well, it turns out that yours truly, Mr. Neil, is spending some time this summer in the California desert, specifically in the Coachella Valley, the home of Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Indio.

you might ask why? especially since the temperatures two weeks ago were above 120 degrees.  this week the temperature got up to 122 degrees.

as good as that question is, the first thing that you notice when you are here in this weather is that you are not alone. there are a lot of people here at this time of year.  the population of the Coachella Valley is estimated to be almost 500,000 residents.  however, in the winter that number balloons to around 800,000 because of the influx of snowbirds. now, not all the 500,000 year round residents are here in the summer, but a lot of them are.

my airplane to Palm Springs was very full — full of people going to the desert at this time of year. young people, old people, you name it, all kinds of people.

I believe that more and more people are living in the California desert year round. the reason…economics.  more couples are living in one house, not two or more.  even if that means being in bad, almost unbearable weather for a portion of the year.  two homes take more attention and upkeep than one.  two homes cost more than one.

in addition as the year round population increases in the Coachella Valley, the number of workers that are necessary to meet their needs increases. whether it be for home repair, home maintenance, auto repair, dry cleaning, landscaping, pool maintenance, groceries, clothes, and eating establishments, to name a few.

so, the bottom line is that i am not alone here in the desert.