THINGS I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT LIVING IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY

So where is the Coachella Valley? Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and Indio are all part of this valley that is surrounded by majestic barren mountains. This area is truly a desert. It is not uncommon to see front lawns of home covered with white rocks, cacti and other plants that are drought resistant.

I arrived August 4; right at the beginning of what locals say is the two hottest months of the year. You ask, “How hot is it?” I had the wonderful pleasure of being here when the temperature soared to 118 degrees—the hottest ever here. I had just left Vancouver, Washington where we hit 107 degrees – a record for there. Good thing I would rather be hot than cold.

When the heat soars, you quickly learn to run your errands as early in the day as possible. One day, I decided to go out about 2:00 p.m. – a mistake, I could hardly touch the steering wheel on the car. You would not consider leaving for any trip, no matter how short, without a least one water bottle filled.

Interesting I, thought that, perhaps, my stainless steel water bottle would end up sweating. Wrong, the humidity is so low here, averaging about 14 percent, there is never any condensation on anything. Yes, you have to make sure you use lots of lotion to keep your skin hydrated. Of course, it is imperative that you keep drinking lots of water.

Style in Palm Springs

Fortunately, friends immediately took me under their wings and helped me look like a local instead of the visitors to the Valley.

First thing – the small tiny earrings had to go. Sure enough, I looked around and earrings routinely are at least two inches long. Since I am one who always wants to know “why”, I kept looking for the reason so many people wore long earrings, since often they are heavy. Figured it out – it is too hot to wear necklaces, so the earring becomes the chief accessory of your outfit.

By the way, I have discovered Earlifts http://tinyurl.com/n6txyx They are little seal-like patches that go on the back of your ear and the pierce earring goes through it—giving your earlobe support.

Cotton is the fabric to wear. Long flowing skirts are the norm. Our tops are often man-made fabric for we want a little more style than tank-like tops. Local men wear khaki colored pants and modern Hawaiian-like shirts. This time of year, at least, I have not seen a jacket on either men or women at business meetings. At formal meetings, men do wear a long-sleeved shirt and tie.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:

Since our lives continue to move at a fast pace, it is a good idea to place a phone call or send an email to remind people of a scheduled meeting. Especially important if the appointment has been made more than two weeks ago.