Happy Hour Conversation

Don and I went to happy hour at Char and Terry’s tonight. Orla joined us there as well. I just have to laugh sometimes at the plethora of odd subjects we can come up with to discuss at these “sessions”. Here are some of the topics we discussed tonight:

A Wal-Mart bag came floating overhead, hit an updraft of air, and soared above us at an ever increasing altitude until it was gone. Then Char and Orla had to discuss….was the bag really “gone” or merely out of sight.

While this controversy was happening, Don and Terry were discussing the effects of Flomax and the wonders of modern medicine for male enhancement. I shall spare you the details since this site is rated PG…….ha! for mature audiences.

Since we were all donned with either sandals or were barefoot, we then discussed toes. Don’s toes are long, straight, and “pretty” while mine are curled under and ugly. Char, on the other hand, has short stubby toes. Terry says it looks like she ran into a wall toes first.

Orla and Char argued for about 15 minutes about the difference between an aspen tree and a poplar tree. It ended with Char promising to do an internet study on the subject.

We discussed Molly’s new haircut…..or summer shave. Molly is Char’s puppy dog who just got a very short summer haircut. Char vows never to clip her that short again as she misses Molly’s cute furry ears and long fluffy tail. I personally think Molly is happy to be free of a warm fur coat in this Arizona heat. Granted she may look cuter with a little more fur….but….ya de ya de ya de.

I told the group about the birthday cake we had at work today for one of the ladies there. After revealing ages, we discovered that I was by far the oldest employee. In fact, the next oldest woman is the same age as my son! After that brought a nice friendly laugh, one of the girls piped up and said she was young enough to be my grand daughter. Ha Ha. Darned kids anyway.

While refreshing drinks, Terry placed a large block of ice in the middle of the patio table between us. We watched to see how fast it would melt in the near 100 degree temp we were pleasantly enduring. Then the fun began while we took turns splashing in the melting water with our bare feet.

I relayed to the group my success story about making baked potatoes in my new microwave potato bag. That brought us to a food topic so we had to decide where to have dinner tomorrow night. The evening ended with a promise to have fish fry at Francisco Grande tomorrow and sample their delicious bloody mary drinks.

There were many more topics that were hashed about but have now eluded my memory due to their total lack of importance. Just thought I’d share a bit of our evening.

I later went for a bike ride and came across Char, Jack, Penny, and Joe out on the tennis court in a heated tournament. It was more fun than watching television!

NEWS FLASH: Election day brings Bob Jackson as the new Mayor of Casa Grande in a very heated race between the top two contenders.

A big article in tonight’s paper is about a huge airport project. A 13-acre property will be home to an airpark that will house 26 business condos, with light industrial zoning, eight airplane hangars, a restaurant, and a grassy park with ramadas and picnic tables. Construction is still in a huge flurry around here.

Other headlines state that the Salvation Army store will move into the now deserted Osco Drug store as they believe that location will increase their business. They plan to hire 15 more employees to staff the store.

That’s it for today’s blurb, blog, or whatever.

Happy Mother's Day

I saved a special pet story to help celebrate Mother’s Day. Our pets are like our children. We love them, nurture them, take great pride in them, put up with them at difficult times, tolerate them at their worst, but most of all flourish in the ever loyal unquestioning love they return. A standard joke here in the pet section of the park is that we’d someday like to come back to life as a pet at Palm Creek. Talk about a pampered life!

The newest addition to the park is Barney….whose proud parents are Frank and Joan Cichon in Site 1705. Barney was recently adopted from the local Humane Society and has found a wonderful home with Frank and Joanie. Barney is a bundle of energy and is as cute as a button with his fresh haircut and curly tail. He likes to take himself for a walk by carrying his own leash and bringing a big smile to everyone he meets. Of course, we all spoil him with treats so going for a walk means numerous stops at neighbors along the way.

Be sure to welcome Barney to the neighborhood the next time you see him…and congratulate Frank and Joan on a great find!

