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Lesbians of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley
Community. Courage. Connection .
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Sacred Ground, Questionable Behavior
*“The field where friends have met is consecrated forever.”*
—Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau does not tell us what the friends were doing in the field.
We are left to imagine they were discussing truth, beauty, and the eternal soul. It is equally possible that one was squatting behind a shrub while the other stood guard. Friendship has many forms. Not all of them belong in the newsletter, but here we are.
Friendship alters geography. Certain places become impossible to pass without remembering something undignified: the restaurant where someone laughed so hard wine came out her nose; the trail where five intelligent women missed the turn, looked up, and asked, “Where the hell are we?”; the ferry terminal where someone said, *We have plenty of time*—and then we watched as the ferry disappeared into the distance.
This is consecration as I understand it: a place made sacred by love, loyalty, and a mutual agreement never to repeat the whole story.
As we age, friendship takes on a more practical holiness. Friends wait while you tie your shoe and privately calculate whether you can stand up again. I tell them the hike is almost over despite knowing I have been lying for a mile. They know. I know. They retrieve my water bottle, jacket, spoon, and sunglasses, which I have scattered across the land as a form of estate planning.
We question whether a friend is meaningfully silent or simply did not hear what was said. Then we tactfully circle back to the same subject.
We imagined old age as a time of sunsets, wisdom, and serene acceptance. We mainly discuss knee and back pain and dissect sleep patterns with forensic intensity. We share the names of specialists, the options for cataract surgery, and which supplements everyone is taking to extend longevity. Fiber and protein become major topics.
Intimacy sheds its mystery; our candid humanity is discussed beside the bushes and occasionally left on the ground.
Friendship is sacred not because we behave nobly within it, but because someone has witnessed the full comic catastrophe of who we are and returned the following day. They know we are not always brave, wise, generous, or organized. They have seen us bluffing, sulking, lost, and searching for the glasses sitting on top of our heads. They have witnessed our many moods: the grumpiness at dawn and the outrage when a hike that was supposed to be four miles turns into eight. They have seen us return with sweat on the brow, sweat on the back, and sweat in the shorts.
The field keeps no record for anyone else. Still, we all know what happened out there.
We entered as independent, competent women. We left carrying one another’s keys, jackets, water bottles, secrets, and conflicting accounts of the day.
Years later, no one remembers the complete truth.
This may be friendship’s final mercy.
The ground is consecrated.
The evidence is gone.
Kim
And because I am fascinated by how our internal states shape our reality—and how shifts in consciousness change our perspective and the narratives we create.
Consecrated Ground
“The field where friends have met is consecrated forever.”
—Henry David Thoreau
Friendship alters geography.
A field is never again a field. A kitchen table holds more than its scratches and stains. A trail remembers the friend who slowed her pace and waited. A lake carries the sound of voices calling across the water. Even a parking lot can become holy ground if it was where someone sat with us until the grief loosened enough for us to breathe.
There are no markers for these places. Grass grows over our footprints. Other people sit beneath the same trees and watch the same light move across the hills. They cannot see what remains there—the laughter, the confidences, the hours when no one needed us to be wiser, braver, or less broken than we were.
Friendship lays a second landscape beneath the visible one.
Some friends remain beside us for decades. Some drift away. Some die. Yet the places we shared refuse to surrender them entirely. We return and find them not as ghosts, but as something embedded in the light, the stone, the air. For a moment, time folds, and who we were walks beside who we have become.
Perhaps consecration requires no church, ceremony, or prayer. Perhaps it happens whenever two people meet without armor—when one says, Here is the truth of me, and the other does not turn away. The earth beneath them receives the imprint.
This may be one of the quiet miracles of friendship: we make small homes for one another in a world that does not promise permanence. We offer shelter for an afternoon, a season, or half a lifetime. We stand witness as each of us struggles to get some living done.
The field keeps no record anyone else can read. Still, we know.
We entered it as separate lives. We left carrying something of one another—and the world had become, for a while, a place we could call home.
