Sunny Day at Sunnylands

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (16mm, f/8, 1/480 sec, ISO160)

Sunnylands, Palm Springs. I can’t believe that we have missed that one on our previous visits.

We have been to Palm Springs many times before but this is our first visit to Sunnylands. If you also don’t know Sunnylands here is what it is and why it might be worth a visit.

In short: Sunnylands was the winter estate of Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Walter Annenberg was a publicist. He owned newspapers and radio and TV stations. He also founded the paper TV guide in 1953. After he donated some money for Richard Nixon he got appointed as an ambassador of the USA in London. He later also supported Ronald Reagan and his residence Sunnylands has seen visits from eight US presidents, Margret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II plus family and many famous actors. Since 2012 it is open to the public.

The house is impressive but even more so the “garden” of 200 acres (or 0,81km2!). There are a couple of lakes and a golf course and lush green gras in the middle of a desert.

FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/240 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/8, 1/170 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/8, 1/280 sec, ISO200)

The first couple of images are from the new visitor centre. It looks very nice too and perfectly matches the house. We couldn’t manage to book a slot on the internet in advance so we simply went there and asked if there are tours available. Luckily it was and we had a coffee while we waited for the tour to start. When we had the coffee we had a close encounter with a road runner. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a meaningful shot.

When it was finally time for our tour we waited inside to avoid the heat as there was nobody at the meeting point. Then a young lady came and picked us up. It happened that we were the only ones in that time slot. We got a private tour!

FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/350 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/7.1, 1/550 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/7.1, 1/600 sec, ISO200)

Our guide was lovely and knowledgeable. And of course we could talk much more since we were the only participants. Above an image of the “golf cart bus” in front of the main house. Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside the house for security reasons. Because US presidents use the house for state guests. Last was Xi Jinping and Obama was the host.

The house, a classic mid century beauty, was impressive and it’s a strange feeling to know that so many famous people have visited this place. But what impressed us the most was the views from the house into the green garden with the desert mountain range as a back ground. When we inside tour was over I could finally take some images of the patio  and the pool area.

FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/8, 1/480 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/8, 1/450 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/8, 1/340 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/8, 1/420 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/8, 1/640 sec, ISO200)

The Annenbergs seemed to be very good hosts. On the way out our tour guide told us that they filled up and cleaned the cars of their guest. Unfortunately this level of service is no longer in place for visitors today. It was a really great visit though and we have to thank the heirs that this is open to the public. Imagine the value of the property today!

A true highlight of our trip and finally something new again on our seventh trip to the South West of the USA.

FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/9, 1/600 sec, ISO200)