Our first trip to Palm Springs, in 2000, was cut short when we both came down sick, so we were really looking forward to our return trip the following year. After a few days baking in the desert sun, we headed to Los Angeles to visit our friends Dave and Jason in Sherman Oaks, Sam and Wade in Long Beach, and John and Frank in Agoura Hills. (The latter two couples have both moved to Palm Springs in the years since.)

John (who worked for CBS) was able to get us tickets to be on The Price Is Right, so we sat right behind the contestants and were onscreen for much of the show. We also toured Santa Monica and Hollywood, and got a group together to see The Lion King, Jack's favorite musical.

Music trivia: Had to include themes from Price Is Right and The Lion King, of course. We also listened to a set of AM radio favorites from the '70s -- Steam, Edison Lighthouse, Tommy James, etc. Some songs seemed appropriate geographically, like the surf music and "Ventura Highway."

The title: A variation of a Japanese grocery item in Dave and Jason's kitchen. (After that we acquired our own ridiculously-named Japanese grocery items for parody display in our own kitchen in San Francisco, although we didn't continue the tradition in Palm Springs.)

This was the only time we've flown down to Palm Springs together, with our friends Dave and Vic. We flew to the nearby airport of Ontario and rented a convertible (ridiculous decision, in the 115° heat) and spent most of the weekend in the pool at the old Desert Bear resort, swimming and enjoying frozen cocktails. John and Frank came out for the weekend as well, and brought their Disney Monopoly game.

Music trivia: We brought along an ELO box set, which we listened to in the car. Other songs come from the relentless oldies station playing while we were in the pool, and from mix CDs played by Homer and Alan, another couple staying at the Desert Bear. We must have brought along a CD of TV themes as well -- TV themes and AM radio hits seem to be our musical touchstones for Palm Springs. We also sang some songs in the pool, like the Davy Jones song and the Golden Girls themes. Yep, it was a pretty wild weekend! We know how to party!

The title: From the Sly & the Family Stone song. Seemed appropriate.

The video:I knew John and Frank would be bringing their video camera, and I thought it'd be fun to make a fake adult movie set in a Palm Springs resort. You can read the entire screenplay here, but beware, it has "adult" themes. As in "cheesy jokes and puns for everyone, but the silly innuendo is not safe for kids." (We actually never got around to making the video, but we had a great time that weekend anyway.)

This was another Labor Day long weekend trip. We met up with old Albany friends Tony and Bill for a barbecue at Mike's place in LaQuinta, and were joined by Wade and two other San Francisco bears whose names I forget. Mike had a "cocktail pool" in his fenced-in front yard -- a small square pool with seats at each corner, so that four people could sit in the pool and enjoy cocktails while being close enough to talk to one another. (Later addition: in 2015 Jack married Mike to his partner, Jose.)

Once again we saw John and Frank in Agoura Hills on the way home, and had our first stop at the legendary Madonna Inn, with its world-famous bathrooms. The Madonna became a regular stop when we were driving up the coast.

The photo in the lower right on the front cover shows the big platter of hamburgers, cheeseburgers and sausages we cooked on the grill for eight people.

Music trivia: Obviously, we were obsessed with the Brain In a Box box set of science fiction themes. The Thunderbirds themes come from John and Frank, who were keen on Gerry Anderson puppet shows at the time. They also played us clips from The Harvey Girls,, hence the Johnny Mercer. The Bob Hope theme is here because his house overlooking Palm Springs was pointed out to us by the locals.

The title: A typical comment made about desert living.

Bigger trip than usual. We started off in Palm Springs, where we met John, who now lives in Oregeon with his partner Karl. We had a new car -- a Toyota Matrix, so we were no longer traveling in a cramped two-door Honda Civic. After Palm Springs, we trekked down to San Diego to spend two days there and see some of the city, staying at the home of two Internet chums, Dan and Ben, whom we've lost touch with (and I think they broke up). We spent a day at the San Diego Zoo and ate at Hash House A Go Go, a local eatery famous for its huge plates of food.

