Balloon Team + More

 

Palm Creek Golf and RV

Cancer Awareness Balloon Regatta

 

Friday – February 06, 2015 – evening “Glow”

Saturday morning – February 07, 2015 – Morning Flights 

Volunteer Opportunities 

We are beginning the planning for our annual Palm Creek Cancer Awareness event and the need for volunteers is paramount to a successful event. Your participation will ensure we have a spectacular Balloon Glow, as well as our annual “Flights for Cancer Awareness”  fundraiser. 

This year, our Balloon Meister – John Ross, has arranged to grow the event to having ten (10) balloons light up Palm Park as our cancer survivors march back into the celebration area. In fact, there will be a really special shape, “Betty Jean, the Butterfly”, to help us celebrate!  That aircraft requires about ten volunteers to safely put it up and take it down. (much large!) 

What is needed are volunteers to work with each pilot to ensure a safe balloon glow on Friday evening. It takes about 3-5 people to get the balloon assembled and set up, as well as to take down and put it all away.  We will have a meet and greet with the volunteers and pilots at 5:00 pm Friday evening in the Santan Room. A dinner will be provided before we go out to accomplish the event. We will stand the aircraft up around 6:20pm and take down around 7:30pm.  Everything should be wrapped up by around 7:45 that evening.

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Saturday morning, approximately 4-5 balloons will again fly from the ball park area. The passengers ride fees will again be totally donated to the Cancer Awareness Fund. Again, about 3-5 volunteers would be needed for each balloon. We would meet at around 7am, brief everyone and then assemble the balloons and have about a 30 – 45 minute flight. After taking the aircraft down and putting it back in the truck / trailers, I would estimate you would be back in the park around 9am. 

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Everyone always asks the same question or expresses a concern about lifting heavy objects. We try and avoid that and work ‘smarter” not “harder” to avoid any undue stress. 

This event will only happen if we can get enough dedicated volunteers to ensure a safe and enjoyable evening / morning.   Please volunteer for either or both events.

Sign up NOW to avoid last minute recruiting needs.

 

 

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Reminder of our Geeks on Tour upcoming events and classes.  All of us have some kind of electronic device where we have questions or need guidance.  Come visit with Jim and Chris Guld as they conduct their classes in December.  See the link at the top of this blog for a full description of time and place.  Sign up in the Activities Office.  The first class is FREE.

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I overheard some residents asking about the children's Giving Tree.  Yes....we will again have the opportunity to buy gifts for the Foster children here in Pinal County.  A Christmas tree will soon be decorated and on display in the hallway of the main office building.  Pick a card from the tree which represents a foster child who can use your support at Christmas time.

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Here's a beautiful photo of sunset at Palm Creek this week.  Thank you, Barb Poole.

 

 

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How's this for a Florida Halloween costume??!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a favorite for all you ATV and Jeep rider folks.  Will you step up and warn this fellow.......................or just stand back and watch it happen???

 

 

 

 

 

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And for our Canadian friends, we have some photographs of the nasty vandalism that occurs in their country at this time of year.  They would never get away with this mischief in Casa Grande!!

 

 

 

 

 

(Thank you to Jeanette Girard for sending these.)

 

Pet Ambassador

Most cat friendly country: United States
With a pet cat population of 76.43 million feline friends, the United States dominates the world stage for most cat friendly country in the world.

Most dog friendly country: United States

Similarly, America more than doubles the amount of pet dogs any other country has, with a dog population of 61.1 million.

I read these statistics on the internet this morning and related them to our recent pet expansion here at Palm Creek.  It's certainly true that many RV owners are traveling with pets these days.  In fact, many RVers are traveling by motor coach specifically because of their pets rather than traveling commercially.  Thus the need for more pet friendly facilities.

In response to some recent incidents in the new pet section, I received this note from Jim Dawson.

