Chorus Presentation & Google Photos

The Chorus Show, “Come Travel With Me” is March 9 and 10, 7:00 p.m., Ballroom. Tickets are $10.00 and are available in the Activities Office now. This show will have comedy, some new tunes and lots of music and photos that may remind you of your own travels! Don’t miss the show and get your tickets soon. Be ready for laughs, tender moments and a few surprises along the way in this great evening of entertainment.

We are expecting a great turnout, so don’t delay getting your tickets!

Betty Steele

GOOGLE PHOTOS 

I've had quite a few residents who seem interested in using Google Photos to share their pictures with family and friends.  We'll hold a class on Saturday, March 11, at 9:30 in Sonora South.  Bring your computer, iPhone, iPad and/or Android device.  Please sign up ahead of time in the Activities Office so we get a headcount and know how to set up the room.  For best results, have the Google Photos app and the editing tool called "Snapseed" already downloaded.  You'll also need a Google account and your password.

SNOW

I guess we shouldn't complain about how cold it has been here.  Just received these photos from Ron Kirkland.  They may have to wait until July to return home to Wyoming.  😉

RC Flyers

The Casa Grande RC Flyers, an Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) award winning

chartered club, will hold their 9 th annual air show and swap meet on Saturday March 11,

2023 between 9 AM and Noon at their airfield located at 2725 S Isom Road in Casa

Grande. This year’s event will showcase the flying skills of pilots from Horizon Hobbies

and Hitec, both well-known suppliers in the radio control industry. This free event draws

individuals from all over the valley. This year’s event will benefit the Boys and Girls

Club of the Sun Corridor.

Besides offering the public the opportunity to watch skilled flying, including stunt “3D”

flying, people can browse the swap meet for radio control aircraft and cars as well as

parts and supplies. Also on site will be Superstition Hobbies from Queen Creek,

displaying the newest radio control items available. This will be the 4 th year Superstition

Hobbies has participated in the event.

Breakfast items will be available including coffee, donuts and other snacks, all sold by

the Pets in Need Action League, raising money for their free and low-cost pet services

throughout the area. The Casa Grande RC Flyers will also have one of their many

certified flight instructors there offering free model airplane flying lessons using the

clubs training aircraft. Membership in the Casa Grande RC Flyers or the AMA are not

required to take the free lessons or enter the event.

A special attraction at this event will be a raffle for one of several new aircraft and other

radio-controlled items, donated by both Horizon Hobby and Hitec, valued in excel of

$1,000.00. The drawing will take place at 11:30 AM that morning.

The club airfield is located across from the public shooting range on Isom Road and

driving directions and other information can be found on the club web site at

www.CasaGrandeRCFlyers.com.

The Casa Grande RC Flyers is an Arizona non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting

the hobby of model aviation and supporting area charities. Besides the Boys and Girls

Club, they support the Valley Humane Society, St Vincent de Paul Food Bank, Hospice

Charitable Fund of Central Arizona and Pets in Need Action League. They also have

held programs in area 4-H Clubs and local schools explaining the principals of flight and

encouraging exploration of aviation. Their community service efforts can also be viewed

on their web site.

Blog News & a Bingo Winner

 BLOG NEWS

My blog will continue as it has for the past 17 years with one big exception.  I have been using MailChimp to email readers when a new post has been uploaded.  MailChimp has been a free service until upcoming March 10.  As of March 10, a subscription fee will be charged for having over 500 addresses.  Yuck!  We definitely have over 500 people signed up for this service.  I'll have to limit the email service to under 500 readers so everyone else will just have to bookmark the site and remember to check in every now and then for updates.  The subscription fee for me to continue is over $300 per year and I'm not willing to submit the funds.  We already pay for storage space so email service will have to be limited.  Sorry for the inconvenience.    I hope we don't lose too many readers.  

BINGO

BINGO continues to be a popular pastime on Monday nights.  We have close to 300 players each Monday so the payouts have been $100+ per game.  This week the lucky winner was Kelly McDonald who won game 12 for a grand prize of $686.

Barb Nelson awards Kelly with a nice check!

