We spent three days of our Spring Break trekking across the desert exploring massive art installations across the Coachella Valley known as Desert X.
If I'm being honest, I just wanted to live in my jammies and catch up on my shows all week. But instead, I dragged my family out, jumped into the car, and headed East.
I left the comfort of my central A/C haven for this desert adventure in Greater Palm Springs, native to endless rolling grounds of cacti...
Blooming wildflowers.
And an ubiquitous art scene.
If I lived in Palm Springs I'd finally take up golf and my second car would be a golf cart.
The Desert Hills Premium Outlets would be my go-to shopping destination.
I'd sip martini mocktails at noon.
And dine under chandelier light by night.
Life would be sweet.
In lieu of my Palm Spring's country club fantasy, I left my cozy hotel bed and swimsuit behind...
Said one last morning mirror affirmation...
and headed out into the most unexpected places.
We were able to hit seven of the ten Desert X's art exhibitions plus one that is still on view from Desert X 2017. Neither skin scorching UV rays nor high wind warnings stopped us.
We met the hostile environment head on. We swallowed dry, chalky air. Covered ourselves in dirt. Masked our shoes in dust. Encountered sharp needle ridden plants. In essence, lived on the edge.
We made sure to restore our energy.
Renew our spirit along the way.
And take cat naps in-between installations.
Presley put together our survival kit.
David put on his PPE consisting of selvedge denim and handcrafted suede and leather sneakers.
So...here we go...X marks the spot.
1. Amar a Dios en Tierra de Indios, Es Oficio Maternal, Rancho Mirage
Trying to interpret what it all means.
Is it an unexplainable phenomenon?
Best to see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. It's art after all. Let's move on.
2. No. 1225 Chainlink, Palm Desert
Truman loves to model for me.
This was David's favorite among them all.
3. Liquid A Place, Palm Desert
4. Searching for the Sky (While Maintaining Equilibrium), Desert Hot Springs
5. Pioneer, Desert Hot Springs
6. Immersion, Palm Springs
7. Sleeping Figure, Palm Springs
8. Alive!, Palm Springs (This installation is still on view from Desert X 2017)
We found Alive! accidently while walking around Villagefest in downtown.
The Eiffel Tower of Palm Springs.
Boop boop bee doop.
A car suspended in time outside the Palm Springs Art Museum. Wish we had one more day in Palm Springs to devote to museum hopping. Sigh.
All in all, we came to do what we set out. Unplug.
Unwind.
Play in the sand.
We discovered art across the Sonoran Desert landscape overlooking sprawling wildflowers with the San Jacinto snow-capped mountains glowing in the background.
What more could we ask for?
Disclaimer: No bodies were buried in the planning of this trip.