June Newsletter

I thought you might like to read the current June newsletter. If this is too slow to load, please send me an email and I'll take it down. I know some of you are on cell phone service, so I don't want to bog you down. I need your feedback please. Click on each individual page and they'll pop up larger so you can read everything. Then hit your back button to get back to the main blog.

Break-Ins

We had an unfortunate incident here last week when some kids went on a lark and broke into several cars and sheds in the park. No homes were entered that I'm aware of, but cars, sheds, and bicycles seemed to be their target. One resident lost all his remote control cars from his shed which is really sad. Some tools were missing too. I feel the intruders were kids as they stole bikes, then rode around in the park and would leave them in random places while they hopped on another bike and took off again. They were discovered by a woman who was out walking her dog around 4:30 a.m. She saw them riding a three-wheeled motorized bike that she may have recognized as not belonging to them. She notified security and police were soon on the scene. They found miscellaneous items thrown over the wall of the park that hadn't yet been retrieved. No culprits were apprehended, however.

After hearing the news the next morning, Don and I hopped in our golf cart and immediately toured all our housewatch homes to check for damage. I'm happy to report that all were safe and secure. We did find an abandoned bicycle on one of the sites and reported it to the front gate. It was indeed one that had been stolen.

Our June "Happenings" newsletter came out soon after with an article by Wendell Johnson regarding Crime Prevention. Along with some suggestions for further security, he announced that we're having a meeting to discuss better security on June 17 at 10 a.m. in the SanTan room. We'll be there for sure and will report any announcements made at that time.

Housewatch

Whew! Don't let anyone tell you that watching park model homes is an easy way to make some cash! Don and I made our monthly rounds this morning and were truly ready to hit the showers upon our return. We started early in the morning to beat the heat, but it's still a hot job. Don tours the outside and turns on the water while I go inside the home to flush all the drains, refill water buckets, etc. We then check to make sure the AC is working, refrigerator is running (if left on), no sign of insects or uninvited guests, some request we check air filters and golf carts, etc. We check all windows and doors, then lock up, turn off the water, and go to the next house. We have a good routine now which makes the job easier.

The part I really enjoy is the follow up to send emails to each homeowner and confirm that we have "done our duty" and checked their home as promised. We haven't had any storms or strong winds lately so this monthly check is important. I still go for a leisurely evening or morning ride now and then in the golf cart or my bike and go past each home which is really more than promised, but it makes me feel good to know that we're watching as much as possible.

I like to take my camera along to record anything of interest along the route. We frequently find a nest of baby doves tucked away in a flower pot, light fixture, or a cozy spot on someone's patio. I know the birds are a pest because of the mess they leave behind, but they are still cute and are definitely devoted to procreation of their species.

This mama dove is claiming squatters rights at Sandy and Dan's house at 1270. We could walk right up to her and she wouldn't budge. Sorry Sandy, but we didn't have the heart to chase her away.

This mama found a lovely decorative spot on the back porch by Marilyn Howiseys at 1725. I'm afraid the geranium has died, however, as we couldn't very well drown the nest by watering. Marilyn will just have to get another plant when she returns this fall.

This little cactus was so pretty that I just had to Kodak the moment as they say. I emailed it to Janet and Gary Miller (Site 1867) so they could enjoy it. Janet wrote back that she'd never seen the plant in bloom and thought it just stood there. The blossoms are gorgeous.

Mary Lessard (1866) planted a new grapefruit tree this season and was excited that it had little small fruits starting when she left. So each time we visit her house, we take a photo so she can monitor the progress. It should be fun to see the final photo before she returns.

The housewatch operation has been very rewarding as we've met long-term park residents that we never had occasion to socialize with before. It gives us a project that we work on together which is important in these quieter summer months. I say "quieter" but we still manage to stay quite busy with all the fun events the park has planned for us.

Rainy Day

Thought I'd post this photo of what it looks like when we have a light spring rain in Arizona. Few people get to see it....including those of us who live here full time! It felt wonderful to sit on the patio for morning coffee, listen to the soft raindrops falling, the pretty song of the finches singing to lure a mate, the ever present cooing of the doves, and feel the COOL breeze with the temperature hovering around 68-70. Awesome morning! It is quite uncanny how the few rainy days we have always seem to correspond with all the graduation ceremonies at the schools. Just when plans are underway to hold those huge commencement ceremonies in the outdoors, the schools wind up scrambling to change locations due to rain. My sympathies reach out to them as that was one of my responsibilities as senior advisor when I was teaching many moons ago. Now I get to sit back and just enjoy the rain.

