While John’s been getting some much-appreciated time on the ski slopes in the Pacific Northwest, Leslie’s been soaking up the sun in SoCal while welcoming visitors from near and far. Here’s her hot take on entertaining in the tiny home on wheels.

We’ve all heard the adage “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…” That’s the sentiment swirling in my slightly worried noggin as I hustled to clean our 23-foot motorhome in advance of my BFF’s arrival from San Diego. She was going to stay with me in this snug spot and I thought things could get tense for a couple of friends stuck inside during a rare rainy day.

Instead, it proved to be the opposite. As the rain and wind buffeted the rig, Leita said the tight setup felt cozy. She bought the fixings for dinner and made a recipe she learned while living in Sicily. The clams simmered in white wine and tossed with pasta was pure heaven!

When the weather improved, we went on a hike up a trail near Bob Hope’s former house – the one that looks like a spaceship – and thrilled at spotting a double rainbow. By the end of our visit, our longstanding friendship felt even stronger and I was deeply grateful.

Social media at its finest: I spotted a post from Spokane friend and former Spokesman-Review colleague John Kafentzis – a.k.a. Skuzz – that he and his wife, Teresa, were in Palm Springs. I wasted no time in inviting them over for a happy hour by the pool at the Happy Traveler RV Park.

It was fun to catch up! I’m a little jealous after hearing about their multi-generational living situation. The family documented the process of reshaping their new home on an excellent blog called Multi-Gen Remodel Madness.

I hit more social media paydirt when I spotted my friend Sharelle Klaus posting from Joshua Tree. “Are you going to be in Palm Springs?” I asked. She was and, yes, she would be happy to come by for lunch. Klaus is the founder of Seattle’s DRY Soda and has spent the last few years dabbling in the RV travel/working remotely world. She swapped out her Airstream Bambi travel trailer for a DIY van situation and is pretty happy with the new ride. “I could never figure out how to back up that trailer,” she confessed while we ate our seared sockeye Caesar salads. I hear that!

Action-packed weekend: Our grownup kiddo – now known as Butter – has been living in Los Angeles for more than five years. While we admire anyone who can embrace that challenging city and all that it has to offer, we miss the heck out of our only child.

Fortunately, Butter loves Palm Springs, so it was no biggie to come out to the desert and spend some quality time with Mom. We hit the ground running with pampering spa treatments at Margaritaville, tons of thrifting, plus taking in the free Thursday night at the Palm Springs Art Museum. And that was only the first day!

We also rented a Rad Power Bike from Bike Palm Springs and explored the city on Saturday, which included a stop at the outstanding farmers market. Butter tagged along while I did an interview with the world famous Trixie Mattel – winner of Season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race – about the hit HGTV show in which she and her partner David Silver starred. The Trixie Motel is truly a work of art and we had a blast talking to the team about the challenges and rewards of this incredible makeover. You can read my story on Forbes.com.

The biggest bummer of this visit was that it was over too quickly. Miss you already, Butter! Come back soon, K?

---

---