Another couple of Idiots!!!!!!!

You won't believe this ..... we told another couple to get out, go away and find somewhere else!!!  Shoo, go away! They arrived yeserday, early evening having booked room 9 on the second floor with sling. Snooty to say the least. Want to see room before checking in. Came down saying oh we thought it would be bigger (!), and better appointed what ever that means! Stuart just looked them in the eye and said, 'give me the keys, don't bother' .. boy were they suprised!!!!!!!

We ended up filling the room, two lovely boys from Alisio Viejo!! They thought the room was so well appointed they never left! (Well, they did eventually this morning).

Excavators have arrived!!!!

We knew it would happen one day, but whhyyyyyyy???? The lovely expanse of desert opposite the hotel is being developed.  All the spring wild flowers we have enjoyed for the last 10+ years have been grubbed up and burried never to be seen again. How sad but there you go .... progress. Not only that but instead of taking a short-cut across the desert to our closest mail box, I have to walk all the way around, up onto Indian Canyon, down to the hospital I mean, how inconvenient is that!!!!

The land belongs to the Desert Regional Hospital .. a "for profit" Tennant hospital and it is to become a new parking lot (car park to you Europeans!) although when they wrote to us a couple of years ago they were only going to develope a corner, next to Helios. Doesn't look like that from our balconey. It looks more like they are building an ancient bronze age burial chamber!!!! At least they havn't started jack-hammering YET! I'll let you know how things 'progress'. At least, whatever it is, the main entrance will be on Mel, not Monte Vista. There's a blessing!!! (We hope).

The Ocotillo is in bloom!!!!!!

We have waited for this to happen and here it is!!!! Our very own Ocotillo flower. One of several but this is the first!!!

Strange weekend just gone. We wern't quite full but we had visitors in from Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico and, of course, California. All I can say to one of our day guests, (no names, but really ) ..... I thought you had at least a modicum of standards or taste. Obviously I was wrong! Yeukieee!!!

Coachella Valley Music Festival

If you are expecting me to give you a rundown on the bands playing this weekend at the Coachella music festival, sorry to disappoint you!!!! You have to check out the Desert Daily News for that. All I know is, Sir Paul was helicoptered in as a VIP and quite rightly so. I went to Albertsons to do some grocery shopping this afternoon and had to wait at the deli counter whilst these young slim hipped children were served. Grandad (me) did a cicuit three times before I could get my Sara Lee low sodium chicken!!! I tell you .... Woodstock, where were we??? It really is a big deal. The Coachella Music Festival is the second biggest gathering of people in the United States, the Rose Bowl being the biggest. Astounding. It's held on the polo fields in Indio!!!!! Usually our friend Joe from New York has flown in for the festival. The tickets were sold so quickly, within 48 hours, he didn't make it this year. Joe, we miss you.

We did it again!!!!!!

I don't know how we do it but I can safely say our 10th anniversary party yesterday afternoon was a great sucesses despite the cold wind. We have often been told we throw good parties and are asked what the secret is. There is no secret, it's all to do with the mix of friends, booze, food and music!!! That's all. Of course we only invite  people we want to be with. Why would we bother with people we don't like??

It was especially pleasing to see Alex (Ironrod), his husband Hank and their boy butch. Don Thompson and Henry, John and Tony (you know, the two who, for better reasons known only to themselves, moved to Yucca), Mike and John (that's the professor and bon vivant) with their friend Jim (Gagbear)', Dennis, AJ, Peter and Jim in his toga. Erich (husband Doug couldn't make it),  Paul C. had  invited his impossibly handsome dentist Mo and another friend who's name escapes me and other various odds and sods we know. Our guests staying with us all had a good time. Jim and Gino couldn't make it. Thanks for the wine, guys!!!! Next party? Who knows. Every day is a party at Chaps Inn!!

Oh! I nearly forgot the food: How's about Ina Gartens Chopped Liver Pate, shrimp in a creamy sauce on a bun, Stuarts Pulled Pork (delish as ever), English cheddar cheese, a baked brie, I made a summer pudding and Stuart made a couple of lemon meringue's. Not forgetting Ina's Savory Couer a la Creme on crackers served with Major Greys chutney! How posh is that??? (Page 48, Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?).

I don't know where to start!!!

