On vacation, I visit Palm Desert’s Living Desert Zoo, a fantastic place. Have you been? I didn’t get to see Cole, the baby giraffe, but I have pictures and info anyway. That’s the subject of my Sunday column.

I return to Palm Springs, where I eat salads, walk around, see some sights and follow up on reader tips. My visit last week unfortunately coincided with the SoCal heatwave. On the plus side, I felt comfortable in early April in a T-shirt and shorts, even at night. Here’s how I spent my time, as recounted in my Wednesday column.