Happy Cinco Day

We had a FUN Cinco celebration yesterday thanks in part to Andrea from Amazing Dental.  She even brought up most of her staff to enjoy the day.

Over 175 tickets were sold so we had a huge crowd for this time of year.

Bob and Robin always ready to assist.

This hard-working lady had the taco making job outdoors.

Lunch was served by a new restaurant in Coolidge called Jalapeno. It was a good Mexican meal.

The Mariachi band was OUTSTANDING! Great music to fit the occasion.  We were all very impressed with the trumpet man who was also a Fantastic singer!  He certainly drew a lot of applause.

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We had a new experience with our housewatch program on Friday.  We received a call from the office saying someone walking past 1872 reported a bird trying to get out of a window.  What???  We were just there for an inspection the day previous and didn't see a bird inside.

Sure enough.  When we approached we could see the poor little woodpecker trapped inside.

He obviously was smart enough to peck a whole through the styrofoam to get to the window.

Don gently pulled away the screen.

The little guy rested for a moment and then made one FAST beeline for the open door.

Crisis was solved.  We got permission from Pete and Linda Reynolds to post the story.

The bird must have followed us in the day previous when we were there for inspection.  

He remains a mystery but gave us some excitement to talk about.

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Occasionally, we must stop for traffic in the summer time.

It's always quite sad to see the flowers disappear.  The summer sun just bakes them though so they have to go.

Every time I think I've seen every kind of cactus there is............I come across a new one.  Isn't this a weird creature!

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My printer says there is a paper jam.  I wonder how that happened??

It rained!!

OMG!  It actually RAINED yesterday for the first time in months.  It probably wasn't a measurable amount but we know it rained because it made nice little mud daubs on our windshields.  

Then our Arizona sun gave us a beautiful rainbow!

Photo from Avis Gray

We didn't get wet though.  We were in the Adobe Room playing a new card game called "Swoop".  

Every Wednesday at 12:30, we are going to hold an "Open Games" event where everyone is welcomed to join us.  Depending on how many people show up, we'll determine what kind of game to play.  We want to continue this all summer and into the season so newcomers will have a great way to get acquainted.

Tapas Tuesday was a huge success and lots of fun this week.  Barb Poole and her crew of assistants planned a Jeopardy contest for us after a delicious happy hour lunch.  

Very creative questions were asked about different residents, areas of interest in Casa Grande, and a few history questions.  We had 60+ people in attendance.

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Kat loves to curl up by the computer and soak up the warmth as he keeps me company.  I wish he'd stop leaning on the keyboardddddddddddddd though!!

Update

Spotted this video posted on Facebook today.  It's a spotlight of Lisa Herald and our pretty resort.

Channel 15 Sonoran Living Show

Numbers here are dwindling as residents head back home.  Only 60 at card bingo Sunday compared to the 80 from last week.  They're waving to folks who are already on the road.

Many farewell dinners are being held.  Six of our group head home this week.  I'm already looking forward to their safe return.

Pat LaFleur tells everyone not to be in a hurry.  It took them over 3 hours of shoveling and scraping before they could get their rig in the driveway to unload.

Meanwhile..........

..some things don't change at all.

Reminder

Just a reminder to those of us still here in the park:  Our water will be shut off tomorrow morning 8:30 (Tuesday, April 24) to allow for some major repairs.  That last outage was very unexpected and was not planned for.  Thanks to our hard working crews for making the repairs as fast as they did.

Ahhhh................spring time.  Flowers are appearing all over the park and they're beautiful!!

Summer Fun

Summer FUN in the pool!!  I bet those of you who have returned to snow and ice are a tad jealous??

WATER VOLLEYBALL MAKES A BIG SPLASH!!!

As they used to say when we were young, THIS MUCH FUN should be illegal! The women played against the men this afternoon and held their own with PRIDE, winning one of the three games before splitting back into mixed sides. It was a beautiful day with a LOT of GREAT plays and GOOD LAUGHS! We've got lots of FUN planned ahead for Water Volleyball and EVERYONE is welcome! Check out our blog at www.palmcreekvb.blogspot.com. Hope to see you there!
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SUNDAES ON SUNDAY - MAY 6, 2018!

COME JOIN US on Sunday, May 6 from 6pm to 8pm for an Ice Cream Social!  Greg and Etta have volunteered to supply vanilla and chocolate ice cream for this day; the WVB Club will supply chocolate and caramel toppings.  Feel free to bring your favorite topping to share!  BYOB as well!  UPDATED LOCATION to be at the Fireside Patio, located behind The Bistro!

