Enter the Windermere Real Estate Coachella Valley monthly drawing for your chance to win one of their giveaways. Monthly prizes include hot air balloon rides for two, movie tickets, restaurant gift certificates (to restaurants like Billy Reed’s) and more. This month’s giveaway is a gift certificate to the Rancho Mirage Pink Elephant Car Wash. The real estate agents below all specialize in 55-plus desert homes and communities. Visit any of their sites, click on “Contact” and email your name and contact info to be entered into the monthly drawing. No purchase necessary.
Mary Pat Anderson (Heritage Palms, Indio) www.marypatanderson.com
Craig Coleman and Drew Johnson (Four Seasons, Palm Springs) www.craiganddrew.com
Michelle Cope (Trilogy, La Quinta) www.michellecope.com
Wendy Formica (Sun City, Palm Desert) www.wendyformica.com
Elaine Leib (Sun City, Palm Desert) www.elaineleib.com
Ray Martin (Sun City Shadow Hills, Indio) www.raymartinrealestate.net
Linda Novick (Sun City, Palm Desert) www.lindanovick.com
Sonta Sibley (Trilogy, La Quinta) www.sonta.windermeresocal.com
Bonnie and Hank Steele (Sun City Shadow Hills, Indio) www.bonnieandhanksteele.com
This year’s Palm Desert Alzheimer’s Memory Walk will be held on Saturday, March 6, at 9:00 am. The walk will begin at Civic Center Park, at Fred Waring Drive and San Pablo Avenue, in Palm Desert.
Memory Walk is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research. Since 1989, Memory Walk has raised more than $260 million for the cause. All Memory Walk donations benefit the Alzheimer’s Association, the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. The mission of the Alzheimer’s Association is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
For more information, call 760-328-6767, email brian.welch@alz.org or visit the website www.alz.org/californiasouthland/.
Admission is free to the 17th Annual Canadian Snowbird Association (CSA) Winter Meeting to be held Friday, February 12th at Fantasy Springs Casino Resort located at 84245 Indio Springs Parkway in Indio, California. The meeting takes place at 1pm and includes guest speakers Bob MacMillan, Local CSA Director Jim Sherb and CSA Vice President Bob Slack, as well as musical comedy team Bowser and Blue. For more information, call 1-800-265-3200 or visit www.snowbirds.org/.
Who doesn’t love a good garage sale? If you’re looking for great deals and bargains you may want to visit the Quail Valley Park in Desert Hot Springs this Friday, February 12th between 8am and 1pm. The mobile home park is located at 70201 Aurora Road in Desert Hot Springs. Hot dogs and beverages will be available.
To be honest I haven’t been able to uncover many good deals for Valentine’s Day here in all of the Coachella Valley. In fact, most restaurants seem to have raised their prices substantially for this most romantic night of the year. Guess they figure your emotions will override your good sense. L’Olivo Italian Bistro, on the other hand, is the exception. Their Valentine’s Day Special is a four course prefix menu that includes soup, appetizer, salad and entree, plus a free glass of champagne and a red rose for $35.oo. They’re located at 333 N. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs and I would call ahead for reservations at 760-327-0382 or visit their website www.lolivopalmsprings.com. For a real treat, read about the restaurant, the owner Ruggero Serrati and his wife and business partner and their lives on their blog www.lolivopalmsprings.wordpress.com. If the menu hasn’t convinced you to visit the restaurant, the blog will. Ruggero’s wife is a beautiful writer with a wonderful way with words. If the food is half as good, you’re in for a very tasty treat.
Desert Arts and Crafts lovers will want to stop by the Desert Aire RV Park Craft Fair this Friday, February 5th between 9am and 1pm. The mobile home park is located at 81620 Avenue 49 in Indio, California. The fair will feature handcrafted items, commercial vendors and food and beverages.
Forget about Valentine’s Day. February is vintage, classic and exotic car show month here in the Palm Springs desert area. For all of you classic car lovers, it all starts on Valentine’s weekend.
You may want to skip the romantic dinner and flowers and take your sweetie to the Dr. Sebastian George Memorial Car Show which kicks off the season at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens on Saturday, February 13. There is an admission fee, but there’s also a raffle and giveaways. Visit their website for complete details and directions http://www.palmspringscruisinassociation.com/Dr%20George%2008.htm.
