10 years with the DVGs

Not a big deal for most of you, but I just realized today was my tenth anniversary of being a member of one of my local TG groups, the Diablo Valley Girls (DVGs). They have been around for, I think, more than 30 years now. (I seem to recall that anniversary recently, ie within the last few years)

 

They are a local TG social group here in the Bay Area, several of the founders have deep roots in the TG/CD community here in the Bay Area. It’s a broad group that runs the full range of folks in the community and they have been having semimonthly social meetings for years. We have a fancy Holiday Party most years, quarterly general public dinners, several BBQ/Pool parties in the summer and occasionally have other group activities (shopping, museums, shows, parades, etc.)

 

I joined them 10 years ago today, as I was looking to expand my local social connections a bit. I knew a hand full of folks from my travels, but really nobody in the Bay Area.

 

This whole endeavor had been a pretty solo thing for me for decades, but towards the end of the “oughts” that started to change.

 

It is also nice, they have a number of spouses that attend our gathering too. My spouse doesn’t join me all the time, but usually one or twice a year she will join me. I think that helps make everyone feel more comfortable, ie just a bunch of gals getting together for a garden party or holiday party type thing and it was really nice that she has been made to feel so welcome. Over the years she and I have had occasional dinners out with some of the other couples or other members.

 

Like any group, I have stronger connections with some more than others, but my friend, here on Flickr, Lila, is a DVG member with whom I get together fairly regularly (before COVID) just to do things (coffee, a meal, drinks or some shopping).

 

Anyways, this was just before I headed out for my first meeting with them. I had really no idea what to expect. I wanted to express myself as someone who took my craft seriously, so I decided to wear my sort of typical professional woman outfit for a typical winter day here in the Bay Area.

 

I remember being quite pleased when I showed up, that the hostess didn’t just assume I was with the TG group having dinner there that evening.

 

I hadn’t meet any of them before, so I had no idea who I was looking for. I had e-mailed, Donna, one of the founders that I was planning to join them. She, as I’ve come know over the last ten years, was wonderfully welcoming and gracious and within a few minutes, I felt like a part of the group.

 

Every group is going to be a little different, but if you are every going to be in Bay Area on a first or third Monday of the Month, you will find at least some of them out dinning out in the Concord/Walnut Creek area in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently we are meeting at the Chicken Pie Shop, a small lunch and dinner spot. They have indoor and outdoor seating and a bar with a couple of TVs going. We are usually the largest group there that evening, but it has lots of other folks coming and going usually during the evening.

 

They are a very welcoming group and I’m sure they would welcome you, wherever you are on the TG spectrum, where you are in your own personal journey, or where you are from.

 

If you every do, tell them “Becky said to say Hi” and I’m sure you’ll get even better treatment. : )

 

They have a quarterly dinner gathering tomorrow evening. Normally I’d be thinking about going, but I think I’m going to pass again, until this latest omicron surge passes.

 

Hopefully that will be soon.

 

Done