Hello there Jim,
Just to say a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you, mom and nuns!
We hope you have a good break from work and keep out of the cold. Having said that, we are freezing our asses off here in PS, high winds from the north are causing havoc with our Christmas decorations! We decided against the 6ft lighted palm trees this year but so far, two nodding dear are down and one santa smashed!!! and I don't mean drunk!!!!

Tony and John had their 2nd annual Christmas party last Sunday. We went for an hour and dragged Dennis & AJ with us. Mike and John were invited but didn't show. John (Tony's John) knocked a bowl of nuts onto the carpet and swept them up with his hands. He didn't exactly put them back in the bowl but I noticed he didn't throw them in the trash either! Second thing to go was the glass dish of green beans, smashed onto the kitchen floor!! I don't know what happened to them or the glass or why he was so nervous. Probably couldn't cope with us professional party givers!!

Mike and Johns new house is really lovely but we are so sorry to lose them as tenants. No doubt they will want to have you over while you are here. It's very close, only 2 or 3 minutes in the car.

We are looking forward to seeing you again. Don has also booked for a month during the time you are here. Nothing from Dean!!!!! I expect he's a Helios convert now, (which is for sale).
Lots of love,
Ian & Stuart

Meeting Helen

Tonight we picked Helen up from the Chase Hotel downtown, brought her back here to see the Christmas lights and then we went to dinner at Cafe Scandia. For those of you who don't know, Helen stayed with us for 5 months when we first moved to Palm Springs in 2000. She was our very first guest to arrive and our last to leave. She arrived the week after we moved in and she left on the Tuesday before we became Chaps Inn on Good Friday 2001. She is from Nu Joyzee and is now 102!!! Yes, one hundred and two years old and still visiting Palm Springs almost every year since 1976. She flies out here by herself (first class of course). She is an inspiration to us all. She still goes gambling at the casino but has given up her beloved evening Manhattans due to diabetes. I think if I were ever live to be 102, screw the diabetes and give me a Manhattan.

You would never believe how this small frail old lady can eat!!! Soup, salad and lamb chops AND she ate her fair share of chocolate cake. Screw the diabetes!!! She has outlived most of her relatives, her dear niece Mitzi died last year. Mitzi was 85!!!

We know how to throw a party!!!!

Hello, It's been a while, very remiss me I know!!!!
Yesterday, December 15th, Tommy and I held our annual Christmas party at 'the house'. None of us can remember how many years we have been doing this but at least 6. It was a wonderful party with the usual huge amount of food. The house looked lovely, both inside and out. The lights on the outside of the house were all blue this year, It's a pitty my cameras is still not working!!

A few years ago somebody asked Stuart and I what is the secret of a good party. Well, there is no secret. It is all down to the guests and friends who are invited. I want to thank my favorites for showing up year after year, Frank & Jenny, Jordan, James, John, Matthew, Dominic, Jackie, Phyllis and John Cameron. Didn't attend .. Scott, Jennifer & Dianna, neighbours Gale & Darryl. Couldn't attend, John and Angela because they were on their way to London for the holidays. Well, you missed a great party and it was even warm enough to be outside. What a contrast from last week, cold and raining.

I must say my mulled wine was a hit thank you Delia Smith. Tommy made some kind of meatless meatballs made from stuffing, chopped brocolli, egg and cheese. So trailer park and white trashville you wouldn't believe but they were delish!!!
Same time next year, December 14th. Hope you can make it.

This has been the strangest few days as far a guests are concerned. A lovely couple from New York city in for 9 days. People in from Canada for a week but we have one guest who has the very bad habit of saying the wrong thing to the wrong people at the wrong time!!!! Here we were, Thursday night and he starts spouting on about the Washington Post and it's support of Israel and Jews this that and the other and we nearly had WWIII on our doorstep. One of the boys from NYC is Jewish but it was his boyfriend who hit the roof. He accused our NYC guys of having had a little too much alcohol and they don't drink.

Then, the next day he announced his opposition the the Pope (3 cheers for that) he almost caused another war!! He leaves tomorrow and we are very pleased for that. Now, we all know, when we are in polite society one keeps ones political affiliation, religious beliefs or other thought to ones self. Lets keep it that way, please.

Todd Wright

On Saturday, November 14th we said goodbye to our dear friend Todd. Stuart wasn't able to attend the funeral but I drove in with our friend Tony. It never is a happy occasion but I think it was made worse by fact there was a schism .. a split, between Todds family and Coy's. They went their way after the funeral and we went ours. How sad we couldn't all be together. I thought by now all the old prejudices were behind us but apparently not. Jordan was the one who told me about Todd's father, Dick and apparently dick by name and dick by nature. He couldn't bare being in the same room as a load of faggots. Well DICK your favorite son was a faggot and you need to get over it.

