Construction Updates

Another new casita arrives.

 
 

 
It was a steady stream of big dump trucks yesterday!  Looks like most of the sublayer is down and is now getting compacted.  Pouring may start tomorrow if weather permits.

 
Summer monsoon sky is just awesome.  Always beautiful.

 

 
The construction company has a big street sweeper.  I learned that they are required by law to sweep Cottonwood Lane where the trucks come in and out to keep gravel off the roadway and avoid stone chips to windshields of cars.  It's very kind of them to also use that big machine to sweep our interior streets.  Thanks!

 

 
The purple Mexican sage is in bloom all over now.  Driving down McMurray is delightful with so many purple bushes.  I took a couple picture around the resort today.

 

 

 
I liked the reflection off the pond.

 
I have another correction on a previous blog post.  I thought the pink squares in this photo behind the bistro were for the fire pits but I was wrong.  The squares are where the steel beams will go for roof supports.  Must dig  holes for the footings.  There will be three fire pits plus a big fireplace available for our winter comfort.  This really should be a nice area when completed.

 
Funding from Sun Communities seems to keep pouring in to our lovely park.  I don't have photos to show of all the deliveries being made but we got some much needed golf carts this week including an 8-seater for the sales department, a new utility cart for the housekeeping staff, plus a regular cart for maintenance and one for the rangers.

Furniture:  We have new chairs or stools for the stained glass room, the sewing room, and the pottery room.  There are new chairs for the bridge room and for all the poker players.     AND....especially for our bingo players and the play performers we get an upgraded sound system.  Will get more details later.

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Have you visited Sun Communities website?  It is all updated now and includes links about Palm Creek.  If you click on "Join Our Team", and watch the video, you'll see some scenes from our resort along with some of our employees.  Very nice and professionally created. 
Sun Communities

Back in business

We have definitely been in the height of the monsoon season as we had rain or thunderstorms several days in a row!   Our desert and drought conditions love the rain but it certainly held up all the construction here at the park.  Mr. Sunshine is now back to his intense summer rays and is drying things up again.

 
Here come the gravel trucks to lay the sublayer for the roads.  We're expecting a parade of 56 truckloads today and the grader will be busy smoothing and compacting it all.  

 
Granite Drive is coming right along with its string of new houses....most of which are already sold.

 
The big dog run is all leveled out now.  Grass will be planted in early fall so it is nice and green when our residents return.

 
Ernesto is still at work in Palm Park.

 
Came across this pretty orange cactus this morning and listened to Don grumble when I made him stop for a photo.  

 

 

Concrete on the tennis courts has cured.  A crew was here yesterday and put the rails back up so the next step will be ready. 

 

 
A whole truckload of new trees has arrived and are ready for planting.  I don't know where their new homes will be though.....at least not yet.

 
The bistro area is back under control after clearing out all those trees and concrete debris.  I'm going to guess that the pink painted squares are where the fire pits will be located.  

 
Luis is busy sanding down each and every street corner sign post.

 
Nick follows closely behind with paintbrush in hand.

 
And then comes Lillie as she applies all the lettering and gets the signs ready for mounting.  The signs are made with a reflective coating so they'll be easier to read at night.

What a fun way to spend a hot afternoon in the nice cool air conditioning!  Ed Brown and Sam Cox got a helping hand and learned new apps for their iphones.  Now they can text, play games, use their flashlight apps, weather apps, organize each of the screens, but most importantly....read my blog on their phones.  They get gold stars for all their accomplishments!

 

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Many of you are asking about Steve Endsley.  Here is a copy of a recent email I received from him. 

Hello Sue,    I am doing ok. I am still very sore because it was a painful surgery. My old pain seems to be gone which is good. They took out my #10 thoracic vertebrate, building a cage like device from my #9 to #11 and filling that cage with my old bone marrow so my #9 #10 #11will be a solid vertebrate, or a fusion as they call it. I was in the hospital for 6 days coming home last Tues evening. I have to go really slow so my fusion takes hold. I am bored but what can I do, have to follow orders, I don't want to do this all over again. Well that's about it, take care and THANK YOU for all of your help. Sincerely  Steve Endsley   PS your blog is pretty awesome I enjoy looking at it.

Here's Steve's photo from back in his fit and healthy days.

Many of us certainly miss having Steve's Handyman Service available.  We wish him a very speedy recovery!

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CASA GRANDE NEWS:  
Sam's Club plans to open in spring of 2014

Thank you to Connie Morin for being my loyal newspaper reporter.  Since she subscribes to the Dispatch, she brings over any articles she finds that may be of interest to blog readers.

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Take time to read the page on this blog called "Notes from Fellow Residents".  Some of you have sent newsy items to share.  Here's a link:  

Notes from Fellow Residents

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Have a GREAT day!

