Vlog: Attended National Date Festival in Indio, CA (Feb 13 - March 2, 2025)

In this video blog, I attended the National Date Festival in Indio, California. It opened this past weekend and I decided to attend, purchase some dates, and watch some cute pig racing, and Monster Trucks with a pre-show of biker stunts! Wow! What a fantastic day.

There are rides and games to play. It's easy to purchase your tickets at the entrance to the festival and tickets for rides and games. There's a schedule of events throughout the festival so don't forget to get a brochure and date food and drink list. This festival is open now through March 2, 2025. If you're in the area, there's so much to see, live music, railroad model trains, gems and minerals, shopping of all kinds, food and drinks galore. 

The Monster Truck show was for two days, February 14-15, 2025, but I captured some really cool footage on the last day. Enjoy the video below and if you go, let me know in the comments what you like most! Happy travels.

Disclaimer: Some links above may be affiliate links in which I may receive a commission. There is no charge to you. Thank you for supporting my blog and helping to continue creating free content.

Video Blog: Attended the 10th Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival in Cathedral City, CA

In this video blog, I share a recap of the 10th Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival I attended as a volunteer and spectator in Cathedral City, California. It was a great opportunity to work as a team alongside people from all over to complete tasks that would help the hot air balloons fly in the air for the community. There was live music, food trucks, and a hot air balloon glow, all brought to the community by the Agua Caliente Casinos.

Vlog: Eating Lunch at Chef Tanya's Kitchen in Palm Desert, CA | Vegan Food Review

On the menu: Pastrami Mami (vegan)

I was craving some well-made vegan food and decided to go to Chef Tanya's Kitchen in Palm Desert, California, for the first time. Upon entry, plenty of seating was available at this location, and many specialty items to browse. I looked through her desserts and decided to try a sandwich for lunch, the Pastrami Mami with a side of her potato salad. This restaurant is completely plant-based and the pastrami is made of seitan, the main protein of wheat. If you like Reuben sandwiches, then this Pastrami Mami is a vegan take on that, which was my favorite sandwich before I became vegan so I gave hers a try. The plant-based pastrami was moist and seasoned well. The sauerkraut, pickles, and vegan pastrami is what made this sandwich tasty. The vegan cheese was present but I didn't taste it as much but the flavors were amazing.

I would definitely order the Pastrami Mami again in the future. Chef Tanya has a potato salad that has fresh herbs and the potatoes are cut into chunks, not all mushy, which I enjoyed. I could taste the potatoes along with its other ingredients. I could eat the potato salad anytime, well done with that side.

On the Menu (sides): Potato Salad

There were so many specialty items to browse and choose from, perfect for gifting for the holidays, birthdays, or any time of the year. 

In the video below, I share my visit to Chef Tanya's Kitchen in Palm Desert, California. Watch and enjoy! 

If you've tried Chef Tanya's Kitchen let me know what you thought of it in the comments below. What are your favorites so I can try them next time? Chef Tanya has cooking classes, and an opportunity to travel and eat plant-based foods in Italy. Learn more about this and more at her website, https://cheftanyaskitchen.com.

Bon Appétit, vegan-style!

Disclaimer: Some links in this blog post may be affiliate links in which I may receive a commission. There is no charge to you. Thank you for supporting this blog and helping to continue creating free content.

Visit to #Pioneertown #Western Movie Village and Real Town

During the holidays I like to visit various tourist sites, museums, landmarks, etc, in California, and this time I visited Pioneertown, a western movie village and real town. This town was developed in 1946 by Dick Curtis, Roy Rogers, Dale Evens, The Sons of the Pioneers, and other period stars. It's still an active, working set, and real people are residents in the small town. How fun, right?! They have a functioning church and post office too. There are many little shops with unique gift items, visiting goats, and if you enjoy Western movies you'll enjoy a live show by the 'Gunfighters for Hire' on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, October through May at 2:30pm. They perform free comedy skits of old-west re-enactments and shoot-em-ups on Mane Street. There is a saloon for getting a bite to eat and something to drink. Wear comfortable shoes or your cowboy and cowgirl boots.

To learn more, visit http://www.PioneertownSun.com

In the video below, I share my walkthrough of the small town, but I recommend taking your own day trip to Pioneertown, CA to look around and explore. If you go, let me know in the comments below what you thought about the place and if you saw a Western shoot-out while there!

Western and Wild West Gift Ideas
National Geographic The Old West

Ebros Gift 11.5"Wide Wild West We Dont Call 911 Dual Six Shooter Guns With Bullets Wall 3D Art Sign Plaque Western 

Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier: Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Luke Short and Others

Wild West Women: Fifty Lives That Shaped the Frontier

Classic Country Western Six-shooter Pistols with Bullets Salt and Pepper Shaker

Historic Photos of Outlaws of the Old West

Ebros Wild Wild West Six Shooter Revolver Gun Decorative Table Clock Figurine