Greetings

    

No……this is not the same picture I posted yesterday.  This is from today and it will probably look the same again tomorrow and the next day and the next day. 

With the weather so hot outdoors, it is nice to have an opportunity to get out (to someplace cool), mingle with friends, have a good meal, etc. etc.  Today was a pizza lunch as a thank you to all the Palm Creek employees and volunteers.  Residents were welcome to join in too but they had to buy a ticket.  No problem.

 

We cooked up 18 of these monstrous pizzas and served them with a yummy Caesar salad, big cookie, and some ice cream bars.  Linda and Diane wanted the pizzas to be a little special of course, so we added 12 pounds of shredded cheese, an extra layer of pepperoni, and a couple cans of mushrooms.  Yum.  There were at least four different kinds of pizzas to choose from.   Washing all those pizza pans was a chore but we always manage to have fun, smile, and laugh a lot.   I was too busy to get a lot of photos, but we passed the camera around the kitchen a couple times for some fun laughs.

Our maintenance, landscape, golf course, and housekeeping crews definitely deserve a nice luncheon and respite from the hot weather.  Their chores are hard work and it is HOT outside these days.  When you come back to Palm Creek this fall, you can enjoy all the fruits of their labor as they strive to keep the park looking its best for us.  There are always items that need refreshed, replaced, updated, etc. etc. 

Crews are still working on cleaning out the creeks that run through the golf course…..and what a job that is!  We watched for a while yesterday as the guys moved some of the huge rocks along the edge, shoveled out mud and sludge, and spray washed the channels.  I think they’re rearranging some of the large boulders so crews will be able to mow and trim a lot easier.  That long creek is a very labor intensive job to keep the grass trimmed close.

Meanwhile, more trimming is occurring over by the rose garden.

Picking up all those palm branches is no easy chore either as each branch is lined with sharp thorns along the stems.

The flowers in the bed in front of our house are definitely on their last legs now that summer is upon us.  They should get pulled for the season but I don’t have the heart to disrupt the little jungle our tree lizards are enjoying.  We love watching the little critters as they scurry around catching bugs and basking in the sunshine.  We’ve seen as many as five at a time and love watching their antics as they chase each other around and do their little lizard dances.  They’re quite camera shy, however, or I’d have video for you to enjoy.

I received these next couple photos from Kent and Leslie Evans today.  Their park model is over on the golf course by the big pond on #13 so they’re my wildlife photographers for the birds and critters they see there.  Here is their latest contribution.

 

That’s my story for today.  Hope you enjoyed it.  Thank you for signing my guestbook at the top of the page.  Your comments keep me motivated to write more often and I love seeing where you are for the summer.  Remember to click on “guestbook” at the top of the main page.  Thanks, and have a GREAT day!

Triple Digits

Okay…..I’m done bragging about our beautiful spring weather.  Need I explain why?

Normally, Don and I always have our first cup of morning coffee out on the patio before the temperature rises but when I awoke at 6:00 this morning, I could hear the air conditioner still working so I just rolled over and went back to sleep.  No cool temps on the patio any more for a while.  When it gets this hot, the AC never shuts off even though we keep it set at  80.  Would you like to trade electric bills with us for the summer?  I’m really anxious to hear results from those who opted for the new solar systems.

I came across the APS guy (Arizona Power System) while he was out reading meters the other day.  Some of the reps stay in their truck and read meters through binoculars but this young gent opted to walk the route.  He has a little electronic gizmo with him that doesn’t measure mileage but does count his steps.  So far that morning he had logged 7,486 steps.  I’m betting with temps this high he’ll be back in his truck next week.

Also came across this gorgeous creature the other morning as he dined on the remains of one of our precious morning doves.  It was probably quite comical watching me sneak from one building to the next as I tried to get closer.

Now that we seem to have the drain flies under control, there are still occasional surprises as we do our house watch errands.  Found this little bugger in a sink.  Though I hesitate to needlessly kill any of Mother Nature’s little critters, this fellow soon met his demise as I wasn’t going to gently lift him out of the sink for release.  (Thank goodness for a zoon lens.)

Here is just a casual picture of the palm tree by my driveway. 

