FLIRTING WITH FIRE

Ready, Set, Go!

It feels like summer is racing toward me, screaming. The temps have been flirting with triple digits, and Coachella is in full blast mode over in Indio. This past week has been the “warning”. We’re going from the frying pan into the fire, and soon.

There’s a bit less traffic lately, along with a few car transport trucks outbound. For me, less traffic means faster drive times, but more importantly, fewer red light runners!
I’m not blaming our snowbirds (exactly), though I’ve spotted some very pretty out-of-state plates flying through intersections. (California’s plates? Still b-o-r-i-n-g.)

Last Saturday was date night. I usually work a few hours on Saturdays. When I’m off anywhere between 5 and 7 p.m., we meet at Piero’s Pizza Vino for cocktails. I’m a Bombay Sapphire martini—up, dirty, two blue cheese-stuffed olives—kind of girl. Steven’s a boring Blanton’s-on-the-rocks kind of guy.

All season, we’ve dealt with the usual wait for “our table.” But last Saturday, the place was nearly empty at five. By six, it had started to stir, but the usual hustle and bustle just weren’t there, not like the previous weekend. Even the “birds” were few and far between.

Here’s what I’ve noticed over the course of this season:

• More auto traffic

• More pedestrian foot traffic

• Holiday shopping seemed more limited

• Restaurants were consistently busier

• Shoppers appeared in better spirits compared to last year

• More people on El Paseo, but less spending (fewer shopping bags)

• Canadians left earlier than expected

• Many second homes are up for sale

• Poor movie offerings in theaters

• Restaurant prices rose across the board

• There was little rain (a downside), but more available tee times (an upside)

By July, I’ll fidget and become physically intolerant of the heat. By August, I’ll question my (our) sanity for having lived here through 48 summers.

Steve’s job allows him to work from anywhere. We could have moved 23 years ago or any time after Josh graduated from high school.

But we stayed. I moan and groan (see above). Steve kindly asks if I could moan and groan a little more quietly.

My son’s family is here. My irreplaceable circle of friends is here. I truly enjoy my job. And I no longer have the ambition or the energy it takes to build a new life(style) and make new friends.

And most importantly, my entire wardrobe is desert casual.

So, we stay.

Why do you stay?