Lazy But Historic Desert Days

Thunderheads rolled in over the Santa Rosa Mountains this afternoon, cooling the temperature and the contrast. A walk around La Quinta Resort revealed lots of surprises and delights, like this elegant solution to draining a patio above a fireplace.

I'm not a big cactus guy, but these firey branches make a nice contract against the whitewashed walls and tile roofs of the casitas.

The next photo is a treat. After more than a decade of coming out here for the 4th of July, I finally got to look into the casita where Frank Capra wrote many of his films. The couple staying there -- they sounded English -- kindly let us in even though the maid was cleaning the room. See the desk on the right in the alcove -- that's where Capra pounded out his scripts.

And here's the plaque commemorating the famous spot: