The ride of a lifetime. From desert floor to the top of Mount San Jacinto the incline steeps 10,834 feet straight up. The “Jig-Back Tramway” ascends the granite cliffs from the Valley Station at 2,643 feet to the Mountain Station at 8,516 feet in 10 spectacular rotating up, up and up minutes.

Step into the Swiss manufactured, 80 passenger car. You are surrounded by glass. An operator greets you and with a touch of a button the climb begins. Breathe deeply. You’re about to experience heaven and earth.

And up. Sycamore, cottonwood, elder and wild grape crowd the narrow canyon. Metamorphic rock channels a gurgling stream via a verdant cienega to the desert aquifer. Birds lark in the shrubbery below. Look sharp. Desert Big Horn Sheep populate these lush parts.

And up. Fractured granite formations jag through scrub oak and mountain mahogany. Here spot mountain lions lairs and the home of their prey the California Mule Deer. The vista of the Valley floor opens and widens. Forty miles away the Salton Sea glints in the desert sun. Tower three looms and passing, causes the car to sway slightly. Passengers gasp. The operator smiles. Teenagers giggle nervously and chatter. Glancing into each others eyes, lovers lean into one another; now alert to an experience they will remember.

And up. The granite core of San Jacinto cliffs straight up right outside the car’s windows. Turrets of solid rock. Scattered big cone pines, pinyon pines, scrub oak cling to rocky crags. A California grey squirrel dives into space. A hawk jets past. On the Mojave side of the car the vista widens. Arizona. Infinity.

And up. Upthrusted and freeze-fractured granite towers envelope the car now dwarfed by the enormity of the scape. Chill on sun-burnt skin. Goosebumps. The massive rock face speeding by is only meters away. And up at what seems to be a progressively faster rate. And up where only birds can thrive and up to where Valkyries reside.

Now docked and heading to the bar.

I’m writing poolside. Stretched out on a chaise lounge with my lap top, a glass of iced tea and K. D. Lang on disk crooning in the background. There’s a dusting of snow on Mount San Jacinto. The palm trees in the foreground are glistening in the morning light and swaying ever so slightly in the gentle breeze. The temperature is in the mid 70’s and my only worry is keeping the shadow of palm tree from blocking my sun. My sister in Raleigh North Carolina is house-bound with sleet and freezing winds whipping around her home. Her daughter in Buffalo, New York snow bound and has been for days. Ah winter in Rancho Mirage!

RM

Next stop could be Bing Crosby’s Restaurant & Piano Bar where from 6:30 PM on live music is performed seven night a week and local lounge lizards imbibe, munch on superb yummies from the bar menu and sashay around the postage stamp sized floor to Crosby tunes and newer numbers. Look for the King of Swing Johnny Meza and his Trio on Wednesday evenings and on Fridays from 10PM until 1AM D.J. Bradley Ryan caps the week with the top 40 from the 70’s and 80’s. Beware of Bentley fender benders in the parking lot!

Swing by The River from 6 – 9 PM every Saturday evening for Dancing Under The Stars in the open air amphitheater. Here’s a chance to boogie with the natives and afterward grab a bite at one of the terrific restaurants encircling the dance pavilion. You might try Fleming’s for chops and fine wine pairings, or the Yard House for their gigantic beer on tap selection, casual fare and sports on the tube, P.F. Chang’s for family style Chinese, The Cheesecake Factory for salads, sandwiches and casual dining or Piero’s Acqua Pazza for contemporary California bistro dining.

Then head to the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa - night life central in the Palm Springs Valley. Here gaming galore opportunities await in a gleaming new casino resort. Get your game on or check out what’s happening at The Lounge where an eclectic mix of live music and side-splitting comedy acts are presented in a sleek hot spot that delivers high-energy entertainment without a cover charge. Check out the schedule for THE SHOW where international headliners perform year round. Pollstar Magazine nominated THE SHOW as “Best New Major Concert Venue in 2009.” You’ll see why at this spectacular concert venue when you get your tickets for upcoming concerts featuring Cheap Trick, Tony Bennett, Martin Short, Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, Gabriel Iglesias, Reba McEntire, Jay Leno, Julio Iglesias and more and more and more.

