A Song, A Hike, A Birthday Dinner....

Deni, Courtney and Owen had their Friday evening planned with Courtney's mom so Jeanette and I accepted an invite to a Karaoke evening with friends.  Well....was that fun?  You bet!

Me, Hector and Lucky entertained the crowd...and, by all accounts, we did well. And, we choose to believe that we did well......

The Dillon Roadhouse offered up some great food....and entertainment.  Richard, the Karaoke handler, was equally good at motivating the crowd.  Who knew we could have so much fun doing this.  But, fun it was!  It was our last opportunity to get together with Lucky and Trena who are heading back for the BC home this Monday. We were 5 couples who thoroughly made the evening a fun one.

Saturday morning hike at the Coachella Preserve.

Our kids were up for a hike!  We chose the  Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve in the Coachella Valley Preserve System - Home for that outing.  It was our first time there.  Based on our experience, we will hike this area again.  To hike through thick palms to an oasis is quite a treat on a hot day - or any day, for that matter.

Thick, uncut palms!

In spite of the often bumpy ride, Owen slept through the entire hike.  He woke up when we returned to the parking area.

The boardwalks made navigating around the oasis so much easier.

Out of the palms and into the desert brought some tough work for Courtney who was  pushing Owen in his stroller.  The sand was no match for the big wheels on the stroller though but, on occasion, a little assistance was needed to lift Owen up and over some tough terrain.

Deni and I taking a brief respite at the oasis.

Saturday was Deni's 35th birthday and here he is sharing some special time with his mom....

Two horsepower required to meander the stroller through this difficult spot on the trail.

One hour into our hike and we had returned to the parking area.  With Owen's wheels stored - and with him safely buckled into his seat - the little family followed us back to our RV site where lunch was prepared and served before we took them to view the great spa facilities here at Sam's.

One final look at the nice hiking trail

Sitting around in our RV while the barbecue was working on grilling some chicken skewers and jumbo shrimp.

We were interested in Deni and Courtney's views once they got to walk around the spa facilities.  They were thrilled to see how this place suited big kids and little kids too.  They will be back here tomorrow (Monday) for a day of swimming and more.....

Checking out the fish and birds that make this man made pond their home.

By mid-afternoon, Saturday, Deni, Courtney and Owen drove back to the Indio golf resort that Doug and Barb are renting and, by 5:30 pm, Jeanette and I drove out to enjoy a great barbecue and celebratory ice cream cake in honour of Deni's birthday.

Owen was finely dressed for the event.  Check out the nice bow tie....!  Very stylish and handsome little fella....and smiley too!

Jeanette and I took turns holding our little 2 1/2 month old Owen.  He paid us back with some nice smiles.

Owen is holding his No. 1 Driver from the golf set that Jeanette and I bought for him.

Our custom (well, certainly my intent) is to present each grand child with a true golf set. Easton got his set two years back and now Owen is the recipient of his.  His folks got to open the present for him.

By age 2, Owen should be hitting the links with his folks.....and certainly with his grand papa.

We did present Deni with a birthday gift too.  His was a most updated copy of the 140 Great Hikes in and near Palm Springs.  That was a welcome gift.

A nice family photo with Deni, Courtney and 2 1/2 month old Owen.

Barb, Courtney's mom, was busy adding candles to the ice cream cake she made for Deni's birthday.  It was fantastic!

Doug did such a fine job with the beef tenderloins on the barbecue and, when all was eaten up, we just enjoyed a few hours of chat and laughter. What a lovely evening!

A most wonderful evening dinner - and birthday celebration - at Barb and Doug's Golf resort in Indio.

With fresh strawberries added, this ice cream cake was 'oh so good'........

Jeanette and I left back for our RV site by 9:00 pm, following a really nice day with family.  A great day it was!

Thanks for stopping in.