OK, I'll start from the begining ..... we had taken a reservation from a couple of Mexican guys and they were due to arrive by 11.30am yesterday. When they hadn't arrived by 3pm, Stuart called their cell phone. They are on their way and will be with us by 7pm. Around 7pm they called us. "We're lost". They had somehow totally missed us and were now on East Palm Canyon going towards Cathedral City. "Turn around and come back to Palm Springs" they were told and given detailed directions on how to find us. They called half an our later. "Where are you" we asked. "Ummm, Date Palm Drive on a freeway!!". How they got onto the freeway from our directions is beyond us. Finally, they arrived after getting lost again for the third time. Not two as expected, but three. Stuart is now scrambling about gathering up a third set of towels etc. Two of them go into the room and were heard by Stuart to say "we'll check out the room to see if it's good enough!!!!" Good enough??? Well, the one guy who was in the office filling out the arrivals card was told we were only expecting two and there would be an extra charge of $20 per night for the third. He started to argue with me ... (I'd had a couple of g'n t's by then).  He couldn't see why they had to pay extra. Something snapped. "Go away then," I said. He had that startled look like the proverbial deer/rabbit. I repeated, (very calmly I have to say), 'Go away, find somewhere else to stay, we don't want you money, go now, shuu and find somewhere 'nice' on a Friday on one of the busiest weekends of the year". And off they went into the dark night!!!!! Oh that felt GOOD! Call me Basil if you will but I don't care!!! After 10 years of owning an hotel, that was a first. Oh, I nearly forgot. The one who was arguing with me came back to the gate. "I left some papers in the office". Guess what they were?? Detailed instructions from Mapquest and they STILL managed to get lost. Idiots!!!

PARTY TIME

To all our faithful blog followers:

Party here, 2pm-? Saturday April 9th our 10th anniversary party as Chaps Inn. No need to bring anything. You know us, never a shortage of anything!!

Woken to a trembling, earthshaking rumbling!!!!

No, not an earthquake but the local authorities grubbing up the street outside disturbing everyone at 7am this morning. This is about a week after some men were sent to fill in the cracks and potholes. Now they've dug the whole thing up and gone away. Now it's worse than ever. I'm sure it will be right nice once they finish!!!

What do you make of this???

Late yesterday afternoon we had a phone call from Martin, the previous owner of the Ambiente Inn and Black Palm. He sold the hotels a couple of years ago and they have been turned into apartments. The 'new' owner is suing Martin because he did not disclose that the hotels used to be gay and clothing optional. What that has to do with anything beats me. This has serious implications for all of us whether clothing optional or not. According to Martin, the letter he received was  offensive and mentioned 'gay' and 'clothing optional' three times!

Luckily we have a Human Rights Campaign 'pop-up' shop opened recently in Palm Springs so Martin is going to call them and hopefully find a good lawyer. This is so outrageous and must not be allowed to go forward. This needs to be in all the Gay press.

A quote from the Los Angeles Times

I don't know if any of you are aware, but a Southwest Airline jet was landed safely at Yuma, Arizona on it's way from  Phoenix to Sacramento when the cabin decompressed.

I am quoting from the Los Angeles Times .... 'the missionary group, all dressed in identical orange t-shirts was (was? don't they mean were? My comment).   returning home from a year in Los Angeles. Group member so and so  aged 48 said they were unaware of the incident until they got in line to check their luggage. 

Asked whether she was worried shrugged ."God is in control. We don't worry about it", she said. "The worst thing that can happen is we end up in heaven" ..........

I'll let that sink in for a moment ... surely if you are a christian,. that should be the BEST thing??????? Just a thought.

It Lives!!!!!!

Our Ocotillo is alive and thriving. What appeared to be a big bunch of dead sticks 3 weeks ago has sprouted leaves and flower buds!!!!  We are SO proud!!! There will be dramatic and brilliant orange flowers right at the tips of the stems and we can't wait. I know, I know!! It's a bit strange having a picture of an Ocotillo in a blog instead of naked men in stages of disaray, but you all know what that looks like and sometimes it ain't pretty!!!!!

This weekend is the Dianh Shore girls weekend so the entire town is filled to overflowing (believe me!) with ..... lesbian people. It's OK, we don't have to leave the property at all!! Talking of which, the girls from San Diego are taking over Chaps the last weekend in September so we become Chapesses Inn for 3 days! You have been warned!!

PS Our Pedalanthus is about to bloom! You'll have to look it up if you don't know what that is! I might not have the correct spelling but that's what my husband told me. "The Pedalanthus is in bloom again!".