Bob Cummins

Alaska Airlines pilot Bob Cummins moved here with his wife and two sons last year.Fed up with his life in Los Angeles, where they could expect "To pay half a million for a shoebox in a neighborhood you don't even want to be in," the couple looked at alternatives.From Simi Valley to Temecula, they evaluated housing affordability, schools and lifestyle.The desert won."We love living here," Cummins says."I can't believe we're so lucky to live in a place where each day is perfect."

Cummins and his wife opted for a new, gated single-family home on the Rancho Mirage/Palm Desert line.They found a California mission-style, 2,800-square-foot home with a casita and a pool for $425,000."At first I had to sell my wife on living here," Cummins says."Then we looked at other options and she couldn't believe what a beautiful home we could get for such a price."In between tennis and spending time with his kids, he commutes to LAX via a 30-minute flight from Palm Springs International Airport.

Bob Cummins ('81) writes that he is currently a pilot for Alaska Airlines based out of LAX.