Quilt Show, Wood Show

 Mary Jo Webb and the rock painters have been busy.  Enjoy their works of art as you tour the resort.

Congrats to our softball players!

WOOD SHOW

QUILT SHOW

It was so crowded in these rooms that it was difficult to get close enough for good photos.

I'm always very impressed with the generosity of the sewers for the goods they provide to the community.  

So many items up for bidding with our tickets.

Lunch was being served in the kitchen area.  It was a BUSY day!

East Side Drone, Events, Classes

 There are some interesting events happening around Casa Grande in addition to the big activities here in the park.  Don't miss the Wood Show and the Quilt Show Saturday.....and save time to cruise around the park for the patio sale.

We've enjoyed the roller derby events!  These ladies work hard!!

We have quite a few active RC members here in the park.

Fresh from the farm:

The park is pretty full this month so Don toured the sky above and broke it into sections to get a bird's eye view.  Here's the eastern section.  Remember to hit your space bar to pause over your site.

GOOGLE PHOTOS CLASS

My recent iPhone class last Saturday was very well attended.  Fun!  There seems to be quite a bit of interest in learning about Google Photos so our next class will focus on that application.  If you plan to come, bring your computer, iPhone and/or iPad.  Be sure you have the Google Photos app downloaded and set up.  You will also want to down load "snapseed" for editing.  Power outlets will be available if you need to plug in your computer.

The only classroom available is Sonora South so I hope we have enough room.

Saturday, March 11 at 9:30.  Please sign up on the list in Activities so we know how many folks to expect.

Mouse and Kat wish you a happy day!  🙀😸

Robins, Class News, and Drone Video

 We're seeing ROBINS in the park now!  😃  We've lived here for 18 years and we're first seeing robins here for the first time.  We've seen one on rare occasion but this year there are at least 3 or 4 seen along the golf course.  For an old bird watcher like me....this is exciting.

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iPhone Class

An interesting story occurred at our iPhone class on Saturday!  We were talking about how to set up our Emergency Contacts when one student's phone unexpectedly locked up and we couldn't get the emergency contact screen to close.  Yikes!!  It sounded like the emergency call to 911 was going through.  😧

When class was over and Don and I were leaving, a police officer arrived at the park and headed in our direction.  She explained that they had received a phone call linked to our location in the SanTan room.  Whoops......sorry Officer!  I was hoping she wouldn't arrest the instructor!  We told her the story, apologized, and she smiled with us at the incident.  It's comforting to know that the emergency call does work.

GOOGLE PHOTOS

By popular request, we're going to hold a special class about the Google Photos app on Saturday, March 4, at 9:30.  This class will be in Sonora SOUTH room as it is the only room available.  If you have never used Google Photos before, you must have a gmail account.  Then sign in to photos.google.com.  Also download the app called "Snapseed".

Using your computer, click the Upload button and specify the photos to be uploaded.  You can also install the Backup and Sync utility and automatically upload from all specified folders.  Best do this before class as our internet and wifi would get tied up.

If you already have some of your photos in the Google cloud but want to learn more, be sure to come to class on March 4.  There's always something new to learn.  Bring your computer and probably your power cord.  Connections will be available.

DRONE VIDEO

Don sent the drone up for a short ride this morning.  WOW!  The park is at 99% capacity.  Never saw it like this before.  He'll be doing more work later this week so stay tuned.

Don't forget the Quilt Show and Wood Show scheduled for this Saturday, February 18.  The Pottery Show is the following Saturday, February 25.

Cancer Awareness Weekend

 What a fantastic turnout for ALL the events this weekend!

Think about all the work involved!!!

All in a Single Weekend!  Our Activities and Events team, headed up by Supervisor Terri Wellman, was put to the ultimate test this past weekend as everyone enjoyed all the Cancer Awareness activities.  A four-page spreadsheet that listed all the tasks and all the staff members was needed to ensure everything was accomplished on time.

It started with a call for "all hands on deck", Friday morning.  Terri's team was out in Palm Park constructing 723 luminaries for the evening.  In past years, volunteers built and placed the luminaries.  This year, however, the task was given to the staff to accomplish.

