Along with your holiday shopping….

An annual event, called Walk of the Inns, will take place on Thur. Dec. 6th from 5-8pm. Palm Springs Art Museum will be a participant this year, by offering parking in its lots, adrop-off spot for toys, flashlights and maps for the Walk of the Inns. This event featuresthe boutique and historic inns of downtown Palm Springs, and is a participant in the Toys for Tots drive, and area Marines will be in the lobby of the museum to collect the toys.
For more information contact Casa Cody at 760-320-9346

Judy M, virtual assistant of Ralph W Haverkate

It’s back for another year…..

WildLights Holiday Festivalat The Living Desert
One more reason to enjoy life in the Coachella Valley, The Living Desert, a 360 acre wilderness preserve, is located in the heart of Palm Desert, CA. It is situated between two of the areas most desirable private communities – The Vintage Country Club, and The Reserve Country Club.
For the 14th year The Living Desert is offering the WildLights Holiday Festival to enchant both kids and adults. With more than 350,000 lights illuminating the park after dark. There is also an ‘iceless’ skating rink, Santa’s Corner, wood-burning fireplaces, and much more to experience in this holiday winter wonderland.
This annual event becomes more spectacular each year and kicks off the holiday season Thanksgiving weekend. The other dates for 2007 are:November 30-December 2December 7-December 9December 14-December 23December 26-January 1
6-9pm, with the last admission at 8:30pm. Admission is $7.25 for adults, $5.50 for children (ages 6-12), , and $6.00 for members. For more information visit: www.LivingDesert.org or call 760-346-5694.

By Judy M. Virtual Assistant

The State of Real Estate in the Coachella Valley 2007

The yearly event was hold by the Board of Realtors in the Hotel Doral October 23, 2007. Patrick Veling from Real Data Strategies presented the“State of Real Estate in the Coachella Valley. If you
go to my website http://www.rhaverkate.com/ you can order a pdf copy of the whole presentation with all the graphs.

The Palm Springs Valley is part of a national housing contraction but might be better of than the rest of the nation this winter due to it’s second home market and strong Canadian clientele. A contraction was bound to occur and is actually a good thing because further rising prices would have collapsed our market under it’s own weight. Increasing inventories have an upside especially for buyers. Even if our market of total homes sold in the valley is down over 50% from 2 years ago, the upscale homes are holding up solidly in the current market climate. Builders were ahead of many in the real estate industry at adjusting their activities in light of the changing market. Builders start to run out of standing inventory after slowing down their production and will come back when the market comes back. A lot of the deals we are seeing out there will start to go away – now is a fantastic time to buy and a home in a great location in the middle of our east growing valley like will still be a good long-term investment, even if housing prices don't increase at the same pace anymore.

For more actual statistics and charts please visit my Website www.rhaverkate.com and click on "Sales Statistics". As a certified international property specialist and Internet professional, I'm only milliseconds away and I can help clients from all over the world with transactions in Palm Springs.

The Palm Springs Convention Center

The 7th Annual Palm Springs Modernism Show and Sale will start tonight at the Convention Center. There will be a preview party which will feature 80 international decorative and fine arts dealers.
Also today, the kickoff to Palm Springs Modernism Week will be a dedication ceremony honoring E. Stewart Williams with a star on the city’s Walk of Stars. Williams, who died in 2005, left a body of work that included the Palm Springs Art Museum, Frank Sinatra’s desert house, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and the 1954 Edris House. As an architect he helped shape the look of the city of Palm Springs. “He was an early
Environmentalist with his own spin on desert Modernism,” says Michael
Stern of the Palm Springs Modern Committee.

Palm Springs Modernism Week is a 10-day celebration of mid-century architecture and design. Our valley’s architecture is as unique as our landscape. “Mid-century modernism is typified by clean, simple designs that are at once elegant and informal, retro yes futuristic” according to the Desert Sun.

