Here comes 2011.

I thought it would be easy to take a few months off and put the blog on vacation while I play and romp with all the Palm Creek activities this season.....but I've certainly received a lot of friendly flak from loyal readers and their friends back home who want to keep track of what's happening here.  I can see by the counter that we still have over 100 hits each week from people looking for some kind of newsy update.  Guess I'd better dust off my camera and spend a tad more time at the keyboard.

Our household has been VERY busy with computer repairs and special training sessions which is fun for all of us.  Our son Kevin from Kansas City is visiting for a while so has been actively helping with computer repairs and maintenance.  He has been working with and building computers since the ripe old age of about 10 and knows more about the world of cyberspace than most folks can get from a textbook.  Our kitchen table has turned into a virtual workbench while he and Don work on laptops.  It seems Santa has been kind to many folks so we're busy installing new software, gadgets, upgrades, etc.  Mike Salter (whom we met through the local computer club) and I have been responding to requests for computer training classes.  Soooooo....if you hear of a friend in need, send them our way.

The Palm Creek computer club that meets on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 has been VERY active.  We have over 50 members already.  We're so glad to have Mike Salter staying in the park this year as he is a retired computer technology instructor so is a wealth of information and an entertaining speaker as well.  Mike and I have a great time with presentations and training at our weekly club meetings.

Okay....enough chatter for now.  In a few days WHEN IT WARMS UP AGAIN and I can hobble about without crutches, I'll be out with camera in hand to bring you some newsy info about park activities.    I've been laid up a bit with nasty tendonitis in my foot so don't get out as much as I'd like.  Check back this weekend.  Until then, stay dry and warm.  Remember, DON’T complain about this bit of chilly, breezy, rainy weather…….after all, you could be in New York!

Blog is ON VACATION

 

The season is in full swing and I’m having a wonderful time enjoying all the activities I can possibly cram into a day.  Don and I been full time residents here at Palm Creek for the last five years but I have always been working somewhere so couldn’t participate in all the fun stuff the park has to offer.  I officially retired last spring so this is my first season to be FREE to play all day every day and its GREAT! 

This blog was designed to be a communication tool  to keep you informed of what’s happening here in sunny HOT Arizona while you are away.  Now that you are all here, I’m going to back off on updates so won’t be writing as frequently as before.  There’s just too much other fun “stuff” to do.  

 

The Computer Club meets every Wednesday morning at 9:30 in the SanTan room.  Come join us for some very informative presentations.  It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an experienced computer user, there is always something new to learn.  See our minutes and agendas at:  http://www.palmcreekcomputerclub.blogspot.com/

Don’t forget about the great updates on the official Palm Creek website:  www.palmcreekgolf.com.  Click on the box on the right side that says “schedule of events” to get to all the calendars! 

 

Several of the Palm Creek clubs are creating their own blogs now so keep in touch!  http://palmcreek.blogspot.com/

Welcome Back Party

What a perfect weather day for the annual Welcome Back Party!!  I spent most of the event greeting guests and residents at our Computer Club booth.  We’re happy to have Mike Salter join our group as he is a retired teacher with 33 years of instruction behind him in the computer world.  Mike gave an entertaining and very informative talk on “Computer HealthCare” at our last meeting and showed everyone how to defrag and do a maintenance check on their computer.  We have lots of other topics coming up so if you need some computer help or are interested in classes, I hope you can join us at the club meetings on Wednesday mornings, 9:30 a.m. in the SanTan Room.

I must also take a moment to thank everyone who stopped by and commented on my Palm Creek Update blog.  It was very gratifying to hear that the blog brings joy to so many readers all across the United States and Canada.  The blog has been a very rewarding hobby for me.  I was thinking about hibernating it for the season since I thought most of the readers were here now and would be witnessing the activities first hand but they tell me they still log on daily or weekly to see if there is anything they’ve missed.  PLUS their families back home still wanted to read about happenings here while Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa are away for the winter.  Hmmmm….I guess that means my camera and computer don’t get a vacation.  The counter on the blog page still shows that I get between 700-900 hits every week!

Thank you to Mike Salter and Montez Beard for spelling me at our table.  That gave me time to walk around to visit other booths, get my free hot dog and ice cream, sign up with the Eegees guys for a free dinner on my birthday, AND visit the turtle on wheels.  He was really enjoying the fresh green grass! 

