Monday Morning Tour

Hi Everybody--
Same old boring news here.....beautiful sunshine and 70+ degrees.  :) 
I took a morning bike ride with camera in hand.  Spotted this shrub at site 1366 and had to stop to study it a bit.  Does anyone know what this is??  It is LOADED with little red berries.  Wow.  There was no one home at the time so couldn't ask for info.

 

 
I stopped over by the new pickleball courts and watched a few matches taking place.  Mark Nelson stopped by and said I should tell Wendell that they'll be asking for more courts soon as all 24 courts were reserved and occupied all morning.  We certainly have a LOT of players here and they love our new courts.

There was lots of action at the softball field too.  I watched the practice session for quite a while.  I'm really impressed with how hard these guys can hit a ball.  I cheer for the batter when he gets a beautiful hit and then I cheer for the outfielder who manages to catch the ball.  Good work, guys!

Mark your calendars for some time on Thursday and come cheer for our Palm Creek teams.  Come around lunch time and get a good burger at the grill while you're at it.  Here's the Thursday schedule...you can always read the current times by checking into their blog at:  http://palmcreekballteams.blogspot.com/


THURSDAY JAN 30-

 9:00 AM Palm Creek Roadrunners vs Palm Creek Copperheads
10:15 AM Fiesta Rancheros vs Palm Creek Rattlers
11 30PM :Palm Creek Sidewinders vs Fiesta Grande Scoprions
12:45 PM Sundance Colts vs Sundance Mustangs
 2:00 PM Palm Creek Diamondbacks vs Robson Ranch Rangers

                               SEE YOU A THE BALL FIELD 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
While riding back home, I stopped by to check on another big patio being built behind the Wheeler residence on Oasis. 
 

 

Across the golf course, I viewed another home in progress.  Looks very nice behind that wall that Ernesto and crew built this past summer.

 

 

AND.....another new home is being installed.  Nancy Paupst from the sales office says they've sold 23 new homes along the course already.  I'm getting quite envious.

 

 

Next I went home to get Don and we scurried over to the Bistro for our usual Monday lunch.  We like to make a habit of going up there on Mondays to enjoy the fresh burgers and a great chance to chat with old and NEW friends.  It's a great place for socializing while enjoying good food.

 

I'm glad we're retired and weren't in a hurry to get through the line though as it was LONG.   

 

 

We took advantage of the wait and met new friends along the way. 

The new seating area is really nice! 

 

That's the morning tour.  Enjoy your day.

__________________

 

 

P.S.  Someone sent me a photo of the two feet of snow in Chicago.  LOL

 

 

 

 

 

It's a Sunbow Day

It's chilly outside today with winds out of the north bringing a gray overcast sky and temps only in the mid 60s.  That's quite a difference from the usual bright sunshine and upper 70s we've enjoyed for the last several weeks.  It's a good excuse to stay indoors and catch up on some computer work.  No special news or stories to tell you ............BUT..........Lee Ingram called me early this afternoon and said I should be sure to go outside and see the "Sunbow".  The what??

Wikipedia describes it as:    (Physical Geography) a bow of prismatic colours similar to a rainbow, produced when sunlight shines through spray.

Sure enough, there was a large circular rainbow surrounding the sun up high in the gray sky.  Of course you had to wear sunglasses to see it or go blind....but it was quite a marvel to see.  I wanted a photo but if I pointed my little camera up there, I'd probably burn out the lens so I called Laurel Wineinger.  Laurel is one of the gurus from the Photo Club.  She mounted a special lens on her fancy camera and got a lovely photo for me.  Thank you, Laurel.  Now we can share it with all of you.  I love the way she cleverly shielded the bright ball of sun with a palm tree.  Awesome!!

Patio Lunch every Wednesday

Wednesday -- Just another beautiful day in sunny Arizona at 75 degrees.  What are you folks back east and up north doing today?  We're here having a fantastic lunch on the patio in the warm sunshine, mingling with friends, listening to music, watching the birds, and perhaps watching the gang playing water volleyball in the pool.  Thank you to our kitchen staff for another great meal.

 
Thank you to Dolores Forbis and Larry Marik for entertaining us once again.

 

It's a lovely day for this event.  Soak up that sunshine! 

 

It was TACO SALAD day......second to none.  Awesome! 

 

I took a round about way home after lunch to take some photos of Wednesday activity.  The pool room was in full use. 

 

The rigs were lined up to check in.  The more the merrier! 

 

I spotted some of our devoted deadheaders busy at work keeping our gardens beautiful.  Thank You!  I hear they have about 30 volunteers in this group and are still looking for more help.

 

 

 

Dee Dee was busy teaching a couple's dance.  It was fun to watch. 

 

The sewing room is always busy.   

 

Pottery folks were working at their favorite craft. 

 

 

 

 

The Stained Glass studio was busy too as everyone was diligently working on a project. 

 

 

Of course, the card room is never empty.  Afternoons are reserved for Hand and Foot or whatever card game you and your friends should choose. 

 

Lawn Bowlers were enjoying the sunshine. 

 

ALL the tennis courts were busy. 

 

 

 

The wonderful thing about Palm Creek is that you can stay just as busy as you want.  Some of us prefer more solitude and this looks like fun too!

 

 

Have a GREAT day!

