A Brief Glimpse of Hollywood...

I may be the Palm Springs Savant, but I spend a fair amount of time in Los Angeles from time to time. As I'm not one for driving late at night, if I have late meetings or am out socializing I'll spend the night at a hotel in town. In LA, the Hollywood Roosevelt is one of my favorites for its history and location. The Roosevelt is a stylish old hotel right in the heart of Hollywood. Built back in 1927, it has been popular with movie stars and film world ever since. It has a fabulous poolside bar that is a hot spot to see and be seen. The famous Hollywood Walk of Fame runs right past the hotel, so there is plenty to see while out for a stroll. Just across the street is the famous Mann's (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre, and no matter where you turn you are bound to see some piece of Hollywood history. The Roosevelt is said to be haunted by the ghosts of numerous Hollywood legends, including Marilyn Monroe. When you stay at the hotel you can almost feel the history surround you.

above: the back entrance, where limousines pull up to drop off guests and visitors.

above: The main lobby, decorated in a grand old style. It is my favorite part of the hotel.

above: some of the grounds at night.

above: the hotel pool is the scene for a hip bar/lounge area, with pumping music and an acrylic bridge spanning over the pool.

above: just down the road from the hotel are these landmarks: The old El Capitan theatre and Hollywood Guinness World Records.

above: The Ripley's Believe it or Not building...with a dinosaur on the roof!
Of course there is much more to Los Angeles than this area, but I thought they made for fun photos. Thanks for stopping by.
-Rick Rockhill

Relax [ri-laks] def: to reduce or stop work, effort, application, etc., esp. for the sake of rest or recreation

I think it was it John Lennon who said "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans". Regardless of what point you are at in life, working or not- it is important to stop every so often. Pause and reflect on what matters to you (or what should). As I've written numerous times on this blog, I am grateful to have learned an important lesson early in my own life. Time seems to pass much too quickly...it slips away without notice. I decided long ago to try to take time to pause and appreciate life. Sometimes it is just stopping to appreciate a sunset, smell a flower or enjoy a favorite song. People at work who know me might question that. I'm often in quite early and leave late, so yes I do work a lot. But I do take time to relax. In case you have forgotten, I looked up the definition of the word RELAX. There were multiple definitions listed:
Re-lax [ri-laks]
* to become less tense, rigid, or firm.
* to become less strict or severe; grow milder.
* to reduce or stop work, effort, application, etc., esp. for the sake of rest or recreation.
* to release oneself from inhibition, worry, tension, etc. and finally:

*to release or bring relief from the effects of tension, anxiety, etc.

This past weekend I did just that- I relaxed. And wow it felt great. I hope you remember to do the same. Have a great day!
-Rick Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: Fantasy in Art

This week's edition of the Sunday Art Review brings a somewhat unexpected genre for me to present. I've been fascinated by the video game Oblivion, which is part of the Elder Scrolls series. I'm not an Xbox maniac, in fact I don't even play- John does. He plays and I watch. I am so fascinated by Oblivion, aside from an interesting story line, it has such enchanting music that I find myself drawn to it. When he plays Oblivion-sometimes for hours it is like I've entered the fantasy world and get to know all these interesting characters. This was the inspiration for this week's edition of the Sunday Art Review: Fantasy in Art. Mind you, none of this art has anything to do with Oblivion or Xbox, so there is my disclaimer up front. In the meantime enjoy these...

above: Dragon scene, by famed fantasy artist Rowena Morill

above: Moonlight, artist unknown

above: Unicorn, by well known fantasy artist Steve Roberts

above: Mermaid and the Unicorn, by Steve Roberts

above: Merlin, artist unknown

above: Lila, by Kate Dawidziak

above: title unknown, by David Michalczyk

above: an interesting combination of imagery. I found this image but it had no information attributed to it. Thought it would be an interesting piece to end this week's Sunday Art Review: Fantasy in Art. Thanks for stopping by!

-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Sensational Shows of the 70's

The Saturday Seven weekly series has been on a brief hiatus these past few weeks as I've been traveling and on the go of late. But it is back once again to tantalize and tease, bringing you to the very brink of excitement. There were a number of entertaining programs on TV at the time. It was a naughty socially conscious era of television. Women were asserting themselves. Men were learning to shed their sexist opinions of women. Racial barriers were being challenged. This was also the age of the great variety show, sadly, long since gone from the screen. Super Soap Operas. Idyllic Family Sitcoms. Indeed it was a fascinating period in American television. Therefore, I am pleased to bring you another scintillating installment of The Saturday Seven: Sensational Shows of the 70's. I hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane...