Kim
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DAY 218 OF 365
You can feel uncertain and still be hopeful. You can feel tired and still be trying. You can feel like you’re falling apart and still be getting things done. You can feel lonely without being alone. You can feel like you’re breaking and becoming at the same time. You can feel lost and still be on the right path. And maybe it’s not about never feeling all these things. Maybe it’s about not letting them make you believe they’re all you’ll ever feel. Because no feeling lasts forever, no season stays the same, and neither does the version of you who’s wondering if you’ll ever feel like yourself again.
CARRIE MARIE BUSH
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THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS
⚖️ Coachella Valley Ladies of Justice
📍 Regular Weekly Meeting
- When: Every Sunday | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
- Where: Mountain View Grill (28555 Landau Blvd, Cathedral City, CA)
🍸 Center Women’s Social
Join us for meaningful connections, friends, and a fun time!
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When: Wednesday, August 19 | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM (3rd Wednesday monthly)
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Where: Boozehounds (2080 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, CA 92262)
🍽️ Kitchen Table Gathering
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When: Monday, August 17 | 2:30 PM
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Where: Private Member Home in Palm Springs (Same location as previous meetings)
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RSVP Required: Space is limited! Please confirm your spot by emailing leaofcoachellavalley@gmail.com to receive the address.
🍔 Singles Mingle
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When: Friday, August 21 | 4:00 PM
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Where: Mark’s Burgers (68-718 Palm Canyon Dr, Cathedral City — next to Trilussa)
🎬 Movie Meetup Update
Both Cindy and I are away for the summer, but the movies don't have to stop!
- Regular Schedule: Wednesday mornings at the Mary Pickford Theater.
- Organize a Group: If there’s a film you’re dying to see, just reach out—I’ll gladly post and advertise a meetup so the group can still gather!
🎷 Live Music & Entertainment at Gertie’s
Gertie's Eatery & Bar is doubling the fun for six weeks, through the fall!
- Schedule: Live entertainment 4 nights a week (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday).
- Highlights: Live music, non-stop vibes, great food, and iconic drinks.
- Note: Be sure to book early if you want to get out on the dance floor!
- Gertie’s Salon & Bar | Cocktail Bar in Palm Springs
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Palms Springs Women's Jazz Festival
2026 BLUES AT THE WOODSTOCK
"VOICES THAT DON’T ASK FOR PERMISSION!"
Friday, September 4, 2026
Concert: Blues at The Woodstock
Performers: Miriah Avila and Kimberly Nichole | Dr. Gail Jhonson & Blues All-Stars
Time: 6:30 PM (Doors open at 6:00 PM)
Location: Hotel Zoso, The Woodstock
Tickets: $99 – $125
Tickets & Info: Purchase Concert Tickets
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Concert: Blues at The Woodstock
Performers: Martha Redbone and J’Cenae | Dr. Gail Jhonson & Blues All-Stars
Time: 6:30 PM (Doors open at 6:00 PM)
Location: Hotel Zoso, The Woodstock
Tickets: $99 – $125
Tickets & Info: Purchase Concert Tickets
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Jazz: Hope Diamond – Sunday Kind Of Love
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Lola’s Lounge – Thompson Hotel
414 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Admission: Free (Reservations suggested)
https://www.lolaroseps.com/event/sunday-kind-of-love/
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WOMEN WHO LIFTED THE BAR
Marion Mahony Griffin was not a gifted woman standing behind great men; she was one of the minds and hands that made their greatness visible. The second woman to earn an architecture degree from MIT and the first woman licensed as an architect in Illinois, she became Frank Lloyd Wright’s first employee and helped forge the visual language of the Prairie School.
Her luminous architectural renderings—buildings rising organically from trees, earth, and sky—became inseparable from Wright’s celebrated style, yet many were published under his name and absorbed into the mythology of his solitary genius. Her work helped make his influential Wasmuth Portfolio a triumph, while her magnificent drawings were also instrumental in winning the competition to design Canberra, Australia. She later worked across three continents as an architect, artist, environmental thinker, and urban visionary. For decades, history reduced her to an assistant, an illustrator, or a wife. In truth, Marion Mahony Griffin did not merely draw the work of famous men—she drew the future, and they were given much of the credit.
When people today look at old drawings of Frank Lloyd Wright houses, they are usually looking at Marion's artwork. She was the one who made his ideas look beautiful on paper so clients would buy them.