We were located directly across from the “Pots of Petals” booth and it was exciting to see all the activity there.  I hope everyone will participate in the program to help beautify our park.  I’m also looking forward to the hanging basket program.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see a hanging basket of flowers on every palm tree!

Hope to see ALL of you at our next Computer Club meeting.

Wednesday, November 17

9:30 a.m. in the SanTan Room

That time of year

It’s that time of year when the palm trees get their annual holiday glow of lights.  I watched these gents at work this morning stringing lights on the tall trees near the club house.  The man up the tree wraps the string around the trunk while the guy down below walks around and around and around.    It was fun to watch.

I also noticed the potted plants on display in front of “palm park” across from the club house.  I hear that we’re going to have a “lease a pot of flowers” program this season.  Details haven’t been announced yet but the pots look great and there are a lot of them waiting to be filled.  Full details will be announced and on display at the Welcome Back Party on November 14.  Be sure to mark your calendars for 11:30 to 1:30 on that Sunday.  This is one of my favorite events of the year.  You can browse from one table to the next to hear about all the fun events and activities Palm Creek has to offer.  Stop by to visit me.  I’ll be at the Computer Club table.

We have a new club/program starting in Activities this season.  Now in addition to the regular computer club, someone is starting up a users group specifically for Macintosh/Apple.  The group will be meeting on Thursdays at 1:00 in the Sonoran Room.  If you have an Apple computer, you may want to join them. 

See you at the Welcome Back party!

Frogman??

Kent and Leslie Evans at Site 1769 saw an unusual site as they gazed from their patio over the golf course lake this week.  What is that floating out in the lake?  Shark?  Turtle?  Nope.  It’s a frogman!  When an underwater pump is broken, you must call in the experts to do the repair and “git ‘er done” as Larry the Cable Guy would say.  Thank you, Kent, for sharing your photos. 

Add items like this to the long list of expensive repairs and upkeep that it takes to keep our resort as beautiful as it is. 

“The Season” seems to be kicking into high gear quite early this year as folks are returning in droves!  Once they’ve arrived and get unpacked, they’re ready for action so quite a few of the clubs and activities are starting already.  We attended the first meetings of the Photo Club and the Computer Club this week and it sounds like both groups are looking forward to great adventures.

 

  The first Photo Club meeting of the year had a bigger attendance than anticipated.  Folks are present and ready for action this season.

 

 

To follow the happenings at computer club, be sure to log into their club blog site.  There you’ll read about the meeting minutes and topics of future events. 

http://www.palmcreekcomputerclub.blogspot.com/

Speaking of websites, don’t forget to check out the official Palm Creek website and read all the information posted there.  The Activities Calendar, Events Calendar, and Athletic Calendar, plus much more! 

http://www.palmcreekgolf.com/

Thanks for visiting “the Blog”.

Around the Park

It is that time of year to plant the flowers and flowers there will be!  Can’t wait to see the beds come alive with color.



The golfers are out enjoying the fresh new grass on the front nine holes and soaking up some Arizona sunshine.  Say HI to Cheri, Phyllis, and Ruth when you see them.

“The Girls” had a fun time at cards tonight.  Poor Marilyn had fallen and wound up with two black eyes so when she hosted card club at her house, we all showed up with blackened eyes to match hers.  Lots of laughs!!  We love you, Marilyn!

Need a handyman for some odd jobs around the house?  Steve Endsley comes highly recommended and has done numerous jobs around the resort for many residents.  He can build a shed, install flooring, roofing, plumbing, drywall, irrigation, landscaping, property maintenance and more.  He can give you many strong references from folks for whom he has completed projects.

Steve Endsley

Endsley Handyman Service

Professional work at a REASONABLE price!

Cell Phone:  520-414-3322

Caddyshack??

  Reminiscent of the movie “Caddyshack”, Palm Creek golf course has recently been inundated with burrowing moles who attack those fresh grass roots and do tremendous damage to a golf course. 

 

   The moles tunnel just under the grass and can create huge bare spots that just collapse when walking on them. 

 

 

 

  The tunnels must be dug up  and replaced with a special soil.  This is some of the damage over by the 15th hole by the white markers.