 

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Casa Grande Street Fair

The city of Casa Grande had a HUGE Street Fair and Car Show this weekend.  It was a great success judging by the number of vendors, food booths, and activities on the stage.  There was a huge crowd turnout each day!  I think it was the largest event they've sponsored.

I didn't take many photos but I do want to share a couple store owners that we met along our journey.  Need any flowers or decorations for your new home here?  Make sure to stop in at "Birds and Blossoms" in old town.  Their showroom and whole complex are beautifully decorated and the owners are super friendly and cordial.  I've heard many compliments about their store but this was my first visit.  It's beautiful!!  And they have a lovely apartment and patio set up in the back of the store.  Dean Vestal explained that they will even let small groups of card players or meetings to gather in the back room.  They can even have meals catered in from various restaurants in the area. 

 

 Another GREAT downtown shop is Inge's Fashions owned and operated by Inge Buchholz.  She has lovely women's clothing..........and plenty of lovely selections for us "fluffy" size  ladies.  :)
 

 

Stop in at these stores and tell them you read about them on the Palm Creek blog!

Shopping for some gifts??  Please consider shopping at these privately owned stores instead of running to the nearest big box corporate franchise. 

 

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Uh Oh.............I just checked in on the Seahawks game and I figure I better go to the living room and start cheering them on.  See ya around the ranch!

 

Just a Monday Around the Park

Here I am busy at work having my morning coffee and preparing for another computer class.  Microsoft has complicated my life once again by coming out with the new Windows 8 operating system.  How do I teach a class when half the students are on Win 7 and others on Win 8??  It means having TWO computers side by side so I can tell students how to get from one location to another.  Whew!  I must admit that the more I work on Windows 8.1, the better I like it.  It has some wonderful features.
 
After my study session, I just drove around for a while to enjoy the beautiful weather and ever present sunshine.  With camera in hand, I just clicked a few photos to share with you so you quit complaining.  LOL

The chorus was busy practicing for their spring concert.

 
The duplicate bridge players were busy trying for a grand slam.

 

 
Folks at the front desk hard at work.

 

 
The library was a nice quiet place to puzzle or read.  Lots of folks just stop in to read the daily newspaper which is always available on the table.

 
The Activities Office is seldom quiet.  Congratulations to MaryAnn Brown (center) for her new position as Activities director.  Her fun and warm personality will be put to good use here.

 
The lawnbowlers were out in full force.

I noticed all the tables and chairs set up already in preparation for Tuesday's upcoming Craft Fair.

 
In the ballroom, the gracious volunteers were setting up tables and chairs for the weekly Monday night bingo game.  We seldom think about all the work involved in setting up for an event.  Without helpful volunteers, we'd be in sad shape.  Volunteering is FUN and a great chance to meet new people and get involved in your favorite events.

 

We all LOVE the comfort of our new chairs but they are a bit more difficult to put up and take down for events.  No complaints though as we all enjoy our comfort.  Thank you to this group of volunteers.
After the bingo event, the pickleball folks come charging in to take down all the chairs and tables and tuck them neatly away.  This day though they'll be rearranging everything in preparation for the craft fair.

 
Since I was just walking around, I want to remind everyone to take time to enjoy the flowers all over the park.  They look so nice!  Thanks to the ground crew for planting and our wonderful deadheader volunteers for keeping the beds looking so nice.

 
The bulletin board out on the sidewalk is full of exciting fun events.  Some busy little elf creates all these nice signs for display.

 
AND......always a big thank you to the folks who staff the welcome stand for all the incoming guests.

 
Later that afternoon, Don and I were guests at the Nunley's lovely new home over on Granite Road.  Some of the homes along this street have BEAUTIFUL spacious patios built and crafted by Jim Dawson's talented crew.  I'm envious of their nice entertainment space.

 

 
It's a great view overlooking our luscious golf course.  This little cluster of ducks were enjoying a nice shady spot there too.

 
It's fun to watch the golfers tee off and hear words of comfort when they DON'T end up in the creek.

 
Later Monday night, we had a big turnout for the bingo game

There are 4 or 5 of us that take turns being the caller and this was my turn again.  How fun!  I'm too active and flighty to sit still and just call numbers so like to add a few comments now and then to make sure everyone is awake and paying attention.  By the way......#55 is my lucky number!  

Another BIG thank you to the pickleball folks who come in to pick up the chairs and tables.  Your help is truly appreciated!

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Now it's Tuesday afternoon and I'm back at my desk to post this.  Had to take time for the craft fair this morning first though.  Enjoyed a nice chat with Bob Herinck and his wife Alice as they staff a booth every month to showcase Bob's "other hobby".  Bob is a highly skilled craftsman when it comes to his wood working.  I bought my third piece from him this morning.  See the beautiful urn there on the right?  That's MINE now.  Thanks, Bob.  Did you know that "Painter Bob" as he is known will be 81 next week AND he and Alice will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in March!!  Yes, this is the same Bob that climbs ladders, walks around on roofs, and paints houses inside and out all year long.  Congratulations!

 
The craft fair was really busy but I didn't take time for many photos.  I was amused at the number of bicycles and golf carts, and cars showing a great turnout for the event.

 
That's my post for the day.  Hope you enjoyed the tour.