doing a little laundry, I managed to get the bed repaired. We had ordered a replacement gas strut (works like the hydraulic piston that holds up your trunk lid) to replace the one that broke in the fully extended position. We had lifted the bed up to access the storage area and the old one froze open. It only took twenty minutes with Tina holding the bed up to fix it. I kept dropping screws, but that's another story, heh, heh.... Once that job was done I managed to hang Tina's new stained glass Dragonfly.Don and Diane arrived around 11:30 AM and we celebrated Diane and Mikes delayed birthdays with a gift exchange. We visited for about an hour then walked over to the Shuffleboard Courts before proceeding to the Cabana. By now the sun had warmed things up and we were able to eat lunch poolside.
After lunch we went into the Billiards room where Don and I traded games and the ladies watched. As in days of old we used many tricks and subtle forms of sharking to rattle the other player. With laughter all around it was soon time for Don and Diane to head home to their "kids". We walked back to the coach and said goodbye, recognizing that we would soon be meeting up for a trip up through Bryce Canyon, Zion, the Grand Tetons and on into Yellowstone for a week.Around 3:30 PM we decided to take the kids for a hike up to the Hemet Maze Stone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemet_Maze_Stone), a granite boulder carved with a labyrinth maze in a 3 1/2-foot square. The surface of the boulder has a light patina known locally as “desert varnish”, suggesting the petroglyph may have been carved between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago. About 50 maze-stones have been identified throughout California, in Orange, Riverside, Imperial, and San Diego counties, and at least 14 examples of labyrinthine rock art are known in the remote area of Palm Springs. All of them have been found within 150 miles of each other, and virtually every one is rectangular, although varying in size from 4 inches to several feet across.
We drove to the end of California Avenue which took us up Reinhardt Canyon where the county has blocked off the road. We parked at the gate, leashed the dogs and headed up the remains of the old road. We steadily climbed upward past hillsides dotted with huge granite boulders and abundant flowers. Even the bushes are in bloom. We finally reached the Hemet Maze Stone which is protected against vandalism by two chain link fences. I tried to take a picture but it's tough to shoot through the fences. After checking out the area we returned to the old road for the trip back to the car. Before starting down we met a couple of hikers and exchanged information about hiking in the area. We plan to return and do a hike in the area.
Arriving back at the car we headed back to town and our coach. While I worked on photos, Tina fixed a great dinner salad with shrimp, avocado, blueberries and nuts. Simply delicious!! After dinner we went over to the Shuffleboard Pavilion and joined eight other players for a rousing game. I was paired with two other husbands while Tina was with their wives so it was the men against the women. We played six "ends" then switched positions. At the end of twelve rounds the ladies had beaten the men by two points 117 to 115. Everybody had fun!!
After the game we returned home, took the kids for a nice walk and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
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