Editor's Letter April 2011

Where Few Have Gone Before

If you think the “season” is winding down, take a vitamin and read on. This month, Palm Springs Life shows you to some fun, adventurous, and historic destinations within our mountain perimeter.

First, writer Ann Japenga and photographer Tom Brewster introduce us to the legendary Stonemasters of Idyllwild, daring climbers who conquered Tahquitz and Suicide rocks. In “Nothing Held Us Back,” they trace the climbers who took their cues from a 1935 Sierra Club member and ultimately affected the young generation in the 1970s. “They changed climbing styles around the world and influenced youth culture in the Badlands of the Dakotas and beyond,” Japenga reports. “White painter pants and funny shoes were suddenly cool everywhere.”

Incidentally, Brewster’s photography is the subject of a solo exhibition throughout April at Michael H. Lord Gallery in Palm Springs.

As Earth Day (April 22) draws near, we capture this theme in other articles, including “Shooting for Preservation,” which reveals the winners of Earth Through a Lens, a national juried photography exhibition this month at Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage Public Library.

Our Wealth columnist, Ellen Paris, reports on “green” trends in “Seeking Socially Conscious Returns.”

In “From the Top Down,” Robert Julian peeks at the future of desert architecture, emphasizing sustainability.

Also in this issue, food writer Donna Curran takes us to the Sunday Night Chef Fights and serves up recipes from defending champion Andrew Copley, owner and executive chef of Copley’s on Palm Canyon, and runner-up Matt Smith, executive chef of 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro in Palm Desert.

The third installment of our series on Sunnylands, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage, examines the interior design and architecture of the residence and their influence on the new Annenberg Center.

Also, in a partnership with HealthGrades Inc., we reveal the desert’s top nursing homes and home healthcare agencies in a special section on senior living.

All of this and much more in the Desert Guide — so take those vitamins and engage!