Just got back from my Christmas tour of the great American southwest. Whenever I tell someone I'm going to Arizona for the holidays, they always say, "oooh, you're so lucky to be going someplace warm!" Exhibit A: snow-covered succulents in northern AZ. OK, it's pretty warm in Phoenix, maybe topping out around 72 degrees in the afternoon. The evenings are chilly but dry, perfect weather for paper bag luminarias. This would never work in Seattle. Indio, CA is pretty sunny in December, but it's famous all year for its fantastic date harvest. We couldn't resist stopping here to pick up a few pounds of medjools. Oh yeah, and a date shake. The trip over the San Bernardino mountains to San Diego offered some pretty views of Palm Desert. And finally, a stop at Hugo's Tacos in Studio City makes a tasty lunch. I don't think I've ever had freshly-fried crisp taco shells at a restaurant before. I make them every so often at home, and they're delectable.