It tells two stories.  1)  The palms have summer-time branches of pretty white flowers, and 2) the trees will really need a heavy duty haircut this fall due to all the dead branches from the heavy winter frost.  The trees up at the club house bear fruit each year that can really mess up the sidewalk so it looks like they’re getting a head start on trimming there to avoid the windfall.  This crew climbs up and then scoots down via a rope repel system or zip line.  It’s a long way up there!

In years past, all this debris would be hauled to the city landfill.  Don was known to sometimes make 6-8 trips a week during trimming season.  Now these branches go to the composting site at the far north side of the park where it is turned into valuable mulch saving the park thousands of dollars over a season.

Do any of you readers know what kind of tree this is??  It has the strangest fruit.  Never saw it before.

I hear we’re going to have a BIG new puppy park by next season located out near the garden area.  The site is leveled off and has some little flags up marking the perimeter.  I guess there will be some kind of fence or barrier to surround it but I don’t know any details yet.  Right now it just looks like flat dirt but I’m certain when it’s done, the dogs will be happy for a larger place to run and play.

Speaking of play………..we spotted this cute golf cart parked up at the north pool the other day.  Cute, huh!

More Gatherings

Greetings to one and all! 

Happy Fathers Day!  We enjoyed a delicious meal of brisket, fried potatoes, cole slaw,and a most delicious apple spice cake for dessert.  The men in the crowd were greeted at the door with a free beer or choice of fruit punch. 

 

I’ve never been a fan of brisket for dinner as it has always proven to be tough or stringy…..but I must say, this meal was really very good.  The brisket was prepared at Tom’s BBQ Restaurant over on Cottonwood and it was great.  I guess they cook it for over 8 hours.  They brought a big jug of BBQ sauce that we could put over it, but Linda Balzan also made a most delicious horseradish sauce that was even better.  I heard that the wonderful apple spice cake was a recipe from the new upcoming Palm Creek cookbook and was donated by Gene Berry.  It was awesome!  Thank you, Gene, for sharing!  According to the recent park news letter, the cook books will be available sometime in mid July.  Call Diane Gaines at 8969 or guest services to reserve your copy.  ($20)

 

		Fathers Day VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

Summer Solstice Pool Party

At 105 degrees today it was perfect weather for a pool party.  Lots of folks showed up to enjoy a water pistol barrage and a fun game of volleyball along with (of course) a lot of delicious food.

		POOL PARTY VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Newsy Newsletter this month!

1.  New water machines are being installed at the north and south laundries and behind the ballroom.  North and ballroom machines will accept $1 bills.

2.  The owls across the street are going to be relocated by Wildlife Rescue to a new habitat.  I was so hoping it would be over here on our side of Henness Road so we could stay close but the agency says they will announce the new location later.  The local Boy Scouts will be helping with the move.

3.  The compost pile will be relocated further to the northeast area of the resort.  I have a blog story coming about the ongoing program but need more time to write.

4.  Creek cleaning has taken longer than anticipated but will show a big improvement in the future.

5.  We’re having a pizza luncheon on Tuesday, June 28 at 11:30.

6.  July 4 BBQ will be served with brats, burgers, baked beans, mac and cheese, etc..

7.  Favorite casserole night will be Wednesday, July 27 in the ballroom.

8.  Next park Bingo is set for Monday, July 18.

9.  Pool parties are planned for each Tuesday night at 6:00.

10.  A reminder was posted to NOT feed the birds, the fish, ferrell cats, rabbits or other wildlife.

11.  Chick-fil-A is hosting ANOTHER free breakfast for Palm Creek residents on July 21 and again on August 18.

12.  Luminaire bag decorating starts again in the Zuni Room Monday thru Friday from 10am – 3pm.

13.  Palm Creek cook books go on sale in mid July for $20.  Sign up now to reserve a copy.

14.  Pre-emergence weed spraying will begin next month in an effort to handle those determined Arizona weeds.

Those are most of the items listed in our newest newsletter.  When I get some time this weekend, I’ll scan and post the whole paper for you. 

With all this in mind, don’t ask what we do with all our free time in the summer months.  We’re busy!