Music trivia: We had just seen A Mighty Wind and loved the music in it, so we bought the soundtrack and also began listening to other period folk music from the '60s. Also saw and enjoyed Bend It Like Beckham in Palm Springs and picked up the soundtrack at the outlet mall. I was also briefly enamoured with Badly Drawn Boy.

The title: A play on the recent Matrix movie ... our car, a Toyota Matrix, was "loaded" with our luggage for vacation ... get it? Yes, very subtle.

One of the first trips to Palm Springs where we stayed at the home of our friends Dave and Vic. (We'd stayed there before for a long weekend, but it was so short it didn't merit its own souvenir CD.) Dave's friend Alan (formerly of Homer and Alan) was also staying at the house that weekend. We didn't do much -- just soaked up the sun and swam.

On the way home we stopped by to see John and Frank again, and they surprised us with a picnic outing at the beach. We also toured through Malibu, which is immediately south of where they live, and John pointed out some of the celebrity homes.

Music trivia: A few more TV themes, a few AM radio hits .... all very typical of this series. Must have brought the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street along in the car as well.

The title: We'd just seen clips from the surfing movie The Endless Summer. For the little image on the cover, I took the iconic poster for the movie, removed one surfer, and made the two remaining ones fatter, to stand in for Jack and myself.

Another quick trip, this time with our friend Paulie, who was buying a condo there. (That's him filling out paperwork in the lower right of the front cover.)

We also stopped by John and Frank's on the way home, and they had all sorts of new vintage appliances and kitchenware to show off, as seen on the back cover. That's Frank on the front, excitedly stirring something in a clear Pyrex saucepan.

Music trivia: Two more Gerry Anderson themes! First duplicate to crop up: Henry Mancini's "Something For Cat" (also on "... But it's a DRY heat"). Second duplicate: Hot Butter's "Popcorn" (also on Woof Woof Lovely Puff). And we must have played the hell out of those Three Dog Night and Shonen Knife CDs.

The title: At the Chaps resort, we met a funny South African guy who told us a joke (better said aloud) about Prince Charles wearing an ostentatious fox hat on a trip to some Australian town -- Perth, say. When asked by the locals why he was wearing it, he replied, "I told my mummy the Queen I was going to Perth, and she said 'Perth? Wear the fox hat?' "

Another long weekend trip, with some friends in town at the same time -- Paul and Curtis from the bay area (who have since moved to Palm Springs), Mark from San Francisco, and Rich and Pat from San Diego. We were also invited to a party in Cathedral City by our new friend Harry, who we've since lost touch with.

Music trivia: More '60s folk music -- the Sandpipers, the Journeymen, the Pozo-Seco Singers. Still on that kick.

The title: Some local real estate TV program was showing off a Palm Springs home, and the glitzy blond realtor yelped excitedly, "A wet bar will entertain your guests!" We thought this was very funny, presupposing that it does that your guests are alcoholics, and all they need to be entertained is a lot of alcohol. I guess that's life in the desert for you.

Seven CDs in, I thought it would be fun to take my favorite songs from the preceding CDs and put them all together, like a "Greatest Hits" compilation.

Music trivia: The first side has songs we always heard on the oldies station -- the Cowsills, the Buckinghams, the Jaggerz. The remaining sides have a few songs that weren't on the previous CDs, but that we must have associated with Palm Springs, such as the Beach Boys' "Cabinessence," Young-Holt Unlimited's "Soulful Strut," and a good handful of surf songs. (Even without a nearby ocean, the sun and warmth of Palm Springs makes us think of surf music.)

The title: From the lyrics to the Ramones cover of a song by some group I can't remember.

A big confluence of friends from all over were in town at this time -- Mark from Detroit, Joe from San Diego, Paul and Glen from New York, Mark and Bob from San Francisco. We all hung out together and did Palm Springs stuff, like barhopping on Arenas Road and taking the tram up the mountain.

After Palm Springs, we trekked down to San Diego to see the city again, this time staying at the home of Rich and Pat. On the way home, we stopped off and saw John and Frank in Agora Hills, and Jeff and Tim in Lompoc.

