Remodeling and Stuff

Hi there.  How was your morning so far?  Mine started off with a nice big smile.  While out on our rounds this morning, we stopped in a house to flush the drains and look what was smiling back at me when I lifted the lid.  Cute! 

 (Thank you to Dave and Joan for giving us the first laugh of the day.

 

 

Yesterday's rounds were interesting too as we observed some of the "wildlife" around the park.  It is not uncommon to find a poor little scorpion trapped in a sink or bathtub as they look for water.  I feel obligated to the home owner to dispose of the little critters so took some tissues and tried to squish this guy.  After several unsuccessful attempts, I finally had to bash him with the drain stopper.  Tough bug!!  He does not squish easily.

 

 

Check out this critter!  How weird is this!  I tried to research him on the internet but couldn't find an ID for him.  Anyone have a clue what kind of beetle this is?

 

 

And then there are BEES.  Swarms and swarms of bees like to seek out new shelters.  A very LARGE swarm took over the empty pots at one of the houses we watch.

 

 

These stored flower pots were just covered with a jillion bees and they already had formed heavy honey combs.  I couldn't get close enough for a decent photo as the critters were very upset at the moment.

 

 

Fernando had just been there in his bee suit to persuade the gang to move to other less inhabited places. 

 

 
The back of his cart shows he went through quite an arsenal of wasp killer on the project. 

 Okay.....enough about bugs for today.  Now to the stuff you're really looking for.  Work continues on the bistro columns. I think the crew fits this project in between the myriad of other brick work jobs that are underway.....patios, pavers, etc. at resident homes.
 

 

We had a nice discussion with the feet in this picture.  I don't know if the man had a sense of humor or not but we enjoyed the short conversion.  Looks like all the lights are being removed in the billiards room as part of the remodeling project.

 

 

 

 

All the bookshelves are being removed from the library. 

 

 

Walls will be moved as new rooms and expansion work continues.  I'm hoping for more detailed info as to what the final outcome will look like so stay tuned as the project develops.

 

 

We spotted Lisa Harold (our new GM) and Lillie Corbitt heading off to work.

 

 

Everything is removed from the front lobby too.  This area may become more office space.  Will get details later.

 

 

New houses keep coming in.

 

 

 

Spotted Vera Burke and Lynne Rogers up at the main pool for an early morning swim.  They both attended the overnight bus trip to Fort McDowell and said it was really a LOT of fun.  Rumor has it that Avis and Larry Gray were big winners at one of the promotional events there.

 

 

Work continues in the Saguaro Room where special events will have their new storage area.

 

 

 

Last item on the tour is another picture of this nice palm tree in the area outside the golf shop.  It's very unusual and always catches my attention.  I'm continually amazed at the wide variety of plants and trees in Arizona.  I find them all fascinating.  When you come back to our little piece of paradise here, be sure to take time to look around at nature's beauty.

 

 

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I've heard from folks in Wisconsin that the mosquito population is really booming this year.  The proof is in the new warning signs posted along the highways.

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Prime Rib Dinner + a cow +Flight Sim Video

Time after time we're amazed at the delicious food that gets served here at Palm Creek.  Friday's prime rib dinner was no exception.  It was GREAT!  Thank you to MaryAnn Brown, Linda Balzan and their crew of volunteers who served us.

We had a nice turn out too.  Photos were taken with a cell phone so they may be a tad blurry but I think you can still make out the faces of attendees that were enjoying the evening.

 

Must add another food photo that shows the scrumptious dessert!  (and we even had little glasses of wine with dinner!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These two photos show our hard working cooks, chefs, and servers.

 

 

 

Saturday, while Don and I were out running errands, we stopped at Chick-fil-a for lunch.  I even received a hug from the Chick-fil-a cow!

 

 

This little boy was just precious and stole the hearts of all the customers as he gave the cow a gentle high five.

 

 

You've heard me talk about Don and his computer addiction.....well, add his hobby of Flight Simulators and you get quite a collection.  I interrupted him for a short video this morning.  Click on the play button to start the show.  There will be a small icon in the lower right of the video so you can make it full screen for better viewing.

 

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Temps aren't for wimps

Triple digits may be upon us but we're doing just fine.  We had a big potluck happy hour at our house yesterday at 5:00.  We all clustered under the awning for shade but were content to be outdoors all the same.  (107 degrees)  I had a bunch of pictures to show you....but....somehow I deleted them.  Whoops.

After happy hour, the pool sounded most welcome.  Some headed up to the main pool for water volleyball.
 

