OTBT weekend in Palm Springs.

Have you heard of OTBT shoes? OTBT stands for Off the Beaten Track, and that’s precisely where I went to test them out this past weekend. I spent the weekend in Palm Springs, but instead of heading for one of the ultra-hip modernist hotels like all the cool kids do, I took my R&R at the El Rancho Lodge. The El Rancho’s website describes the place as “the essence of old Palm Springs,” and that’s exactly what it was – a quiet bit of vintage goodness, far from the madness of “the strip” of Palm Canyon Drive.

While much of my weekend was spent barefoot at poolside, Saturday night we headed out to Pioneertown to Pappy & Harriet’s. I wore my orange OTBT Gastonia mary janes for the first time, and I’m happy to say they passed the “comfortable right out of the box” test.

The four-word review: I LOVE THESE SHOES! With my wide, stubby little feet, I never expected to be able to wear a peep-toe shoe, but I can definitely wear these, and probably will all summer long. Although they look like a very flat shoe, the Gastonia has a cork footbed that is a bit more than a half-inch thick. This provides support and comfort, and like other cork-insoled shoes, I’m pretty sure it will mold to one’s foot shape with time.

I had been worried that the peep-toe would be uncomfortable against my sensitive skin, but the leather is soft and flexible, so it doesn’t rub. This also goes for the edges of the shoe along my high instep – while some mary janes just don’t work because they pinch, these flex. And the velcro strap fits well against said high arch – the strap is long and even while worn loosely, it covers the entire strip of velcro.

OTBT shoes are sized in US sizes, and the 6 fit my Euro 36 feet perfectly. The only downside to these shoes is the logo on the side – generally, I am not someone who wears prominent logos EVER. But this one is kind of abstract and tastefully done, and blends in well with the sort of folk-art design of the shoe. I’m willing to break my no-logos rule, just this once. And besides – that orange! Is that not the best color ever?

OTBT shoes can be found at Must Have Shoes, which is a pretty cool site to check out if you haven’t already. Must Have Shoes offers lots of different ways to search – the default home page is by style, but if you click the customize button you’ll see lots of other choices such as price, size, etc., as well as the good ol’ search box at the top.

 

And back again.

There were fireworks. There were, as you can see, lovely sunsets. There was meeting up with someone I haven’t seen since the 1980s and reminiscing about mutual friends and the punk days. There was much discussion of real estate and the pros and cons of living in the desert. There was art buying. There may or may not have been slightly inebriated dancing at Pappy and Harriet’s; this I cannot confirm or deny. There were two really good breakfasts and one really bad one – there is, believe it or not, such a thing as bad bacon. There was a rather amazing thrift score. There was a consultation at a tattoo place – while no actual tattooing took place, plans are in the works.

Yeah. It was a pretty good long weekend.

 

Critter count, day one.

• Glossy snake: 1
• Mojave rattlesnakes: 2
• Roadrunner: 1 (my first, ever!)
• Collared lizard: 1
• Spotted lizard: 1
• Black tailed jackrabbit: 1
• Black widow spider: 1

What’s the etiquette on black widows, anyway? Growing up I remember always hearing that if you see one, you should kill it and burn or otherwise destroy any egg sacs, but somehow that seems pretty brutal to me.

 

So nice, I’m going twice.

I’m off to the desert again! This time for a long weekend. I wonder if after three days of triple-digit temps I’ll still wish I could buy this (with original 1949 furnishings!) or this?

I’m still so smitten with the whole idea that even this looks good. Just kidding!*

Plans involve eating Indian food at a pizza restaurant, watching the fireworks at the Marines base, and of course, Pappy and Harriet’s, to see David Serby play (Tinytown represent!).

*Sort of.

 

Some perspective.

While looking at desert properties in the under-100K range, this caught my eye:

YES. For less than half of what I pay to live in ONE ROOM, I could live in a house, with land, and dogs. Just sayin’.

 

New obsession.

I’m spending a lot less time browsing shoes on the web these days, and a lot more time browsing real estate listings. REAL ESTATE. Out in the desert, no less.