 

 

Sad to say that trapping is the best alternative so it’s Fernando to the rescue to save our golf course from further destruction. 

Stay active out there on the golf course folks as the vultures are waiting near by.

 

(photos courtesy of Bill Wrightson)

Tidbits

The front nine of the golf course is open for play and play they will.  The grass looks a bit tender as the course is a full week earlier than normal but we must keep the golfers active and happy.  They should be pleased with the new sand traps, absence of pesky trees, fresh grass, etc. 

  The road entrance to the park was freshly paved and striped this week.  The new road surface really looks nice!!  We had some wonderful rain last night so there are a few puddles in my pictures, but you can see how nice the road looks.

The area in front of the game rooms (SanTan, Adobe, etc) is now striped off for golf carts and handicapped parking.
 

The pull through area for the over nighters now has numbered sites which will make it easier for the rangers getting folks settled into the right place.  It is very surprising to see how many overnighters come into the park every night.  Hopefully, they’ll like what they see and come back for a longer stay.

While I was out in the brisk morning air today checking on houses and looking for interesting pictures for this blog, I came across a friendly group of folks over on Oasis.  They were gathered around a big puddle that had formed on the street and claimed they now had lake front property.  Bev Ridout was peeking through her new window and enjoying the view.  Lorne said it is Bev’s new hideaway and she’s not allowed out anymore.  Say Howdy to these friendly folks and let them know you saw them on the blog! 
          
Cooper Painting got some more business here in the park after doing our home for us.  I saw them hard at work at site 1334 and again they have done a beautiful job.  Remember them if you need your house painted….inside or out.


 

Work in progress.  From pale blue to a beautiful latte brown.  Nice work!




There are more new village homes going in across from 1301.  I took these photos yesterday.  It is fun to watch how they can assemble the two parts of a house and make it all come together.
Among all the folks at work around the park, there is a lone dedicated fella by the name of Ralph Cooper who has been hard at work out on the softball field.  Ralph has put in a lot of hours out there grading, pruning, and watching over the field.  I’m already looking forward to the upcoming ballgames and those delicious hamburgers!!  To Ralph:  “On behalf of the spectators and fellow ball players, we salute you for all your hard work!”

That’s all for today folks as I have chores and housework calling me so I can go out and play after while.
P.S.  Thank you to the folks at Site 1118 for their awesome Halloween decoration which I’m using at the top of the blog.

Late Season Dust Storm

Monsoon season theoretically ended in September but Mother Nature seems to go by her own calendar as we had quite a significant surprise dust storm last night about 5:00 which sent folks scrambling for shelter.  From a beautiful clear afternoon, the dust and wind descended upon us with gusts up to 45 miles per hour.  Luckily no damage has been spotted or reported.
Verna Moore sent these pictures to show that you should never leave out your awning when leaving the park as you don’t know when sudden winds can appear.  She said it took four friendly caring fellow RVers to get the awning down and tucked away before it was damaged.


 
Here’s another weather related tip for when you pack up to leave your home at the mercy of the summer sun.  When placing a heat shield or reflective film in your window, be sure to place it between the window and your blinds…..not behind the blinds. 
This morning Don and I hopped in the golf cart to look for possible storm damage….but also just to enjoy the beautiful morning.  We stopped by the far northeast corner of the park to check out the new gardens that Jim Dawson has planted.  What a great way to garden in the desert!!


We could see remote control airplanes over at the airfield so decided to pay them a visit while we were out there.
Richard Beck, Dale Fountain, and Craig ?? (sorry Craig but I didn’t get your last name) were just finishing up as we arrived.
      
Then we noticed the new remote car race track!!!  Awesome!!  Richard was kind enough to demonstrate with his car but it turned out to be too fast for me and my little camera.  The car actually flew through the air when jumping over the dirt ramps.  I can’t wait to see an actual race.  Should be great fun and entertainment.  The field is still a work in progress so stay tuned as it gets further developed.
Sadly, the only action photo I got was when the car flipped over!

I have one more very nice picture still in the camera that I want to share.  I think the front door entrance to the registration desk looks soooo nice and inviting.  Congratulations to one and all who dressed up this area.

Welcome to the 2010-2011   season!