Music trivia: The Boyce and Hart song was performed on "I Dream of Jeannie," back in the day. Some more duplicates from earlier CDs: "Pipeline," the Big Valley theme, "Move On Up" (one of my favorite songs of all time). Must also have brought an Elvis compilation with us.

The title: Ad campaign slogan for Las Vegas, translated to Palm Springs.

We continued on from Palm Springs to Tucson to visit my brother and sister-in-law. By this point I was tired of the "little photos in boxes" format and decided to make the cover look more like a real album cover, complete with a classic "Living Stereo" banner. The little vacation photos were confined to the inner sleeve. The back cover juxtaposes palm trees in the city with snow on the surrounding mountains -- we'd never seen so much snow in Palm Springs.

Another stop at John and Frank's on the way home. On the way from Tucson to Palm Springs, we stopped at Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and were unimpressed.

Music trivia: Brought along a Paul Revere and the Raiders compilation, obviously. A reggae compilation unearthed "The Wrong Embryo," which the Clash later adapted as "Wrong-em Boyo." And I love the opening song, by the 101 Strings, who were primarily a Muzak-type group.

The title: We went with David and Andrea to a Mexican restaurant in Tucson, where I tried to order a horchata from the waiter. "I'm sorry," he said. "We're not THAT Mexican."

Back in October 2005 we'd gone to Gay Days at Disneyland, and I'd broken my leg, tripping over a sidewalk after being distracted by a passing Cinderella. It was a silly accident, but to keep me happy (and avoid any lawsuits) the Disney corporation gave us a free weekend at the park, with a room in the Grand Californian resort and tickets for Jack and me to both parks. We asked our friends Jim and Ray to join us and share the room, since Jim had been diagnosed with colon cancer earlier and we thought a free Disney weekend stay would be a nice treat for them. Plus, they were fun to hang out with, as were John and Frank, John and Michael from Vallejo, and our old friend Tim, visiting from Minneapolis.

Before Disneyland, however, we spent a few days in Palm Springs at Dave's house, where we were joined by our friends Reid, Richard and Robert from Salt Lake City. Because our trip was divided into two parts -- Palm Springs and Disneyland -- with pretty much two sets of friends, I made two separate covers, which later expanded to three. (Click the image to see all three, plus the back cover.)

Music trivia: When you're staying on Disney property for the whole weekend at Disneyland, no wonder there's lots of Disney songs.

The title: One of the things we like to do at Disneyland is go to the Blue Bayou restaurant, connected to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, where the house specialty is the deep-fried Monte Cristo sandwich.

I wasn't working at this point (my job having been offshored to India), so I took some time to fly down to LA , where I was picked up by Ray. A few hours later we picked up Jim, and we hung out for the weekend, although I stayed with John and Frank to give them some privacy one night. After another two days of sightseeing around LA, including a trip to the Magic Castle, Jack drove down to pick me up for a long weekend in Palm Springs, where we hung out with our neighbor Greg, who was there for a bear event. (And Greg, and his husband John, have since had a house built in PS ...)

Music trivia: Of all the songs to duplicate ... the Flintstones' "Rockensphiel Theme"? Just goes to show you that I wasn't looking at the earlier CDs when I was creating these ... but the memory lingers on.

The Grass Roots songs were the A and B sides of one of the first singles I ever owned.

The title: Back in October 2006, when we were in Palm Springs, we were having lunch with Reid, Richard and Robert at the Manhattan in the Desert deli, and I ordered a creampuff for desert. It was delivered to the table, and it was huge -- about as big as a a basketball (as seen in the lower right corner of the cover). We all started laughing, it was so outlandish. And on this trip, I ordered it again.

This was a heartbreaking trip -- we wanted to get away to Palm Springs for our 13th anniversary, but Ray was based at Dave's house, using it as a hospice for Jim, who was in the last stages of his cancer. Because we thought Jim's parents would be there as well, we wound up staying at a nearby inn, the Chaps Resort, although it turned out that Jim's parents left once we arrived.