The second photo above also gives you a nice view of the rows of palm trees. Many of you may never get to see wide open spaces in the resort because when you come back, there are already so many RVs to block the full view.

Don and I were also discussing the palm trees and how they change throughout a year. In this photo, you can see the start of the bottom branches as they start to die off. By the end of summer, they get more and more shaggy. Then comes season pre-prep time when the park sends the landscapers out to trim the palms and make them pretty and fresh again for your return. In the fall, you folks back east will be raking leaves.....here we trim the palms. Have a great day!

Baseball Vote

Yesterday was voting day here in Casa Grande with the most heated controversial subject on the ballet: Should we increase city sales tax to 9.6 percent to raise money to build a Major League baseball training center.

The voters have spoken with a resounding NO vote. 78% voted NO, 22% voted yes. Yahoo....we won that one. (Guess which side I was on.) I did find it surprising that only 21.96 percent of registered voters turned out to cast their ballot. This was a big decision that directly affected everyone here so I would have expected a larger turn out.

P.S. In case you didn't know, the current sales tax here is 8.7%.

Ah-So Steak & Sushi

We had an evening of fun, entertainment, and GREAT food last night at Ah-So Steak & Sushi out at the Promenade Mall. For those of you who haven't dined there yet, I highly recommend it. Go with a group of friends to make it a fun-filled evening. Last night's Chef was part of the entertainment as he had a fun personality and could manage to put up with Don and Jim with all their antics.

We enjoyed the "flash fire" when he cranked up the grill and the entertaining egg tricks and onion volcano.

Food is excellent and huge portions so you can bet I'll be enjoying the leftovers today. Teppan dining at its best!

Here we are with a group of Don's poker comrads....Jim & Diane Reese, and Jim & Carol Gairo.

Grapevine News

GRAPEVINE NEWS: The “grapevine” says that the Activities Office will close for the summer. All of our summer events have already been scheduled and organized so the office can close for the quiet season. All inquiries, tickets, etc will be handled at the front desk through Gary and Valerie as they’ll be the only two on fulltime staff. Hearsay has it that the Sales Office will move into the Activities office to avoid air conditioning their separate building. Sounds like an economically wise decision. Mind you…….this is all grapevine news as there hasn’t been any kind of formal announcement.

Alice has cut back her hours and is going to retire! She has truly been a hard-working dedicated person in that Activities Office! She and hubby, Bob, have certainly devoted themselves to Palm Creek and assuring that residents have a great time. I personally say….THANK YOU, ALICE for all your long hours and assistance. (This I heard from Alice herself.)

Next item of grapevine news is that Ann (Diane Gaines’ assistant) will step up to fill Alice’s shoes. Ann will bring all the organizational skills she has developed while working in Special Events so will make a great candidate for the Activities position. I hear that Sandy Feller will move into Ann’s desk and will be assisting Diane. Sandy’s energetic and charismatic appeal will be a great fit. Pat Mitchell will transfer from part time in the mail room to full time as kitchen assistant with Marilyn. I guess these moves will take place late summer or fall. Chuck Heiser and Pacho have left the Palm Creek staff. I haven’t heard about possible replacements but will keep you posted. News spreads pretty fast here on campus.

CASA GRANDE NEWS: The new public library to be in joint use with Vista Grande High School at Cottonwood Lane and Arizola Road, will open soon and the school is nearing completion. Widening of Cottonwood between Trekell and Henness Roads is an ongoing project due to be completed in August. Construction of a new sports complex at Francisco Grande Hotel & Golf Resort will begin soon.

There is a new building behind the Wells Fargo bank out at the Promenade Mall. The new building is a dentist office called “Promenade Smiles” and features new equipment where a small camera scans the mouth and can be watched on a monitor as the dentist explores your teeth. I’ve seen these in use in Algodones and always wondered why we didn’t have that technology available here. Finally we do.

**….and a bit of NATIONAL news….Hope you purchased “forever stamps” cause the price of mailing a letter increased to 44 cents as of this Monday and a postcard now costs 28 cents. I’m sure that means we’ll have better service, correct??

BLOG NEWS: Notice that I've added a couple new links to the right side of the blog page. Tom and Mary Williams keep a great journal/website of their travels and have lots of photos and stories from Palm Creek as well. Jerry & Judy MacDonald have recently started a webpage of their travels. Dave Shannon has created a separate website for the softball teams and will be posting the game schedules next season. Rosemary Reese has worked hard on maintaining the pickleball website. Remember Chris and Jim Gould with their classes and seminars called "Geeks on Tour"?? They have an awesome website with loads of computer information and helpful classes. Check it out sometime.....and tell them Sue sent you.


