Those damned lying Beach Boys!!!

It DOES rain in Southern California!!! Well, we had a spit and a spot this morning. Woke up to grey clouds and lightening way in the distance (no thunder, I  mean, what's the point of having lightening without thunder?

Heres a bad little ditty:
The god of thunder was riding by
Upon his favorite filly.
"I'm Thor", he cried, the horse replied,
"You forgot your thaddle thilly!".  .... One of Stuarts favorites along with "The Duke of Tranmire ... "Oh well, ask him when you see him!!!!   
,

 Anyhoo ...... The first picture was taken at 8.45 this morning. The second was taken 3 hours later and da daah, sun again!!!

Our International guest list has grown .. we now have  guests in from SW Australia, Switzerland and Canada (Toronto).


Back to the Palm Springs sting (see previous blogs). It has occured to me that maybe the Chief of police and the head of the police association are so homophobic they are doing what they are doing on purpose to stop gays visiting Palm Springs? Say it ain't so, ma!!!!

Another great weeken in Paradise!!!!

The summer isn't over yet  in Palm Springs. Temps up to 115f, long warm nights and more to come. We love it and you won't  hear us complain about the heat not like a lot of moaning minnies around here.
We are having a great September and things are looking good for October. Over the last couple of weeks we hosted international visitors from  Ottawa (Canada), Folkstone (England), and Hamburg (Germany). Our dear friend James came out from LA for the weekend so we had a lot of catching up to do. We are amazed it is 3 1/2 years since his partner, Richard, died. Apart from California, we also had long term visitors in from Dayton OH, Atlanta GA. The guests from Dayton knew a friend of a friend of ours from England .... what a small world!

More news on the Warm Sands sting operation. It would appear that the gay slur was issued by our beloved Chief Dominquez all along and he was there a lot longer than a couple of hours. He has been caught on tape telling the officers that they deserve more pay for 'doing this'. You're on your way out Chief and good riddance. (You can check out all the latest on http://www.mydesert.com/)

Talking of 'stings'. See previous blog!!

Here we were the other day sitting out enjoying a glass of wine when a huge wasp flew into Stuarts glass. He fished it out and put it in the hybiscus. It later flew out (drunkenly) and landed on Tony's side and stung him!! (See  picture of  sting ointment on Tony's side). Now, trying to get a wasp sting out of somebody who can't keep still is a bit of a trial ... but I did it, hero that I am!!!!

Now, talking of sting operations, it transpires that the Chief of Palm Springs Police Dept, David Dominquez was at the scene of the sting operation in Warm Springs for part of the entrapment fiasco. So, another e-mail address to add to the list on the previous blog .... chief@pspd.com. Was it Dominquez who uttered the gay slur? Time will tell and the truth will be out.

I havn't heard a word from anybody I e-mailed regarding this disgusting blot on Palm Springs reputation. I think I'll send it again and include the 'chief'.

Onward and upward, another lovely weekend here in Palm Springs. International visitors in from Canada and England; then Hawaii, Indiana, Northern and Southern California. Some regular visitor and some we hope will become regular visitors.

We are coming to the end of our 'off peak' season where everyone wants a bargain ... we blame organisations like Travalocity and Priceline for all this trying to 'negotiate prices'. We want you to stay with us because you want to stay with us; not because we're CHEAP. That said, next summer we will be offering rooms at 2001 prices to celebrate our 10th anniversay of opening as Chaps Inn (we were The Colibri Inn for 5 months until then). Watch this space and the website for further details.

At least 3 of our guests have visited Whitewater since they saw the entry on the blog. None of them knew it existed!!! Stuart and I hope you all have a wonderful and safe weekend.

Palm Springs Sting operation

In June last year, the Palm Springs Police Department carried out a sting operation in the Warm Sands neighbourhood using the 'pretty police' as agents provocateurs enticing gay men and arresting them for indecent behavour. There were 19 men arrested and they have been waiting for over a year for the cases to come to court. If found guilty, these men will have to register as sexual preditors for the rest of their lives. There have been a few letters to the local paper, some supporting the police (no suprises there) and some expressing their disgust at the Police Depatment use of the officers time. One officer was captured on tape issuing a gay slur. We don't know what it was but no doubt we'll find out.

