Weekend Report

Friday night's haboob missed us and just passed by to the west of us.  It was on the news tonight so Phoenix got hit pretty hard with some more rain too.  All remained peaceful and calm here though.

Photo from Avis Gray

Photo from Avis Gray

Earlier in the day, Don and I went exploring to see the latest construction updates.  Stacks and stacks of sewer pipe are stacked up and ready for installation.

We took the drone up for a look from above because all we see from ground level is piles of dirt.

Work continues at the ballroom.  Now they're digging trenches to bury the underground pipes for sewer, water, and electrical.

It's always interesting to watch from above.

We met Brad Klingaman from MTV General Contractors who is now heading up our construction site.  Brad said he'd be glad to keep us in the loop as work progresses.

Brad says Wednesday, our pottery, glass shop, and card room will be without electricity because they'll be replacing a big electric transformer.  

Brad Klingamon

On a quieter note, I made Don stop so I could photograph some pretty cactus flowers.  (Can you hear him groan??)

Hi to Pam if she is watching the blog!!  We miss you at the Mahjong tables.

These purple sage bushes were just planted a few months ago.  They're certainly showing off their pretty colors!

And......on an even quieter note.....Mouse seems to have had a dandy cat nap.

Just another day

Hi Everybody.....Not much new to report today.  We're almost dried out after the rain a couple days ago.  Unfortunately, that rain has raised our humidity level to around 60% and we are NOT used to that!  No rain in the immediate forecast.

Drone footage continues to be very popular.  I forward all your compliments to Don to keep him motivated.

We'll have to try and get a picture of all the green sewer pipes that are popping up in the north 40 area as they represent completed streets of potential new home sites.

Yup.  There's Max and Cheryl out again this morning.  Good for them!

Traffic hazard slowed us down as we waited for this young family to cross the street.

We counted 16 ducks by the pond this morning.  I guess that hawk didn't thin the herd too much.

Mouse loves his new bed by the front window where he can watch the hummingbirds come to the feeder.  

Don and I went to the movies to see Dunkirk yesterday.  It was more of a documentary than just a movie.  If you know the history behind the Dunkirk battle, you'll find this film to be incredible.  

*******************************

After the rain

We went back out after the rain this morning and took a quick video of the work area.

P.S.  Today is the last day to buy tickets for the pizza party this Thursday.

More rain

We had another good rain last night with .68 inches.  That's a LOT for us.

Landscape crews were out trimming again this morning despite the overcast sky threatening more rain.

Faustino is hard at work clearing the mud that washed across the street in the heavy downpour.

The back 40 has a few puddles this morning.  You can see some heavy rain on the horizon.

Crews are working diligently at the ballroom.

Meanwhile, Max and Cheryl never give up their morning round of golf.  

Three cheers for them!!!

It is now 7:30 a.m. so Don and I are safely home after doing our morning rounds.  That rain cloud has reached us so it's now raining again.  Hope Max and Cheryl made it home safely.

*********************************

If we had a dog...............this message would definitely be from Mouse as he likes to rule the house already.

Ditto

I feel like the weatherman who reports the same weather over and over.  Last night's storm was a little earlier in the evening and came from the opposite direction as the one the night before.

Our landscape/maintenance crews have been busy cleaning streets as fast as they can.

Meanwhile, Mouse and I spent another quiet evening at home..

It's Friday so construction crews are home resting up for the coming week.  

Another Storm

We had another thunderstorm tonight.  This one made the news on TV for Casa Grande although I didn't think it was as strong as the one we had last night.  The weird part was that it came from the opposite direction.  You can tell by the way the palm trees are blowing.

Mouse and I just curled up to watch TV for the evening.  Very peaceful.

Beautiful Rain!!

Finally...............we had just a regular NICE thunderstorm with beautiful pleasant rain and NO wind or dirt.  Don and I sat at the back of our golf cart under the awning and just watched the rain.  I was soooo nice.

Nice big rain drops that bounced and made bubbles in the puddles.  Some of you from different parts of the country may think this is boring but when you live in the desert, it is a real treat.

I received a nice note from Jim Dawson this week thanking Don for the very informative video from the north 40 area.  He appreciates Don's updates on the blog as he obviously can't be here everyday to watch the progress.  Jim said the north 40 project (which he calls Phase 3B and 3C) is right on track and is scheduled to be completed by December 30.  

*******************************

Mouse has recovered from his recent "snip snip surgery" at the Animal Hospital.  Last night he discovered he could sneak up on the end table next to Don and play with the chains he found there.  How long do you think the lamp will last??

*************************************

Do you have any fishermen in the family??  Show them this video for some laughs.

You Tube Fishing Video

Mail Room plus more

No more squeezing through the door to get into the mailroom.  The new renovation will open a counter right into the hallway making it very convenient for us residents and will give the employees a lot more room for all that mail and packages we receive.

Right now, the gang is in temporary quarters using the Activities office.  

Helen, Gym, and Donna

Cement trucks come and go as they pour the footings for the ballroom.

Several of the deep trenches are already complete and covered up.  Here's some drone video to see the progress.

Meanwhile......Mouse curls up for an afternoon nap.  He had a rough day at the Animal Hospital yesterday.  Poor guy.  All services and vaccinations are paid for through the adoption fee from the Humane Society.  

Sewing Room Location

We had another dandy storm last night but this one brought some much needed rain.  The thunder woke me about 1:00.  I could hear the rain coming down but after 1:05 a.m. I have no idea how long the rain lasted.  The streets were still wet and dotted with puddles as we made our rounds this morning.

The trenches were not full of water so it must have all soaked into the dry dust.  The crews at the north 40 were busy busy busy.  We stopped to watch the "sheep's foot" compacting the soil over the pipes that were already buried.  Watch this short video and you can see that the compacting means business as it actually lifts up the front of that huge machine.

Here's a closeup of the attachment:

We saw a sign and some construction cones indicating the new location of the sewing room.

I bet the crew will be happy when they get the palm trees finished.  They're still dropping the branches here to let them dry out before loading up to the landfill.

**************************