We have just ended one of the busiest two weeks we can remember thanks to Gay Pride and Leather Pride. We are fortunate to have guests who want to come back year after year and we love them!!! You make owning an hotel a real pleasure and we look forward to seeing you. You know who you are. Here's our list of some of our favorite guests staying over the period: Thom Harrison, Al (San Francisco), Al & DJ (Pheonix), The Two Bob's (Renton, WA), Chris & Brent (British Columbia), Ken & Mark, (Sacramento & Modesto), Jack & Roger (San Francisco), Horst & Robert (New Jersey), Bob Evans (Montebello CA), Jeff & Don (San Diego) to name just a few. We love you guys. Please keep coming back!!!

The week leading up to Pride and the week between Gay Pride and Leather Pride were both extremly busy. We had visitors from overseas, Portugal, Germany, Britain, Australia, New Zealand ... Not one person we wouldn't want to come back. Some of the tattoos were impressive especially the German Lutheran with the opening words of Genisis tattooed in Hebrew across his chest!!! Impressive chest too! Not to mention the Reverend from St Pauls in London with his miriad of piercings. Now I know what they have under their cassocks!!!

This coming Saturday 11/14, is our friend, Todd Wright's funeral :( Of course it had to be on a Saturday on one of our busiest weekends of the year. Good going Todd!!!! Both of us can't attend so I am going and will be taking Tony with me. Coy called me to see if Tommy would let him have the reception after the funeral at the house in North Hollywood. Without hesitation, Tommy agreed. Kudos to Tommy!!!! So, if any of you remember Todd and are able to either go to the funeral service or to the reception after, call me and I will give directions.

NINE YEARS!!!!!! WOWEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Well folks, today, October 31st, is our 9th anniversary of moving to Palm Springs and becoming inn-keepers. We're still here and nobody is more suprised than we are. There was a fellow inn-keeper at the time who was known to have said of us 'I'll give them 6 months. They don't know anything about running an hotel'. Well, guess what? He's long gone and we're still here.

Todd Wright

I arrived home from LA yesterday to the news that our dear friend, Todd Wright had died in his sleep early hours Wednesday morning.

Life isn't always what we expect but we did expect Todd to be around a lot longer. He had valiantly fought his HIV infection, faced it head on and had gone through so much. We still don't know exactly what happened but he was diagnosed with KS earlier this year .... we don't know.

Coy called and told Stuart Wednesday morning just after I left the valley... no words can express the emotions ... we are all affected and devistated. I called Coy last night and had a brief conversation .. I mean, what can you say when you've lost your mate.

We met Todd at the Bullet Bar in North Hollywood in 1998 and saw him signing to some of the deaf group who meet there ... tall, handsome and all teeth! He was my inspiration to learn signing. He called us his 'two dads he never had'. Don't quite know what he meant by that. We called him sonny, Toddles or Toddy but usually Todd. Here was a generous and kind hearted soul who saw good in everone. I never heard him say a bad word ... no wait, I did but I reserve the right to keep that for my book.

He let me stay at his apartment in Northridge/Reseda for almost a year after we moved from the valley. My own room and bathroom without asking for anything in return. Todd and Coy stayed here with us in Palm Springs during the summer and we went to dinner together at Boscoso. Here was someone, beer in one hand, toke in another ...

We miss you already.

It's always a bit of a shock glancing at the obituaries in the local paper and seeing someone you know staring out at you!! In this case, Randy Van Gottberg, my Palm Springs sign language tutor aged 53, suddenly and unexpectedly. I thought I hadn't seen him at the gym recently. Now I know why.

How about this in the same obits .... a lady aged 90...... "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming Holy Mole what a ride!!!"
Amen to that!!!!!

Well, we survived the weekend after having 24 people here, a mixture of men and women and two big dogs. This was a group of friends from San Diego and was the second time they have taken the same weekend 2 years running.. Adam and Tim were married here last year when it was still legal in California for same sex couples to marry. And they said it would never last!!!

Karen was her inimitable self .... last year French Maid with no knickers .. this year, Vegas Showgirl all tits, feathers, sequins and see throughs, not necessarily in that order. She decended the staircase looking like Bette Midler posing for the cameras. Unlucky for us our camera isn't working but there will be pictures once I figure out how to post them onto the blog. We ended up with her very luxurious black and red feather boa. Not quite sure what we are going to do with it. I heard talk of a mermaid in a wheelchair for next year. (Another Bette Midler). I suggested 'Hush, hush, sweet Charlotte' so we could push her down the stairs in a wheelchair but nobody thought that was a good idea!!!! Any suggestion would be gratefully received.