Don and I went to the Ak-Chin casino today. Don headed to the poker room and I went to bingo. We were lucky to come home with the pretty white carnation I received free as a mother’s day gift. I got two great phone calls from our sons which were the real highlights of the day. Kevin is on his way to New York with his first truckload for Sitton Trucking out of Joplin, Missouri. He is “on the road again” and seems very happy with his big truck. Will post pictures as soon as I can download them as he sent them via cell phone and I have no idea how to do that yet. Hope you all had a great Mom’s Day!!

A May Saturday

It’s a funny thing about our cat Hiway….and I suppose all pets….but they do like to rise at dawn when the sun comes up….whatever time that may be. Here in sunny Arizona in the merry month of May, that means 5:30 a.m. and Hiway says its time to get up and enjoy the beautiful morning. She’s right even though it is one of my precious days off work. We still get up at that hour, grab a cup of fresh coffee and head for the patio. Mornings are just beautiful in May. By noon we head indoors as the temperatures rise. Temps are forecasted to reach 100 for the next few days but it still cools to the 60s at night leaving us with great weather. We love it here!!

There are still enough avid pickleballers that head to the courts in the morning (and/or evenings). Don, Bob Carte, and neighbor Denny played the back nine holes of golf this morning.

I drove around the resort in our golf cart to inspect the homes I’m watching. I give Ruthie in Site 1724 the prize for raising the most doves of anyone. She has cute little planters under each window and each box seems to house a nest. Today I spotted another one under the driveway awning who has taken up residence in a small flower pot.

Jan Water’s hibiscus tree is doing really well and has new blooms on every day when I ride by. Can you see all the buds on this photo? And to George: I’m still watching that HUGE tomato bush and patiently waiting for the fruit to ripen.

I volunteered to watch over the library at the clubhouse for the summer. Little did I know that it would be so heavily used. I go up there a couple times during the week and find piles of new books being donated. There’s some great reading material in there but now I can’t find the time to read! We really have a great library reading room for our residents to enjoy. I'm also amazed at the intricate jigsaw puzzles that people assemble. One table is entirely devoted to the latest puzzle. It seems to be a teamwork type of activity. Whoever wanders in, sits and puts together a few pieces until in a day or so the whole thing is done and another puzzle hits the table.

Tonight we headed out to dinner with Char and Terry. We drove to the little Mexican restaurant in Eloy….can never remember the name of it….but it’s where we celebrated Donna Kraft’s surprise birthday party last year. The place has been redecorated and looks really nice. The food and margaritas were GREAT! We definitely recommend the place and had a very nice evening.

Thursday Update

It may have been 98 degrees this afternoon but we still had a nice happy hour on Eichers' patio. Terry laughed and said the needle on Dick Stone’s electric meter looks like a buzz saw now that he has run an extension cord to Dick’s meter and is running the RV air conditioning from there. Ha!! Char mentioned that they turned Dick’s thermostat down to a nice cool 70 degrees just to watch the meter go into high gear. (Sorry Dick. They made me promise to type that!)

Ideal swimming weather has descended upon us. Our “bobber club” is starting in full swing now and we head up to the pool each evening around 6:30 to watch the lovely Arizona sunsets behind the palm trees.

I’ve been busy at my job these past few weeks and have been working full-time hours. With graduation, mother’s day, and June weddings on the horizon, we have a busy place with all the customers coming in for invitations, photographic gifts for mom, last minute shipping, etc. The longer I work at Print and Pack, the more I enjoy it there. It’s also fascinating to see the huge rolls of blueprints that come in from the numerous contractors working in the area. We get to copy plans for many of the new stores coming to the Promenade Mall.

Don is glad to have enough people still coming to the clubhouse a couple times a week for their Texas Hold’em poker games. He came home with a first place win the other night which makes him even happier.

I’ll try to get out with the camera this weekend to post some photos and brighten up the blog. Stay tuned. Sure do enjoy hearing from folks who take a minute to jot me an email after reading the latest update.