For more information of events taking place during Modernism Week,
visit www.modernismweek.com

Article by: Judy M. Virtual assistant of R. Haverkate

Just in case you haven’t been paying attention, ‘The Season’ in

the Coachella Valley is in full swing! There are things to do from one end of our valley to the other. Some of the things you might want to notice are these:


2007 Pacific Life Open volunteer fair:
If you are someone who enjoys getting involved and helping out, this is a fun opportunity that involves sports and volunteerism. There are over 15 committees that will be looking for people this Saturday Jan 27 from 9am-3pm at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, 78200 Miles Ave., Indian Wells. Call 760-200-8430 or www.PacificLifeOpen.com

International Classical Concerts of the Desert Series Alexander Markov, Violinist with Dmitriy Cogan, Piano

The Rancho Mirage Public Library hosts the “International Classical Concert Series” this Sunday Jan 28, at 2pm. Other performances upcoming are: Feb 18 pianist Gleb Ivanov; Mar 4 cellist Clancy Newman; Mar18 Biava string quartet; April 15 Amelia Piano Trio. All will take place at the lovely new Rancho Mirage Public Library, 71100 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage. $22 per ticket; $100 for a series ticket (five concerts) Call 760-416-5355. www.ranchomiragelibrary.org

Multicultural Modernism:The Work of Steven Ehrlich ArchitectsNovember 11, 2006 through April 15, 2007
Firestone and McCormick Galleries (McCallum Wing)

The Museum says of their exhibit:
“This retrospective is an in-depth look at the 27-year history of the Los Angeles-based firm Steven Ehrlich Architects. Including photographs, models and drawings of projects in the United States and around the world, the exhibition’s theme is Multicultural Modernism, the firm’s distinctive design philosophy for creating meaningful architecture for the 21st Century. Citing the unique convergence of global factors that challenge today’s architects, design principal Steven Ehrlich calls Multicultural Modernism “a vital and flexible architectural language that can respond sensibly, flexibly and with great exuberance to our increasingly urbanized, polyglot world.”Trained in the tenets of Modern architecture, Ehrlich traces the origins of Multicultural Modernism to his first experiences as a working architect and teacher in North and West Africa, where he was exposed to “architecture without architects:” vernacular buildings and city layouts that were functional, sustainable and sensitive to their environments. After founding his practice in Los Angeles in 1979, Ehrlich continued to travel throughout Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. He assembled a team of architects whose approach to design synthesizes addressing Western needs and embracing new technologies with incorporating valuable influences from other cultures.
His designs seek to acknowledge and balance the many cultural identities that jostle in today’s urban centers. In his residential work, whether in his own home in Venice, CA, or in a 35,000 square foot residence in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Ehrlich’s designs are sensitive to environmental conditions of sun and shade while providing large glass panes to incorporate landscape views.
While fully exploiting advances in technology and materials in pursuit of dynamic sustainable environments, Ehrlich’s Multicultural Modernism honors the Modern tradition’s dictum that form should follow function, and also lift the human spirit high.”
For information call: 760-325-7186 or check: www.psmuseum.org 101 Museum Dr, Palm Springs

Come to Indio this weekend for the 21st Annual Southwest Arts Festival. The festival features over 250 acclaimed artists showing traditional, contemporary and abstract fine works of art and quality crafts. Friday thru Sunday, Jan 26, 27, 28, 2007. Info: 760-347-0676 www.SouthwestArtsFest.com

760.347.0676FAX: 760.347.6069E-MAIL: info@indiochamber.orghttp://www.indiochamber.org/

If you are in the Palm Springs area visiting friends, or shopping for a home, take time for a visit to the wonderful exhibit that is currently showing at the Palm Springs Air Museum. This premier exhibit features more than 60 full-sized and interactive machines described and designed by Leonardo da Vinci. This one in a lifetime exhibit includes a Florentine piazza complete with the fall smells of burning wood and wet leaves. There is also a theater showing a short film about Leonardo da Vinci; a gallery housing replica paintings; interactive computer kiosks; and a gift shop.

WHAT: Leonardo da Vinci: Father of Flight exhibit
WHEN: On display thru March 2007
WHERE: Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs
COST: $17.50 adults, $14.50 seniors, $12 youth 6-17, $6.50 military
INFORMATION: 760-778-6262
www.PalmSpringsAirMuseum.org

By: Judy M., virtual assistant of Ralph W Haverkate