Lesbians of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley Outings and Events
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The Life Log, Slightly Singed Edition
We sold our house. It was supposed to close on December 29. On December 28, a team of strong, squirrel-like hikers loaded everything we own into a U-Haul with the cheerful efficiency of people who had not yet heard the bad news.
That afternoon, our real estate agent gently cleared his throat and said he was “concerned.” The buyers, it seemed, had not yet signed the mortgage documents. We might be a day late. A small detail he forgot to mention: the buyers were in Italy. We learned this several days later, delivered like a plot twist no one ordered.
Next revelation: their power of attorney was in Iowa. Iowa, we discovered, does not acknowledge DocuSign and may still be holding hearings on the the advantages of fax machines. Documents had to be couriered, as if we were sealing them with wax and hope.
The POA firmly believed the mortgage company didn’t understand how signatures work and demonstrated this by signing everything incorrectly, generously adding several bonus days to the experience. Eventually, escrow and the mortgage company had a stern, parental-style talk with the POA, who at last agreed to follow instructions.
Escrow closed at 4:59 pm on January 7. Funds arrived January 8. We paid for our new digs January 9 and left the old house to begin the move. Feeling responsible and optimistic, I decided to refill the propane on our Sprinter RV, since we’d been living in it and enjoy such luxuries as heat and cooking.
At U-Haul, the tank filled beautifully. The valve, however, refused to close and began leaking propane. The attendant called the fire department. Apparently, the usual fix involves a screwdriver and confidence, but today was not that day.
Three fire trucks arrived. U-Haul shut down. The valve had mostly sealed itself, so firefighters had to get within six inches to detect anything, which they did with great solemnity. We waited for the remaining propane to bleed off. Three hours later, the fire trucks retreated, U-Haul reopened, and we headed to meet the men we were buying from in Sahara Park.
They explained they hadn’t been able to pack because some idiot had caused a gas leak at U-Haul and shut the place down for three hours. I confessed and we all laughed our butts off.
We took possession on Saturday the 10th. An 18 month epic journey achieved.
In 2024, we spent five months in Michigan getting Dorien’s parents’ place ready to sell, selling it, then returned to Palm Springs to do the same for our house. Spring brought no buyers. Fall brought changes, relisting, and a chaotic market that eventually shrugged and said yes.
We are relieved. We are exhausted. It was an 18-month stretch where everything was complicated and nothing was easy. It feels good to be in our new community.
Kim
PS I have a chair in the new place, Dorien has a chair and Angel the chihuahua has 7 chairs and 2 sofas. The universe is spinning in it's well oiled groove.
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My book Travels Into Discomfort is available on Amazon.
It is a travel adventure in its prose and a journey to the heart in its poetry.
Travels Into Discomfort
LETTERS YOU WILL NEVER READ
letting go doesn’t mean giving up,
but rather accepting that not everything is meant to be.
not everyone is meant to be your friend.
not every event is yours to experience.
sometimes paths diverge,
not out of failure or lack of trying,
but because the universe has a different plan—
a plan that may be unseen, unfelt, or misunderstood
until the moment when letting go turns into letting in.
letting in the truth that some chapters end
so others can begin.
letting in the peace that comes with release,
knowing that what was, was necessary,
but what’s to come is just as vital.
and in that space,
between holding on and moving forward,
you find yourself, not lost, but liberated,
ready to embrace what’s next
with open arms and an open heart.
Hannah Shebar
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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
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For more information about pickleball, including lessons, leagues, and other lesbians playing pickleball - contact Mary Barsaleau.
Mary is a registered Pickleball Ambassador.
| | Seeking Classical Musicians | | |
New Book -Smartass: Memoir of a Mouthy Girl
New Book - Show Her The Money
New Book - The Worst Kind of Girl, a novel by Susan Rukeyser
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- Cork Women's Fun Weekend
- AdventureWomen: organizes exceptional women’s only travel groups spots around the globe.
- Trafalgar: offers women-only guided vacations to various destinations, with local female guides and experts.
- Road Scholar: provides educational and cultural trips for women of all ages and interests.
- Adventures in Good Company: creates active and adventurous trips for women who love the outdoors.
- Intrepid Travel’s Women’s Expeditions: explores local cultures and traditions from a female perspective, with female leaders and hosts.
