BORREGO SPRINGS HOW DO I LOVE THEE?
By Shirley Vialpando
Shirley Vilapando • October 23, 2026
How Do I Love Thee? Reflections on a Life in Borrego Springs
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Shirley Vilapando reflects on the people, places and sense of community that made Borrego Springs home.
For Shirley Vialpando, Borrego Springs has always been more than a place to live. It has been a community of friendship, faith, support and belonging. As she prepares to leave the desert she loves, Vilapando reflects on the people who welcomed her, the experiences that shaped her life here, and why Borrego Springs will always remain home in her heart. BORREGO LOVES YOU SHIRLEY!
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When the subject of that question is Borrego Springs, California, there have been hundreds of articles, books and videos published that give far more erudite answers than this amateur writer can contrive. I speak solely from my heart in expressing my love for what I call one of the best-kept secrets in the state.
After my husband died in 1980, it took me several years to finally be able to move to the desert. After some nine months, I became seriously ill with depression and had to return to the city. Thanks to some intense counseling following the death of my son, my health improved and I once again headed east.
I began regular attendance at St. Barnabas and found a loving, caring community. I will always remember that Louise Jee and Ann Nourse were among those who first bade me welcome. My involvement in the church eventually led me more and more into the community, where I found the same values of welcome and caring.
I had met Jim and Grace Rickard through a mutual friend, and they were instrumental in making me acquainted with the larger community. We passed some happy and memorable times together, as I’m sure Marge Schuessler and Linda Laughlin will tell you.
Then there was Laura Brecht, our priest, who exuded love with her very existence. She sat at my side the entire day after my daughter Valerie’s death. Then, when she realized I was slipping back into depression, she got me involved in the Borrego Ministers Association. She knew it was just what I needed!
Suddenly, I was doing some of the same sort of work that I had done at Episcopal Community Services for fifteen years. I was part of helping folks who needed a little assistance. Laura and God knew just what I needed.
So, all of the above are prime examples of why I love Borrego. It’s the people above all — the community that takes care of its own and still welcomes the stranger with friendship and open hearts.
Of course, there are also our unique treasures of Borrego, such as our Dark Sky designation, which I pray will be protected far, far into the future. There are the impressive statues here and there, the occasional miracle of the flowers, and the massive evidence of nature at work in the beautiful desert around us.
Please, God, don’t let the PowerLink spoil it!
In a treatise that’s gone on longer than I intended, I’ve attempted to describe my love for Borrego. In a way, it’s also a way of saying goodbye. I’ve been in assisted living for almost eight months and now must accept that I can no longer live alone. Once it’s cleared out, my son will be looking to sell my home. He prefers that I locate a bit closer to him and his wife in Temecula.
Knowing that I can’t go back causes a pain that is indescribable, but the memories will live as long as I do. And when the time comes, I will go back and join Valerie in the Memorial Garden at St. Barnabas.
Learn More About Borrego Springs
Enjoy an elegant evening supporting the performing arts in Borrego Springs.
Free Community Writing Workshop Opens More Spots Ahead of November 8 Event
(Vehicle in left hand portion of the photo) Photo credit: Jim Torian, Facebook
Jill Feltovich leads weekly Monday morning sessions sponsored by the Borrego Valley Endowment Fund Residents looking for a gentle way to start the week can join free tai chi classes at Christmas Circle Community Park, led by certified senior instructor Jill Feltovich. Sessions began October 19 and meet Mondays from 9 to 10 a.m., weather permitting. Often described as “meditation in motion,” tai chi is a Chinese practice of slow, flowing movements paired with steady breathing and focus. Its low-impact nature makes it welcoming for people of all fitness levels, and regular practice is widely recognized for helping with balance, strength, flexibility and a sense of calm. Feltovich teaches Yang style tai chi, the most widely practiced form, known for its smooth, graceful movements. Classes also include tai chi bang, which uses a short wooden stick to guide stretching, twisting and coordination exercises that help loosen the joints and build strength through the upper body. Feltovich brings 16 years of tai chi experience to the park. She is a certified senior instructor and a disciple of Master Jesse Tsao, and she shares her practice with the community at no cost. The open-air setting of Christmas Circle, with mountain views and morning desert light, offers an ideal backdrop for the practice. Sessions are free, and donations are welcome. The program is sponsored by the Borrego Valley Endowment Fund.
