Tuesday's Tour

We're back to the giant tonka toys again as the big equipment moves in to finish the road through Phase 3 of the construction.  Water trucks galore spray to keep down the dust as work continues.  

The construction area should definitely be off limits for us while the project is underway.  There's no fence across the area but residents should avoid the area for safety reasons.  Don and I met Jim Dawson there this morning and he kindly gave us a quick tour in his truck.

 

 

 
The gardens are being dismantled but don't despair as they'll be reconstructed farther east on the property.  The straw bales are going into our green waste and the rich garden soil is being saved.

 

 

Faustino is hard at work on the project.

 

 
I was amazed to see the recycled green waste area!!  All the big piles of branches and trees are  all shredded now and in nice neat piles as it cures.  The area smells like nice clean farm land.  This is truly Mother Nature at work as she turns those trees and shrubs back into rich mulch........with the help of some huge shredding machines to speed up the process!

 

 

 
More road work and equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will have tons of new waste once we trim the palm trees this season.  The trees will need a good haircut after that hard freeze we had this past winter.  Can't trim them yet though.  Must wait until after the trees bloom.  Then the trees are trimmed before the seeds fall and sprout.   I looked back through the blog as a reference so it looks like trimming starts late July or early August.  There are lots of photos and video of the process if you look back in the archives.

 
Remember the black truck trailer??  

It is now set up as a proper storage area for the portable stage, play props, event decorations, etc.  The trailer gives us 400 sq ft of free storage area that we don't have to use in our club house or meeting rooms.

 

That's the tour for the day.  Our weather forecast for the next few days sounds perfect!  Wonderful 80s and cooling to 60s at night.  Starting next week though............triple digits are in the forecast.  I'm soaking up this cool air as much as I can!

Monday Morning

Another beautiful morning!  Quite a few residents out on the golf course this morning enjoying FREE golf and no crowds or waiting lines.


Tractors are out moving the gardens.

Several big trucks are spraying water and plowing up for the new road.

Meanwhile...........our little owl was sooooo sleepy today.  He hardly opened his eyes to pay any attention to us whatsoever.  You have to admire anyone or anything that can sleep while standing on just one leg.  We silently drove away so as not to disturb him.

MORE BABY DUCKS!  They're soooooo cute.  Don and I stood on the bridge over the creek and watched the little critters for a long time.  My camera just clicked away hoping to get a good shot of the little fuzzy critters.  After downloading them to my computer, I couldn't decide which photo to post.  Thus....you get them ALL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This group of older ducks came up on shore to get cleaned up.  

 

Plus we observed this nest again.  The eggs have been moved or rotated so it doesn't appear to be abandoned but I don't see mama around to incubate them.

That's all for today folks.

Saturday News

It was another lovely morning for coffee on the patio.  We get to chat with neighbors and friends who are out walking the dog or out for a bike ride to enjoy the cool air.  With all the snow and cold elsewhere, we are having a lovely spring.

I just returned from a leisurely ride around the park (without Don).  He's tired of me yelling to stop every time we pass another flowering cactus or plant so I sometimes head out on my own.  I'm stubborn and I still like to study the flowers and share them here.  We have such a diversity of plants around the resort.  I wish I would have written down the site numbers where I found these.....but......I didn't.  Sorry.

I think this strange one is over by #13.  Unusual leaves and pretty color blossoms. 

The palo verde trees are just beautiful this time of year as they're loaded with pretty yellow color and their bright green trunks and branches.

I''m guessing this weird popsicle looking bloom (behind Logeman's) is some kind of agave. 

This prickly pear has a real pretty orangish yellow flower....quite a bit different than the norm. 

This soft fern looking plant is in bloom at 558 if memory serves me correctly. 

I got up close to observe how delicate the flowers are. 

My travels took me over to the north gate area where we see the big equipment coming in.  The north gate will be strictly for use by heavy equipment this summer.  Residents are asked to use the main gate ONLY.  Surveyors were out in force yesterday laying out the path to continue the road in this area.  I'll get more photos when they're in action Monday.  