Our nurse friend Victor also spent part of the weekend there, helping out Ray and Jim, as did we, picking up food for them and running errands, but it was the last time we saw Jim when he still seemed like his normal self. We spent much of our time with him and Ray just sitting and watching DVDs.

After our short weekend in Palm Springs, we stopped off in Agoura Hills on the way home to see John and Frank (that's John shirtless on the CD cover), and then stopped for lunch again at the Madonna Inn, home of those pink banquettes on the cover.

Music trivia: We listened in the car to a box set of the Byrds, obviously, and a 3-CD set of traditional American music. Many of the latter songs were familiar from elementary school, so we sang along.

Jim's condition was on our mind, so many of these song choices seem unusually wistful and mournful, especially the closing twofer of the yearning "Shenandoah" and the Byrds' version of Dylan's "My Back Pages" ("But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now ...").

The title: We listened to early songs by the Byrds. Subtlety again.

Dave was planning to sell his Palm Springs vacation house, so we wanted to stay there one last time, and combine it with a trip to Las Vegas, which Jack had never been to. Consequently, we were on the road more than usual, and listened to a lot of music.

In Las Vegas, we stayed at the Flamingo, right on the Strip. After some initial revulsion, we got into the spirit of things Vegasy and had fun, and met up with our friends Gregg and Jim for the Star Trek Experience, a Cirque du Soleil show and a fabulous dinner at one of Tom Colicchio's restaurants. Jack played video poker and came out $40 ahead, so ka-ching!

Music trivia: I meant to include songs by the Wombles and Aretha Franklin (no, not dueting together) but I misplaced the CDs and forgot about them. The ones I did remember are heavy on '80s hits that we heard at the Flamingo, and songs from O Brother Where Art Thou, which we watched on DVD in Palm Springs. "Route 66" was a natural, since were traveling on that historic highway for part of the way.

The title: Gambling, whores .... an obvious play on "the land of milk and honey."

Our friends Greg and John (mostly Greg) organized a July 4th weekend in Palm Springs, at a big rented house in the movie colony neighborhood that was surprisingly affordable, seeing as how it was July in Palm Springs and daytime temperatures were usually around 110°. We had 10 people staying in the house and had such a fine time eating, drinking, swimming, etc., that we decided this might have been the start of a yearly tradition.

Music trivia: Songs by Chicago kept coming up on the radio as we played the card game "Skipbo" with Ray and Matt. I'd also made a CD compilation of "sunshine pop" that we'd played during the pool parties, so a few songs (including some that appeared on previous Palm Springs compilations) are from that. The polka is because we took the tram to the top of San Jacinto mountain, and on the way back down the sound system played disco, and our friend John remarked that a polka, or yodeling, would be more appropriate, for a "Swiss" feel. And "Here Come the Warm Jets" is on there because I was in charge of the hot tub and pool settings for the weekend.

The title: As written on the inside front cover: "Jack and I stopped for lunch at 'Grandma's' restaurant in Banning, on the way to our July 4th weekend vacation in Palm Springs. While eating pie, we overheard a fastidious customer at the next table order a sandwich, on toast, covered with 'a gentleman's portion of mayonnaise.' We joked about this ridiculous phrase all weekend."

Seven more CDs in, I thought it would be fun, yet again, to take my favorite songs from the preceding CDs and put them all together, like a "Greatest Hits Volume 2" compilation.

Music trivia: So why do some songs show up repeatedly on these CDs, like Boyce & Hart's "Out and About" and the Turtles' "Glitter and Gold"? It's not intentional. When we're planning a trip to Palm Springs, I typically grab a bunch of CDs off the shelves, keeping in mind Jack's preference for pre-'80s pop and how we like to listen to upbeat oldies when we're on vacation. Often I pick up CDs we've already listened to on these trips, which is no big deal -- it makes the trip part of a continuum, of the whole "our time in Palm Springs" experience. And when it comes time to make a new CD, I try to recall what songs we enjoyed, and sometimes an obvious choice (like "Out and About") comes up that was already on a previous compilation, to which I say, if we enjoyed it, and it reminds us of this particular trip, why not?