Frank Lloyd Wright had a massive ego and rarely gave Marion the credit she deserved. After working with him, Marion and her husband Walter Griffin went on to design Canberra, which is the capital city of Australia.
She was a global superstar of design, but history slowly forgot about her contributions.Marion passed away in 1961 in Chicago.
She was broke, and she was buried in Graceland Cemetery inside an unmarked grave. For over thirty years, thousands of people walked right past her final resting place without knowing a genius was buried there.
Marion Mahony Griffin's Signature Style and Pioneering Influence - Institute of Classical Architecture & Art
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🎬 CASTING CALL: LOCAL PICKLEBALL SHORT FILM
🌍 AN INVITATION FROM SUNNIVA SORBY: TWO EXPEDITIONS
"Fellow Explorers and Friends, I have two wonderful invitations for you—one for this upcoming fall, and one for next year. Whether you walk 800 kilometers or 800 meters, I want you walking with us. See you out there!"
— Sunniva x
🧘♀️ WOMEN'S WELLNESS WEEKEND RETREAT: DESERT MUSE FESTIVAL
Join us for a welcoming and restorative weekend under the Harvest Moon.
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Where: Hotel Valley Ho | Scottsdale, AZ
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When: September 25–27, 2026
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Who It’s For: Women of all ages (18–98) and identities—including queer, straight, bi, lesbian, trans, and non-binary individuals.
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What Makes It Special: Gathering under the energy of the Harvest Moon with 5 dedicated healers on-site.
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Pricing: $696 for the Weekend Experience (plus hotel accommodation costs).
🎟️ How to Book
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR SNAPSHOT
🎶 Please check venues for updates or possible changes.
Entertainment
Please check the venues for changes.
Marisa Corvo performs at The Roost on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at ticketbud.com.
The V Wine Lounge hosts Disco Drag Bingo on Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.
Gennine Francis will perform at The Roost on Saturdays at 6 p.m. Reservations can be made online at ticketbud.com.
Patrice Morris will perform at Indian Wells Resort Hotel on Saturdays at 6 p.m.
Reservations are suggested. Cover charge.
Gennine Francis will perform at Gertie’s Salon and Bar at Alice B.’s Restaurant this Sunday from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Leanna Rogers and Miguel will perform at The V Wine Lounge on Mondays from 5 to 8 p.m. There is a $7.50 cover charge.
Leanna and the Free Agents will perform on Thursdays and Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hyatt Palm Springs.
Gennine Francis will perform at The Roost on Saturdays: July 25; August 8 and 22; and September 12 and 19 at 6 p.m. She will return every Saturday beginning in October. Reservations can be made online at ticketbud.com.
Marisa Corvo performs at The Roost on Wednesdays: July 22; August 5 and 19; and September 16 and 30 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at ticketbud.com.
🪩 Social
Mahjong (American) Thursdays 1pm to 3:30pm
Weekly Chat Group - Zoom - Thursdays 5PM
🌿 Outdoors
Bird Walks – 2nd & 4th Thursdays | Prescott Preserve
Easy/Moderate/Difficult Hikes – Tuesdays & Saturdays
Easy Walk - Fridays
💬 Community & Support
PALS Seminars & Death Café
Evening Chat Group – Thursdays 5 PM
BAM Book & Movie Club – Monthly
Scroll down to COMMUNITY CALENDAR DETAILS for more information on these events
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3. Kitchen Table: Monday August 17, 2:30 pm
Please confirm if you want a seat at the table, and we will send you the address. We meet in Palm Springs at a member’s home. Location is the same for those who have attended. Space is limited, so please let us know by emailing us at leaofcoachellavalley@gmail.com.
4. Singles Mingle: Friday, August 21, 4:00 PM
New Location: Marks Burgers, 68-718 Palm Canyon, Cathedral City (Next to Trilussa)
Signup for newsletter at leaofcoachellavalley@gmail.com
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Dr. Karyl Ketchum, the Director of The L-Fund at The Center, has open office hours every Wednesday and Friday from 11:30 to 1:00 at The LGBTQ Center. (Because the habits of old professors die hard! 🤓) Whether you'd like to learn more about The L-Fund, ask a question, share an idea, borrow a book, or simply introduce yourself, come by and say hello! The L-Fund is on the second floor of The Palm Springs LGBTQ Center, 1301 North Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, 92262. Just follow The L-Fund signs! You can also call or email: karyl@thecentercv.org or 760.416.7790. Learn more about The L-Fund’s work here.
