Friday, August 31, 2012

Friday

We had another haboob dust storm late yesterday.  They just come unannounced and only last a short while....this one was about 20 minutes.  Unfortunately, no rain...just dust.  Winds were about 16 miles per hour which isn't strong enough to do any damage other than pile up dirt and debris in front of the door.
Fridays are very quiet out in the field due to the 4-day work week.
 Our PC crew is out there working on the wall around the sunken courts...getting it ready for the pour Monday night.  I think I'll stay up that night to watch the action.
 It's hard to believe that just yesterday this area was all dug up.  These guys really work fast!
Unless something really exciting happens this weekend, my next post will be Monday.  Have a great weekend!



Thursday, August 30, 2012

Thursday

APS has a big presence here this summer.  Still replacing the transformers with new upgraded equipment. It means those houses will be without electricity for about four hours during the changeover.  When it comes time to do our section, I believe Don and I will go downtown to run errands or see a movie where it is cool.  I will miss my AC even for four hours!

The last quadrant of courts was poured last night.  The sunken courts will be poured Monday night.


Digging trenches is still highly active.


Here is more activity for the electrical contractor.
  

With all the digging going on in the new construction area, I'm really quite surprised that we aren't finding more uprooted scorpions in the houses we watch.  We've found the little critters in six different homes so far but I would have thought we'd see more.  Keep watching for the little guys as I'm sure they're upset about being chased from their home turf.  We find them in sinks and bathtubs where they search for water and then can't get back out again.



Some of our residents are returning from their summer vacations.  Doreen (site 22) is back and was out to keep us company this morning as we watched the activity.


Kathy Creesan (who works up at the front desk) has returned from her summer trip to Alaska.  The office gang was happy to see her again.  That is Erica in the back (far right).  Her job as Guest Services Director is a new position.  I understand she will serve as a liaison between Activities, the front desk, mailroom, etc and will report to Wendell.  There was confusion when I first posted her picture on the blog as several people were worried that Erica was replacing Valerie.  Valerie says NO......"I'm still here!"

The wooden plenth that runs the perimeter of the lawn bowls court is now finished.



I don't hear much from the lawn bowls group.  How many people are on the roster??  I'll have to do some research and get some answers before season starts.  Maybe we can get them to start a blog like the pickleball and tennis folks do.  Any volunteers??


That's all for today folks!










Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Wednesday



Say Hello to the folks at water aerobics!  Thank you, Linda Berry, for dedicating all your time to this event over the years.

It was tour day with Jim Dawson once again.  I certainly have a new respect for construction crews after watching all this action for the past couple months.  AND I certainly am impressed with the plethora of knowledge that spews from Jim as he explains what each contractor is doing.  He knows them all by first name and he knows exactly what each person on each crew is doing.  His years of experience in the construction field are certainly valuable.

This crew is installed the fresh water lines to the entire area. 

Fresh water is installed through a loop system so that the water source comes from both ends of the system.  That prevents someone from being at the "end of the line" and getting poor pressure.
Sewer lines, fresh water lines, and electrical lines each have their own trench.  The trenches have to be separated from each other both in depth and distance between.  No wonder there is so much digging going on out there!




Blue pipe is fresh water.


Where the lines go around a corner or connect to another line, they wrap the junction in this special black plastic and then pour concrete over the connection.  This prevents the pipes from jolting when heavy pressure is run through the line.  The black plastic protects the bolts and junction in case they ever have to dig up the line again.


A different contractor is working on the electrical and communication lines.  Note the gray lines for electric.



Mr. Steffey from Steffey Excavating was looking for the electrical lines coming from Phase one of the park so he could make the connection.  In this day of high technology, he was using a witching stick to try to locate the buried lines.





By George......it works.  Here's what their site looked like the next morning.  When these guys dig into a project, they really DIG.



Back at the pickleball courts they're busy laying out the cable and getting ready to pour tonight. 

The sunken courts are close to being prepped.  The outside of the wall has been treated with a water resilient coating.  Then the moat or space behind the wall gets filled in.  When putting the dirt back behind a wall like this, the soil must be tamped or compacted back into position.


Also on our round with Jim yesterday, he stopped to show me some of the other routine maintenance jobs that our residents (including ME) never think about and just take for granted.  All the restrooms and showers get a major overhaul.  Eddie showed us how they pull down all the light fixtures, shower heads, shower curtains, ceiling vents, etc. and give everything a professional cleaning.  Shower rooms were also painted this year.

New emergency and outgoing phones were installed by the satellite stations.

 Tile floors get redone.

Okay.....I'm tired of sitting here uploading all these photos.  I have enough time to shower and then take a quick nap before I head up to the clubhouse to play cards.  This blog takes me many many hours.

Oh yes......the cactus plants loved that nice rain we had last week.








Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Tuesday

Oasis was obviously closed to through traffic this morning as the street is dug up for repair.  Luckily we could squeeze through in our cart.
Street repairs like this are happening throughout the resort.  Time to fix the cracked asphalt before they become potholes.  Always a smile and friendly wave from our hard working crew!!  I can just read their minds..........good grief, here she comes again with that crazy camera.
 
Another quadrant of courts was poured last night.  Another section is almost ready plus they're smoothing out and leveling the sunken courts.
 

APS trucks are plentiful in the park today as they're continuing with their upgrade of transformers.
 
It was interesting to see the inside of one of these boxes.  They have a special long safety pole that they use to connect and disconnect those big cables.

 
We asked why the transformers were being replaced.  The crew explained that the new transformers will provide four times the capacity of the older units.  This is needed for the power requirements of the big rigs and homes throughout the resort.  APS has had to replace several of the old transformers because they burned out.  Thus, it is time to upgrade so that doesn't happen anymore.

 

 

Monday

Okay....back on the job again.  I forgot to post on Monday and my spoiled readers were sending me emails to see what happened. 
 
We caught this crew at rest for a change.  Too bad they couldn't find a shady spot.
 
The layer of fine gravel has been applied and graded/smoothed.  Now the compactors are at work to tamp it all down.
 
The little grader with its fancy GPA leveling system is doing finishing touches.

Meanwhile....back at the main buildings, the painting crew is hard at work.  I would be grateful for that safety harness!

And no day is complete without a friendly hello from an owl.
 
 


 

Friday, August 24, 2012

Friday a.m.

Things look rather quiet out there this morning because of the 4-day work week.  Three sections have been poured so far and the other areas are being prepped.


Today is definitely street repair day.  Dig up the broken asphalt, haul it away, add dirt, smooth it all out, and pour concrete.
 

Fernando at the controls!
 

 
 
 
 
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