The title: "Groovy Summertime" was the biggest hit by the Love Generation, the back-up singers for the Partridge Family (and who sang lead on "Together -- Having a Ball").

Our first trip to Palm Springs in almost a year was combined with a trip to Los Angeles, Orange County, Disneyland and Tucson, to see the usual friends and family. This trip also had a new purpose: to check out Palm Springs real estate, to see if we could find a good deal on a vacation house that could eventually serve as our house for retirement. (We saw a number of great houses but didn't buy one on this trip.)

Music trivia: The Monkees song that opens the CD reminded me a lot of the Raising Arizona theme, which led off an earlier Palm Springs CD, so it seemed appropriate to lead off this one too. We were especially amused to finally discover what silly lyrics Melanie was singing in "Lay Down" ("let your white bird smile up, to the ones who stand and frown"). Two CDs we especially enjoyed on this trip: Gypsy Creams and Ginger Nuts, instrumental music played in British supermarkets in the '70s, and Sing Me A Rainbow, a compilation of mid-'60s folk rock from San Francisco. The "Farmer John" song by the Premiers is there because we heard it on an earlier trip, but more because we bought "Farmer John" brand sausage when we made pizza for our friends John and Frank (because it doesn't have MSG in it, unlike Jimmy Dean and similar brands).

The title: The little GPS system (which we used before smarkphones) was constantly telling us to go one way, but we wanted to go another, so it would say with icy disdain, in a British nanny voice, "Re ... cal ... cul ... a ...ting." It seemed like a good title, since we were planning our future anew by looking at real estate in Palm Springs.

Due to Steve's work schedule, our second trip to Palm Springs in 2010 was really short -- drove down on a Monday after work, stayed with Dick and Randy again, saw houses all day Tuesday with a realtor, and then drove back to SF Wednesday. All in all, that was way too much driving for such a short trip, so next time planned to fly and then rent a car in LAX. The drive wasn't bad, though, and we did all the usual things we do in Palm Springs -- ate out (at Manhattan in the Desert, Elmer's and El Mirasol), swam, shopped, got some sun.

Music trivia: A mixed bag ... college bands of the '90s cover Schoolhouse Rock, some surf, some folk rock, some lounge, some jazz, some children's songs that amused us ("Playmates" especially, which Jack's mother liked). Since this was an especially short trip, this souvenir CD is shorter than most.

The title: Jack's favorite house that we looked at (which we dubbed "The Mayan Princess") had a greenhouse in the back, which didn't make sense in sunny and hot Palm Springs but was still nicely cool. We looked at another house that had a greenhouse, but the ventilation wasn't nearly as good and it was humid and muggy in there -- not what you want from a family room in the desert.

Unlike our normal driving trips, this time we flew on Virgin America to LAX, and then rented a car and drove out to Palm Springs, to be there for the inspection of the house we bought. So, unlike our usual car music, we had to listen to LA radio, and the playlist on the flight.

During the inspection, we had a lot of waiting around to do, so I played some music on my iPhone. The first music in our new house: the Tornadoes' "Telstar" and a selection of the best of Vince Guaraldi. Seemed very fitting to play some of our favorite music in our new home.

Music trivia: The cheesy "You Get What You Give" is here because we heard it on the radio and it is sorta Jack's and my philosophy, that the energy you put out is the energy you receive. "Leaves That Are Green" has an autumnal feel, since even in August in Palm Springs, it seemed like summer was fast ebbing away.

The title: So there we were, showing all our Palm Springs bear friends the new house, and everyone kept exclaiming over the flowering plumeria trees, like "Look at all this plumeria!" and "This plumeria smells so good!" So John takes us aside and whispers to us, conspiratorily and sotto voce, "Your plumeria is a real bear magnet!"