On Wednesday, February 17, as part of Palm Springs Modernism Week, the popular, Annual Vintage Car Show will be held at the Camelot Theatre parking lot, from 1-4 pm. This event is free to the public. The Camelot Theatre is located at 2300 E Baristo Road in Palm Springs. Call 760-325-6565 for more information.
Keith McCormick’s 2010 Exotic Car Auction will be held this year on February 26th, 27th & 28th at the Spa Resort Casino in downtown Palm Springs, California. Friday is check in day and the auction starts at 4pm with 100 vehicles crossing the block. Friday is also FREE ADMISSION and free food for all registered bidders. Saturday & Sunday the gates open at 8am with the first car crossing the block at 10am. 225 cars will cross the block on Saturday and another 175 on Sunday. General admission is $10 per day or $15 for both days. For additional information, visit http://www.classic-carauction.com .
The 2010 Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance car show takes place fromFebruary 26 through the 28th at the La Quinta Resort and Club, in the greater Palm Springs area. Purchase your Concours d’Elegance ticket on-line and be entered in their drawing for a free weekend stay at the La Quinta Resort & Club! The winner will enjoy two complimentary nights at the hotel during the Concours, February 26, 2010 and February 27, 2010. Each ticket purchased before February 20 will receive one entry in the drawing. The winner will be notified February 20. Visit their website for full details http://www.desertconcours.com/attend.htm.
Jazz and Swing historian, Dave Schaner, offers a series of free to the public lectures about the performers of the Great American Songbook. If you listen to our local KWXY radio station you’re familiar with these classic, standard tunes. The lectures will take place on alternate Wednesdays in February and March, from 1:30-3pm in the community room of the Rancho Mirage Public Library, located at 71-100 Highway 111. Lecture dates and topics:
Wednesday, February 3: Louis Armstrong
Wednesday, February 17: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
Wednesday, March 3: Frank Sinatra
Wednesday, March 17: John Mercer
Call 760-341-7323 or visit http://www.ranchomiragelibrary.org/ for more information.
Have a sick or broken computer? Want to learn more about your computer? Need one on one computer training? TheMachineWorks.net advertises that they will fix your computer or it’s free. The offer senior discounts and service sick computers, broken computers, new computers, printers and scanners, hardware upgrades, software upgrades, Windows upgrades, wireless networks and data recovery on PCs, Macs and Linux. They also offer in-home service and computer classes. For more information, call 760-766-6688 or visit their website at www.themachineworks.net.
The Seventh Annual Eisenhower Smilow Heart Center Community Heart Conference will be held on Saturday, February 6th from 8am to 1:30pm in Rancho Mirage. Registration and continental breakfast begin at 7am. Admission is free but you need to call 760-837-8626 to make reservations. The conference includes lectures and health information. Visit www.emc.org for more information.
On February 2nd, the classic oldies station that I grew up listening to with my grandparents, moves from 98.5 on the FM radio dial to 13.40 AM, where it all began back in 1964. KDES, the other oldies radio station that I listened to growing up, will be moving from 104.7 to 98.5 FM.
KWXY has had the same ownership and format since KWXY-AM was started by veteran broadcaster Glen Barnett in 1964. Starting as a 250 watt full-time outlet in October of that year. AM broadcasting was discontinued in 2006. AM is back and so is KWXY, on it’s original 13.40 AM station, as of February 2nd. And I’ll still be listening.
The new hit musical comedy The Golden Gays is a theatrical tribute to TV’s The Golden Girls, and it’s coming to Palm Springs for three nights only. The play revovles around four older gay men who are obsessed with TV’s fab foursome.
Tickets are now available for the February 5th, 6th, and 7th performances behing held at the Temple Isaiah Pavillion, at 332 W. Alejo Road in Palm Springs. Tickets are $37.50 and can be purchased by visiting www.thegoldengays.com. A portion of the proceeds will benefit AIDS Assistance Program.
The Rainbow Spa 22nd Annual Street Fair will be held this year on Saturday, January 30th from 7am to 1pm. Located at 17777 Langlois Road in Desert Hot Springs, the fair will feature live music, a food court, crafts, produce and fun events for all. For more information, call 760-329-7165.