Palm Creek has always had a good reputation for being a ‘Pet Friendly’ community.  A fair share of funding has been spent to build nice Dog Parks and money is budgeted every year to maintain the Dog Parks.  The most significant improvement made 4 years ago was for the budgeting of what we refer to as a Pet Ambassador.  Palm Creek now has a Pet Ambassador.  A simple job description:  This person must love animals.  You will travel from dog park to dog park on a daily basis and dump waste stations on a regular schedule.  You will also hose down and disinfect the waste stations, the walkways, the curbs and the bushes surrounding the dog parks. In the Pet Sections, you will be running the street sweeper on a regular basis to make sure that gravel that is kicked on to the curb by dogs is kept to a minimum.  If you notice one of our Residents or Guests not following any pet rules, you will report it to the Facilities Department immediately.  While you are performing these duties, you are asked to get to know our Pet Owners; ask them if there is anything we’re missing?

Palm Creek is known for having wonderful pet facilities.  Management and Staff are proud of the program we have and plan to expand and improve our facilities even more in the future.  We are working on a way to wash off the bases of light poles and fire hydrants on a regular basis.  Soon you could have a pet washing station!

Demographics suggest that more and more people are traveling with their pets. It would be most pleasant if we could all accept the fact that Palm Creek had to make a decision about converting spaces from Non-Pet to Pet.  Empty but desirable spaces were remaining vacant.  The Reservations desk was turning away transient RVers travelling with pets.  A decision has been made based on facts.  

Here is a salute to our dedicated Pet Ambassadors:

Vickie Vaughn

Just another day

Yesterday was another day of absolutely beautiful weather.  Couldn't ask for more....especially when the rest of the country (and Canada) are under snow and freezing temperatures.

 

It was a perfect day for lunch at the local Bistro.  Thank you Tom and Natalie for the friendly service!

 

  

 We found Nancy Paupst over at the sales office trying to dock some balloons to advertise the open tour of new homes.  There was just a small breeze but it was enough that she needed some help.  Too many balloons and she would float away!  There are some great sales on new homes right now so be sure to stop in and see Nancy if you're ready to buy.

 

Softball season has opened! 

 

(Thank you to Barb Poole for the softball photos.)

 

 

 

 

Pickleball courts are always busy!

 

 

 

 

The Bodacious Beaders are meeting on Wednesdays for either beading sessions to work on their own projects or to take new classes. 

 

 

 

Softball Schedule & Poker Classes + Geeks on Tour Info

Here is a temporary schedule for upcoming softball games.  Watch their blog for further updates at 

Palm Creek Softball

Palm Creek Fall League – Teams/Schedule

1.      Robson                                    5.  Fiesta Grande

2.      PC Rattlers                              6.  Palm Creek Roadrunners

3.      Sundance                                 7.  Florence Judges

4.      Palm Creek Diamondbacks     8.  Florence Prosecutors

·         Home Team is Last Team Mentioned  

·         Single Knockout Playoffs start Tuesday, 12/16 - Winners Play Semis & Finals on Thursday, 12/18

·        Florence Teams will play each other in Florence date and time TBD

Thursday, 11/13                            Tuesday, 11/18                              Thursday, 11/20

  9:00   3 vs 4                                   9:00     7 vs 5                                 9:00      6 vs 1

10:15    3 vs 4                                  10:15     7 vs 4                               10:15     6 vs 1

11:30    1 vs 2                                  11:30     2 vs 6                               11:30     5 vs 3

12:45    1 vs 2                                  12:45    3 vs 8                               12:45     5 vs 3

  2:00    5 vs 6                                     2:00    1 vs 8                                 2:00     4 vs 2

 Tuesday, 11/25                               FRIDAY, 11/28                             Tuesday, 12/2

  9:00    8 vs 2                                     9:00    6 vs 4                                    9:00    3 vs 1

10:15    8 vs 6                                  10:15    2 vs 8                                   10:15   8 vs 4

11:30    4 vs 5                                  11:30    7 vs 3                                    11:30   8 vs 5

12:45    3 vs 7                                  12:45    5 vs 1                                   12:45   6 vs 7

  2:00    1 vs 7                                   2:00   2 vs 7

 Thursday, 12/4                                Tuesday, 12/9                               Thursday, 12/11

  9:00     5 vs 2                                     9:00    7 vs 6                               

10:15     5 vs 2                                    10:15   7 vs 5                                   10:15   2 vs 3

11:30     4 vs 1                                    11:30   2 vs 3                                    11:30   6 vs 5

12:45     4 vs 1                                    12:45   1 vs 8                                    12:45   4 vs 6

  2:00     6 vs 3                                      2:00   4 vs 8                               

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POKER LESSONS

Texas Hold'em and Omaha Hi/Lo poker classes will start on Wednesday, November 19 in the Adobe Room.  Classes start at 9:30 but please come by 9:15 to sign up so tables and instructors can be ready.  Lessons and practice play are FREE.  