Asbestos Cancer

Moms Day & Water Aerobics

Thank you Linda and Julie Ann for starting a water aerobics class in the mornings at the north pool!! Since I've cut back my work hours, I'm now free in the mornings to join this group and I love it. With these warm spring/summer temps, mornings are ideal for a swim and the water is definitely the only way to exercise in the heat. Notice the pretty oleanders in full bloom all around the pool and all around the park. They're gorgeous.

We celebrated Mothers day by having Sunday sundaes! Each person brought a banana and this chain gang of eager volunteers set to work at their assembly line to create our delicious treats. We had a good turn out of residents so it was a great social time as well.

Another Motel in Town

The old thermometer almost touched the triple digits today so it was a good day to stay inside or at least hunker down in the shade for a while. Tonight I headed for the big swimming pool to celebrate the heat. I wasn’t the only one by any means. There were at least 10-12 of us up there enjoying a dip under the full moon.

Most of the folks were chatting about the Cinco de Mayo party we enjoyed in the ballroom yesterday. Talk about great food! We were all to bring a Mexican dish to feed four people. I think we all brought enough to feed twice that many so there was plenty to go around even for those of us who were at the end of the line. We were also treated to delicious fried ice cream for dessert. Sure wish I could have gotten some of those recipes so Don could recreate a couple of those tasty dishes. (Just a reminder that I don’t cook but I collect recipes for Don and leave them out in convenient places for him to find. It works quite well.)

Latest Casa Grande construction news: They’re going to build another big motel in town behind the Dairy Queen by Highway 10 intersection. It is going to be a LaQuinta Inn. I can’t imagine how all those motels can stay in business and compete against each other but construction is scheduled to start soon as we’re making blueprint copies at the print shop where I work. Will keep you posted with the progress.

Welcome to Off Season

Since moving to Arizona, I can no longer detect four distinct seasons. For me life goes on as either “in season” or “off season”….depending on the frequency of activities and the number of people here in the resort. Based on the view from my patio this morning, this is definitely the beginning of “off season” as I have a full open view, traffic is definitely reduced, and the singing of birds is louder than any human voices I can hear. April is my favorite month of the entire year as far as weather is concerned. Beautiful sunny skies, warm daytime temperatures, and lovely cool nights. Awesome!

I went up to the Activities Office yesterday and picked up my free tickets for upcoming events. We have a Cinco De Mayo party May 5. Bring your favorite Mexican dish. May 10 is a Mother’s Day banana split party..just bring a banana. May 19 is movie night and May 25 is a big Memorial Day BBQ potluck. I LOVE having all these summer activities to keep us entertained. It’s also a great opportunity to meet new people because the crowd size is smaller.

The local Casa Grande Dispatch has had some interesting news this past week. Of course, the biggest controversy is with the upcoming election to determine if the County will raise the sales tax to pay for a possible baseball stadium. The editorial page is filled daily with comments from both sides. I’ll refrain from posting my opinion but I bet you can guess how I feel about increasing my taxes to support a stadium for multi-million dollar baseball players and team owners when they refuse to pay any part of the construction.

Big headlines yesterday: “Nursing home to bring 120 jobs”. This is a facility desperately needed in the Casa Grande area as families in this part of the state have to travel to Phoenix or Tucson to visit hospitalized family members. The article also announces that the facility (Oasis Pavilion Nursing and Rehabilitation Center) will start taking job applications in September for average pay of $20 to $25 per hour. They anticipate opening in January. Construction is at 161 W. Rodeo Road just east of Pinal Avenue with roughly 50,000 square feet and 134 beds. Sounds really nice.


Remember our favorite band….the Keepsakes? Christine Deaton is on today’s front page announcing that her family is taking over the Paramount Theater in old town Casa Grande. Daughters Emily and Ashley will be teaching several dance classes and our friendly Elizabeth that used to work at the front desk here will be keeping up the website. It sounds like Chris has many plans to bring culture and entertainment to town. Visit their website at http://www.historicparamount.homestead.com/.

We have a new restaurant downtown! I’m excited about this one because they’ll be serving fresh sandwiches and they’re located in the building right next to where I work at Print and Pack. We won’t have to cross the street any more to get to a restaurant for lunch. Crossing Florence Boulevard on foot is like playing the arcade game “Frogger” to see if you can cross without getting splattered on the road. The place is called Wild West Hotdogs & Grill. Their specialty will be New York style hot dogs, Chicago-style hot dogs, Polish hot dogs, deep fried hot dogs (yuck??), chili dogs, and Italian sausage. They’ll also sell numerous hot and cold sandwiches. Sounds like they’ll have quite a varied menu.