Carambas Musicantina is your late night Rancho Mirage hot spot. From 10PM – 2 PM every Friday and Saturday nights a Latin Dance Club unfolds at Las Casueles Nuevas. One dance floor features Salsa and a second a mix of Cumbias, Reggaetons and other Latin beats. So dress to impress and get out there with an attitude. Caramba!

Just so you know – I’m crazy about museums. Make a point to stop in at any museum I encounter and I’ve encountered a lot in all corners of the world. For fourteen years of my career I was the director of a contemporary art museum. OK, OK – full disclosure – I have a masters degree in painting, maintain a studio and I’m married to an artist.

So you can imagine my delight when I first walked into the Palm Springs Art Museum and discovered what a cool place it is. Housed in an art brut masterpiece by E. Stewart Williams the 150,000 square foot complex presents a rich diversity of temporary exhibitions and collections that focus primarily on international modern and contemporary art. Your Dog by Yoshitomo Nara looms in the lobby and immediately you know you’re in for a treat. Highlights include the beautifully installed contemporary glass collection that includes dazzling works by Karen LaMonte, Lynda Benglis, Claire Falkenstein and of course the ubiquitous Dale Chihuly. The contemporary art collection awes with recent acquisitions that any museum would covet including signature works by Anselm Kiefer, Nam June Paik, Louise Bourgeois, Anish Kapoor, Teresita Fernandez, Antony Gormley and many other firebrands that mix beautifully with pieces by such giants as Warhol, Johns, Stella, Rauschenberg and Rosenquist. Search for a fabulous Llyn Foulkes work somewhat miscast in the Western Art collection. California blue-chippers abound in the vast collection that rotated on display, including eye popping examples of Robert Bechtle, Robert Arneson, Nathan Oliveira, Viola Frey, Stephen De Staebler, Manuel Neri and on and on and on… And then there’s a rich vein of California modernists to explore that predate the euphoric 60s, 70s and 80s that includes excellent examples of paintings by Lee Mullican, Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg.

The museum’s large sculpture collection can be enjoyed in a stunning desert garden as well as strategically positioned throughout the complex. Search for an amusing Duane Hanson and at the opposite end of the esthetic spectrum a heroic Mark Di Suvero. American Western Art, a Mexican and Latin American collection, a huge collection of American Photography, a Mesoamerican collection all add to a wonderful mix to discover, ponder and enjoy. The American Modern Architecture collection boasts the Albert Frey and E. Stewart Williams archives.

The Annenberg Theater at the museum hops with sophisticated performance art programs. Lectures and symposiums pack the house. There are classes and exhibition tours for all age groups. The shop is fun and the cafe yum. The opening parties are mobbed. It’s a not-to-be-missed scene and a fave TOP SPOT of the desert cool crowd.

For ladies the ground zero of golf attire can be found at The Rancho Las Palmas Shopping Center. Here is the international headquarters for Lady Golf Sportswear – Where Luxurious Fashions are Part of the Game. And they are! Limos have been known to pull up, blinds drawn on the store front and the front door locked so that the veiled wives of sheiks can shop ’til they drop. You’ll see why when you check out the lines that include Armani, Escada, SanSoleil, Walter Genuin, Sesto Meucci of Florence and so much more. Golf bags, accessories, body coolers – everything a lady needs to gain the advantage have been carefully selected by owner Karen who is often on hand to assist customers. High style reigns at Lady Golf so don’t expect to emerge in some beige ensemble that will allow you to slink around the course unnoticed.

At the Pete Dye Golf Shop at The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa a vast array of goods can be had to help give your game an edge. Gentlemen: check out the Adidas and Cutter & Buck gear. Step up to Greg Norman’s line or Tommy Bahama’s latest. Ladies: sample Greg Norman or the Adidas line and also try sliding into E.P. Pro and Lija to get the perfect look for the Pete Dye Resort Course right outside the door of the Pro Shop.