Now that most residents have gone home, it is time to "turn the green waste" piles that have been stewing for past months.  A blurb in the May newsletter alerts us that we may be pestered by an excess of flies during the process but it is a necessary step in preparing our recycled greens to use on the golf course this fall.  

We received a May newsletter with some interesting news.  Check it out on the Palm Creek official website in PDF format by clicking on this link:  May Newsletter.  Whoops.....as of right now, it is not posted yet but I'm sure it will be by Monday or Tuesday.

Newsletter items:

1.  The vegetable garden and dog agility area are being relocated due to upcoming activity in the construction area.

2.  The pretty (but pesty and messy) oak trees on the south side of the main swimming pool area are being replaced with orange flowering vines that will be beautiful as they grow.  The current trees are constantly shedding leaves into our pretty pool.  

3.  The golf course will be sprayed to rid it of the annual blue grass that turns to seed quickly and then devours our beautiful greens, fairways and tee boxes.  The spray will cause the grass to turn brown.  The course is still playable and free for open play.  I see folks out there every morning to enjoy this lovely spring weather.

Now for TWO gigantic bits of news:

1.  Ann and Larry Lykins are retiring!!  Ann says, "Larry and I want to do some traveling in our motorhome but plan on keeping Palm Creek as our home base.  You will still see us enjoying all that Palm Creek has to offer."  

WOW!!!  That is HUGE news.  Replacing two such dedicated and hard working people will be a monumental job.  Talk about big shoes to fill.  

While we will truly miss their smiling faces in the Activities Department, we certainly wish them happiness and hope they enjoy their time off. 

2.  The front page of the Casa Grande Dispatch has a big headline:  "SAM'S CLUB CONSTRUCTION".

"Work could start by summer".  

(I think a key word here is "could" but we're hoping!.)

Exact verbiage is as follows:  Casa Grande could be home to a new Sam's Club by late this year.  During Thursday's regular meeting of the Zoning Committee it was said that the company is working through the permitting process with various agencies.  We're getting very very close to wrapping it up and issuing a permit.  Once water and sewer line approvals are obtained, the company should receive the go ahead to begin building.  The word we're getting from corporate is that it's ready to be funded and built.  It's at the top of their list.  They predict a summer start date for the company to begin building the new store.

Another Day

Another BEAUTIFUL morning!  Cool 62 degrees with lots of sunshine sounds like perfect weather for pickleball.  Sure enough.....they were out there on the courts bright and early.  Sandi Feller gathered the players for a group shot.  Thanks, Sandi.

First day of summer league. 38 players from Palm Creek, Mission Royal and Robson Ranch. All skill levels in the round robin format mix.

I managed to get a nice picture of "Logie" in action.
 
Of course, his next shot was a line drive way out of bounds.  Caught his reaction on tape.  He yelled that I am NOT allowed to post this photo.  Here ya go, Jerry!  Ain't I a little devil?? 

 
Definition of a QUAIL:  One of the cutest birds ever built.
We see them almost every day in different locations in the park....but they're very elusive and hard to sneak up on.

BUT....look at this!  A quail nest....right where we'll be able to see it develop!!!!

 
Barb and Jim Cobb noticed that their pretty potted plant was dying.  Upon close inspection, Barb discovered that a quail had built her nest in the plant and was laying eggs.  The mama quail lays one egg each day until she has a clutch of up to 15 eggs before she parks to start incubating them.  "Normally" they nest on the ground under vegetation but this mama decided on a high rise location.

 
Barb promises to keep a close eye on progress and keep me posted.

 
Hey Poker Players:  We noticed that our chips were getting pretty grubby from heavy use this season.  We experimented and discovered that we can put them through the laundry with great success.  It will be like having NEW chips next season.  You're welcome!

 

 
Our water aerobics fans are still active every morning.  Say hello!

 

New Page - Notes from Readers

I thought I'd try an experiment and add notes from readers who are traveling around on adventurous journeys or who have arrived at their 'other' home safe and sound.  Send me an email or photo for posting.  Let's give it a try.  Click on the link at the top of this page: "Notes from Readers & Fellow Residents".