Red Brick Pizza is now open out at the Promenade Mall. Haven’t eaten there yet so will report more after visiting the place.

My own personal news is that I’ve cut back my working hours at the Print Shop and LOVE having my mornings here at home to do fun stuff. Perhaps you’ll see the results on my blog this summer. Adios for now….and have a GREAT day!!

Asbestos Cancer

Owls are back

I recently reported that our adorable burrowing owls had departed....but we're starting to see them quite regularly again. Let's hope they'll regain the nest and remain our cheerful neighbors. We still see rabbits in the area so we're hoping the owls keep squatters rights. Will keep you posted if there are any major developments for our feathered friends.

HouseWatch Information

Don and I decided to do housewatch services for Palm Creek residents this summer. We've watched over houses for friends in the past but this year we decided to branch out and do this on a larger scale. It will give us something constructive to do together during the hot summer months and has already proved worthy just because of the new people we've met. Here are the services we offer:

MONTHLY PROGRAMS AND PRICES:

PLAN A: $20 per month. Includes once monthly inspection inside and out. Flush toilets, run water to be certain all traps are clear and contain water. Dump and refill buckets if you request. Be certain air conditioning is working as required. Change air filters if requested. Will email results to you monthly. PLUS: Additional outside inspection after every major storm.

PLAN B: $30 per month. Includes two monthly inspections inside and out as described in Plan A.

PLAN C: $10 per month. Do monthly outside inspection only …. Plus after every major storm.

PLAN D: $45 per month. Weekly inspection plus blow off driveway and patio monthly.

OPTIONAL SERVICES:

SPRINKLER SYSTEMS: For an additional $10, we will check to be sure your sprinkler system is running on schedule. This fee is requested because it requires being on site at a specific time. We will call you to discuss options for repair if needed.

ONE TIME PRIOR TO RETURN: $25 Notify us a week before you return and we will blow off or sweep your driveway/patio and sweep away cobwebs. (This is not a thorough cleaning for windows or dove pooh but will certainly make your return more welcoming.)

PAYMENT: Payment is due in advance before you leave for the season. Appropriate refunds will be given if you return earlier than expected. If your return is delayed, we will invoice you upon your return.

We will have a form for you to complete before your departure so we have all pertinent information. We are formally registered at the Guest Services office as well.

Please spread the word among your neighbors and help us "advertise". If you're interested or have questions, call the house at 7707 or Don's cell phone at 937-408-5221.

I'll be working on this blog as well this summer and have some fun ideas for adding a picture album. I love hearing comments from readers who say they appreciate the blog and enjoy the articles. I must run now and get ready for another Happy Hour. Till next time...........

Owl Update

It is with a sad heart that I report the absence of our adorable burrowing owls that resided across the street from the Palm Creek main entrance. I used to see them without fail every morning on my way to work but I haven't spotted them for the last three weeks or so. Don saw a rabbit entering the hole today and I have observed rabbits near the entrance on several occasions. Thus, I sadly conclude that our owls are gone. I can only hope that they found a better nesting site and didn't come to any harm.

PopKorn's Chocolate Party

PopKorn's Chocolate Party!! What a fun event!! We welcome Ron (nicknamed Pop Korn) to our neighborhood.

Ron kicked off his open house event with a chocolate fountain party and invited everyone to bring a favorite food to drench in the chocolate. I was amazed at the huge variety of goodies that people brought. There were foods I never would have thought of to indulge with chocolate. We had apples, pretzels, strawberries, pineapple, dried apricots, marshmallows, shortbread, rice krispies bars, pound cake, prunes, sugar donuts, graham crackers, oreo cookies, vanilla wafers, bananas, ice cream and probably a few others that I fail to mention. If you could stab it with a skewer and hold it under the flow of chocolate, we ate it. If that didn't work, you poured the chocolate over the food on your plate. Of course, we had to try a little of everything just for the experience. It was awesome!

Thank you, Ron, for a fun-filled afternoon....bountiful feast....indulgent....gala event!

Cancer Awareness Day

We must give Palm Creek credit for supporting such a worthwhile cause as Cancer Awareness. The park has dedicated time, effort, and dollars behind the project for several years.

Friday night was quite impressive with the lighting of 2000 luminaries lining the roadway from the front entrance all the way to the clubhouse. To add excitement to the event, a hot air balloon was inflated and we got to see first hand how they are raised for launching. I venture to guess that the operator may have drummed up some new business for giving rides as there were certainly a lot of spectators. I tried to get some pictures, but as you can see, they didn't turn out too well.

