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Stunning, smart, sophisticated and deeply spiritual, Dr. Deborah Windham is a Rancho Mirage celeb. An about-town radical fashionista she is currently producing an art project and book,”365 Days of Radical Fashion, Growth, and Transformation”. Also known for her exuberant personality, “Dr. Deb” is a family practice physician and successful artist. Her paintings and sculptures are in prominent collections throughout the Palm Springs Valley, including the Lucy Curci Cancer Center at Eisenhower Medical Center. “Dr Deb” and her husband, Dr. Brian Herman, an endovascular neurosurgeon, live an extraordinary life working, playing and raising their two teenage children, Mikaela and Marley.
But her mantra is “to wake-up each day as a connected human being that puts into practice the principals of gratitude, inclusion, love and self expression, dissolving habitual negative behaviors”.
Hiking and yoga are part of her quest for spiritual enlightenment. With a deep knowledge of every goat-trail in the Palm Springs Valley, she often hikes the one less traveled by in search of hidden oasis and Cahuilla Indian.
Here is “Dr. Deb’s” 3-day romance itinerary.
“Dr. Deb” Windham with husband Dr. Brian Herman enjoying the Spa Las Palmas at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa.
"Dr Deb" Windham |
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| breakfast |
Smoothies are a great way to start the day with a healthy blast and boost of fruit and protein, Juice It Up works well. |
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With so many calling the Palm Springs Valley their second, third or fourth home; you can find unbelievable deals on virtually never worn designer and vintage classic clothing and pristine home furnishings. Consignment store shopping can be fun but you have to know where to go. Here are 3 suggestions: Eisenhower for everything, including St John and Escada suits!, J&J Consignments carries fantastic jewelry and exquisite furniture and Cargo Consignments offers unique Asian and African furniture and accessories and a whole room of vintage couture. |
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"Dr Deb" Windham |
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| lunch |
Experience the French cuisine of The Right Bank Restaurant. The sand dabs are scrumptious, but the piano man is an old Hollywood gem. Debonair and suave, he will play your request song, making your night even more treasured. |
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I know that color and cut are tricky, so I’m off to Loran Loran Color Group and Medical Spa at The River. It’s the place to get your hair looking sleek and stylish. They are renowned for their hair color expertise and getting it right! Aquamarine streaks and green hair extensions for me please! |
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"Dr Deb" Windham |
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While enjoying my colorful, gorgeous mane, Brian stops off in Robann’s Jewelry to imagine how pretty a sapphire necklace would look around my neck. |
| dinner |
Dinner at Piero’s Acqua Pazza – California Bistro. Catch a glorious sunset on the patio with the mountains nearly encircling your table. The gazpacho is gorgeous, and the Ahi “Poke” is luscious. |
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"Dr Deb" Windham |
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The Bump and Grind Trail is one of the trails that gets Brian and I up with the sun and energized for another day. Alternating between the “goat-traill” and the fire road we ascend the mountain 1050 feet to meditate and appreciate the beauty of the entire Palm Springs Valley in all its glory. The 1-hour trek up and back is a great cardiovascular work out which you will need to be in shape for. |
| breakfast |
A latte and scone at the Palms Café nurtures my soul. Nestled inside the magnificent Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa; the Palms Café serves up Starbucks® coffee and fresh baked pastries. |
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"Dr Deb" Windham |
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Next door, we enjoy the quiet attention we receive at Spa Las Palmas with much needed pampering and luxurious relaxation. Brian and I enjoy a 50-minute Couple’s Massage. Sometimes we’ll select a Therapeutic Massage or the spa’s signature treatment, a Mirage Stone Massage. |
| lunch |
Cross the inner courtyard to bluEmber at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa for lunch: heirloom tomato salad followed by seared sea scallops. It’s heavenly: palm trees glistening in the sun, egrets and migrating ducks feeding in the lakes, and the lush greens of their world-class golf course.
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"Dr Deb" Windham |
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Laughing, and strolling, in the perfect weather, we then do some gallery hopping in the Palm Springs Valley. Many of the finest galleries are located walking distance from each other and on certain evenings, there are fun art walk nights. Many world-renowned contemporary and modern artists such as Fletcher Benton, Clifford Rainey Tony Berlant, Dale Chihuly, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Kelly, Ed Moses, and Robert Motherwell can be found in the galleries here. My favorites are Heather James on El Paseo, Modern Masters, also on El Paseo, and last but not least, Imago Gallery, with a magnificent museum-like gallery setting. |
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"Dr Deb" Windham |
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| dinner |
Brian and I both nominate Wally’s Desert Turtle as the finest and our personal favorite restaurant. The food and the service is impeccable. Michael Botello welcomes everyone. He, and his amazing staff, will do everything they can to make your dinner perfect. Brian loves the Dungeness Crab & Lobster Ravioli; I often order the Sautéed Imported Dover Sole. |
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"Dr Deb" Windham |
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For an exceptional early morning lighter-than-air thrill reserve a “Champagne” adventure, hot-air-balloon ride with Fantasy Balloon Flights .We have done this on birthdays for a really memorable time. FAA-certified pilots guide 2 to 10 passenger, multicolored hot-air balloons aloft to give you a bird's-eye view of the many country clubs, the low desert's winter wildflowers, date palm groves, and citrus. Be sure to make a reservation at least a week in advance. |
| lunch |
Bouchee Fine Foods for a light lunch of wonderful sandwiches and scrumptious salads |
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"Dr Deb" Windham |
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Relax all afternoon at the Palm Springs Art Museum. What began as a museum about the desert has evolved into an oasis for the arts with Modern and Contemporary American works by artists such as Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Duane Hanson, and Mark di Suvero; Contemporary California painting and sculpture by Sam Francis, Edward Ruscha, Robert Arneson, Nathan Oliveira, and many other greats; Studio Art Glass by Dale Chihuly, Howard Ben Tré, and William Morris; and Classic Western American Art by Thomas Moran, Charles Russell, Frederic Remington, and so many more. The modern building, a 125,000-square-foot complex, is designed by renowned California architect E. Stewart Williams and also houses a collection of Native American and Mesoamerican Art. |
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"Dr Deb" Windham |
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| dinner |
An old Hollywood dinner at the world famous Bing Crosby’s Restaurant and Piano Bar. I always start with the Wedge Salad and follow that with the succulent Seared Ahi Tuna with Persimmon and Potato Gratin. You know, cool and hip never go out of style here. It’s just another perfect ending to another perfect day in the Palm Springs Valley and Rancho Mirage. |
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