Numerous shopping opportunities are available for golfers at Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. Adjacent to the resort lobby, check out the Boutique where Tommy Bahama rules for men; there are hats galore for the ladies and Ray Ban sunglasses for both. Don’t forget to swing into the Spa Shop on the opposite side of the lobby for your skin care and sun screen products. Top choices would be Babor or Peter Thomas Roth that ladies can tuck into a Brighton fanny pack picked up at the Boutique. Then at the Pro Shop at the Rancho Las Palmas Country Club ladies have large lines of Greg Norman, Nike, E.P. Pro to select from. Men can outfit in Greg Norman, Nike and Cutter & Buck. Don’t miss the selection of Oakley sunglasses! And take a moment to scan the many small golf accessory gifts that make perfect thank-you dashes for your Rancho Mirage host and hostess.

Now that you’re looking like a pro – get out there and show us what you’ve got!

One hundred percent of the proceeds from advance ticket sales will be donated to charity. Tickets and can be ordered online at www.KNCGolf.com. When ordering tickets online, purchasers will be asked to designate a charity to receive the proceeds from the sale. Currently, more than 40 charities have signed up to participate in the program.

The tickets are priced at $25 for any one-day ticket (valid Tuesday to Sunday of Tournament Week) and $100 for a weeklong ticket. This year’s tournament is set for Monday, March 29, through Sunday, April 4. Admission to Mission Hills Country Club on March 29 is free (practice rounds only).

When purchasing online, customers can print their tickets at home, arrange for pick-up at Will Call, or have the tickets shipped to them. Tickets will also be sold at the gate each day for $35 (any one-day ticket) and $125 (weeklong ticket).

The tournament’s popular Kraft Pavilion Passes, which are not part of the charity program, are also being offered this year. The Kraft Pavilion overlooks the 18th green of the Dinah Shore Tournament Course and Champions Lake and features premier seating, food and beverage service from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. as well as on- site parking. The Kraft Pavilion is open Thursday through Sunday of Tournament Week.

To order Pavilion Passes or for additional tournament information, visit www.KNCGolf.com or call the Kraft Nabisco Championship Tournament Office at 760/324-4546.

Also back by popular demand this year are a number of special ticket options. Active members of the military will receive free admission at the gate with military identification. Children 17 and under are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. College students with valid student identification and seniors 65 years and older can purchase an any-day grounds ticket for $30 or a weeklong ticket for $115.

Tickets through the Integrated Wealth Management TICKETS Fore CHARITY program are available online through April 4. In addition, tickets will be on sale through Tournament Week at Lumpy’s in Cathedral City and La Quinta. Rancho Mirage residents can purchase discount tickets at City Hall until Friday, April 2, and at the Rancho Mirage Library through Sunday, April 4.

RM

Since the beginning of time, long before Hollywood discovered the desert, a thriving community of people lived in the vicinity of what we know today as Palm Springs. Snow melt from the Santa Rosa and Santa Jacinto Mountains feed gushing streams that in turn nourish lush palm oasis at the foot of the mountains. In and around these oasis people, known as the Cahuilla, sustained a rich and harmonious life that lasted for a millennium before the era of resorts that now flourish in the Palm Springs Valley.

Today the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians work and live through-out the Valley. Many are the regions most powerful and prosperous leaders. Gleaming new resorts such at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage employs hundreds of workers and fuels the economy of the region. Bond ratings, marketing strategies and setting world-class hospitality standards occupy many whose grandparents lived in a very different world. A world still revered by today’s tribe members and a world that you can experience.

The instant you drive through the gate of The Indian Canyons you know you have entered a sacred place. Just minutes from lively downtown Palm Springs, this place is serene and abundant with the desert’s finest attributes. Vast numbers of Washingtonia Fan Palm Trees form the largest indigenous palm oasis in North America. Gurgling icy brooks course around giant boulders and through rocky crevices creating lush cool retreats from the desert’s glare before disappearing deep into the desert’s aquifer. Wildlife is abundant. Hummingbirds can be sighted at every turn. Lizards and small rodents leave their tracks in the dusty paths. Beware of rattlers! Scat along the trails reminds an alert hiker that larger mammals such as the Big Horn Sheep and an occasional Mountain Lion still roam these parts. In spring the desert blooms and as far as the eye can see a brilliant yellow halo floats over silver grey bushes. The purple snow-capped mountains rise in the background.