The Joslyn Senior Center, in Palm Desert, offers the following free weekly activities:
Monday 10am-12:30 Woodcarvers BobLewis, phone 760-347-1751
Tuesday 10-11am Calisthenics Judy Ferris & Mary Swajian
Wednesday 9:30-11am Alzheimer’s Support Group Edie Keller/MA, LMFT
Thursday 11:15-12:15 Fit After 50 Office on Aging
Friday 12:30 New Member Orientation/Ice Cream Social 1st Friday only
Saturday 12:00-3:00 Poker Lorraine, phone 760-360-6346
They also offer many special events and dances, such as the following:
Thursday, January 21st – Annual Luau, at 1:00 – 3:00 pm. Sponsor: Mission Hills Senior Living. Entertainment: Live Hawaiian music and Dancers Tickets: $8:00
Thursday, Feb. 11th – Valentine Heart Dance at 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Sponsor: SHARE, Inc. Entertainment: The Debonaires Tickets: $8.00.
Thursday, Feb. 25th – Mardi Gras, at 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Sponsor: Home Instead. Entertainment: Pam Munter and TheBees Knees Tickets: $8.00.
Thursday, March 18th – St. Pats Party, at 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Entertainment: The Debonairs Tickets: $8.00.
For more information, visit www.JoslynCenter.org.
I recently stumbled upon a fascinating article about the nearby Olivewood Cemetery in Riverside, California. It’s one of the few cemeteries I haven’t yet visited. I’m sharing this link because it’s an interesting read and if you’re into genealogy, local history, or just enjoy visiting cemeteries, like I do, it might make a memorable day trip. Click here to read the article.
Are you computer phobic? There are many good books on the market to help you late bloomers, such as this one Is This Thing On?: A Late Bloomer’s Computer Handbook
The Cathedral City Senior Center offers computer classes on Wednesdays at 1pm. They also offer a computer class for MAC users, the 4th Tuesday of every month. For more information, visit
The Rainbow Senior Center offers Computer Classes on Friday’s, from 10 am – Noon. Microsoft Word, Excel, email and other topics are covered in intensive instruction. Instruction is tailored to your specific needs and skill level; maximum class size is three persons to provide for individual attention. $20 per one-hour session, advance appointment required; please call 1-760-416-7790 to schedule either the 10 – 11 am or 11 am – Noon time slot. For more information visit email us info@grsc.info .
The Indio Senior Center offers a variety of computer classes and training from internet basics, to email, digital cameras and other helpful computer skills. For more information, visit their website at www.indio.org.
The La Quinta Senior Center has an extensive list of courses including the following:
Beginning Computer 1/5/2010 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Beginning Word 1/6/2010 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Beginning Computers 1/11/2010 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Master PowerPoint 1/12/2010 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Mastering MS Word 1/13/2010 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
MS Word 1/13/2010 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Photoshop Pro 1/20/2010 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Photoshop Elements 1/25/2010 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Beginning E-Mail 2/2/2010 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
For more information, visit http://www.la-quinta.org/Index.aspx?page=572.
Former long-time Palm Springs resident, Elvis Presley would have turned 75 today. Happy Birthday to the King. We miss you!
When my mother retired, over a decade ago, she moved with her husband, Frank, to a very remote town in Arizona. At the time, Frank was healthy. Today, he has advanced Alzheimer’s and the nearest care is 100 miles away.
With at least 15 businesses offering Alzheimer’s Care services in the Coachella Valley area, there are few better places in the country to live, if you or a loved one is suffering from this disease. It’s easy to take these vital services for granted until you don’t have them. View the complete list here and contact the companies directly for complete information.
For more information about Alzheimers, visit the Rancho Mirage Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org Suite 202, 69730 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270-2874, or phone (888) 328-6767.
If you listen to the radio, you’ve no doubt heard the clever and catchy Forest Lawn commercials about the importance of planning ahead , if you don’t want to have someone else’s funeral. On January 21st at 1:00 pm, at the Mizell Senior Center in Palm Springs, The Trident Society will explain how pre-need saves you money and the importance of having a pre-need plan with a special focus on the costs and differences between burial and cremation. A raffle for a gift card and give-a-ways will also take place. For more information, visit www.mizell.org.