I did, however, get one good photo of the firey gas that gets blasted to fill the balloon. It's really quite amazing to see.




On Saturday, residents were proud to march around the park as part of the awareness celebration. Don't they look pretty in pink!

SuperBowl Sunday

What a beautiful day for a SuperBowl SuperParty! Our "tailgate" started in early afternoon with a street party as no one has a patio big enough for the whole crew. Thank you Ron and Nancy for all the festive arrangements and for Ron's bottomless pitcher of great margaritas. What a feast of delicious treats on this table!

One of our special attendees was Ed....91 year old father of Mike Kirsch. Ed is here visiting for a few weeks so we thought we'd take this picture to send home to his family and friends just to let them know that Ed is doing quite well in the Arizona sunshine.

Another newcomer to the group is Gerry Daniel. She's here with her dog Babe and kitty named Cally while her hubby is back home in frigid Canada (-32 degrees) still working. Gerry loves our Arizona sunshine so opted to retire and stay here for the winter. Who's the smart one in that family?? We took this photo for hubby Remi.

Speaking of the sunshine, we noticed an awesome reflection off an RV side mirror. Thought we'd try a few artistic shots to reflect on our party.

Our Arizona Cardinals may not have won the final score.....but they certainly gave all their fans a wonderful and exciting game. I think it was the most exciting SuperBowl game in many years. In all....it was a fantastic day.

Interesting Statistics

Hello everyone!

I haven't updated this site (obviously) in quite a while...mainly because everyone seems to be here now and I primarily keep the site up to date while you're all away during the summer. This morning, however, I logged on just to take a look at the counter and was totally surprised at the number of hits received every day....even now. I'm guessing perhaps some of you may be telling friends about the site and the audience is thus growing. At any rate, I now feel guilty for not posting in so long. I'll have to get back to the routine.

Thank you one and all for the positive feedback. It is such a pleasure to meet the "readers" and hear how pleased they are to see photos and news of Palm Creek. I've met some of you while I sell tickets at Bingo and more while just attending some special happy hours. Your kind comments keep me motivated.

Enjoy your holidays............I'll be back.

Welcome Back

Sunday was the annual Welcome Home party for Palm Creek residents and visitors. What a great event! Volunteers from every club and social activity set up a table advertising their activities so we could all walk around and visit with each group to learn about their events. It was so nice to learn more about some of the activities that we normally wouldn't come across. The weather was nice and warm but windy so it was a challenge to keep displays in place. A hearty congratulations goes to all those who participated.

There was another display area that stole my heart. They brought samples of all the critters indiginous to Arizona including several snakes, lizards, scorpions, tarantulas.....and the star of the attraction was a desert tortoise. I was astonished when I got a close up of this guy.....as it appears to have been hit by a car at one time. His shell has been plastered back and he has an "artificial limb" where he lost a leg. He travels all over the lawn munching fresh grass and seems to get along just fine. How awesome!!

Flower Time!

The park planted flowers this week…..by the truck load!! That’s a sure sign that cooler temps are here or just around the corner and it’s time to spruce up the place for our winter visitors. It’s so much fun to greet returning friendly faces and hear about exciting summer events during happy hour.

I went to Target today and bought some fresh flowers to freshen up our own landscaping around the house. It’s still weird for me to plant flowers in the fall…it seems like the exact opposite we would do back East. Autumn in southern Arizona is like a fresh awakening after being shut in during the hot summer months.

In and Out Burger opened this week so I smiled in awe as I saw the long lines at their drive through window today. I’ve heard so much talk about the place so will be anxious to try it one of these days. As I hear from avid fans of the place….there is a very limited menu but the food is fresh and delicious.

There will be plenty of restaurants for folks to try this season. Ah-So Steak and Sushi, Olive Garden, Mimis, In & Out Burger, and Eva’s Mexican Restaurant. Be sure to check out Eva’s. I hear the décor is lovely and the food is pretty good too.

October

October has arrived and the triple digits are pretty much out of the forecast. Hallelujah!! I still won’t trade an Arizona summer for a Wisconsin winter…but it’s still a relief to see the heat leave us for the season. Whew!

The resort is getting all spruced up for the snowbird season….landscaping is pruned… lines on the streets are freshly painted…the “Welcome Home” sign at the entrance went up this week…the tennis and pickleball courts boast a proud coat of new paint…and the RVs are starting to roll in. I see familiar faces reappearing every day.

The few returning friends I’ve talked with so far are amazed and pleased with the new stores and restaurants in town. You’ll all enjoy the new sights.

See ya soon!!!