Well marked trails through Andreas Canyon, Fern Canyon, Murray Canyon and Palm Canyon provide advanced hikers and easy walkers a wealth of experiences. Nearby, through a separate gated entrance, Tahquitz Canyon can be accessed where a beautiful 60 foot seasonal falls, petroglyphs and ancient irrigation systems can be pondered. Ranger talks and guided walks provide excellent understanding of the ecosystems and the people who made this paradise home.

The Indian Canyons provide 21st century road weary voyagers with a perfect setting and experience to reconnect with something greater and lasting and beautiful.

RM

Balmy weather, palm trees glistening, snow capped mountain peeks in the distance, and gorgeous young lady golfers driving down immaculately maintained fairways playing some of the best golf in the world – what more could you ask for!

This year’s Kraft Nabisco Championship tournament plays out March 29 – April 4 at the renowned Mission Hills County Club in Rancho Mirage, home to the Tournament for 39 years. You can buy tickets at www.KNCgolf.com and join the gallery.

Or you could use one of the following HOT TIPS to have an experience of a lifetime.

• Purchase tickets for the Kraft Pavilion and don’t wait in line and don’t hassle with shuttles! Get Clubhouse Valet Parking. Enjoy the best seats in the house, on the water overlooking the 18th green. Watch the best women golfers in the world while enjoying premier food and beverage included in the ticket price provided by Rancho Mirage’s own Piero’s Acqua Pazza California Bistro. Come and go or stay all day with this terrific ticket. Information at www.KNCgolf.com
• Purchase a table in the Kraft Pavilion. Entertain and impress clients with luncheons right on the 18th green! Packages available for single days or the entire Tournament. Information at www.KNCgolf.com
• Volunteer. You pay $75 (instead of $200) and get tournament passes, a branded jacket, 2 golf shirts, a golf hat, on-site parking, lunches during working shifts and a commemorative gift. This package is valued at over $400! Register to be a volunteer today at www.kncgolf.com
• Join the high rollers and play in the Pro Am. Details at www.KNCgolf.com.

RM

Anytime there’s a cheetah involved I’m there. Loved these streamlined felines ever since I first experienced them in Nairobi National Park on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital. They’d leap up and loll on the hoods of cars. Pressing their faces against windshields their purring would rattle the glass and something primeval, deep in my bones.

Now I can get my big cat fix at The Living Desert located in the heart of the Palm Springs Valley only minutes from luxurious Rancho Mirage resorts. This magnificent wildlife and botanical garden sprawls over 1200 acres of desert gardens at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains. When exploring the park by foot or tram the impression is that you are as far away from civilization as the Serengeti. From savanna to a dark cool palm oasis, vast cacti collections and an amazing array of flora from Madagascar, this is an A + experience for desert plant lovers. Carefully positioned, almost hidden, in the landscape are animal enclosures that are about the best this wild animal park enthusiast has ever seen.

Giraffes float across a vast enclosure with the Santa Rosa Mountains and the snow capped Mount San Jacinto looming in the far distance. Not a fence in sight between the giraffes and the mountains – you could be observing them on the plains surrounding Kilimanjaro. Yet here you can line up at 10 AM daily and feed them “giraffe biscuits”. Long dark tongues delicately swipe the biscuits from your extended palm. A Massai would swoon.

Hyenas, javelinas, badgers, ibis, addax, meerkats, slender-horned gazelles, wolves, coyotes, camels, bat-eared fox and so many other denizens of the world’s deserts populate every turn. The biggest warthog ever! Peninsular bighorn sheep are hunkered among the boulders on a mountain side and a sighting is reward for standing still in the quiet calm of the park and panning until Eureka! A butterfly pavilion! Walk-through aviaries are filled with native birds. The list of delights is endless without even mentioning the cats.

The Cats! The mix of felines from the deserts of the globe include bobcats, mountain lions, caracals, Arabian wild cats, sand cats, leopards, and of course the cheetahs. Make sure you explore the WaTuTu Village because at the very back of the compound is a lair with two magnificent Amur leopards who haughtily skulk around their enclosure passing within inches of your nose. Don’t miss the Arabian wild cats. They appear to be ordinary house pets but these kitties would be thrilled to take off a finger if you tried to tickle their ears.