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Clara B. Spence was a quiet architect of possibility, an educator who understood that rigor and imagination could share the same classroom. In 1892 she founded what would become The Spence School in New York City, creating a learning environment that demanded intellectual excellence while encouraging independence, confidence, and ethical purpose in young women at a time when such ambitions were often discouraged. Her vision helped legitimize serious academic education for girls, preparing generations of students not simply to succeed, but to lead, question, and contribute. Spence’s accomplishment was not just the founding of a school, but the shaping of a durable philosophy of education that treated young women as thinkers in full, capable of shaping the future rather than waiting for permission to enter it.
Beyond the classroom, Clara B. Spence lived her ideals with uncommon breadth and courage. From the school’s founding on East 91st Street, she served as headmistress for 31 years, building not only an academically rigorous institution but one rooted in social responsibility, beginning with a nursery for abandoned infants in 1892. Widely respected as an innovative educator, she held leadership roles across New York’s cultural and intellectual life, including the American Museum of Natural History, Barnard College, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Oratorio Society. Her school became a crossroads of ideas, welcoming figures such as Isadora Duncan as a teacher, and lecturers ranging from Edith Wharton and Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan to Booker T. Washington and Aldous Huxley. Equally groundbreaking was her personal life: with her partner Charlotte S. Baker, she co-led the school, adopted and raised children together, and helped pioneer same-sex adoption through the agency that grew from the school’s original nursery, now Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children. A committed suffragist who marched for equality in 1913, Spence fused educational innovation, family life, and civic activism into a single, forward-looking vision that helped reshape both schooling and society.
Ahead of Her Time – The Life of Clara Beebe Spence
Our History - Spence School
| | Email me at gabriolakim@gmail.com if you want something posted on the bulletin board, or an event promoted. | |
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
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LEA January Calendar
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH SINGLE MINGLES 4PM
SINGLE MINGLES IS MEETING UP AT ENZO'S IN RANCHO MIRAGE ON THE PATIO
Contact: Diane T. (909) 223-7010 for more information
TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, TEA AND CONVERSATION 11:00 AM (PS location to be announced)
Come sit at the KITCHEN TABLE, hosted by a LEA hostess in Palm Springs, for an in person meeting, please reserve your chair at the table, space is limited
Send in your reservation to leaofcochellavalley@gmail.com by January 15th.
*****If you would like to sit at a KITCHEN TABLE in La Quinta in February, please let us know.*****
Come join the EIGHTIES PLUS GROUP:
Where we can experience community, connection, and events through zoom AND meet in person
If you are interested, contact Kate (760)574-3595 or katie@katiesplace.com
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Desert Legends, the Legendary Women's Weekend in Palm Springs
You are a lesbian that loves to laugh, party and soak up the vibe of surrounding yourself with sisters. You love your life. Come for the weekend and celebrate!
Golf, Comedy, Cocktails, Dancing, Music and Pool Parties
Legendary Lesbian Weekend in Palm Springs for more information and tickets
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BAM is back (Zoom Book and Movie) discussion group
We are a book and movie club that has been meeting online since 2020. We have a new format coming back from our summer break this year. All participants have the opportunity to select a book or movie for the group and to lead the discussion the month the group reads or views their selection.
We next meet on January 12 at 5:30 to discuss the book Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs.
For questions about BAM and to request a link for the October meeting, please get in touch with Flynn Sylvest at flynnsylvest@gmail.com. Thank you!
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Gennine Francis will be performing at The Roost on Saturday from 6–9 pm. Reservations can be made online at: ticketbud.com.
Leanna Rogers and Miguel will be performing at the V Lounge on Monday from 5–8 pm. $5 cover charge. Leanna and The Free Agents are performing on Fridays from 6–8 pm at Hyatt, Palm Springs.
Patrice Morris will be performing on Thursdays, October 16–December 11 at 6 pm at The Roost. Reservations can be made online at: ticketbud.com.
Marisa Corvo performs at The Roost on Wednesday, November 19; December 10 from 6:30–9 p.m. Tickets at ticketbud.com.
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Lesbians Embracing Aging (LEA)
Lesbians Embracing Aging (LEA)
If you are an older lesbian and would like to connect with others, please consider joining
LEA. You can start by signing up for our monthly newsletter and then, if you’d like to
connect more often, join our private Facebook group which is about connection and
conversation, support and community – a place to lend a helping hand and uplift each
other when needed.