Mr.Paul Abshire, President of the Palm Springs Police Officers Association had an article published recently in the Desert Sun praising his officers (of course he would)and defending the operation. Our dear friend Peter Fiske has been in contact with the Mayor of Palm Springs and has received some encouraging feedback. I have e-mailed Abshire, the Mayor and other members of the City Council and would encourage you all to do the same.
Here is a copy of my e-mail ... no response so far

TO: Paul Abshire

This is in response to an e-mail sent to you by Peter Fiske, dated 08/27/2010

I agree entirely with everything Peter has said but I want to add my own comments from the perspective of an hotel owner in Uptown.

The use of police officers as agents provocateurs is to be deplored. To entice men to commit sexual acts in public is outrageous.

A comment made by one of your officers at the hearing in Riverside is quoted in the Desert Sun as referring to the hotels in Warm Sands as ‘those so called inns”. I hope you realize how insulting that remark is, not only to the hotel owners in Warm Sands but hotels all over the valley. No amount of ‘sensitivity training’ will compensate for the damage done within the gay community and the trust in the PSPD is gone, perhaps never to return.

This outrageous incident has been covered extensively by the gay press not only in the United States but more importantly overseas. The damage done worldwide to the reputation of Palm Springs as a city of tolerance has been lost.

I hope you realize how much money comes into this town from gay travelers by way of room tax, retail spending and restaurants, a large part of which will be lost forever thanks to you and your officers. Not a force to be proud of.

All charges against the men enticed by your officers must be dropped. The officer responsible for uttering a gay slur should apologize. We need to hear more from the Mayor on what is being done by him and the city. An open letter to one of the local gay papers would be a start.

Sensitivity training indeed!!!! This is something you all should have been taught by your parents; not the PSPD.

Ian Harper
Chaps Inn, Uptown, Palm Springs

I have copied this to all the City Council Members, including Mayor Pougnet. No response yet!!
Here are their e-mail addresses:
rick.hutcheson@palmsprings-ca.gov; ginny.foat@palmsprings-ca.gov; chris.mills@palmsprings-ca.gov; lee.weigel@palmsprings-ca.gov; paul.abshire@palmsprings-ca.gov; steve.pougnet@palmsprings-ca.gov

Labor Day Weekend

Well another wonderful, fantastic weekend with lots of old friends and some some newbies. Visitors from CA, WA, OR, DC, PA, New Zealand and Finland. Very international. Everybody had a wonderful time, the weather was perfect, (early 100's), warm evenings, fabulous pool at a perfect temperature 84F and the misting system working overtime. Ho hum, what a life!!!! The nights are drawing in now signaling the end of another summer boo hoo!!!! Our last guest left this morning so we now have the place to ourselves but only for one night.

I have only just realised we don't have any pictures of our children. Mack and Mabel.  Well, here they are, Mack the black and white, Mabel the white and black absolutely adorable!!! No comment about Pussies at Chaps Inn, that would be far too childish!

Went to Whitewater; another reason to visit Palm Springs.

Dennis, AJ, Peter and myself went to the Whitewater Preserve just north of Palm Springs last Sunday morning. Peter and I had never been before and we were very impressed. We've heard of and seen Joshua Trees National Monument but the best thing is, Whitewater is FREE!!! Nowhere near as big as Joshua Trees but FREE!!!!! Here they are, Peter, Dennis and AJ. No amount of ridiculing will make Peter get rid of those horrendous shorts or ridiculous hat!!!



We enjoyed a wander (some might call it a 'hike')through the riparian vegetation and a few steps on the trail with an eye out for the Longhorn sheep but to no avail. We took in the old trout farm (no, not where they keep old trout)and decided one day we would all go there for a picnic.

The rock formations are spectacular with plenty of boulders hanging on the side of mountains waiting to come crashing down .. so no loud noises, please!!!

Later on, Stuart and I took ourselves off to our new favourite brunch place, Escena,a restaurant at the club house of a spectacular golf course east of Palm Springs. Well worth the visit; the views are wonderful. I took my camera with me but left the memory card in the printer! Oh well, next time!!