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A first-grade school teacher had twenty-six students in her class. She presented each child in her classroom the first half of a well-known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are first graders, six-year-olds, because the last one is a classic! 1. Don't change horses until they stop running. 2. Strike while the bug is close. 3. It's always darkest before Daylight Saving Time. 4. Never underestimate the power of termites. 5. You can lead a horse to water but how? 6. Don't bite the hand that looks dirty. 7. No news is impossible. 8. A miss is as good as a Mr. 9. You can't teach an old dog new math. 10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll stink in the morning. 11. Love all, trust me. 12. The pen is mightier than the pigs. 13. An idle mind is the best way to relax. 14. Where there's smoke there's pollution.. 15. Happy the bride who gets all the presents. 16. A penny saved is not much. 17. Two's company, three's the Musketeers. 18. Don't put off till tomorrow what you put on to go to bed. 19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and you have to blow your nose. 20. There are none so blind as Stevie Wonder. 21. Children should be seen and not spanked or grounded. 22. If at first you don't succeed get new batteries. 23. You get out of something only what you see in the picture on the box. 24. When the blind lead the blind get out of the way. 25. A bird in the hand is going to poop on you. And the WINNER and last one! 26. Better late than pregnant.

Cheer for Maurice

I just read through Maurice's blog telling all about the transplant games in Africa.  It sounds awesome!!  Under each day's post, you can click on "comment" and leave him a message of encouragement.  I'm sure he would love to hear from ALL of you even if you don't know him on a personal basis.  Let him know all us "Creekers" are behind him.

Maurice's Blog

Happy Birthday to ME!

I'm writing this Thursday night and will post on Friday.  I took the day off today for fun and games.

What a wonderful birthday I had today!  I was supposed to be going to an iPad class but it turned out to be a surprise birthday party!!  What FUN!  And I must say thank you also to the emails and facebook popup messages I received.  My computer just kept pinging away tonight.

Our fellow resident, Maurice Parobec, should be in South Africa now for those transplant Olympic games.  We wish him well.  It will be exciting to see how he does and hear about his stories.  He will try to post on his blog when opportunity permits so be sure to follow his adventures.  I'm sure many of you have met Maurice or at least been present to watch him play at all the sports games here.....especially pickleball, tennis, and softball.  It's an awesome story of a man given a second chance at life due to a heart transplant.

Click here for Maurice's blog and then save it in your favorites.

Maurice Parobec

We were having a great time up at the pool but it was raining so hard that we finally gave up because it was too hard to see with it raining into our faces.  By the time I scrambled up to my camera most everyone had already left the pool but it was fun while it lasted.  Being down in the water when the big raindrops hit the surface of the pool was awesome!  Each rain drop bounced/splashed up into the air about an inch.  Wish I would have had a camera in the water with us.  That would have been an award winning photo!

We seem to have some rain every day for the last week or so.  It's great for our desert but it will probably hold up road construction for a while.  It's still too soupy to get the big equipment out there.  Our weather has been more than interesting.  Lots of cloud cover, some fast moving dirt storms, and thunderstorms.  

Ta da.....Another sky picture.

Our new painted street signs are finally going back up.  Don and I certainly miss them as we drive around for our house watch chores.

There are always maintenance chores occurring around the park.  Many dollars are spent in maintenance that we as residents don't see but taking care of a place this beautiful requires a lot of care.  Here is another sample of what it takes to repair an underground water valve.

There's not much else to write about today.  The wet ground has slowed construction quite a bit.  We need our good old hot sun to dry things up once again.  

This article appeared in the Casa Grande Dispatch this week.  It shows Cate Leu donating $16,500 to the American Cancer Society on behalf of Palm Creek.  All of you who participated in the many fund raising events we held here had FUN for a good and worthy cause.

Wednesday - drying out from the rain and our potters at work

Found another hole dug next to the pretty casita building.  Looks like someone else is going to try one.

 

 
Streets are slowly drying out from our big rain storm.

 

Got together with "the girls" for some jewelry making yesterday.  Great way to spend a hot afternoon in doors with friends. 

 
The pottery people are having fun creating all kinds of art work.

 
This cute frog is going to be a fountain with the water coming down from his tongue.  Very creative!!

 

 

 
Leo is making some cute pencil holders in the shape of apples.  He says he has made a lot of them in the past as his grandkids give them as Christmas presents to their teachers.  Great idea!

 
Ernesto is hard at work at Palm Park and will be doing so for the next couple weeks.  It's a BIG project!

 

 
I always have time for a cute dove photo.  Here's Mom and her not so cute baby.

We found a cute little praying mantis on one of the houses this morning.  

Last but not least, I'll add in just a couple pictures we took along our way this morning.  The recent rains are really making everything green again.

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My thoughts exactly!!