The cheetahs languish in the shade of an acacia tree. Blink and they vanish reappearing only if their hauteur is placated by a mood shift as elusive as a breeze.

They know how to rub away the throb of aching muscles, relieve the tensions of work and for a heavenly hour or two, ease the cares of the world. We seldom remember the names of our massage therapist and yet they immediately have an intimate association with our bodies and our personal foibles. An experienced therapist can tell a lot about what you’ve been up to so relax and allow the transgressions of your hectic 21st century life to be smoothed away.

Sunstone the Spa is a sleek gleamingly new retreat poolside at the skyscraper Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa. To get your groove back you might request the Sundance Sugar Scrub followed by a Garnet Calming Massage. A Balancing Shirodara treatment promises to stimulate insight and wisdom. Sounds like something we all need. Among the many offerings for men is an 80 minute Head to Toe that includes a massage, scalp treatment and salt foot exfoliation. Sunstone also houses a full service salon, private relaxing pools, luxe lounges and a shop featuring an array of unique skin care products.

The Spa at Mission Hills is nestled on the grounds of The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa. An exotic Spanish-Moorish architectural ambience sets the tone for this sanctuary where clients are invited to lose themselves in “delightful treatments designed to renew mind and spirit”. Start out with a Coconut Bath to nourish and hydrate your skin, then enjoy a Brown Sugar Body Treatment to exfoliate and stimulate cellular renewal and cap your stay with a San Jacinto Massage conceived to promote overall well being. The Spa at Mission Hills also provides a full-service beauty salon with hair, makeup, and nail services. A retail shop lets you take a little bit of the spa away with you.

Spa Las Palmas, at the recently $50 million renovated Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa – a KSL Resort, offers a menu of Desert Dream Rituals consisting of five different body scrubs, wraps and massages to select from. Palm Oasis Body Wraps, Desert Elements Scrubs and Baths and a host of massages make this retreat Desert Magazine’s 2009 Best of the Valley. At the adjacent Yamaguchi Salon experience the art of Feng Shui hair styling that’s all the rage with Hollywood celebrities. Don’t fail to take advantage of the beautiful Spa Pool where you can contemplate, from your chaise lounge, languidly swaying palm trees and the snow-capped San Jacinto Mountain in the distance. Ah Rancho Mirage!

Check out the Bobby Chan shop where the latest in resort wear can be found. Don’t miss BLONDE for women’s, men’s and children’s hottest fashion looks. Both shops have the perfect duds for the many terrific Palm Spring Valley mega events such as the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival or the Stagecoach Country Music Festival. For swimwear and poolside accessories Diane’s Beachwear can’t be beat. Don’t forget shades. Get them at OPTICA. And to keep the sun off the old pate, grab a hat at Hats Unlimited. If your loved one needs a little seduction drop in at Robann’s Jewelers for some bling. Fine wines and sipping accessories can be procured at Tulip Hill Winery. And just in case you crave a stogie they’ve got all you can smoke at Cohiba Cigar Lounge. Out of town newspapers are always available at Borders Books & Music. Just got your bonus? Glide into Bang & Olufsen and consider a 21st century music system or peruse a custom golf cart at CaddyShack where art and carts collide in the coolest way.

Your body beautiful can be pampered and preened at Bath & Body Works, Health Spectrum, Loran Loran Color Group and Medical Spa, M.A.C Cosmetics, River Nails and Spa and Ulta Cosmetics. Emerge buffed and polished, dressed in the latest and take in a movie at Cinemark Century Theaters where first run mega hits are screened in a luxurious multiplex.

Time to eat and drink! What a selection. Casual quick bites can be grabbed at Baja Fresh, Starbucks and Papa Mario’s Pizzeria. Take your selections and camp at one of the many cafe tables under the acacia trees and watch the world parade by as you enjoy your meal. Full service restaurants cover the spectrum from P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, the Yard House, The Cheesecake Factory, Babe’s Bar-B-Que & Brewery, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Piero’s Acqua Pazza – California Bistro. A little sweet-finish can be had at Ben & Jerry’s or the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Verizon Wireless will fix your phone or sell you a new one and the Valet will park and watch your car while you cruise The River in Rancho Mirage. And if by now you have fallen in love with Rancho Mirage take the elevator to The River’s second floor, pop into Tarbell Realtors where one of their agents will help you find your own nest in paradise!

