The page 2 headline this week in the Desert Trail read,
Find
new Wonder Valley rep at Palms Sundays
HA!
Yes, MOST Sundays, 10-ish - those are my “office hours.” I
haven’t found a better place in the area to meet the people in Wonder Valley
than the Palms. On Saturday night Ken and I had dinner there. Laura Sibley made brats with
grilled onions and coleslaw ($3.50) and we shared an order of fries. It was
delicious. Laura is a fantastic cook and after a long day at the DesertInstitute we were in need of nourishment and went where we were sure we could
get it.
I ran into lots of people I knew and met a couple of
gentlemen who have lived here for a very long time: Bill and George. Honored to
meet them both. Later I ran into Gary, whose name I will not forget next time,
and his friend Olive, and Gina and a few others. Some of these people live here full
time and some are weekenders from nearby cities working hard to find a way to
live permanently in this wonderful enclave that they have come to love so much.
All are vibrant people, with lively personalities who contribute to the character of Wonder Valley, something difficult to
notice if you’re flying past on 62 pushing 80. If you really want to know Wonder Valley you'll need to slow down.
We stayed to watch the show Rummelsnuff. Wonder Valley was
their last American stop before Koln, Germany and Vienna, Austria.
Rummelsnuff brought to mind Christopher Isherwood's Caberet and
young men revving their cars before a Saturday night street race, with just a
titch of Pierre et Gilles thrown in. Love and boundless enthusiasm defined their
energetic performance.
Two lovely women danced back up (one is rumored to be Wonderhussy) and another lovely Wonder Valley gal in a cowboy hat
danced cheek to cheek with Christian Asbach while he sang a ballad. Only the microphone came between them.
Locals joined in,
dancing "on stage." The atmosphere was warm and decadent.
The Wonder Valley artist Jill Reinig took donations for stickers.
We returned to the Palms the next morning for my "office hours," had breakfast, chatted with my neighbors, and joined Miss Ida Lane in the back room. She played honky tonk piano while the rest of us tried to sing. Ken had printed song sheets and together we sang Walzting Matilda, the Yellow Rose of Texas and more.
Hope to see you next week!
Hope to see you next week!