The Indio Senior Center is looking for people who love to cook. If you’re a novice chef, you’re invited to join the new Gourmet cooking class which will meet every Monday morning at 9am at the center. Come and share your favorite recipes, and give or watch a cooking demonstration. For more information, call Michael Moreland at 760-391-4170.
You don’t have to be on Top Chef to be a gourmet cook. With inspiration from fellow cooks at the senior center, or a little help from books like Gourmet Cooking for Dummies, you too can discover the joy of cooking.
On Wednesday, January 6th at 12:30pm the Indio Senior Center will host “Sex And The Senior Life (Answers To Your Questions)” a presentation offered by Desert Oasis Health Care. The program will be presented by Adolfo Gonzalez, the Health Education Coordinator for the DOHC educational programs. Gonzalez has more than 25 years of experience in medical education and disease prevention. Free refreshments will be served. For more information, visit www.indio.org .
The Joslyn Senior Center Calendar for 2010, featuring some of the most beautiful women in the desert, is now available for purchase. You can pick your calendar up for only $15 at the Center, while supplies last. For more information, visit http://www.joslyncenter.org/
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner and with so many single seniors living in the desert, I’m surprised how few outlets there are for seniors looking for love. Of the nine senior centers here in the Coachella Valley, only one, that I know of, offers dating events. The Golden Rainbow LGBT Senior Center in Palm Springs is having a Speed Dating Party, hosted by Q2D Speed Dating, on February 20 from 4 to 6 pm. The cost is $20 per participant for GRSC members and $25 for non-members.
Speed dating is a fun and unique way to meet your next date or a new friend. It takes the guess work out of who may be single and available. With gay men in one room and lesbians in the other, for two hours guests meet each other in 5 minute intervals. Twenty people will have had nineteen speed dates in that period. After each “date”, participants note their impressions and circle their choices on a Q2D Match form. Specially designed software provides speed daters with their “matches” within 24 hours. Register online at www.Q2DSpeedDating.com . Enter GRSC in the discount field. For more information, call 1-310-710-3379 or email info@Q2DSpeedDating.com .
Are you a gay Veteran living in the Palm Springs area? If so, you may want to join other vets for an informal discussion and support group, held at the Golden Rainbow Senior Center. For information, contact Mel Tips at 1-760-329-6560. This group meets the second Friday of each month, from 1 to 2 pm.
January 9th, at 10am, the Palm Springs Genealogical Society will be offering a class in tracking your own geneology. The class will be held at the Palm Springs Public Library at 300 S. Sunrise Way in Palm Springs.
Phone Carol Reed Glow at 760-323-0250 or email: cjreed@dc.rr.com for more informaiton.
There are also many books and software programs, like the one pictured above, to help you get started Family Tree Maker 2010 Platinum
Sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation, The Joslyn Senior Center is offering two free fitness classes for members. Registered yoga therapist and naturepath, Renate Bodden instructs Intro to Sun -Style Tai Chi on Wednesdays from noon to 12:45pm and a Tai Chi class from 9:30 to 10:15 am on Thursdays.
A Fit After 50 class is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:15 to 12:15pm. The classes are sponsored by The Riverside County Office on Aging. For further information, visit the Joslyn Senior Center at 73-750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert, CA 92260. Or, phone 760-340-3220, email peterr@joslyncenter.org , or visit www.joslyncenter.org/.
If you can’t make it to the center, or just prefer to practice Tai Chi in the comfort of your own home, I’ve discovered a number of simple and helpful DVDs that make it easy to get started or help you stay motivated. There are even DVDs on the market for seniors with challenges that instruct you on chair exercises.
Of the eight films listed under the Seniors Genre category at this year’s Palm Spring International Film Festival, only one is from the US, and it’s a documentary. But one of the best reasons to attend a film festival is to sample the foreign films that rarely make it to DVD or cable. From coming-of-old-age stories and moving intergenerational tales to sweet romantic comedies, this year’s senior-interest films look to be real crowd pleasers. The film festival begins January 5 and plays through the 18th. Tickets are now on sale at www.psfilmfest.org . Below are brief descriptions of each film. Visit the website for complete details.