So now we had the vacation house, but we still had to furnish it and set it up. So, during the August-September period, we traveled down twice to buy things for the house (dining room table, chairs, etc.) and set up various services, like gardening, pool and alarm. We also had our first houseguests -- old friends Reid and Richard, as seen on the "Count the Monte Cristos" compilation, above -- and day guests, John from Orange County and our late friend Mo from Texas (who has a page of recipes under "bear friends' recipes" -- use the handy navigation bar, there on your left).

Music trivia: One of the CDs we brought down was a "See For Miles" label compilation from the early '90s, and we must have listened to that half a dozen times ... so songs #1, 8, 9, 20 and 22 are from that. Also played: one of the TeeVeeToons compilations, this one of old commercial jingles. We sang along in the car to that one ... "Polaroid Swinger! It's more than a camera, it's almost alive. It's only nineteen dollars, and ninety-five!"

The title: Could we live in Palm Springs during the hot summers? That was a question we wanted to answer ... and it turned out to be yes, easily. 115 degrees is nothing when you have air conditioning, swamp coolers, ceiling fans, a dedicaated beverage fridge full of cold drinks, and a swimming pool in the backyard.

Settling in to Palm Springs but not quite there yet. We're still driving back and forth once or twice a month, although, since he is a programmer, Jack is maneuvering to be able to work from home full-time. Luckily my job was flexible enough that I could arrange my hours so that I only worked weekends and had the rest of the week off. Getting more houseguests in Palm Springs, too, as our friends in southern California discover we're just an easy drive away. (See inside cover here.)

Music trivia: Lots of instrumentals, and pretty eclectic. Keep in mind that when we were driving down, I would bring a number of CDs in the car that had to pass muster with Jack, since he as there listening too, so nothing too out there or avant garde. He especially appreciated classic rock songs that he hadn't heard in a while, like the Alan Parsons Project. The Roches song looks forward to the near future when Jack would be retiring from his job.

The title: For some reason we were struck by the phrase "St. John the Conqueroo," a root used in magic that is mentioned in various blues songs, like "Hoochie Coochie Man." We just thought it was a funny name.

By the time of my 50th birthday, we were still settling in, and hadn't filled the house with furniture yet (or brought the rest of our furniture down from San Francisco). To celebrate my birthday, we had friends over, and I doctored up some store-bought pizzas. I still recall how a number of our friends had to sit on our fireplace hearth, since there were few other places to sit. (The Dr Pepper clock was a gift from our friend Ray.)

Music trivia: The Polaris track is the theme song to "Adventures of Pete & Pete," which I always liked. The Japancakes entry (a version of a song by My Bloody Valentine) was a favorite for listening to in the pool.

The title: In-joke from The Office, which we didn't even watch regularly, but slang-happy JP was saying it frequently and it amused us. Totes amazeballs.

More houseguests coming to Palm Springs -- Dave and Jason, Gulf Coast JP, Bill and Joe -- more trips up the tram, and more falling for internet memes like the honey badger, the most badass animal to ever walk the planet. By this time, as we were settling in to PS, I was foreseeing the end of this series of CDs.

Music trivia: More cartoon themes, and I must have just acquired the Go! Team CD.

The title: The most quoted line from the viral honey badger video, in which a sassy guy narrates a nature video as only a sassy queen can.

"Special Sibling Edition" closes out my run of Palm Springs vacation CDs, since at this point it seemed like we were living here, and it wasn't a vacation destination, just home ... even though the occasion was having siblings visit and got to Disneyland. The title also suggests vacation closure, in that, yes, we've arrived at the Golden West we always dreamed about.

Music trivia: Lots of Monkees, since us Freitag kids all enjoy the band. Bonus track is a repeat of the Honey Badger narration. Latter songs have an elegiac, closing feel ... very fitting for the closing CD to this series.

The title: Siblings all came to California. We moved to California. Destination completed. Achievement unlocked.

Eight more CDs in, I thought I would wrap up this series of homemade mix CDs by taking my favorite songs from the preceding eight CDs and putting them all together, like a "Greatest Hits Volume 3" compilation.

The title: Some lyrics from Thelonious Monster's California Clam Chowder, a "tribute" album to some of their influences, with songs done in the style of those influences. I love this album but it's pretty obscure.