Greenvalley to Palm Springs

Scott has been in New York where it is snowy and cold this time of year. When he got back on Wednesday, he was so over winter. He went straight to the Parker in Palm Springs for sunshine therapy.

I drove out to there Friday night for dinner, and the next morning I didn't quite believe my bleary eyes.

"Is that snow?," I asked as we walked outside in shorts and sunglasses and looked up to see the white-capped San Jacinto Mountains looming directly above us.

"It's not sugar," Scott said. "And it's not Sweet'N Low."

The California desert has an ideal climate for citrus fruits, which need sunny days to develop sugar and cool nights to turn golden. (An orange grown in the tropics will stay green even when dead ripe.) The grounds of the Parker are planted with grapefruit trees, and the gardeners leave fruit here and there for guests' pleasure.

It was only 7 a.m. when Scott and I walked out to breakfast, and not many guests had emerged.

But of those I did see, none was carrying grapefruits.

I wondered why, since they were free for the taking.

But then I realized: people think they're part of the decor and out of respect don't disturb them. Not me.

I took two, one for each hand. Here's one of them at the breakfast table along with a glass of delicious fresh orange juice and a copy of John McPhee's masterpiece, Oranges.

Here's the other one with my breakfast: a grapefruit advertised on the menu as "no hassle," which proved to be true. Each section had been peeled or "supremed" as pretentious chefs say.

"Cool," said Scott. "You don't have to cut your lips on those silly spoons."

The hassle-free grapefruit was a Ruby Red, which had not grown on the property. Still it was good.

After breakfast, I went into the garden to read. But there were distractions.

Eventually I'd waited long enough.

It was time to eat another grapefruit.

This one was a Marsh, probably off the tree right next to the table. It could not have been sweeter—or juicier. Afterwards, I had to wash my hands in a nearby fountain.

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Check back soon for a GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE recipe.