Best of Times (Thailand, 2009, 118 min.) From the director of Iron Ladies, this bittersweet romantic comedy uses the stories of two couples to show two kinds of love: the kind one wants to forget but will always remember, and the kind one always wants to remember but will ultimately forget.
Junior (USA, 2009, 77 min.) Eddie “Junior” Belasco, 75, and Josey, his 99-year-old mother, might make the most co-dependent and heartwarming pair since Big Edie and Little Edie of Grey Gardens fame. Jenna Rosher’s touching, laugh-out-loud documentary perfectly captures their endearing relationship for the ages.
Letters to Father Jacob (Finland, 2009, 74 min.) In the latest from the talent behind the PSIFF 2006 Audience Award Winner, a simple but transcendent story about faith and human frailty achieves a state of grace. A tough ex-con temporarily serving as an amanuensis for a blind pastor in rural Finland.
Medal of Honor (Romania, 2009, 106 min.) Told with precision, irony and extraordinary performances, this immensely touching film encapsulating Romania’s shift from Communism to Capitalism, centers on a 75-year-old man awarded a Medal of Honor for unspecified “heroic” actions during World War II.
Mid-August Lunch (Italy, 2009, 75 min.) This low-key charmer follows sixtyish Roman Gianni, who lives with his tyrannical 93-year-old mother and finds himself forced to look after three other elderly ladies during the summer holidays. The aging women prove a handful.
The Over the Hill Band (Belgium, 2009, 93 min.) In the tradition of sassy social comedies such as last year’s Moscow, Belgium and playing like a combination of Calendar Girls and Young at Heart, this charming comic drama is a coming-of-old-age story about a classy woman who rediscovers life and love when it’s almost too late.
Restless (France, 2009, 100 min.) This delicately wrought gem proves the “coming-of-age” story knows no age limit. Orphaned 18-year-old Claire lives with her elderly grandfather Maurice. As she meets a hopeless romantic and fumbles through her first feelings of love, he struggles to heal love’s old wounds in his waning days.
The World is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner (Bulgaria, 2009, 105 min.) This sweet intergenerational drama about an amnesiac helped toward recovery by his charismatic grandfather encompasses over 30 years of social and identity crises, with backgammon as a metaphor for life.
Photo from The Over The Hill Band film.
Provident Bank in Rancho Mirage wants your business. If you’re over 50, Provident Bank is offering free checking and many other freebies. Click here to learn more.
Being 55 or older has its benefits at Morongo Casino Resort and Spa. As a member of the Class of ‘55 you’re entitled to special hotel room, dining, spa and gift shop offers every Wednesday including:
Five entrees available at SERRANO for $5.55, Special Wednesday night room rate for $55, Special $55 rate at the Spa for a 50 minute treatment, 5% discount on selected items at the Gift Shop. In addition, you have a chance to win $5 to $555 in Thunder Rewards FREE slot play, Table Games Players receive a $5 match-play and poker players receive a “Play $20 & Get $10″ voucher.
All special discounts are available every Wednesday from 12:01 a.m. to 11:50 p.m. only. Only the Class of ‘55 cardholders who show their card will be eligible for special promotions and discounts. Get all the details and join free at the Morongo Winner’s Club website www.morongocasinoresort.com/winclub55.cfm.
If you live in the La Quinta area you may want to check out the free classes at the Senior Center. Click here for more information.
The 2010 Desert Arc Palm Springs Dream Home Raffle is now under way. It’s $100 to enter, but you could walk away with a half a million dollar dream home next year. Not to mention that it benefits a very worthy cause.
The 2010 Home Raffle Grand Prize is a brand new 3-bedroom, 3 ½-bath 2400 square-foot luxury home overlooking the sixth tee of the Arnold Palmer course at PGA West in La Quinta, CA. Or you can take $500,000 cash instead. It’s Winner’s Choice.
There are also special drawings with more than 150 additional prizes worth more than $130,000. Tickets are just $100, with discounts for three-, six- and 10-packs. To order, call (888) 771-7784 toll-free, or visit their website for complete details, rules and information, www.palmspringsdreamhomeraffle.com .
DesertArc’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities. Serving more than 600 clients in the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin, DesertArc provides vocational training, job placement and employment, residential services, recreational and social opportunities, independent living support and more. For more information, visit www.desertarc.org .
