Palm Creek makes news again

Just found this nice article about one of our Palm Creek residents getting ready for the annual pottery sale.  Be sure to mark your calendars for the big date.

Desert Dwellers

Wild Man Phil was back again with another of his Desert Dwellers presentations.  He is the most entertaining speaker (and informative) that I've met in a long time.  He certainly kept our attention with all the critters he kept pulling out of his pockets. 

While he joked and told stories about the scorpions, we also learned how many there are, different kinds, wives tales, and sting remedies.

 

It was amazing to see how brightly the scorpions glow at night under a black light.

 

Then came the tarantula.  We heard the stories about male & female and how they lead separate lives.  Again, very informative but oh so entertaining.

 

 

Since I had arrived early I was fortunate?? to get a front row seat when Wild Man Phil pretended that the spider jumped from his hand.......and landed RIGHT AT MY FEET!!!  I was NOT expecting to become part of the show and really freaked out when the rubber spider landed.  I certainly added to the laughter of the audience when they saw my reaction and heard my hysterical scream.  I'm so glad no one else had a camera to record my tears of relief and hysteria.

 

Next came the really cool lizards.  This collared lizard was a real blue beauty with a yellow head.  He's the fastest critter since he stands up on his back two feet to run.

 

The Chuckwalla is a placid character who Phil proved could be cute and lovable.

 

And.....of course....there was the tale of Stumpy and how he came to live with Phil and his family.

Snakes??  Yes, they came out of Phil's pocket also.  Red and black:  friend of Jack.  Red and yellow:  kill a fellow

Phil will be back for one more presentation on February 19 when he talks about the birds and other wildlife found abundantly in Arizona.  I highly recommend his events for a great evening.  You can visit his website at:  www.wildmanphil.com

Casita gets a tree

The Casita spec at 1396 is really coming along nicely.  Today they planted a pretty date palm tree……not a simple operation. 

More

Tonight’s entertainment  was a 50s – 60s group singing and dancing to all the songs we grew up with in our younger years.  They were great AND at one point had the whole audience up in the aisles doing the twist.  Some of our residents wound up on stage for a couple skits too.  We all knew the words to the songs and had a wonderful nostalgic moment as we sang the theme song from the good old Mickey Mouse club.  Stop up in Activities and let Ann Lykens know how much we enjoyed the group so they get invited back another time.

Let’s Twist!!  May we never grow too old to laugh and have a spontaneous good time.

We even played a round of Name That Tune.

While out on my daily bike ride, I noticed some mounds of fresh dirt over where the new pickleball courts will be built.  Is this the first sign that construction will begin soon?

 

Tidbits

Life during the heart of the season is almost too busy to keep up with the blog so you just get a smattering of photos.

Although I couldn’t attend the Chili Cook-off last night, I am delighted to post a photo of the Winner!  Congratulations to Lynne Rogers!  I have personally sampled her chili on several occasions and I agree with the judges in that it is a WINNER.

Yesterday was another perfect weather day for softball.  There are games almost every Tuesday and Thursday now.  With Palm Creek having at least four teams, you’re sure to be there to cheer on friends…..and get a delicious hamburger!

No one won either of the big jackpot games at bingo Monday night!  That means the pots will be even bigger next week.  The lucky winners could go home with over $700 apiece.  The ballroom really gets crowded this time of year and can only seat 360 people.  BE SURE TO WEAR YOUR NAME TAG OR YOU DON’T GET TO PLAY! 

*Note to those who were in attendance:  Remember how I kept mentioning that G55 was a frequently called number?  My next door neighbor (Marion Gavin) only needed one number to complete her card for the final blackout where she stood the chance of winning over $300.  The one number she needed was G55 which never got called that game.  I don’t think she’ll ever let me live it down. 

I received this pretty hibiscus plant from a friend (Katie and Jerry O’Brien).  Isn’t it a beautiful color??  I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for the buds to open…like a kid waiting for Christmas.  Finally!

The computer club had a guest speaker from Best Buy today.  Charles was a wealth of information!  His main presentation was about tablets, ipads, etc but he had many tips and tricks to share with us as well.

Check out this handy cart our landscape crew uses to water or fertilize plants that may not be on an automatic sprinkler system.

That’s all for today folks.  I must run outside to play and enjoy this beautiful weather.

This Week

All aboard for the bus to the Arizona Opry!  What fun!  Not a single complaint about this entire entertaining evening.  The bus was nice and comfy giving us a smooth ride and a friendly driver, the roast beef dinner was delicious, and the entertainment was FANTASTIC! 

Did you know that George (the lead singer at the Opry) was the lead singer for the Tokens when they recorded “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”?  He is an extremely talented musician and vocalist.  Everyone on stage was GREAT, but George tops the list.  He can play every instrument on the stage and in one song he played the electric piano with one hand and played his trumpet with the other.  He can play the sax right side up or upside down.  Makes no difference.  We were there for the Rock and Roll show … and ROCK they did.  Awesome!

Saturday was another patio sale here in the park.  I was slow to pull out the camera and wish I would have taken more photos….but….oh well.  Some of our residents had tables out to sell their hand-made crafts.  Such talented people!  I did get a couple pictures of Ken Johnson and his wood projects.  Look at this beautiful collection of wine stoppers. 

I held my first official computer classes this week and learned a LOT.  From now on, I’ll split the Picasa class into a Level 1 and a Level 2.  There is so much COOL stuff to learn about the program that it is impossible to cram it all into one class.  Watch for future sessions on the clipboard in the Activities Office (Computer Classes).