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The Rainbow Connection Group at the Spiritual Center of the Desert invites you to an unforgettable evening of dance, music, and community joy! Come connect, move, and celebrate in a welcoming, inclusive space dedicated to our LGBTQIA+ community and allies. Tickets are available now for $25.00. Option to reserve a table. See flyer
To secure your spot, call The Center at 760-346-4649 or visit https://pdspiritualcenter.org.
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2026 BLUES AT THE WOODSTOCK
Dedicated to preserving the music of traditional/classic women blues artists:
VOICES THAT DON’T ASK FOR PERMISSION!
SEPTEMBER 3-6, 2026
HOTEL ZOSO, Palm Springs, CA
TICKETS ON SALE – MAY 8, 2026
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SAVE THE DATE!
KITCHEN 86 & BAR
presents:
DORIS K. REED
A Woman and Her Poetry
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WHEN: 10-04-26
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TIME: 2:00-3:00 pm
- WHERE:
- Kitchen 86
- 73-130 El Paseo
- Palm Desert, CA 92260
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Big laughs. Big heart. Zero apologies. After Filming her debut comedy special Miss Personality (coming to streaming from Comedy Dynamics this year) in front of two sold out audiences in Palm Springs, Mina Hartong (Olivia Travel, Curve Magazine, The New York Times) is coming home to her beloved desert audience with new material, new songs and special guest comics. A sapphic night to remember that wraps up before lesbian bedtime. Don't forget your toe separators! Guest comics announced soon. Fall in love. Laugh a lot. Repeat.
Ticket link
ticketbud.com
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OOPS got the date wrong - Show is Nov 8th at the Plaza
Fortune Feimster is a critically acclaimed comedian, actress, and host known for her upbeat style, unique comedic perspective, and infectious energy. She invites audiences into her world where laughter and love reign supreme.
She recently wrapped production on the Netflix film The Fifth Wheel, starring alongside Kim Kardashian, Nikki Glaser, and Brenda Song, and directed by Eva Longoria. She will next be seen opposite Will Ferrell in Hawk, Netflix’s upcoming golf comedy series premiering in July 2026, and is currently on her national “Takin’ Care of Biscuits” tour. Most recently, she voiced “Nibbles” in Disney’s Oscar-nominated animated hit Zootopia 2, which grossed $1.8 billion worldwide.
FORTUNE FEIMSTER: TAKIN' CARE OF BISCUITS (ENCORE) | The Plaza Theatre
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🏓 PICKLEBALL TIPS:
🏆 PICKLEBALL DRILLS AND TOURNAMENTS:
| | COMMUNITY EVENTS DETAIL & SIGNUPS | | |
Mahjong (American)
1PM to 3:30pm Thursdays
In a private home for summer.
Mahjong Signup
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Every Sunday
Mountain View Grill
28555 Landau Blvd
Cathedral City, 92234
2:00-3:30
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BAM (Book & Movie) Discussion Group
We are an online book and movie club that has been gathering via Zoom/online since 2020. Every member gets the chance to pick a book or movie and lead the discussion for their selection!
Upcoming Schedule
- Summer Break: August (No meeting)
- Resuming: Monday, September 21, 2026 | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PT
- Meetings: We meet regularly on the 3rd Monday of each month.
Upcoming Selections
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September 21: So Gay For You: Friendship, Found Family and the Show that Started it All by Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey
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October 19: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
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Easy/Moderate/Difficult Hikes
On Hold for Summer, Starting again in October
Hikes are Tuesdays and Saturdays, weather permitting..
Sign up below to receive hiking information
New hikers must register and sign a waiver.
Sign up below for email notifications.
With the heat now, hikes are pretty much over for the season
https://form.jotform.com/252917689579178
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2026 Walks
On Hold for Summer, Starting again in October
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Evening Chat Group 5pm to 6:30pm PST Every Thursday
Join us for a lively Zoom chat, catch up with friends, and make new ones! Open to Lesbians in and out of the Coachella Valley — California — all 50 States — and beyond. Please email JayneStrelecki@gmail.com to receive the weekly invite & reminder with Zoom meeting ID and Passcode. Bring a friend! Hosted by Cindy T and Jayne!