 

And some of us headed for the north pool for cool down and chat time.  Of course, that was after we played catch with a splash ball.

 

I hear via the sales office that we have 19 more homes to be delivered this summer.  Some are already sold, some are spec homes, and some will be rentals.  Nancy and crew will remain busy.

 

 

Two of the homes will go at the far north end of Sandy Desert along the west wall.

 

 

Two more will go on Desert Wind for Sites 1339 and 1340.  Holes are being dug as I type this.

 

 

Along the new Granite Street by the golf course, they're continually building big beautiful patios on the new houses.  Sounds like perfect happy hour environment come this winter.

 

 

 

Work continues at stoning the columns at the bistro.  This is a work of art as he fits each individual stone into place.

 

 

Palm trees continue to be trimmed.  Here's another before and after scene as they go up and down each street.

 

 

Don and I were coming home from Sam's Club this week and spotted a huge dust devil spiriling up into the sky.  No clouds, no heavy wind....just this spiriling stream of dust coming up from the dry area north of the pickleball courts.  We drove out there once we entered the park but by then it had dissipated.  These whirlwinds just come and go sporadically in the desert.  The guy who dreamed up the cartoon of the Tazmanian devil must have lived in Arizona.

 

 

Art and Audrey Combs have been watching this killdeer nest in their backyard.

 

 

Art's caring nature felt sorry for mama bird sitting out in the hot sun so lent her one of his lawn chairs for shade.  I'm sure she appreciated it.  This morning Art  came over to let us know that the eggs have hatched.  I went over to check them out but it was a bad time.  Mama killdeer was really upset and there were grackles in the tree tops up above.  I didn't want to watch so left in a hurry.

 

 

On a much more pleasant note, here's a nice photo of our hard-working, dedicated landscape crew that work so hard in the hot sun to keep our park looking its best.

 

From left to right starting in top row:  Joel, Clint, Pedro, Jose, Fernando (hiding behind Fernando is Larenzo), Tony, Pascal.

 

Bottom row:  Jim Dawson, Rogelio, Faustino, Maurio, and Jesse.

 

 

Since we're showcasing some of our personnel, here's a cute picture of Christy Kochen, our Resident Relations Manager.  I tease her because I can only see her eyes each time I pass the front desk.  She either needs a shorter monitor or a taller chair.  LOL

That's all for today.  Tonight is our big prime rib dinner so I'll have more to write later.

Yum!!!

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Action Begins

Okay!  Now we have some action to report.  Approvals are here and projects can begin.   There will be some much needed major remodeling of storage and office space. 

 

If you've ever worked or assisted with any of our special events, you know how crowded and cramped they are for storage.  Most of the "stuff" was stored in the small area at the back of the Adobe room.  It's time to clean house.  Brandy Wood, our new Director of Activities & Events, is going through each and every box to inventory and label everything. 

 

 

 

Once everything is inventoried, it will be stored in this new room which was the Saguaro Room.  Shelves are ready and waiting.  Good luck with this project, Brandy....it may take a while.   :)

 

 

Work has already started at revising storage behind the stage in the ballroom.  The chapel group has their "stuff" stored in at least three different places.  These new cabinets are now installed on the wall behind the stage so all their supplies will be in one place.

 

 

In the small room beside the stage (stage left as the actors call it) is where all the speakers and stage equipment is stored.  Bingo now has nice new cabinets in there to keep their equipment.

 

 

 

The big truck out front shows a crew at work dismantling the pool tables in the billiards room.  That room will get a face lift with new paint and carpet.  One table will be moved and set up in the Santan Room for the summer so our summer residents still have a place to play during the transition.

 

 

It will be fun to see a "before" picture like this one.

 

 

And an "after" picture when the work is done.  Moving these tables is no small project!  The tables will also be blessed with new cloth playing surface.

 

 

Volunteers are boxing up all the books in the library.  The new remodeling plan calls for moving some walls and making some of the rooms bigger.  I'll have to wait to see some kind of a floor plan before I can give specifics.

 

 

There will also be some major change in the front reception area and the activities office.  More details will follow when I get some specifics.  It's pretty exciting and the staff is buzzing about the potential for more space.

 

Another plan in progress is much needed expansion for our kitchen.  The kitchen will be blessed with a large walk-in refrigerator and a walk-in freezer plus more storage area.  Some of the machines have been moved in the room next to the kitchen (where folding chairs were previously stored) but that's all we can see right now.

 

  

 

That's enough for a good start.  Stay tuned for further details.

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