Haboob #3

You might tire of me talking about Haboobs so frequently, but they truly are an awesome weather phenomenon. We had #3 for the month this afternoon and the monsoon season isn’t even here yet. Don and I were downtown running errands when we could see the western sky turn yellow with huge dust clouds. The weird part was that there was very little wind so it was hard to grasp that a haboob was truly on the way. About 15 minutes later, we arrived home when the winds came roaring in and the dust hit us. I have another photo, but pictures just don’t do it justice. I think the storms are so exciting…mysterious…and awesome to watch. There was zero rain with this one which is quite frequently the case. It is now a half hour later and the sun is shining, sky is clear, winds have eased. I’ll hop in the cart right after dinner and tour all the houses I’m watching to make sure there was no damage. I doubt there was because Don’s handy dandy professional weather station says winds only reached gusts of 26 mph and that’s not enough to do substantial damage. (Can’t begin to imagine what the 200+ mph winds were like during the storms in Kansas last week!!!) The thermometer hit 99 today so the triple digits won’t be far behind. This has been a lucky week for me!! Char and I went to the casino Sunday to play bingo and we BOTH bingo’d. How about that!! There were other lucky winners too so both Char and I had to share the jackpots we won. I won a $200 game, had to split three ways so won $67. Char hit a $1,000 pot and had to split three ways so still went home with over $300. Then we went across the street to the main casino where we scanned our player cards for potential instant winnings. Char won $5. I put $5 in a dollar slot machine and walked away with $60. We should have bought lottery tickets while we were at it cause we were sure on a lucky streak. So much fun!!!

I volunteered to be a librarian for the park library during this summer. I thought it would be easy since there weren’t very many people here, but evidently the ones who do stay are avid readers. The return and donated items shelves are filled each time I go up there. The fun part is that I get to pick through all the new books to see which one I want to read next.

Don cleaned out his closet this week (wonder of wonders!) and brought out a huge pile of computer “stuff” that he no longer wanted. He is such a gadget freak so always wants the latest and greatest computer gear. We put up a number of items on eBay and made out quite well. He sold a motherboard, two video cards, and a sound blaster. All the pieces looked the same to me so he had to sort it all out into individual bags so I would know what to send the auction winners. PayPal and eBay have really teamed up and do a wonderful job. They make buying and selling very easy. It’s really fun to watch an auction each day and see how many people bid. We sold tons of stuff when we got ready to sell our home in Ohio. In fact, we even sold a semi truck for $80,000. A guy from Pennsylvania showed up with a cashiers check and drove it away.

Summer season is obviously on the way. The landscaping crew pulled out all the pretty flowers at the front entrance and at the four way stop. It looks so barren now without the vibrant colorful flowers to greet us. Flowers are just too fragile to survive the summer temperatures though so it makes sense to pull them out and conserve the water.

I met Greg Barton the other day while I was working in the library. He’s the Special Projects person who authored the resident letter I posted last week. He seems very nice and explained that he is a friend of Ashton’s and accepted a job here to help out. He has been in the resort business for 30+ years….including stints at Disneyland and Encore parks. Since Greg and his wife have a 10 year old son, they bought a house in the family section at Mission Royale. He let me know that the Neighborhood Watch program will be meeting the first week of next month. The police officer in charge of the program is not available until then.

That’s my news for the day. Come back again for further updates.

In the News

Palm Creek News:
We received a flyer in our mailboxes here today. It reads as follows: "Many of you have heard by now rumors about thefts around our property. This letter is intended to get the facts out to everyone and to also let you know what our plans are for the future.

Last week, some of our company-owned golf carts were taken from the parking lot outside the Sales Office. The Casa Grande Police found the two large carts the next day in a nearby subdivision under construction. It is their belief that local kids were playing games. Then, later that same week we had reports filed for two missing bikes and a tub filled with tools.

We hope that these are isolated incidents but we must face the facts. It is the off-season at Palm Creek Resort and we don't have as many people on property to report suspicious behavior. We have decided to establish patrols in the resort today who you will see wearing YELLOW RANGER shirts. If you see someone you do not recognize and they are not wearing a yellow ranger shirt; please call the Gatehouse immediately at extension 8960.

We are also working with the local authorities to set up a "Neighborhood Watch" program in our Resort. If you have interest in being a part of the program or just want to attend a meeting, please call the main office at extension 7000 for more details.

