Precious Rain

We had some wind and some precious rain yesterday!   Have I mentioned that our weather has been very nice lately??  We're thankful for every day!

 

There had to be a beautiful rainbow somewhere as the sun came out during the rain.  I think the palm trees really liked getting a nice bath.

It rained a nice steady rain for a long time during the night too.  Love listening to the rain while snuggled in a nice comfy warm bed.  Morning greeted us with another beautiful sky.

 

We enjoy our patio time.  The hummingbirds keep us good company.

 

Saw no damage on our rounds and just one large puddle on the golf course over by #2.

 

It was COLD as we drove around  in our golf cart.  Ranger Bob and I were both chilly.

 

 

 

Yesterday was "chili dogs" day.  Staff members cooked and treated us to a fun yummy lunch of coney dogs, French fries, and brownies for dessert.  Our summer events are usually low in numbers but there seem to be more people here as there were over 40 people present.

 

Thank you to MaryAnn and crew for cooking and serving us!

 

 

 

 

We're still trying to spread the word about some of other summer activities.  Remember to gather in the Adobe Room any afternoon around 12:15 if you want to play some kind of card game.  What we do depends on how many people show up. 

 

There is another group that plans on meeting each Friday morning around 9:00 in the Adobe Room for hand crafted stuff......either bring your beading project, knitting, handiwork of any kind and have a coffee clutch or "bee".  Contact Kay Oliver at Site 1216 for questions.

 

Next Wednesday (May 20) is root beer floats at 1:00 in the ballroom.  Get your tickets at the front desk.  Might as well also pick up tickets for the Memorial Day lunch on Monday the 25th. 

 

 

 

More of the Same

Maybe I should just say "ditto" to my last blog entry as today's news is mostly the same.

1.  Extraordinary weather for Arizona

2.  Beautiful cactus blossoms

We are normally in the mid to upper 90s by this time in May but the temperature remains in the perfect low 80s.  We LOVE it!!  This morning we sat on the patio for that morning coffee at a very cool 62 degrees.  There was a light wind making it feel even cooler.  We started out on our morning rounds but had to come home so Don could change clothes!  He was freezing so went from the normal shorts and t-shirt to jeans and a flannel shirt and hat.  I guess he's been in Arizona so long that his blood has thinned out.  LOL

 

Now we go from the weather to more cactus flowers.  I only get photos of the plants in front of people's homes as we drive around.

 

These pinkish red are beautiful.

 

 

....BUT this one wins the grand prize!  What a beautiful color!!  I counted 38 blossoms on this beauty with a couple more buds to open soon.  So sad that they only last such a short time.

 

 

Look at the color!!

 

 

This beauty is behind the house at Site 1821 on Oasis.  Thanks to Leroy and Barb Weaver for alerting us to the display.  If those of you who are still here want to see the blooms in person, stop by soon or you'll miss the exhibit.

 

 

I just discovered this species of flowering wonder called dipladenia.  This plant seems to blossom endlessly.  I am babysitting this plant for a special friend (Hi Nancy) so am concerned for its welfare.  Hopefully, I can keep it alive and well until she returns.  A gardening website reads as follows:

Rio dipladenias are easy to grow and will bloom all season long.  These gorgeous tropical plants can be enjoyed in containers, hanging baskets and garden beds. 

• Blooms best in full sun a minimum of 4 hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Grows 12" to 24" in height.
• Allow soil to dry out in between watering.  Can tolerate some drought.
• No deadheading required.  Blooms will fade and fall off. 
• Rio blooms attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

 

 

Check out this gorgeous beauty in front of site 1614 along Cole Circle.  It's just gorgeous.

 

 

Speaking of blossoming plants.....our palm trees are doing really well all over the resort.  If you look closely at them, you can easily see the stalks shooting out from every tree that will soon burst into pretty white clouds of flowers.  I tried to circle the stalks in this photo so you see what I mean:

I reckon they'll start the huge task of trimming all the palms within the next few weeks.  They like to get an early start before the blossoms turn into the little black seeds that drop to the ground.  Palms take root rapidly and are then hard to get rid of.

