Saturday, November 21, 2009

Fall Activities

Thank you one and all for the compliments this blog has received. I've had so many people come up to introduce themselves and chat about how much they enjoy reading the updates. It's really nice to hear your comments and it keeps me motivated to keep on writing. Now, however, I feel guilty for not writing more often!! I keep thinking that once the season starts, no one will have time to read the blog but then I receive an email from those who come much later in the season and learn that they're still very interested in reading the latest news.

I'm having soooooo much fun this season that I negotiated with my boss at Print & Pack where I work and we agreed on much shorter hours for me during "season". Vicki has been very gracious in allowing me to cut back and still keep the job. This is also her busiest season of the year so she will probably hire another part timer to fill in for my absence. Thank you, Vicki!!! For those who aren't familiar with Print & Pack Express, stay tuned for this informal commercial.

The shop is located on Florence Blvd just west of Trekell....across the street from Pizza Hut & Kentucky Fried Chicken. Vicki Stonebraker started the store 15 years ago. Her husband, Jack, is the Edward Jones advisor and has his office in the same building. You may see Jack on the local television channel as he gives the stock market update on TV every day.

At Print & Pack, we make color copies....enlargements, reductions, etc. We can print up to 36" wide. We do blueprints and can enlarge patterns for woodworking and stained glass and quilting. We package and ship for both FedEx and UPS. We make keys, print on T-shirts, typeset and print business forms, business cards, letterhead, raffle tickets, vinyl lettering, street signs, and street banners. We have a good number of artists who ask us to create custom Christmas cards and/or note cards to display their art work. These are some of the primary things that our winter visitors may find useful. So if you need any of the above services, come on down to see Vicki or any of the gang that works there. There are 7 of us on staff and it's like a little family of friends. Be sure to tell them that Sue sent you. While walking across the golf course the other day, I saw a funny catastrophe in action. There was a large gathering of folks for a happy hour enjoying the sunny sky and pretty view of the golf course. They were comfy in their lawn chairs with food and drink in hand, when suddenly the golf course sprinklers came to life and immediately blasted them with cold water. We heard screams and yells erupt as folks scrambled to get out of the line of fire from the jet spray. I had my cell phone with me so tried to grab a quick photo. The host and guests may have been uncomfortably interrupted from their fun, but I assume they will laugh and reminese about it at future events.


Once a month the resort has a bus trip to a local casino. This year we are traveling to Fort McDowell. What fun!! You must register in Activities and pay $10 to reserve your seat. When we arrive at the casino, we receive $10 in slot money on our player cards, a ticket for discounted breakfast, and extra discount for bingo games. We had a full bus load in November and had a great time. This was my first experience at Fort McDowell and I really liked it. Being an avid bingo player, I can attest that they have challenging bingo and nice jackpots....and even a separate non-smoking room which I truly appreciate and don't find at any other casino. I didn't win prize money, but would surely like to do so! Marilyn is our hostess on these trips and she does a GREAT job of getting everyone organized, accounted for, and entertained. She always has some fun jokes to share and some door prize giveaways. Thank you, Marilyn!! I'm looking forward to the next trip already.


That's my update for now. To those of you who aren't here yet............I'll soak up some extra sun for you this afternoon.
P.S. I received an email from Bill Murr who has started a great blog about his winter home here at Palm Creek. Visit his blog also for even better updates!! Thanks, Bill.