We're over 110.

The temps crept up over 110 for the last two days and….yes, it’s hot. It is 7:45 pm and I just came back from doing my volunteer work up at the library. We sure receive lots of nice books in the donation pile each week…..great authors, new releases, major titles, etc. Curling up in a nice cool spot with a good book is a great way to escape from the summer heat.

Every night about this time, the puppy run is the place to be. The folks with the small dogs seem to gather there about this time of evening to visit and let the four-footed critters run and get some exercise. To name a few people I chatted with tonight: BJ Rasmussen, Will and Barb Utley with the two miniature pincers, Linda and her new poodle puppy, Bill Wrightson with Cookie and Lily, Nancy and her boisterous white Amy….and a couple other folks I can’t name. They seem to have a nice social hour with their furry friends.

Congratulations go to Will Utley who is now our new Maintenance Manager for the park. Will’s position allows Chuck to move up to Facilities Manager. Our park is growing and so are their responsibilities. It’s good to know we have strength in those two positions.

That’s my only news for now. I still go up to the pool several nights a week in time to watch the sunset. By day I enjoy my job at the print shop. The longer I work there, the more I like it. It’s practically a full time job now which is just fine since the days are too warm to spend outside anyway. More later.

Coming Soon!

We've all been waiting to see who will take over the Johnny Carino's restaurant. Wait no more. Macayos Mexican restaurant will be opening there soon. They're running a big ad in the local paper saying "Now hiring for cooks, prep cooks, janitors, dishwashers. Apply in person at the Ahwatukee location." Things are looking up for Casa Grande!

More about the doggie park

I received an email on the blog from “Jerry”. Is that Judy and Jerry?? Anyway…here’s your answer to the question about how high the walls will be around the new puppy park. The finished brick part of the wall is about three feet high. To finish it off, they will be installing black wrought iron railing to provide the necessary height to keep in the dogs. I assume it will look something like the railing at the top of the pool wall. The north wall is being built up because that little area will block off the dumpsters. I tried to take a couple pictures to help with my explanation. There is also a new park model at 1412 next to Jerry and Judy’s site.

The main pool was closed for a few days last week while they replaced the caulking around the edge of the tiles in the pool. It looks much better now. Char and I were the only two up at the pool tonight for quite a while. It was wonderful!!! The pool feels great after a hot day.

Progress

The month of June has been very kind to us so far. The nights are still cool bringing a beautiful morning to enjoy the outdoors for breakfast and morning coffee. Don and I truly enjoy sitting on the patio and watching the line up of hummingbirds and finches as they squabble over our feeder. They’re so much fun to watch. Our cat, Hiway, certainly lacks the killer instinct as she lays on her lawn chair within six feet of the feeder with its flurry of bird activity and she never tries to interfere. She just lays and watches like kitty TV.

The pickleball and tennis folks still hit the courts each morning and again some evenings. After the morning round robin, the sun climbs higher in the sky and people seem to disappear for the heat of the day. We journey out again for happy hour in late afternoon and you can always see folks out for an evening stroll or bike ride…..or as they come and go from the pool. Average afternoon temps are around 100 to 103.

We drove out past the new mall tonight and snapped a few pictures while being amazed at how fast the building is progressing. Once the project started, it has really zoomed into high gear. There are signs on the JC Penney and Target stores that say they’re opening in October. (Be sure to click on each photo to get a close up and examine things closely. Then use your "back" button to get back to the blog.)

Today’s Casa Grande Dispatch has a photo on the front page of the big LA Fitness building that is going to be built in the empty lot directly in front of Palm Creek. I’ll quote from the article as it’s quite interesting. “A major site plan for a 24-hour LA Fitness center was approved Thursday night… The fitness center will be located west of the IHOP restaurant and Super 8 motel on Florence Boulevard in front of Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort. In January 2005 that location was announced as the site of a retail shopping center and theater, with the promise that it would be open long before the major shopping center now being built at I10. After that, the project disappeared from sight. The plan now calls for a 45,000 square foot LA Fitness building, with mezzanine, offering aerobics and cardiovascular areas, strength training, an indoor three-lane lap pool, full basketball court, five racquetball courts, a juice bar, sports training and showers and locker areas. The commission was told that the fitness center should be open by next May.”

Below are a few pictures of the new doggie park in progress. They’re putting up a nice brick wall around the area.

Got 'Em

A golf cart was stolen Friday night about 6:30 from a home in the 1800 area of Oasis Drive. By 7:30 the police apprehended the culprits as they tried to escape over the south wall near the hotel. Thank you, officers, for some fast action!!! It is possible that these may be the same persons that stole the golf carts from the sales area a month or so ago. The three apprehended males were ages 17, 12, and 8. This information came from a park employee so should be reliable but I have not confirmed this yet via a legal source.

I first heard about the theft as I was driving our cart to the pool Thursday. I came across a man riding a moped and he was obviously looking for something on the golf course as he would slow down after each park model to look between the buildings. I thought perhaps he had lost a pet so asked if I could help him. He told me he was looking for a stolen golf cart and the police were on the property looking as well.

Later that evening, I started chatting with a man and woman who had just arrived at the pool and they started telling us that their golf cart was the one that had been stolen that night so we got this information directly from the source. The woman was on her patio (facing the golf course on Oasis) and through a sun screen shade saw someone ride a bike between the homes. She told her husband who had been inside. (The bike was stolen from someone’s patio earlier). A few minutes later when they got ready to go to the pool, they noticed their golf cart was missing. They immediately alerted the front gate and the guard called the police. Everyone was very impressed at the fast response from the police as three or more cars arrived almost immediately. They all started looking around the golf course for the cart knowing the cart could not get out of the north gate now that it is locked and secured. Once the culprits were spotted, they drove the cart and crashed it into the south wall near the hotel and used it to help them climb over the wall. The police apprehended them at that point.

The golf cart was quite damaged from being run into the wall. I asked the man how the kids could get the cart started. He said they evidently ram a screwdriver or something into the ignition because his key would no longer fit into the slot.

That’s all the information we have at this point. Sure am glad to hear that the kids were caught this time.