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We're having indoor fun too.  Card bingo started their summer season last night with 80 players present!

Photo from Avis Gray

Those of us who were at a group dinner and happy hour watched the sunset cruise go by with a caravan of golf carts and happy people.  Things are still busy here!!

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So sorry for the folks who had to leave and return to less pleasant climates.  Sue Mercier sent this photo of her shoveling the snow back in Wisconsin.  Poor Sue would rather be out on that lush green lawn bowl court!!

Water and Windshield

Whoops......9:00 a.m. and we have no water due to a water main break on Emerald Ave.  Crews are rapidly working on repairs so we need to be patient.

It looks like it could be a while before water is back on.

Good thing we didn't need water to have our car windshield replaced this morning.  Safelite AutoGlass was here bright and early to replace our cracked windshield.  Great service from Jose.

Our Lives Change with the Season

What a difference a few weeks makes at this time of year.  The park is emptying out as folks head home  to northern climates.  I'e heard from quite a few friends saying that they arrived home to over a foot of snow.  One couple can't even get in their driveway so must spend the night at a hotel until they can get the driveway plowed.  Yuck.

We here are enjoying our usual beautiful 80-90 degree temps although we had a few windy days over the weekend.  Today has been truly perfect though so Don pulled out the drone and took it for a ride.  We're amazed to see how many trees and shrubs are being planted in the north 40 expansion area.

(Here is the YouTube link for those who have trouble viewing through this blog:

You Tube

APS (electric power service) is spending a great deal of time in the resort as they install street lights.  We chatted with them and laughed when they said the job was much easier now that all the traffic has dissipated.

I peeked in the windows of the new shower building.  Looks like several nice bathroom/shower rooms plus a small laundromat area.  I didn't go inside though but will wait till it's safe to enter the construction area.

It seems like miles of trenches have been dug along the streets and walkways so irrigation lines can be installed.

This corner has us a bit puzzled though as we don't know why they planted so many palm trees so close together on this corner.  I'll have to investigate to get the answer.

If you can zoom in on this map, the red dots show the 12 lots that have already been sold in this new area.  Two spec homes were installed and both have already sold.  Nancy Paupst showed how the BIG lots are being swept up.  It's been a busy busy time in the sales office.

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Meanwhile, at the Hepler estate, our two kittens are now cats and still keep us mighty entertained.

Kat just can't pass up a warm computer key board.

Their rough house playing can make a mess in a hurry when they over turn their food dish.

But when they cuddle up for a nice quiet nap, they look innocent and loving.

Best Bingo Winner EVER!!

Tension mounted in the bingo hall last night as we all tried to win the big $567 coverall jackpot.  The room soon burst into a loud cheer of applause as we discovered who yelled "BINGO".  We couldn't be happier to congratulate Flo Fillipi for being the winner...............and she did hit the real jackpot by getting bingo on the starburst!  

Flo doesn't get to play bingo very often because she has been in charge and has run the program since it's inception many moons ago.  We truly have Flo to thank for maintaining bingo through all those years.

CONGRATULATIONS, FLO!!!!!

Beauty

Spotted a tall white egret wading at the waterfall.  So graceful and sleek.  Made for a great photo.

We live in a beautiful park!!

QOV and Happenings Announcement

Congratulations to "Mac" McCloskey for being the recipient of a Quilt of Valor from our devoted Quilters.  

What better way to celebrate with Mac than at the poker tables with all his friends.

READ CAREFULLY AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!!

This article will appear in the April Happenings newsletter.  This will be the best way to stay informed about the upcoming season, ticket sales, and events.  

Here is a link to the Palm Creek website where newsletters appear.  Mark it in your favorites!!

The Happenings newsletter source

Every Wednesday morning, all season long, there is a dedicated group of volunteers who teach beginners the fundamentals of Texas Hold'em and Omaha poker.  They've had many students this past season and celebrate their classes by holding a free tournament.

Here's a photo of the instructors and the winners of that tournament.  Congratulations!

1st place:  Betty Wold

2nd Place Glenda Wohldmann

Speaking of tournament winners:  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our Mahjong players that attended a tournament at Mission Royale last week.  We had a GREAT time and quite a few of us were in the cash!  Our group plans to conduct several tournaments ourselves next season.

By the way....there is no "end of season" for Mahjong.  We will continue to play ALL summer long!

Springtime is upon us.  We see prickly pear cactus and yucca plants starting to bloom.

This plant at site 1723 looks really nice.