Back at home with a very happy puppy now.  Diego hadn’t been boarded in about a year, and I guess he was none too happy being left behind this weekend.

Even without Diego being there though, Palm Springs rocked.  Great food, great people, great tan lines.  No disasters.  Had plenty of pool time to think about thirty years of visits to the area, with mostly pretty fond memories.  Finished the second Sookie Stackhouse book, and even had the opportunity to see Adam West’s star on Palm Canyon Drive after my morning latte this morning.  Yes, my life is full.

While life was good at the resort where Spinner’s convention was being held, have to admit things didn’t look great for the town.  I know that business there is cyclical, and very linked to tourism, but I’ve never seen so many empty storefronts there before.  Not just the little retailers and restaurants but the empty auto lots that used to support some pretty high-end markets.  This is supposed to be the high season – many smaller retailers routinely close there for the summer.  Early spring should be bustling though, but you couldn’t tell it from the night life.  Foot traffic on Friday evening was almost non-existent, and parking might have been the easiest I’ve ever had it there.

Escondido’s been depressed for so long that maybe I’m becoming used to the closures as the new status quo, but seeing how far Palm Springs has fallen since my last visit 4-5 years ago was shocking to say the least.  Almost as shocking as California’s new official unemployment rate of 12.6%.  Hopefully California won’t be a trendsetter for the rest of you in these areas, but be warned.