Geeks on Tour

We had over 40 guests at the Geeks on Tour introduction this morning.  Chris and Jim Guld introduced themselves and the array of programs they are prepared to teach here at Palm Creek this month.

 
Tomorrow morning, Saturday, December 6, Chris will conduct a full two hour class about editing your photos with Picasa.  Class will be in the Santan room from 10:00 till noon.  Cost is $15 or there are several options to combine your ticket with other classes for reduced pricing.  If you haven't already signed up for the class, come anyway.  Your photos are precious.  Learn how to file and organize and edit them.  Hope to see you there. 

This is a presentation on how to use the program so your computer is not required.  Chris will present a private hands on class later this month where you will actually get to edit your photos.

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**A footnote for yesterday's post about the elementary school.  Palm Creek will also be assisting and donating to Mesquite Elementary school.  Your gifts, supplies, and donations will be greatly appreciated.  Stop by the Activities Office for more information.

Another Worthy Cause

 

Palm Creek Holiday Giving

Palo Verde has 420 students, from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Most are underprivileged or impoverished kids; 93% of them are on the free or reduced lunch programs. This is also a ‘uniform’ school, and most of the kids’ parents can’t afford to even buy the full uniforms. Teachers are buying supplies out of their own pockets, as well as treats and rewards. 

  

These kids would love any donations; crayons, markers, notebooks, pens, hair accessories, backpacks, and especially money to buy uniforms. Many of the kids also need winter coats, too. All and any supplies are gratefully welcomed. Please drop of your generous Holiday Donation for the Children to the Activities office by December 18. 

Happy Holidays!

Rainy Day News

Those of you that are here for a respite from bad weather may be disappointed to see it raining today....but those of us who live here year round are delighted to have a rainy day!  I hurried outdoors to sit on the patio with a fresh cup of hot coffee and curled up with a good book on my kindle.  It was GREAT!!

 


My Selfie shot from this morning!

 

 

Diane Gaines and the devoted group of Creekers that belong to the Loving Hands Loving Meals program are busy once again at raising funds to support our local Cancer Center.  Looks like we're having another Pampered Chef party on December 13.  I've been to several of these in the past and will happily attend again as it's always fun and informative.  The hostess, Rachel Thomas, is a very entertaining speaker and makes the occasion fun.  Gather your friends and sign up in Activities to attend.  This isn't just for the gals either!  Many of the men enjoy cooking and will have a good time at this event.  The timing is perfect and a great opportunity for some fun Christmas shopping.  All the proceeds certainly go for a wonderful cause. 

 All proceeds will be used to obtain Pampered Chef items to put in the silent auction in February and funds designated to the Loving Hands Loving Meals program. 

 

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Speaking of fun, entertaining, and INFORMATIVE speakers, don't forget to sign up for some (or all) of the presentations by the Geeks on Tour.  Take advantage of their presence here at Palm Creek!  Click on the link at the top of this blog page for a full copy of their scheduled classes.  Come to their presentation tomorrow (Friday morning) at 10:00 to hear what their program is all about.  We ALL have a lot to learn about our smart phones, tablets, ipads, and computers. 

 

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Thank you to the folks who have already signed up to assist with the hot air balloon regalia in January!  There is a sign up sheet in Activities so make sure your name appears on that roster.  Some of you responded on the nextdoor program, but make sure your name is on the Activities sign up sheet.  John Ross says they may even have a practice run before the big event. 

 

I had a wonderful experience with a ride in John's balloon in 2011.  Here's a link to the blog entry from that date.  Check out all the photos.

 

Balloon Ride Photos

 

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And now for your favorite part of the blog:

 

 

 

 

 

HELPFUL HINTS, TIPS, TRICKS

 

Your phone will charge twice as fast in "airplane mode".

 

 

Fit two bowls into a small microwave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!