As you know, every ten years the women I was friends with in elementary and high school get together for a reunion.  This year the decision was made to fly to Palm Springs as one of us, Renate, has a house in Indio, California.

The group was originally comprised of eight members, but Liz died, and Phyllis has opted out of the reunions.  So that’s left it up to the remaining six of us to carry on. And carry on we did in fine form as always.

On Friday, the first day there, we went to a funky restaurant called the Jackalope Ranch.  A jackalope is a fictitious creature, half jack rabbit and half antelope.  So they’ve put antlers on some poor stuffed rabbits for decor.  But it’s actually very lovely inside and out, complete with water falls and huge boulders.

Renate’s house has a pool so we spent a huge amount of time in and around it, given the extreme heat at this time of year.  Skinny-dipping was a favourite activity, both at night and in the day as the pool area’s walled and completely private.

On Saturday we said we’d like to see Palm Springs.  We wandered about and I got a darling pair of palazzo pants, as did Mary.  Margaret had encouraged us to have fried avocado at the Colony Palms Hotel, so we decided to do that.

I’ve never experienced such stupid people as those we met on the way to the restaurant.  We asked two store clerks, who didn’t know where the place was, and then I asked a security guard, about two blocks away from the place where it was, and he said he didn’t know!!

In any case, we made it there, fire engine red in our faces from walking in 40 degree heat.  The lunch was great and it was divine to sit pool side while eating.  We drove straight home to Indio and dove into our own pool.

On Saturday night we had steaks, corn, salad and the women enjoyed several bottles of wine.  Due to my recent discovery that wine triggers migraines, I carefully sipped two screwdrivers each evening and for once I didn’t have a whole day ruined due to a hangover.  As we age, we do seem to get wiser.

Sunday began with Mary asking all of us to tell a story, and I told the group the story told to me on Mother’s Day by James of how Liz came to him after her death.  We’ve all suffered through tough times now and so there was a bit of weeping with the laughter over some of our stories.

We headed to a market and I found a pair of sunglasses that are also reading glasses.  Alison had told me about them, and I was thrilled to actually find a pair.  Now I don’t have to put sunglasses over my reading glasses when I try to read outside.

On Sunday night we went to a casino that has a nice restaurant, and got dolled up for that.  I have to say the six of us clean up nicely.  We asked the waitress to take a group photo as we did many times during the trip.

Then on Monday it was time for tearful good-byes, but this time we decided 10 years is too much, and we’ll do this all over gain in five years when we turn 65.