BINGO Opens for the Season

 The park is really bustling with activity.  Tonight was the first Bingo night of the season and we had a record crowd for the first day in November.  There were 165 players in attendance so extra tables and chairs were set up.

G55 is still an important number.

We had some very lucky winners too!  Judy Texley won game 6 jackpot at $231.

Game 12 is a special blackout game.  To win the big jackpot, the player must win within 55 numbers.  Lucky Harold Liby won on the 55th number and took home $708.  Congratulations Harold!!

Be sure to put Bingo on your calendar.  Monday nights.  Tickets go on sale at 6:00.  Games start at 7:00.  It takes a minimum of only $7 to play.  Feel free to bring snacks and your own non-alcoholic drink.  The Bistro is open until 7:00 so you can take time to stock up.  They might be selling popcorn and snacks in the next couple weeks once the season gets established.

Bistro is open for the season

 The Bistro has a slightly different look this season as they work to expand their services.  The counter is moved to the back side of the room to get it conveniently closer to the kitchen.

Chef and crew were busy at work.

Here's the current menu.  Specialty items will start in November when season officially kicks into gear.  For now, we can plan on chicken wings to be served on Wednesday nights for karaoke.

Here's Connie and Greg Von Uebbing

It looks like outdoor patio seating has been expanded and a tent has been set up for the bands and equipment.  A dance floor will also be available.

There are some new heaters placed on the patio also to keep us warm at night.  Definitely NOT needed yet.  Whew!  It still remains quite warm for October.  We should see lots of fun and activity at the bistro this year.

Meanwhile, the newly planted flowers are showing off their colors! 

The golf course has been seeded and the doves are here in droves to gobble up the seeds.

Activity Announcements

 

Our October Coffee & Donuts meeting was very informative this morning. 

The Bistro opens Monday, October 14.  We may have a bit of  weather related problem as it is still unseasonable HOT for this time of year with most days still hitting triple digits.  

In addition to the six dances that are announced in the ticket book, Melanie Pohl (Activities Supervisor) has been working on more events.  A stage has been set up at the bistro for the weekly karaoke events held each Wednesday along with a small dance floor. There will also be various entertainment events on Fridays and Saturdays.  They're going to try table service at the bistro so we can just be seated and someone will take our order and deliver to tables.  

Hours for the Bistro will be 9-5 except for Wednesday karaoke nights when they will extend till 7:00.  The bar will be available.  No alcohol tickets will be needed this year as prices are flat.  We will no longer have to mess with all the change issue as the sales tax is being eliminated. 😁

The Campbell Brothers and Thaddeus Rose events will occur on various Friday and Saturdays at the Bistro.  It will be announced in the monthly calendars.  Admittance will be free with no ticket needed.  

Our season event tickets will be available from Activities on October 15.  The cabaret shows and dinner shows will all be assigned seating, however, all the tribute shows and dances will be open seating.  Doors will open an hour early.  

Octoberfest on October 18:  The show will be open without tickets.  There will be  a meal available for $25 with a special menu and a drink.  The bar will be open as well.  

Chef received a huge round of applause from the audience as appreciation for the service we received all summer.  He will have some specials available during season as well....including seven different pizza choices.  A new panini machine and a new smoker have been purchased to add to the menu.  A new gluten free bread will also be available.  

It should be a great season ahead.  Some procedures and issues are new to us as residents and will be new to staff as well.  Be patient.

The newly planted flower beds are rapidly springing to bloom.  I especially enjoy seeing the phlox plants aligned along the center of the beds.  Such pretty color.

Here they come

 Welcome to October.  

Our mornings are lovely....down in the 70s so Don and I can enjoy that first cup of coffee out on the patio.  It's a very peaceful scene with the two cats enjoying their condo space.

We watched quite a few rigs pull in today as we sat in our nice cool air conditioned game room playing Mahjong in the afternoon.  We figure that some RVers who are watching the weather forecast might wait a few days before heading south to HOT Arizona.  It is still triple digits here on a daily basis.  

 The new season badges are now available so we summer folk should hurry down before the long lines start to form.

Even though Don and I have now lived here for 20 years, I added WI for Wisconsin as that is our origin.

The October calendar is released showing the last day of service in our beloved 3 Palms Cafe (aka as the ballroom kitchen).  We have certainly all enjoyed that service for the past summers!  Congratulations to Chef, Bridgette, and Connie for keeping us so well fed.  The Bistro is scheduled to open on Monday, October 14.  Hours will be 9am to 5pm.

Tuesday, October 15, our event tickets should be ready for pick up in Activities.

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Scooter

We had more excitement at the Hepler home than we cared for this past week as little Scooter managed to knock a tile loose in the cat condo and both cats escaped.  He's quite the climber.

