Beams for the Bistro

I thought I was going straight to Photo Club this morning but when I got up to the clubhouse area there was too much excitement to watch so I missed the first half of the meeting.  I had to stop and watch a crew hoist these HUGE wooden beams up to the pergola roof by the bistro.

The beams are Douglas Fir and weigh over 1200 pounds EACH.

  
A very careful driver managed to get this huge crane inside the fenced area.  The big boom had to reach all the way out to the street over the tree tops to pick up the beams.

 

 
Here comes Fernando with another load.

 
Here is the first beam ready for its sky ride over the trees.

 
Up Up Up

 
Way up high...

 
Then back down in place.  Next it will get sanded and finished off for painting to match the other steel beams already in place.

 

 
Here comes the last beam which had to stretch all the way over the building.

 

 
Safely locked in position.

 

 
While all the construction is happening, we could also watch the water volleyball action over in the pool.

After the last beam was in place, I headed back toward the photo club meeting but on the way I spied the Red Work sewers at their weekly session so stopped in to say Howdy and find out what they were doing.  They explained that they just get together sorta like a sewing bee and each works on their individual project.  It's a friendly time to chat and share hobby interests.

The whole area seemed to be teeming with people so thought I'd do a little tour with camera in hand.  Next came the yoga class.  The room was full but I could only get half the participants in the picture.

Oh yes!  I haven't seen the pottery room since the residents have moved in.  There were many potters busy at work......and they LOVE their new spacious room!

Making a set of rice bowls.

This is going to be a cute little garden gnome as soon as Libby can get his hat to stay on.  I love his cute little feet.

Vases and bowls in the making at the potter wheels.

Next on the line of crafters was Stained Glass.  They have all kinds of projects going on in there.  There was a table full of mosaic work.  Very nice!

Finally I got to my original destination at the photo club and I sneaked quietly through the back door in time to watch most of a video from a famous photographer.  It was a fascinating and informative talk about photo composition and I could give my little point and shoot camera a much needed rest after the morning tour.

Catching Up

I have a few pictures to share finally.  This season seems busier than ever with so many fun things to do that the blog is taking a far back seat.  Then I start receiving emails from folks who aren't here yet or who have relatives back home that are waiting for an update.  Soooo...I shall briefly post again.  

Our weather has been absolutely beautiful day after day after day.  Finally the weatherman now says we should have some rain tomorrow or Saturday.  Good for us!  Rain in the desert is always appreciated.  Look at the beautiful green grass on the golf course.  

 
Don and I stopped to chat with friends along the way and I couldn't help but sneak a few pictures of players who were digging out their golf ball from the creek.

 
These gals are just putting the ball picker away after pulling out a tee shot also.

Some folks complain about kids and their cell phones.  Check out Vic and Jim.....wouldn't it be easier to talk instead of just texting each other?  LOL

 

 This summer we had a Pampered Chef party that was a lot of fun and informative so we asked Diane Gaines to bring our host back this season.  We had a HUGE turnout.  Rachel Thomas is an excellent rep for the Pampered Chef line and she generates a lot of enthusiasm for her products.  All the proceeds from the party will be donated to the Cancer Center here in Casa Grande.

 

 
The wall along the north perimeter of Palm Park is making progress.  It will be quite attractive when finished.

 
Did I mention how big it is?  Huge!

 

Here's a quick photo of the Bodacious Beaders group that meets in the North Sororan room on Thursday afternoons.  Just bring a project to work on and join the group.  They're a very friendly bunch are willingly assist anyone who is stuck on a project or wants to ask questions. 
Kay Oliver is their fearless leader.

 

 
Over 560 residents are now logged onto the new Nextdoor program which is like an electronic bulletin board for in park members only.  It's like a restricted "buy, sell, trade program" on the internet.

 
Sandy Morin has started this in our community so she shared some information and ideas about the project at our recent comuter club meeting.

 

 As Porky Pig used to say, ":Tha-a-a-aaat's all folks!

Activities & Stuff

Okay Gang......it's getting harder and harder to find time to blog!!  Too much fun going on with all the residents coming back so soon this year.  We had our big annual Welcome Home party this past Saturday and it was an overwhelming success.  There were about twice as many people as expected and the place was jumping with activity.  The only problem with this huge crowd is that our poor kitchen staff was unprepared for so many people.  We had long lines and ran out of food.  Beer was donated by Budweiser so naturally that well ran dry as well.  I don't think anyone truly suffered though as the weather was perfect, there were so many friends to chat with...........and we didn't starve either.  We munched on free potato chips, ice cream bars, and iced tea.  

Monday morning was the first meeting of the Photo Club for the season.

 

I'm going to join again this year but will silently sneak out the back door when they start talking about F stops, aperture settings, focal lenses, etc.  My little point and shoot camera never leaves the auto setting and suits me just fine.  I still like to attend though to see the awesome beautiful photos these folks bring to the meeting each week.  I wish there was some way to share their work so you could all see their photos.  I try to talk them into a blog of some sort but I guess they need to protect their photos as their own property.

 
I still learn a lot about photo composition....little tricks of the trade....where to stand and what angle to look for to get the best photo.  There is ALWAYS something to learn even for rookies like me.  I also truly enjoy the Photoshop Elements workshops they conduct.

 

 
In the afternoon, I needed to sneak into the Ocotillo Room to work on the TV connection.  Liz was conducting her card stamping class so I took the liberty of sneaking around the room to see the great projects they were completing.  

 

 
They were busy bees but also had the opportunity to chat and make new friends.

 
Here is the instructor.....Liz.

 
She must have spent her whole summer getting these kits ready for her eager students.  I guess you just choose a card kit and sit down to create your finished item.  Whenever I receive one of these beautifully handmade cards, I hate to throw them away.  

 

 It was a beautiful day for golf too.  There must have been some kind of special outing or something because we saw so many people backed up at this tee box.  

 
The golfers still had fun though.

 
Today was our first craft fair of the season.  Many new vendors plus some of my favorites returned.  The most fun today was having lunch with friends out on the patio....and later having a cold drink at the new bistro.  

I'll keep posting a couple times a week but no more daily posts.  I plan to keep busy with other projects.  Besides............I'm hoping management will start posting stuff on their new blog during season.  You can find it on the palmcreek website.  Go to www.palmcreekgolf.com

Then click on "My Community" and then on "Blog".  The park also has a Facebook page if you're willing to sign up for Facebook but nothing has been posted since September.  I don't think anyone has time to keep up with it.  Too much other stuff to do to keep us entertained.