October 27 session will help beginning and experienced writers develop stories from their own lives Author and writing instructor Suzanne Roberts will present “Writing Your Life: A Generative Memoir Workshop” at the Borrego Springs Library on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The program offers an opportunity for writers to begin a memoir or return to a project already underway. According to the workshop announcement, participants will work through a series of writing prompts designed to help them start, develop or revise their memoirs. Instruction will address overcoming writing blocks, using specific details and sensory imagery, and building scenes. Both beginners and experienced writers are welcome. Roberts’s visit comes shortly after the October 1 publication of her newest book, 52 Writing Prompts: Inspiration for the Creative Writer, from the University of Nebraska Press. Drawing on more than 30 years of teaching creative writing, the book combines discussions of writing techniques with exercises designed to take about 20 minutes. Its themes include memory, family, relationships, grief, and the natural world, with additional guidance on revision and publishing. Her own work includes memoir, travel writing, essays and poetry. Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail recounts a 1993 backpacking trip with two other women through California’s Sierra Nevada. The memoir won the 2012 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature, bringing recognition to a story that explores friendship and personal growth alongside the challenges of the trail. Roberts is also the author of Bad Tourist: Misadventures in Love and Travel and Animal Bodies: On Death, Desire, and Other Difficulties. The latter was longlisted for the 2023 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. She has also published four poetry collections. Based in South Lake Tahoe, Roberts holds a doctorate in literature and the environment from the University of Nevada, Reno, and teaches in the university’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing at Lake Tahoe. The Borrego Springs Library is located at 2580 Country Club Road. For information about attending the workshop, call 760-767-5761. More information about Roberts and her books is available at suzanneroberts.net.
13th year of festival flyovers features T-34 Mentor aircraft soaring over Borrego Springs Before the first parade entry rolled down Palm Canyon Drive on Saturday, October 17, the crowd along the route was already looking up. The 60th Annual Borrego Days Desert Festival opened with the familiar rumble of aircraft overhead as a formation flyover swept across the desert valley. The flyover was organized by Showboss Productions , a San Diego-based aviation event company led by Christopher “Oz” Van Stelle, who shared that this year's performance marked approximately 13 years of flying for Borrego Days. The aircraft featured in this year's flyover were T-34 Mentors , military training aircraft originally developed in the late 1940s and used to train generations of U.S. military pilots. For Van Stelle and his team, returning to Borrego Springs has become a cherished tradition. "It was a pleasure to fly over Borrego Days again!" Van Stelle said. "As for the experience, it's always a highlight for us. We flew T-34 Mentors and there's no better backdrop for these aircraft than the desert landscape. This was our 13th year, I believe, flying for Borrego Days and the community support has always been overwhelming. We are fortunate and blessed." Showboss Productions specializes in precision aviation events, including formation flyovers, aerial demonstrations, drone light shows, helicopter VIP arrivals and air show production. The company coordinates flight formations, pilots, regulatory approvals and timing to deliver aircraft overhead at precisely the right moment. Its work has included flyovers for the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, San Diego FC and San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium, the USS Midway Museum, and LEGOLAND California. Other events have included Fourth of July celebrations, community parades and air shows across the country. Showboss also performs Missing Man formations to honor veterans and others during memorial ceremonies, including tributes at Fort Rosecrans, Miramar and Riverside National Cemeteries. Depending on the event, Showboss formations feature everything from vintage military aircraft and civilian aerobatic planes to former military jets. For Borrego Days, the flyover is a natural fit for a community with a longstanding connection to aviation and the surrounding desert landscape. The two-day festival, hosted by the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce at Christmas Circle Community Park, celebrated its 60th year with the Saturday parade, Shine & Show vehicle show, live music, children's activities, food vendors and community booths. And for the pilots who have returned year after year, the enthusiasm from Borrego Springs residents remains one of the highlights of the experience. Learn more about Showboss Productions at showbossproductions.com .
The Borrego Springs Community Sponsor Group is seeking applicants to fill three vacant seats following the announced resignations of two members for personal reasons. Members are appointed by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and represent the interests and concerns of Borrego Springs to County government. Following questions raised at the group’s October 7 meeting, Chair John Peterson clarified that applicants must be registered voters, but do not need to be registered to vote in Borrego Springs. Under Board Policy I-1, applicants must either reside in or own property within the community. Residents who do not own property in Borrego Springs are eligible to apply. Serving on the Sponsor Group offers an opportunity to become involved in local issues and help ensure community concerns are heard by County government. For more information about membership, contact John Peterson , Chair of the Borrego Springs Community Sponsor Group, at 858-220-0877 or petersonenv@hotmail.com ..
Please join the Civic Foundation for its annual Old Borego Days celebration No, Borrego is not misspelled in the title above. This is the way Borrego was spelled back in 1928, when the first post office opened in what is now called “Old Borego.” The site is located at 1580 Rango Way. Please join the Civic Foundation for its annual Old Borego Days celebration of the historic heart of the Borrego Valley on Sunday, November 8, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The turnoff from Rango Way will be marked with a sign. Please note that no restrooms are available. Visitors will be able to enter the old post office and general store, originally run by Eslie Wynn, and view a fascinating video from the 1950s extolling the virtues of life in Borrego Springs. One of the first homes in Borrego Springs will also be open for public viewing, offering a nostalgic look back at life in the community’s earlier years. In addition, Borrego Springs Elementary School fourth graders, who study California history, will have their essays on display. Three students will receive awards for their writing on “Borego Now and Then.” Ram Media Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Borrego Sun, will also share display items from its archive, offering another glimpse into the valley’s past. Old Borego Days Sunday, November 8, 2026 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. 1580 Rango Way, Borrego Springs
Lama Tashi Norbu returns to Borrego Springs for four days of Tibetan art, teachings and traditions.