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Entertainment - This Week's Recommendation
Maid on Netflix is a fierce, unflinching portrait of poverty, motherhood, and the invisible architecture of abuse. Margaret Qualley gives a raw and luminous performance as Alex, a young mother who flees an emotionally abusive relationship with her daughter and discovers that leaving is only the beginning.
Every attempt to build a safer life is met by another locked door: shelters, custody battles, impossible paperwork, poverty wages, and a bureaucracy that demands proof of suffering while offering barely enough help to survive. The series refuses the comforting myth that courage alone can rescue a woman.
Alex is courageous—but courage does not pay rent, provide childcare, or protect her from a system designed to exhaust her.
What makes Maid so powerful is that it never reduces Alex to a victim. She is frightened, flawed, stubborn, loving, and ferociously alive. The houses she cleans reveal the private disorder behind other people’s polished lives, while her own struggle exposes how easily a woman can disappear beneath unpaid labor, economic dependence, and disbelief. Andie MacDowell is extraordinary as Alex’s volatile mother, bringing another generation of wounded womanhood into the story. Maid is difficult to watch because it tells the truth: sometimes survival is not a triumphant escape but a thousand small acts of resistance—getting out of bed, protecting your child, filling out one more form, and refusing, against all evidence, to believe that this is where your life must end.
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Lesbian Owned Business
Barbara Carpenter Realtor
Shann Carr -Comedian, Event Producer, Realtor, A Lesbian Concierge In The Desert
Andrea Voras, Gerontologist Dementia Specialist Life Aging Life Care Manager
Constance Clare-Newman, Somatic Work for Pain Relief and Stress Reduction
Corlyce Photography
Chris Ann Kallgren Realtor
Sunny Designs-Website & Graphic Design & Video
Rice Notary
Nancy Minger - Massage Therapist
Poochsitter
Motivation Changes — Life Coaching - Dr Ann Sarah Engel, MSW, PhD
B's Table
Local Lesbian Authors
Animal Samaritans - Pets for Adoption Fur babies needing family at Animal Samaritans
Shelter — Animal Samaritans
Special Thanks to Frontrunners for their ongoing support of LPSCV
Palm Springs Front Runners & Walkers is a running and walking club for members and friends of the LGBTQ+ community in the Coachella Valley. We are a local chapter of International Front Runners, an informal network of LGBTQ+ running groups around the world. Membership is open to everyone without regard to ability, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Join for daily runs and walks! Palm Springs Front Runners & Walkers - Home
| | PALS - Planning Ahead for LGBTQ Seniors | | |
PALS no-cost seminars provide up-to-date info and resources to own your
future, engage in essential conversations and take action because it’s never too soon to start planning ahea
For program updates and to sign up for upcoming PALS Seminars, Death Cafes and PALS Circles, please visit palsinthedesert.com.
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PALS Death Cafe at 2 pm on the 1st Thurs each month provides a group
led and safe space to have open conversations about death and dying without taboo.
For program updates and to sign up for upcoming PALS Seminars, Death Cafes and PALS Circles, please visit palsinthedesert.com.
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.PALS CIRCLE for an hour of connection, support and friendship among
LGBTQ+ seniors and allies. No formal topic — just fun conversation and
camaraderie each Monday from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on ZOOM.
For program updates and to sign up for upcoming PALS Seminars, Death Cafes and PALS Circles, please visit palsinthedesert.com.
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Gay Country Western Dancing - Saturday Nights
Join the Dance Ranch for a great night of country western dancing, including two-step, waltz, shadow, East and West Coast swing, and line dances.
It all happens at Step By Step
933 Crossley Road, Palm Springs.
Admission is $5
Lesson is at 7pm. Dancing from 7:30-9:30pm
Dance Ranch Palm Springs is a country western dance group serving the LGBTQ+ community and its friends. Country dancers of all levels are welcome!
Learn more about Dance Ranch and find out what they’re teaching at danceranchps.org.
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