We met up with John Blount this morning.  His company installs all the new park model homes in the park.  It sounds like he'll be bringing in at least 30 new homes this summer.  We'll start seeing heavy digging action soon.

Today John and his crew were walking from one new home to another doing an inspection to make sure everything was done right.

 

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I want one of these cameras.  Click on the link below.  Then double click on a spot, wait a few seconds, then click again.

 

The camera can identify a face among a multitude of people.

Place your computer’s cursor in the mass of people and double-click a couple times. 

Scary sharp!!      
   http://www.gigapixel.com/mobile/?id=79995

 

(Thanks to Mark Nelson for sending this my way.)

 

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Weather still Awesome!

We are all amazed at how lovely our weather has been this whole month.  It is the first topic of  conversation wherever we go.  Don and I had coffee on the patio this morning at a wonderful 71 degrees.  It's supposed to get windy today and perhaps some precious rain but its already 10:30 a.m. and the sky is still pretty blue.

The Tractor Supply Store is coming along. 

 

There is another small building being erected just to the east of the big store.  Don't know what it is yet or if it's just storage for them.

 

Construction is just starting on the south pavilion.  The gravel has been cleared and they're preparing the area.  Will keep you up to date as it comes along.

 

 

They're clearing all the rocks from this water runway.  Ouch!  I bet that's not a fun job. 

 

The walkway between the shuffleboard courts is nearing completion.  Looks nice!

 

 

 

This young gent is still loading and carrying the heavy pavers.  He must be the new man on the totem pole to draw that job.  LOL

 

 

Elsewhere around the park, the cactus plants are still showing off their beauty.  This is a crazy looking potted cactus that looks like it should have fallen apart long ago, but manages to bloom in full color.

 

  

 

There are more blossoms coming along Coyote Trail.

 

 

 

 

Look at this plant!  He sends out his flowers all at once!  Too bad Bob and Lucy Cadwell aren't here to see their blossoms in person.  They're beautiful.

 

 

 

 

Ladies Pool

Here's another way to enjoy an Arizona afternoon in the nice cool air conditioning.  Start up a ladies pool group.  Every table was busy today making maximum use of our pretty billiards room. 

 

While we were out on morning rounds today, we spotted lots of activity near the shuffleboard courts.  Fernando says they're putting in pavers between the two sets of courts to level out the area.  We felt sorry for the young gent who gets to carry each and every brick inside the court area with his wheelbarrow.  Whew!

 

 

 

 

While that construction crew is busy, our landscape crew is trimming all the oleanders in the area.  It looks nice when all the bushes are trimmed to the same height but imagine how hard it would be to hold a hedge trimmer up that high.

 

 

 

And then there's the extensive job of picking up all the debris.

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Received this helpful article from Tom Gottfried this week.  (Thanks, Tom.)  The vinegar wash should help remove the build up from our hard water.

How often you should clean your dishwasher           

That glorious machine in your kitchen that cleans dishes does in fact need to be cleaned itself.  Over time grease, soap scum and food debris build up in dishwashers. Not only does this provide a breeding ground for germs, it also reduces the efficiency of the appliance.

According to house maintenance expert Bob Vila, you should clean your dishwasher once a month. Fortunately, his three-step process is easy to do and doesn't require any special tools.

Step 1: Clear the drain
Remove the bottom dish rack. Inspect the dishwasher drain, removing any gunk or food caught there. This will improve drainage, increase cleaning efficiency and prevent damage to the dishwasher.

Step 2: Vinegar wash
Start with an empty dishwasher. Place a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher-safe container on the upper rack of the machine. Run the dishwasher through a hot-water cycle. This will wash away grease and grime and remove musty odors, too.

Step 3: Baking soda rinse
Sprinkle one cup of baking soda across the bottom of the dishwasher. Run a short hot-water cycle. The dishwasher will be fresh-smelling and have a brightened, stain-free interior.