#1 Dallas- salacious, sexy, sinful and compelling drama that ruled the airwaves and had people around the world glued to the tube every Friday night.

#2 Happy Days-Who couldn't like little Richie Cunningham, everybody's Mom Mrs C or the essesence of it all: "The Fonz". These days Mr C lives happily here in Palm Springs.

#3 Charlie's Angels- 3 fabulous chicks that ran around showing off their bodies; nobody really cared that they couldn't hold a gun.

#4 Eight Is Enough- Everybody's favorite dad, Tom Bradford. You all know that Dick Van Patten is a friend of mine, so I may be impartial here....

#5 Laverne & Shirley- Two sassy city broads who lived, laughed and learned about life together.

#6 M*A*S*H- Funny, then serious then funny, then serious. At times it was a social commentary on war. Hot Lips Houlihan gave the guys a reason to watch.

#7 Three's Company- Light, bubby, and full of laughs. Chrissy Snow was my favorite. I just wanted an apartment like theirs when I was a kid.

I hope you enjoyed this week's installment of The Saturday Seven: Sensational Shows of the 70's. Which one was YOUR favorite?

-Rick Rockhill

Philatelic Friday: SUP-ER Heroes Stamps

After taking a few weeks off from my Philatelic Friday series, it returns today with a dynamic installment featuring Super Heroes. Or perhaps I should say it in a loud booming and dramatic voice "SUP-ER HEROES". I thought that with all the nagging economic news, we all could use an heroic effort to boost spirits and public mood. There's nothing quite like the battle of good versus evil, when the super hero saves the day and returns order to the world. If only we had a super hero to fix things. At least we have them on stamps. (Although that doesn't seem to have helped the Post Office much). For those of you who are comic book geeks I hope you thoroughly enjoy this post.


above: Captain America

above: Iron Man

above: Spider Woman (wow she looks angry...I wonder what that means)

above: Good old Superman. A true American hero.

Happy Philatelic Friday all!

-Rick Rockhill

A Few Words About Palm Springs

Being the Palm Springs Savant, I receive a lot of e-mails from people across the US and from around the world asking all sorts of questions about Palm Springs. Usually they ask about visiting the desert, my favorite restaurants, famous people I know, and where to go sight-seeing of celebrity homes. I often tell people that one of the reasons famous people have been coming to Palm Springs for years is to escape the spotlight. Many celebrities still come to our desert and stay in a private home, or sequester themselves in exclusive boutique hotel in the area. Whenever I've taken someone famous out to dinner in Palm Springs, they are always relieved when locals allow them to relax and enjoy their dinner in peace. Our desert valley offers serene mountain views, natural beauty and wonderful dry warm weather. Whether you soak in the minerals of a natural hot spring, or partake in a healing mud bath at a local spa, you can really appreciate all our desert has to offer. It's no wonder we see the top stars of Hollywood visiting our city. I've had the pleasure of spending time with the likes of Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Brad Pitt, Paula Abdul, Linda Blair, Vanessa Hudgens, Sean Penn, Dick Van Patten, Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Willis and many others. Whether I've spent a weekend, a dinner or just a cocktail, the one common thing I have heard from all these people is how relaxed they feel in Palm Springs. I couldn't agree more. Except I didn't need a celebrity to tell me what I already knew. I hope you have an opportunity to visit our beautiful desert someday. And if you do, you know who to call.
-Rick Rockhill

Another Update on Spike....

I thought it was time for another update on a cactus in my yard we named "Spike". (Actually one of my readers "Bunnygirl" named him Spike). I wrote an update on Spike last July, showing Spike's growth progress. People always think cactus plants grow slowly- while many do, there are varying speeds for different varieties. Spike has been growing at a medium speed I'd say (whatever that means). He stands alone in the driveway, in between the garage doors, inching upward toward in a quest to reach the light. I rue the day that happens, as I will be forced to dig up Spike and move him elsewhere. Or maybe just take the light down. Or move. In any event I am happy watching Spike's progress and remembering the day we brought him him. Proud cactus parents, gazing at the baby cactus wrapped in swaddling newspaper. Isn't he cute? In case you've forgotten, here are photos of the last two upates on Spike:

above left: July 2007, just after Spike was planted. Above right: a year later July 2008.

Well that's all really. Thanks for stopping by today.

-Rick Rockhill