Internet Outage

 That tiny little rainstorm we had Tuesday caused BIG problems here as it somehow knocked out internet service to the entire park.  The Dish trucks are here and working on the problem so we must somehow have patience.  I was lucky to use the hot spot on my phone to publish this.

Here is the message sent from the front office:

Luau Postponed for a day

The weather is interfering with our perfect entertainment schedule so the park Luau Party is now officially moved to Wednesday, March 30,  Tuesday forecast calls for strong winds and thunderstorms.

For all those residents that are leaving in the next week or so, Don and I fondly wish you farewell and safe travels.  See you next season!

Party Time

 We had another highly successful happy hour at our Bistro patio.  Thank you to our new General Manager, Dennis Jordan, for suggesting additional use of the Bistro area.....and thank you to Marion Nelson and her crew for the set up.

The Sauce Boss food truck is always popular.

Thank you to fellow resident Steve Jones for the entertainment.

Those folks interested in even more party then headed up to the north pavilion for dancing and entertainment.

Folks are wise to bring their own chairs to these events.

All this evening entertainment made for a busy day as the Can/Am softball tournament was held in the afternoon.  It was a great game with a final score of 12 to 11 in favor of USA.  Canada did a great job of almost turning the table on that score.  Congrats to ALL the players!

It was FUN and FRIENDLY competition.

If you still haven't had enough, come to the north pavilion again this Sunday, March 27, to hear our local Creekside band from 5 to 7 pm. 

Our drone went up for a quick tour by the main lake.  Just a view of the pretty flowers, quick view over the main buildings, and our resident turtle!!  (This will also be a good video for Chuck and Kerrie Autrey to share with their friends back home as it rather showcases their home.)

Readers know I'm an avid bird watcher so Dave Beach sent me this cool photo of a cormorant he saw perched at the pond at the end of the 9th fairway.  Thanks for thinking of me, Dave!  I'm sure there are other readers who enjoy these candid photos too.

Photo by David Beach

Whenever I pass Debbie's house at site 1049, I admire the cute "mushroom" she created in her front yard.  Take a closer look the next time you pass by and see the creative work she did at the base.

I know quite a few of our folks are getting ready to leave for the summer.  One of the items on your departure check list is to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and thermostats.  Need help with that?  Call Jeff Knaus at site 1038 or call him at 920-370-8758.  Jeff is also interested in starting a housewatch service.

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I have time for a quick "Kat" snapshot.  We received this long oblong box this week which we didn't think would be of any use.  Lo and behold.....Kat liked it and took a nice nap inside.  There is certainly no need for us to spend money on purchasing an expensive bed for these two crazy animals.

No sense spending money on expensive toys either when a simple strap or piece of string is all they need.

Entertainment, Flowers

This message just came in from PC Management:

On Monday, we had to unexpectedly shift gears in response to Arizona Water Company spray epoxy maintenance on the water tanks along the East Wall. Thank you for your cooperation and support to keep everyone safe and informed!

 

AWP/Belen will be continuing this spraying project on the following dates:

·         Wednesday, March 23

·         Thursday, March 24, and

·         Saturday, March 26

Please be advised that there will be a chemical odor coming from their work area. Please try to avoid the Tennis Courts, Shuffleboard Courts, Wood Shop, Dog Wash, and Car Wash until after 5 PM on 3/23, 3/24, and 3/26. 

 

PCK is recommending you stay away from the area as a safety precaution. If you enter the area you do so at your own risk – please see the attached Safety Data Sheet for the materials being used in this project. The company completing the work on behalf of Arizona Water Company is Revolution Industrial; if you have any specific questions about the project materials or SDS, please contact them at (480) 993-6699. A text message notification is going out to all subscribed Palm Creek residents this morning informing them of the 3 additional days of maintenance this week. 

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The Creekside Band was playing in the ballroom Tuesday night so I stopped in to see the activity.  How fun to have some local talent on display and see folks having a good time get together.  Anytime this group plays, you can just come on in and join the activity.  Lots of dancing and camaraderie.  P.S. Happy Birthday to Steve Gaines.  Jill brought some cake to share with their party of friends.

Speaking of having a fun time...........the Tuesday night ladies poker club was celebrating their end of season Wonder Woman tournament.  Wow.

Have you heard of the popular card game called "Swoop"?  It's FUN, easy to learn, and a great way to meet new friends.  A group plays in the Adobe Room every Monday afternoon.  Come about 12:15 as the game starts at 12:30 sharp.  Everyone is welcome to join in.

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Have you taken time to notice how pretty all the flowers are around the park?  The ones on display at the entry four-way stop are just gorgeous.

Thank you to Kathy Payne for her hard work at weeding and deadheading the flowers to keep them so vivid and colorful.