Rancho Mirage Restaurants with Children’s Menus
• Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar
• Bella Vista at The Westin
• bluEmber at Rancho Las Palmas
• Juice It Up
• Las Casuelas Nuevas
• Marie Callender’s
• Mimi’s Cafe
• Piero’s Acqua Pazza – A California Bistro
• Ruby’s Cafe
• The Slice Pizzeria Ristorante

Ride your Bike. The Palm Springs Valley is one of the West’s greatest cycling destinations.
www.hiking-in-ps.com/cycling.php
Taste Some Wine. Experience our wines, meet with friends and family and enjoy wine tasting before dinner or a movie. A perfect location to find unique gifts, gourmet foods, gift ware, and wine accessories.
www.tuliphillwinery.com/rmtr.html

www.hiking-in-ps.com/

• Ride your Bike

www.hiking-in-ps.com/cycling.php

• Gallery Hop

www.palm-desert.org/arts-culture/galleries-museums

• Window Shop

www.thegardensonelpaseo.com
www.theriveratranchomirage.com

• Ponder the Sex Life of a Date

www.shieldsdates.com

• Cruise a Street Fair

www.codstreetfair.com

• Learn Something

www.ranchomiragelibrary.org/

Our Presidential Suite has a breath taking view of the signature 6th fairways with well appointed furniture which includes a wet bar, spacious living room and dining area.

Your Four Diamond Destination for Fun, Luxury and Value.

At Agua Caliente Casino, Resort, Spa in Rancho Mirage, fine amenities and beautiful architecture embody the casual elegance that defines the good life in Southern California. Each guest room is generously appointed with flat-screen televisions, Wi-Fi and more.

For those requiring a little more space, the property will feature 24 Executive Suites measuring 1,100 square feet. In addition to the exceptional amenities included in the Deluxe Guestrooms, each Executive Suite will have an additional 42-inch plasma flat screen television and wet bar in the parlor area. The bathrooms will also offer a Jacuzzi tub, an 8-head “deluge” shower and privacy doors between the living room and bedroom. These Executive Suites can also be made into a two-bedroom suite by adding the adjoining deluxe guestroom.

Outside, a refreshing pool awaits, with luxury cabanas, a poolside grill and a relaxing spa and fitness center.

And when the sun goes down, the action heats up at Agua Caliente! Here, you’ll win more and play longer with a variety of slots, table games, live poker action and the loosest video poker in the area!

You’ll also get up-close and personal with world-class entertainment at The Show, the premier concert theatre in Southern California. Matchbox Twenty, Tony Bennett and Jay Leno are just a few of the fantastic entertainers to take the stage here, with many more to come! The Show also features live, championship boxing. Luxury VIP party boxes are available for every event, making any visit to The Show unforgettable!

Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa: It’s Your Four-Diamond Entertainment Destination!

HotWaterCasino.com

888.999.1995

Rancho Mirage provides a plethora of watering holes where you can refine your Margarita connoisseurship. But watch out this sweetness has a bite! Billy the long time bar keep at Wally’s Desert Turtle likes to keep his Margarita on the dry side. From a bar stool at this Steven Chase luxe designed restaurant, you can scrutinize the movers and shakers of the Valley savoring some of the finest fare in California. Right across the street at Bing Crosby’s, an elegant but more casual crowd sway to the rhythms of a live combo, order up slider trios – lamb, crab and beef – and sip bartender Mike Tarrallo’s delectable Pomegranate Margarita. Roy’s also within walking distance from our first two stops features Jimmy, “the handsomest bartender in the Valley”, at your service with his jigger. Jimmy’s concoction includes li hing mui, a Hawaiian secret ingredient that brings a little aloha to the Mexican elixir. The ground zero for Margaritas in Rancho Mirage is undoubtedly Las Casuelas Nuevas, the Delgado family’s fabulous sprawling hacienda style eatery. The cantina is where libations are served up with 50+ top of the line Tequilas! Renee presides at the bar, but it was bar manager Efren Gonzales who decades ago dreamed up the House Margarita that would make an Aztec envious.