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COMPUTER CLASSES

Notice the new line at the top of this blog:  
Geeks on Tour (computer classes)  Geeks on Tour
Check that page for dates and times

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LOL.........Yup.  Our Canadians are back!

 

It feels like spring.

October and November feel like spring time to me.....like a new beginning.  Temperatures cool so we can spend more time outdoors, new neighbors appear daily, all the flowers are getting planted, new activities begin, and the whole park comes to life after a long quiet summer.  It's awesome!

This weekend was fun due to the many patio sales around the park.  It was a beautiful day so folks were out in droves riding their bikes, cruising in their golf carts, or just out walking.  Traffic jams were common as friends stopped to chat ... many times right in the middle of the road... but it was all part of the fun.

I came across one site in particular that sparked my interest.  Gene Brickman at Site 1337 had what I call "horse collars" and they were all finely polished and restored, then turned into very decorative western art work.  There were some finished pieces on display but Gene took me indoors to see some masterful pieces displayed in his home.  He has certainly turned a hobby into a craft!  Congratulations, Gene.

Gene, Margaret, and "Annie"

 Gene starts with the raw product shown on the left and can turn it into a completely different item.

Spring is also the usual time for baseball season.  Our softball season here starts now!  Palm Creek has several softball teams.  I encourage them to post their schedule where we can all see the times and dates of the upcoming games.  Perhaps it will get posted on their blog at Palm Creek Softball

Watching the ballgames is a blast!  Lots of supportive friends cheering in the stands and a great way to spend an afternoon.  Come on out for lunch and have a great hamburger or snack at the grill.  

Photo from 2013

Some practice exhibition games will be held this Tuesday, November 11.  The full season starts Thursday, November 13 at 8:30 a.m.  Several games are played each Thursday from then on.  You can check the schedule on line at the softball blog or on display at the ballfield.  Hope to see you out there for a fun time.  Come cheer on our teams!

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I'm told that folks at Sun Communities sometimes log in to read happenings on this blog.  If there's anyone out there reading this.....I hope you can help with our internet connections here.  Our Dish service is SLOW and frequently intermittent.  I seldom complain about anything here at our park but this is getting quite frustrating!

Here come the flowers

 

If you need to get from Point A to Point B within the park these days, you must allow extra time so you can stop and chat with all the folks who are just returning.  Take time to check out all the new flowers too.

 

Here's Marilyn Roemer and Myron Persing at their Welcome station.  These folks spend many hours here greeting both returning residents and new guests.

The front reception desk is always busy these days.

Activities is abuzz with folks picking up tickets and checking out the upcoming events.

Our new library/computer room is busy too.  It makes a nice friendly gathering place.

Elsewhere in the park, there are still some last minute maintenance chores to be finished.  While it may be a bit of an inconvenience to some for a day, we manage to live through it, right?  Certainly looks nice when finished.

Three cheers for our landscaping crew!  Now that the major project of reseeding the golf course is completed, we can focus on all the beautiful flowers.

The crew can certainly look back with pride on a job well done.

We add more and more flower beds each year so work never diminishes.

 

 

I've had a number of folks ask me for more information about the scooters I posted the other day.  They are called "Triad 750s".  You can do a google search for them on the internet as they're manufactured by an Illinois company......or stop by Site 1962 and talk to Vernon Holt.  He'll be happy to show off his new toys.

 



 

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More puns intended:

 

Puns for Educated Minds 6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering. 7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart. 8. Two silk worms had a race, they ended up in a tie. 9. A hole has been found in the nudist-camp wall. The police are looking into it. 10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.