 Kat is really tame and just walked into the house the moment I opened the door but little Scooter was nowhere to be found.  ACKK!!  We alerted all the neighbors, posted on Nextdoor, and drove around the blocks a few times to no avail.  Friends all say to put out lots of smelly cat food to lure him back home.  Scooter didn't respond but every feral cat in the neighborhood sure did.  We had three at the same time that afternoon.  I laughed and said I hoped Scooter came home soon as I couldn't afford all that cat food! 😒  (Actually, it looks like a litter family as they're all kittens about the same size.)

Our prayers were answered later that evening as we heard a noise at the window and there was Scooter trying to get back in the house.  Thank goodness!   His little white paws were a dingy gray but he was fine after we got him cleaned up again.

He slept well that evening and probably dreamt of his fleeting freedom.

Getting Ready for the Season

 There is MUCH activity around the park these days as our crews prepare for the upcoming season.  

Dave's RV Wash won the honors of power washing ALL the Admin buildings including those down the Street of Dreams.

Flower beds have been prepped and planted with all new flowers.

Even the farmer statue got a bath to eliminate the dove poo that accumulates over summer.

New loads of gravel were spread in the parking lot.

New Sun Communities logos were placed on all the glass doors.

Old Palm Creek labels were removed & new Sun Communities logos were added.

The Adobe room will be closed tomorrow through Sunday so all the carpets can be cleaned.  Notify your fellow poker and swoop players.  

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Scooter is growing by leaps and bounds.  I'd consider him now a "terrible twos" child.  I'm sure Kat gets tired of all the unwanted attention.

Life is good when you get a delivery from Amazon!

Great Video!!

 What a GREAT video demonstrating the camaraderie at Palm Creek activities!  Congrats to Jerry Moy for creating the video.

Follow this link to You Tube to view:

Fun Video by Jerry Moy

The buzz around the park is that our residents are amazed at how professionally our palm trees are being trimmed this year.  This company from Tucson is doing a fantastic job of trimming and cleaning up all the debris.  They certainly have a lot of inventory in trucks and equipment.

All three of the bucket machines parade down the streets with a full crew of workers that pick up the branches and run them through a big chipper for immediate clean up.

I saw this forecast on Weather Bug this morning!!  Looks too good to be true.  Our prayers for cooler weather may be on the way.  No triple digits!!

Here's a short clip of Don and Scooter at play.  

Have a great day!

Water Shut Off

 Due to the water being shut off property-wide on Wednesday, September 11, from approximately 8a.m. to 2p.m., the lunch menu must change.

The Pastrami and Swiss sandwiches are being rescheduled for next Thursday, Sept 12.

SEASON TICKETS ANNOUNCED

New Ticket Books are released.

I tried to find a link for you to follow:

Ticket Book

Tickets go on sale at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday September 17th.  You may place your order in person at the Activities Office, by email at pcactivities@suncommunities.com or by phone at 520-371-5840

September Menu

 SEPTEMBER MENU SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Sept 3

Marinated Steak Wrap

Wednesday, Sept 4

Hamburgers & Cheeseburgers

Thursday, Sept 5

No Special

Friday, Sept 6

FRY Friday

Tuesday, Sept 10

Hot Dog, Baked Beans, Coleslaw

Wednesday, Sept 11

Pastrami and Swiss

Thursday, Sept 12

Orange Chicken

Friday, Sept 13

FRY Friday

Tuesday, Sept 17

Grilled cheese and Tomato Soup

Wednesday, Sept 18

Monte Christo Sandwich & Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday, Sept 19

NO SPECIAL

Friday, Sept 20

FRY Friday and Brownie Ice Cream Social

Tuesday, Sept 24

Taco Tuesday

Wednesday, Sept 25

Omelet Bar

Thursday, Sept 26

NO SPECIAL – Birthday Bash at 1 pm

Friday, Sept 27

FRY Friday

August Update

I haven't written for quite a while.  I'm still waiting for my left leg to heal after knee replacement surgery.  <sigh>  I feel very house bound.  At least now I can get out to the clubhouse for some card games but I still have to be careful about leaving the leg down for too long or it swells up all over again.  Patience!  

The Adobe Room was closed for a week while a crew came to refinish all the poker tables.  Should really look nice when completed.

Now if we can ask all players to use some caution and not jam their chairs into the tables.

Poker was canceled during those days but other card games, mahjong, and Mexican train continue.  There are round and square tables available in Sonora North.  

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I've had several residents write and ask for a copy or the August newsletter or a link on the corporate website.  I can't find a link on there either but I can attach some copies I took myself.

And of course, our weather remains HOT and the forecast says "Continued HOT".  I just pulled up Weather Bug.....lo and behold....the forecast is below 110 for the first time in weeks!  

We've had a couple thunder showers in the past 2-3 weeks but no true measure of rainfall.  Plenty of dust and debris flying around so its hard to keep the place looking clean and pristine.  The streetsweeper could go down the street today and an identical mess would reappear the next day.

That's all the news for today...other than a quick look at how much Scooter has grown.  Now he fits all the way across my chair.

Kat still tolerates the little monster.  Here Scooter uses Kat's tail for a pillow.

He's really adorable....when he's asleep. 😃