Such things, I am told, happen to travel writers once in awhile, but this had never happened to me: bad weather, exceptionally bad weather and a canceled trip as a consequence.

I was looking forward to going to Palm Springs, to a fascinating Moroccan style boutique resort called Korakia. I was looking forward to milder weather, seeing flowers in bloom, smelling the sweet, dry desert air. BUT NOOO! All weekend we had been watching a violent winter storm scrape and douse its way across California. Whenever I looked on www.weather.com, the same flashing red SEVERE SNOW WARNING sign came on the screen. Last night a wind warning was added also. I looked at the weather for Palm Springs, and surprisingly, there was a FLASH FLOOD warning for the Coachella Valley. With such a triple whammy -- snow, wind, flood, I decided, sorrowfully, to reschedule the trip. This was last night. I walked out in the 25 degree, clear black night last night, and saw the star spangled scarf of the Milky Way above me. Clear as a bell. How could all this WEATHER be coming our way?

I went in, went to bed and awoke at about 5:00AM with hail, snow, and moaning wind beating at my bedroom window. I went to the window, opened the blinds and could see only white -- a classic white-out. Oh, to be among the Hibiscus and Jasmine at Korakia!! Not much later, I saw on the news that the Salt Lake City Airport was closed,as were many of the mountain passes and roads leading into and out of Salt Lake. What a MESS!

I grouchily went out to the kitchen, when I looked outside at our snow covered decorative Crab Apple trees. The fruits were small, well-frozen, but still held their bright red color. On the branches were six winter Robins. One was looking right at me -- a fat bird with a bright orange-yellow breast, contrasted on the branch with the bright red berries. My camera was close by, so I took some pictures of the single bird, then others.

Had I gone to Palm Springs, I would have missed this -- I like to think, when I am disappointed, that the small things in life -- like the Robins on the branch -- come into such great clarity. i walk out in the foot-plus deep snow -- and am glad, in an odd kind of way, that I stayed, again knowing the bright peace and solace a fresh Winter snow can provide.