Quiet for the weekend

The big tonka toys were quiet today and resting for the weekend.  LOTS of work was done to get the parking lot back in shape.

More fencing is down in prep for the new wall on the north end.

The RV storage area is just about empty.

Construction might be quiet on a weekend but we're still here having fun.

There were 55 people at card bingo tonight.  Seems to be a popular game!

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Another posting for our Canadian friends:

Congratulations to Mark Kenner

Congratulations to Mark Kenner.  He has been promoted to Director of Facilities, replacing Jim Dawson who was promoted to the corporate level some time ago.   He'll certainly have his hands full this summer!

Breaking up the old footings

It looks like there is a tool for every job.....and Fernando knows how to use all of them.  LOL  

  Today he was operating some kind of a hammer that could break up those huge concrete footings into smaller pieces to be hauled away.  After digging out the footings, they carefully piled up as much as they could.

Then this big hammer type of machine punched away and broke up the big blocks.  Watch the two very short videos.  They'll give you an idea of what it sounded like.

By the end of the day it looks like mission is accomplished.  Ready for the trucks to haul it away.  At least "I think so".  Will have to check on it tomorrow morning and see what happens next.

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Say Adios to the flowers.  Time for them to go.

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Fun and Games + Footings

These huge concrete footings are too big to pick up and throw into a dump truck so tomorrow we'll be hearing the sounds of some kind of hammering machine that will break them down into smaller pieces for transport.  

Because this area is so dug up and full of holes right now, it has been roped off and closed to pedestrian traffic.  As an extra safety precaution, the main pool is temporarily closed.  Guess we'll be going to the other two pools for the time being.  Children will swim in the north pool when they visit.

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Our summer activities are limited to the Santan Room.  It's like a big family party up there every afternoon when we gather for various card games and activities.

We had a big group of beaders making some beautiful jewelry creations.

One table was playing Pegs & Jokers.

Our table was Mahjong.

And these are the day time poker players.

Our weather is just about perfect.....especially for that first cup of coffee in the morning when I sit out on the patio to read my email and get caught up with the news. 

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 I'm still receiving sad notes from our Canadian friends as they send pictures of their recent snow.

Construction Update

It was amazing to watch Fernando at work this morning!  He is a MASTER at manipulating that backhoe.  It is no small project getting that lot ready for the new construction.  They first had to remove all the asphalt on top by breaking it up and hauling it away.  Then the challenging part of removing all the HUGE concrete footings that were underground.  It was time for Fernando and the big tonka toys.  LOL
Click on the big blue link to see the video on You Tube.

Digging out the Footings

These footings were HUGE.  

Next step is to break them up and haul them away.  H&H Concrete will eventually grind them up and the material will be used in a road or other kind of concrete.

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As we drove past the lawn bowling court, we noticed that the flowers are gone.  The other flower beds are slowly dying back so flowers will soon be pulled for summer.  

We drove out to the end of the pickleball courts to check on the fence project.  It will take quite a while to get all this old fencing down.  Then they'll start work on the new wall.

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Received these pictures this morning from Gleness Batten in Alberta.

Sorry Gleness.  I won't rub it in and tell you how beautiful it is here.  (I'm posting this on my patio while I enjoy a second cup of coffee.  Wonderful 78 degrees with a nice breeze.  Humidity is 7%.)

Brrrrrr............looks cold.

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Toads!

Do you hear the loud shrill sound coming from the streams and ponds on our golf course?  It's especially loud along the stream by the 17th hole.

Sue Reineck stopped me the other day and asked if I had heard the frogs at night so after dinner tonight (delicious meal at Francisco Grande with Jim and Janet Hoppe) we headed over to Reinecks with flashlights in hand to explore.  Sue thought they were spring peepers like she sees back east but after some careful research tonight, I think they are Arizona toads as they're too big for peepers.

Here's a picture from the internet of an Arizona toad calling:

(Don't panic.  These are NOT the Sonoran Desert toads that can be harmful to pets if eaten.)  These are harmless and helpful as they'll eat a lot of pesty insects.

REPRODUCTION AND CALLS:  Breeding occurs over a relatively short period (10-12 days) in February through April.  Breeding is not triggered by rainfall events.  Arizona toads breed in pools, typically along streams and rivers.  Eggs are laid in stringers on the bottom; clutches range from about 3150-4280.  Eggs hatch in 3-6 days, and tadpoles typically metamorphose in 1-3 months, but development can be slower in cooler water or at higher elevations.  The advertisement call is a trill that lasts 8-10 seconds.  Calling males are often strung out singly along stream courses.   This species has a tendency to hop, instead of "walk." 

I think we're going to have a LOT of tadpoles!!!!

Here are pictures of what we found in our creek:

This one is X-rated:

I tried to get a recorded sound.

And here are the avid froggers who accompanied me on tonight's excursion.

Joe & Sue Reineck, Jim and Janet Hoppe

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North Gate Traffic

Sue,

This will be in the May newsletter, but please post in your blogs to help get the word out.

Everyone should already be aware by now that there will be extensive construction taking place in the Northeast corner of the Resort as we add new home sites, as well as the other projects planned for the Summer. To minimize construction traffic through the Resort, we will be utilizing the North Gate as a construction entrance. We will be starting this sometime in early May (Exact date TBD). The plan is to have the North Gate open Monday through Friday from 5:30am to 3:30pm, but this could vary as construction requirements dictate. Since the Gate is going to be manned anyway, Residents will be allowed to use the North Gate to enter/exit the Resort provided that the gate is not blocked by the entry/exit of heavy equipment which takes a bit of time to do safely. If you plan to use this gate during the Summer season, keep an eye on Channel 3 where updates will be posted in the event of planned changes to the schedule.

Gary Lambert

Operations Manager

Santan Room

We're definitely into "off season" mode now.  Summer rules, etc.  More relaxed, quieter, and LOTS fewer people.  It's like living in two different cities.  

All our activities are gathered in one room for summer.  This year we're in the Santan Room.  Last night we had three tables of poker, one table of ponytail, and one table of Mahjong.

Pottery and Glass

While I was in the neighborhood, we peeked in the pottery shop.

Suzette is making a bowl and will be adding some small roses for decoration.

Sharon is sculpting a lizard for her patio.

Jeanette is finishing this awesome candle holder.  Can't wait to see it when its done.

Over in the glass shop, Sandy Milner is creating flowers.

Saw these fancy dishes but they were on a table that said 

"please no photographs".  

We got creative for this shot.  

Summer rules I guess.  LOL