To sign up for the newsletter let us know here: leaofcoachellavalley@gmail.com
To sign up for the Facebook group (please note: all applicants must answer brief
questions and agree to group rules) let us know here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1842826446542272
To attend the monthly LEA Zoom meeting mark your calendar for the second
Monday of each month at 11: 00 AM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82977588013?pwd=urfkjO44hhwpBbKU1OIZDnPfJlbg0R.1#
success
To read LEA’s mission https://www.trianglecaremanagement.org/embracing-aging-
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Easy/Moderate/Difficult Hikes
Hiking season has started.
I hike Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Sign up below to receive hiking information
New hikers must register and sign a waiver.
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2026 Walks
Friday 8am
Meeting Spot: Michael S. Wolfson Park, at the Butler/Abrams Trail access. 70001 Frank Sinatra Dr, Rancho Mirage,
Dogs are welcome on leash.
Walk description
- Route: Butler/Abrams Trail – Rancho Mirage
- Length: 2.5 miles
- Type: In and out
- Elevation gain: 45 ft
- Time: About 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy
Along the way, we will:
- Visit the resident goats, so feel free to bring apples and carrots for treats.
- Walk past “Terra,” a striking rammed-earth compound created as a tribute to Mother Earth.
'Terra' Is a $4.9M Compound Created as a 'Tribute to Mother Earth'
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Movie Meetup
Wednesday - Mary Pickford Theater
Movie Meetups will start soon.!
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This Week's Recommendation
Chosen Home on Netflix
Chosen Home is a quiet triumph, the kind of series that doesn’t shout for your attention but earns it scene by scene. Set in Japan and carried by understated performances, the show explores the idea that family is not only something you’re born into but something you build, sometimes piece by fragile piece. Its storytelling is patient and humane, letting silences speak and small gestures land with real emotional weight. A blend of Tales of the City with Japanese culture and sensibilities
What makes Chosen Home especially compelling is its tenderness. The series treats its characters with deep respect, allowing their flaws, hesitations, and hopes to unfold naturally. Everyday moments, shared meals, awkward conversations, fleeting kindnesses, become the architecture of belonging. By the end, the show leaves you with a lingering warmth and a gentle reminder that home can be a place, a person, or a choice. It is thoughtful, beautifully acted, and quietly unforgettable.
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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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Evening Chat Group
Evening Chat Group 5pm to 6:30pm PST Every Thursday (new day of week)
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! A different host each week!
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1st and 3rd Fridays are Wine Down Friday’s with Guest Speakers 5PM-6:30P. 600 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs.
Network, share info about your business/upcoming event or just drop-by to unwind and make new friends!
No Wine Down Meetup on the 16th. Ladies of Justice are out of town.
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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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Sunniva Sorby (fellow hiker and Palm Springs snowbird) joins Wild Women Expeditions as their Polar Ambassador representing adventures across Svalbard, the Canadian Arctic, and Antarctica.
To kick things off, I’ll be joining their Svalbard voyage from June 15–25, 2026, and I’d like to extend a heartfelt invitation to all women to join us on this incredible journey. Right now, Wild Women Expeditions is offering a 20% promotion until the end of October — it’s a rare opportunity to be part of something transformative. – click here for more details
Having traveled much of my life, I know that how, and with whom we travel matters more than ever. That’s why I’m proud to align with a company like Wild Women Expeditions, where we share core values of:
Women’s empowerment
Female leadership / Elevating one another
Giving back and adding value to every place/community we visit
Together, we’ll have a ton of fun and experience the raw beauty of Svalbard, connect deeply with nature, and contribute to a legacy of women supporting women at the ends of the Earth.
I hope to see some of you on deck in Svalbard this June.
Sunniva Sorby
Polar Explorer | Citizen Scientist | Polar Ambassador for Wild Women Expeditions
** By the way Bellsund is on the itinerary and weather permitting we’ll explore the area around Bamsebu ( yup that teeny trappers hut I spent 19 months in) which is steeped in history and rich with wildlife and wildflowers.
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Join me in Svalbard, Norway June 15-25th 2026
with Wild Women Expeditions!
** TEDx Talk in Victoria - 14 mins
** Check out our Monthly Event Series
with Exploring by the Seat of your pants!
Author.Explorer.Activist.Educator
www.sunnivasorby.com
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