Bingo, Weather, Recycling

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

From today's Casa Grande Dispatch:  

Here comes a small sample of Arizona heat and sunshine. 

 This will give you a chance to warm up before heading back to your other home where there may still be snow and cooler temps.

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Last night was the final game of Monday night Bingo for the season.  We had a GREAT fun-filled time!

To start off, we had a full salute of "daubers up" to get the bingo balls rolling.  We had 218 people in attendance all trying to win the big jackpots.  Every winner walked away with at least $90 in their pocket.

On behalf of the 200+ players that attended every Monday, we extend a hearty thank you to all the volunteers for their work....especially to Barb Nelson who chaired the event this year.  Barb has contributed a great deal and has spent the better part of every Monday hard at work to make sure things run smoothly.  

Also special thanks to the few volunteers (Ken, Jean, Dave, & Dave) who come early to set up all the chairs and tables.  What a chore!

The huge Star Burst jackpot was not triumphed but the winner still walked away with $254.  An extra game was played as a bonus to give away more prize money at the end of the season so two other players tied for $82 each.

Game 12 was not conquered either so only paid out $258.  

That leaves us with a nice cash bankroll to start off next season.  Jackpot for Game 6 will start at $616 and Game 12 starts at $369 for start up games in November.  Put your dauber in safe storage till then!  

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 I'm sure you have all noticed these home built recycle bins at our trash stations around the resort.  Please help keep them neat and fill ONLY with the clear plastic as marked.  I've copied a recent article from the Casa Grande paper regarding this recycle project sponsored y the Mesquite Elementary School.  This specialized trash has raised thousands of dollars for local food banks and the Valley Humane Society.

Sorting and cleaning these bins is done by volunteers.

Rick Wilson

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Drone at Happy Hour, Bistro

 Our drone was invited to fly over a friendly happy hour on Olympic Drive this week.  It was fun to watch it hover so folks could wave and say howdy to the folks back home.  I'll bet their neighbors and friends back home will be jealous.

Speaking of drones, we have spotted a fellow pilot in the sky a few times.  Say hello to Andy Staver who has a drone even bigger and better than ours.

Photo by Andreas

Andy spotted our beautiful rainbow last month and launched his drone to get a bird's eye view.

Photo by Andreas

He also captures some of our wonderful sunsets.

Photo by Andreas

We spotted our turtle in the main lake.

The recent impromptu karaoke event at the Bistro was a HUGE success.  It was amazing considering it was put together in such a hurry.  Thanks again to Marion Nelson and her team of magicians.

Our new GM, Dennis Jordan, was present with Marguerite Houle (Sales Manager) to enjoy the event.

Special thanks to Dusty and Sandi Brown who lead the karaoke section.

Dusty and Sandi Brown

I arrived rather late but I understand there was standing room only earlier.

We wore out the food truck as the orders kept piling up.  They almost ran out of food as demand was much bigger than anticipated.  

Mark your calendar for this coming Friday, March 25, when Steve Jones will be performing at the Bistro.  One of the favorite food trucks will also be here:  The Sauce Boss.  No admission ticket needed.  BYOB.

Bistro Happy Hour, RC Winners, Baby Ducks

 Check out the Happy Hour announcement for the Bistro!  Looks like a couple surprise FUN events and a chance to utilize our Bistro patio now that the weather has warmed up.  Should be fun.  Complimentary admission so no tickets necessary.  BYOB plus a food truck on site.

The Karaoke event will feature Dusty and Sandi Brown.  I've seen Steve Jones playing at the Airport Tavern and enjoyed his entertainment.  Both events should be great.  Mark your calendars and alert neighbors and friends as these special nights aren't listed in the events schedule.

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Palm Creek was the BIG winner at Saturday's Casa Grande RC Flyers Air Show.  Rod Wormington of Palm Creek won the top raffle prize of a new airplane and Jerry Moore won a certificate towards dinner for two at the Texas Roadhouse because he was the last plane flying during the air show's combat contest.  Congratulations to both winners!

Congratulations Rod

Jerry Moore flight competition winner

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Photo by Anton Hepler

The next time you see a bunch of ducks at our ponds, take a closer look to observe all the babies!  The Wigeon ducks tend to always stay huddled together and now with the babies, there are even more gathered together.  When the time is right, they'll all head north again just like all the human snowbirds.

I posted some photos and info about these ducks last February.  Tom Gottfried provided the pictures.

Photo from Tom Gottfried

Photo by Tom Gottfried

................and I want to share the comment from Tom as he worked to get this in flight photo:

"Gary Jackson went along with me, working the other side of the lake, driving the ducks to me.  Some left for the other lakes and some circled around this one.  They got the last laugh, however, as one of them took aim, and as accurate as a bomber pilot, dropped a load of poop on my shirt and arm, missing the camera by inches."   😉