It wasn't a quiet weekend by any means ... (see posting for LSI weekend). I was concerned about the neighbouring hotel complaining about the noise. I got out of bed 3am Saturday as is my wont .. and there was still a crowd sitting in and around the spa (all loud and probably drunk lesbians) I wasn't prepared to find out .... anyway, later Saturday night someone came to the front gate, didn't call the office but banged on the front gate. I forget what was happening at the time but I expect somebody was getting flogged on the St. Andrew's cross or something. Stuart heard the banging (on the gate), and there stood a man with torch (flashlight) a la CSI style wanting to know if everything is OK. Stuart said, yes, everythings fine, thank you. The man said, 'oh, is it an initiation?' To which Stuart replied 'something like that' and off he went. Sunday brought us another 'neighbour' asking to speak to Andrew, the owner. Oh Lordie here we go again I thought.
By the time Stuart put on shorts and made it to the gate, there was no-one there. We're going to get a reputation with the neighbours if we're not careful!!!!! Our pool man made a strange comment upon seeing women here he said, 'oh, I see you have women here'! Duh!!! 'I'm not offended' .. what did he mean by that??


To cut a very long story short, after 10 weeks of giving Wells Fargo Bank all the information they wanted and more, 3 years tax returns for our individual taxes, 2 years for the hotel they turned us down for a refi on the hotel after 9 years of never missing a mortage payment and keeping our head above water. Their reason????? They have a policy of not lending to clothing optional hotels!!!!! Of course, we have nothing in writing but that's what the loan officer told us yesterday. I have spoken to the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce and they seem to think we have a Federal case against the bank. We are waiting a reply from the Small Business Association. Who knows. You know the bank is going to deny everything. Someone at Wells Fargo is being a moral guardian of something. Watch this space!!!!

One last thing ... the furniture around the pool was moved .. the barbeque was moved ... I want you all to read 'Eva Moves the Furniture' by Margot Livesey. I dare you not to be moved yourselves!!!!

It turned into a lovely weekend with a great crowd of people. Our friend Fred came over from West Hollywood for Saturday night and that made us 90% full. At least 3 rooms have asked to stay for a night longer than they originally planned. Hurrah for us!!!!
Into LA tomorrow which is fine. Get to see Tommy, stay at the house. John and Angela are in England so won't be seeing them.
Making Ina's Perfect roast chicken tonight. Stuart's making cauliflower cheese!!! Yumoooh.

I have to thank our friend Joe for this one ...... www.peopleofwalmart.com
Joe, it has given us endless minutes of pleasure. God bless America!!!!!!

Nothing much else to report today. Another great crowd, everybody talking and socialising. People in rooms 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8. (70% full). Not a full house but better than most of the gay hotels in Palm Springs. Canada and the United Kingdom are well represented with visitors from Vancouver, Toronto and London.. We all share the same Queen y'know.

Made the godesses chicken parmesan tonight with a twist ..... a can of tomatoes with garlic and basil, Lovely. Don't know what Ina would say!!!

Something really weird happened today. We've got a telephone down by the gate which connects to the office. Somebody took the phone and wrapped the cord around the door handle so we couldn't get out. How strange is that? It happened sometime after 5pm and we didn't discover it until Paul went to leave just before 8.. He had to climb over the wall at the back, walk round and undo the cord. Isn't that bizaare!!! We've been here for nearly 9 years and nothing like that has happened before. Very unsettling.

(Paul is a friend who does all our maintenance. Electrics, plumbing, building. Very versatile!!!!).

The LSI weekend

This last weekend, 09/25-09/28/09 brought us a return visit of the San Diego group of S&M (mainly women) group known to themselves as the Susie group but known to us as the LSI, (Lesbian Spank Inferno). This was their second visit so far this year. They took all 10 rooms for 2 nights and 9 rooms for a third and is the only womens group we have allowed to stay at Chaps Inn. These girls know how to party.

I was talking to my sister Sunday afternoon when I glanced through the window overlooking the pool and there I saw a rather large naked lady sitting in a shopping cart being pulled around the pool by a naked man attatched by leather straps to his testicles helped and assisted by a transexual F2M, also naked, pushing the cart wielding a 6ft long green whip!!! Picture that!
Our camera isn't working. Maybe just as well.

My husband spent the weekend making drapes for the rooms and I spent Saturday and Sunday afternoons in my hammock with red wine and a good book!

Starting the blog, 10.00am Sunday August 23rd 2009

The purpose of this blog is to jot down the various day to day goings on at Chaps Inn, Palm Springs, California in the hope it might give me inspiration to write 'the book' I've been talking about for years! I have been inspired in part by the movie Julie and Julia which I saw yesterday. I am not, at the moment asking for comments as I want this to be my notebook for the future. I will also mention this is not intended as an advertisement for our hotel.

There will be various players throughout this blog who will be mentioned often, first, my husband of 24 years, Stuart without whom I wouldn't be sitting here in Palm Springs writing this. Our friends Dennis and AJ (my movie companions), Erich & Doug (architects), Mike & John currently our neighbours. Mike is a maths professor and John is a bon vivant.

We have lived in Palm Springs as owners of Chaps Inn for nearly 9 years and love it. We hope to be here for many more years.

I have already written a few chapters of our early years and have shared them with my 'girls', all in England. My sister Maxine, friends Pegi, Jane and Caroline who probably know more than they should about a gay mans hotel!!!!