The more time I spend out there, the less crazy the idea of moving out to the middle of nowhere seems. There’s definitely a downside to it, but as Los Angeles becomes more and more difficult to live in – crowding, expense, crime, grime – I’m starting to consider where I want to spend my time and where I want my money to go, and I keep coming back to the desert.

This is a bit more realistic than my working for the Park Service fantasy – Yosemite staff housing doesn’t allow pets, which is a deal breaker for me. But my own place? In the middle of nowhere? I could have dogs *and* cats!

Anyway. I’m currently crushing on two properties out in 29 Palms. Neither one is under serious consideration, as I haven’t yet figured out how to make my job portable (working on that one, really I am). First, there’s the “cute little house” way way out in the middle of nowhere:

I’m not sold on the whole “no septic system” thing, or living that close to the Marines base. A bit more realistic for a city dweller on the run like myself might be this red house, which is around the corner from where I stay when I go out there:

It’s got neighbors on both sides, though, and feels kinda suburban because of that. A downside to everything, I guess. So, neither one is my desert dream home, but both are pretty nice little fantasies.

 

Where I’ve been.

Photo-0010.jpg
Originally uploaded by chez shoes.

 

Where I’ll be.

Shadows
Originally uploaded by chez shoes.

Despite major drama in the workplace*, I’m planning to cut out ON TIME for a change today and retreat to the desert, where, in addition to heat and solitude, there will also be wireless, ribeye, Indian food, and music. Oh, and snakes.

*Is there any workplace – or any industry – in which major drama is not a given? I suppose it’s part of doing business. But still. I’d like a nice, calm, routine workplace, but I guess that’s too much to ask.

 

Poppies.

I can’t believe I’ve lived in Southern California most of my life and, until yesterday, had never been to the Poppy Reserve. I suppose it’s like so many other things with me – generally if it’s a crowd-generating tourist-oriented activity, my tendency is to run, screaming, in the opposite direction. I have to admit that when we arrived, the crowd of cars waiting to get past the tollbooth gave me doubts. But it was clear to see the crowds were headed one way (the easy way!), and uphill, in the opposite direction, were several nearly-empty hiking trails. So off we went.

It turned out to be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. It was like so many of my favorites all wrapped up into one: flowers, California, the desert, solitude, and the color orange.

Other things I’ve been doing lately:

• Looking forward to another visit to Yosemite in June.
• Working working working, putting my mad taxonomy skillz to use.
• Dreaming of vacations, now that I actually have a decent vacation benefit. Three at the top of my list are Portland (August, I hope), Austin, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
• Watching Heroes on Netflix. I consider it educational – it’s helping me brush up on my Japanese. Oh, and I might just have a little bit of a crush on Masi Oka. Maybe.

And things I *haven’t* been doing:

• Making anything. No knitting, no sewing, no crocheting. Bupkis.
• Reading very many blogs. At least not nearly as much as I used to. Having a real job seriously cuts into my web surfing time.
• Buying shoes. Something about living in a teeny tiny space has really made me want to go as minimal as possible. I think the not-making-anything problem also is influenced by this – I don’t want stuff to have to deal with. Although I must admit that plans are in the works for another pair of Keen Calistogas, ideally in Rum Raisin or Flamingo. I’m being *selectively* minimalist!

 

Where I’ve Been

Where I’ve Been

Originally uploaded by chez shoes.

Spent the last three days in a little shack in 29 Palms, on a dirt road surrounded by a lot of peace and quiet. Well, except for the goons riding ATVs at all hours of the day and night, but they were easy enough to ignore.

I love the desert. LOVE it. Except, of course, for the 100+ degree days – which was why this past weekend was so fabulous. It wasn’t hot! Yesterday was overcast, the day before was breezy, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Hiked a lot in Joshua Tree, which, if I had to pick a favorite, is my favorite place to hike due to the surreal terrain and lack of bees. (Yes, I fear bees more than, say, snakes.) Found good Indian food at a pizza restaurant. Heard some honky-tonk music. All in all, a very good escape.