After the luminary build, the staff moved dozens of tables into the park for the silent auction, chili booth, t-shirt sales and hot cocoa and cookies booth.  And then came the daunting task of placing the 519 white chairs in conversation pods throughout the park.

Time for movement of more tables and chairs.  Off to the ballroom where tables and chairs had to be set up for the expected Bingo crowd of 160 folks.  And once Bingo was finished, the room required reconfiguring with round tables to accommodate the hot air balloon pilots and volunteers' early dinner.

In the meantime, other staff members were gathering up the supplies needed for the silent auction.  Clipboards, bid sheets, logbooks, pencils and the 50 plus auction items.  The silent auction was ready to start accepting bids at 2:30 pm with swarms of residents prepared to outbid each other for charity's sake.  Activities folks manned the silent auction for nearly 3 hours answering questions about bidding amounts and auction closing times.

On the west end of the park, Activities staff donned their plastic gloves and set out to serve chili to the 400 folks who had purchased tickets for Chef's killer chili.  Another staff member manned the register to sell T-shirts and two more staff members prepped the last table for hot cocoa and cookies.

5:45 pm.  Critical time to synchronize.  The silent auction had to be closed, auction items returned to Activities, the 12 tables taken down and the center of the park vacated so not to distract from the impending hot air balloon glow.  At the same time, a team of 10 (to include Gabby) set out to light the luminaries.

Thirty minutes later, the luminaries danced in the dark and the staff rested and ate chili.

Once the balloon glow was over, the staff disassembled the booths, returned all the items to the kitchen, and stacked the white chairs to make pick up easier for the Facilities staff on Monday.

You'd think everyone would pat themselves on the back and enjoy a weekend of rest, right?  Nope.  The very next morning, a team of four set up the booth on the library patio and sold hot dogs from 11am to 1pm, while two others from the Activities staff manned the office.  Once hot dog sales were done and the booth disassembled, the four headed over to the ballroom to set up the 34 tables and 272 chairs for Saturday's dance.  And at 9pm when the dance was done, four staff members disassembled the room, put away the tables and prepped the area for Sunday chapel.  No.  It doesn't end there.

After chapel on Sunday, Terri had another call for all hands-on deck to set up the ballroom for the Piano Men dinner show.  Ten folks worked together to set up 42 tables and 328 chairs.  This time, though, the folks had to place linens, centerpieces, tableware and goblets and preset the salads and desserts.  They took tickets at the door and directed tables to the serving line.  They bussed tables and afterwards cleaned tables.  And one more time they disassembled the ballroom and put all the chairs and tables away.

Phew!  What a gigantic undertaking by a darned awesome crew!  And a special thanks to Leah from Facilities for helping them.

Special thanks to our Fire Department for loaning their truck for the golf ball drop!!

AND....a very special thank you to John Ross for organizing the huge balloon glow event!

Photo by Mike Bailey

We also truly enjoyed the Piano Men concert and dinner Sunday night.  Our cornish hen dinner was yummy!

Computer Club, Bingo, Firemen, Events

 Thank you to Jim Van Namee, President of the Photo Club, for giving a very informative talk about cellphone photography at this week's computer club meeting.  We finally took time to learn about all those little buttons on our cellphone cameras.  

Next Wednesday, I'll try to follow up the topic by working with photos and some easy editing techniques.

We had some big winners at Monday night bingo!  Kathy Davis won game six for $365.

Karen Maxon won game 12 jackpot for $756.

Regular game payouts were $102. 

We'll have a fun game Friday, February 3, at 1:00 as we raise funds for the Cancer Awareness weekend.  Games will be fun.  Buy tickets in Activities for $10.  Tickets will also be sold at the door.

The ABBA concert last Sunday was another great event.  We've had some terrific shows this season.

The annual Fireman's Spaghetti Dinner was another sold out event as it is every year.  We all like to support the firemen as they certainly do a lot for us!  The money we donate goes to their Honor Guard equipment and uniforms.

There was a race for a resident vs a fireman to get geared up.

It was a busy week with another cellphone class.  Next session is scheduled for February 11.  Sign up in Activities.

Just a note:  Pools are now open from 7:30am - 9:00 pm effective February 1 through May 1.