The important thing to do right now is take time to secure your personal belongings and feel comfortable reporting anyone you may think isn't in our Resort for a legitimate reason. In the meantime, please feel free to call me at extension 8983 if you have any questions.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Greg Barton, Special Projects"

I am very grateful to the management (and Greg Barton.....whoever that is) for putting out this flyer. It's nice to hear the facts instead of just rumors. I also plan on signing up for the Neighborhood Watch program. I ride my bike a lot in the cooler summer evenings so maybe I can be of service. I'd make a great spy!

Casa Grande News:

A big article appeared on the front page of today's Casa Grande Dispatch. I quote several sentences as follows: "The Promenade at Casa Grande today announced the addition of six retailers to its growing slate of offerings: Dillard's, Famous Footwear, Lane Bryant, Michaels, PetSmart, and Shoe Pavilion. The open-air center plans to open its first phase this fall with more than a million total square feet of shopping, dining and entertainment. The second phase is due to open in spring of 2008. Previously announced retailers are Best Buy, Harkins Theatres, JCPenney, Kohl's, Staples and Target."

There is a small blueprint of the mall being passed around town as well. It includes the following list of stores and restaurants: Office Max, Pet Smart, Sports Authority, Michaels, Marshalls, Shoe Pavilion, Old Navy, Pier 1, Ross, Linens & Things, Red Lobster, Applebees, Village Inn, Olive Garden, and In & Out Burger.

It's really exciting to see all this coming to town. I'll try to get out there each weekend for a while to get some pictures for you.

ARIZONA NEWS:

A new non-smoking law was passed in Arizona by a large margin of voters and it went into effect on May 1. Smoking is no longer allowed in any public establishment including restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, businesses, industries, etc. No smoking is allowed within 20 feet of any door or entrance to a public building. As a non-smoker, I welcome the law with open arms and rejoicing. We received another notice in our resort mailboxes showing that the resort is complying with the new law. It states: "There will be no smoking in any building in the resort or within 20 feet of any resort building. This includes the main building and tennis pavilion, the "new" north pavilion, all patios and both swimming areas."

That "new" north pavilion I assume is the area where they put up that nice tent top...awning, shelter thingy up by the north pool. I haven't seen any further construction there yet, but I'll keep you posted as it develops.

That's all for today, Folks. Stay tuned for further updates.

A full blown HABOOB!!

How exciting!! We experienced our first true white out (should say "brown out") while driving home from a restaurant in Florence tonight. The evening started out with the usual sunny sky when we left for the Greek restaurant in Florence with Dave and Carolyn Anderson. Dave was driving with his brand new Jeep...nice and clean from a fresh washing. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and headed home about 7:15. The weather was overcast but still calm when we left town.

Suddenly the wind whipped up in galeforce speeds and the dirt came flying across the road. Huge tumbleweeds would hit the car with a heavy whack! We encountered a complete brown out condition as we traveled on a back road back to Casa Grande. We followed the safety rules for driving in a sand storm by pulling off the road and turning out the lights so other cars wouldn't follow us into the ditch. When it cleared somewhat, we pulled back onto the road and proceeded on our way until the sand and wind got even worse. Finally we caught up to a couple cars that were stopped on the road with their flashers on. We couldn't see past or around them so sat there in the line up of cars for about 20 minutes while the wind rocked us and the sand blasted against the car and windows. When we finally started moving again, we came across a police car and another vehicle down in the ditch so it looks like someone missed the road in the storm causing the traffic back up. Everyone had their emergency flashers going as we drove down the road. We were safe and sound all the while but kept oohing and aahing at the ferocity of the wind and debris. It was the most extreme sand storm conditions any of us had ever experienced. It was quite awesome!! It was a tremendous wind with LOTS of desert dust and grit.

Then the rain came. There wasn't much quantity, but it turned all the dirt and grit into a mud that would wash off the windshield when the wipers swished back and forth. I'd love to see Dave's car tomorrow morning when the sun comes up. It will be back to the car wash for Dave and his new Jeep. He said next time Don gets to drive!

We stopped by the security guard at the gate. It was windy here at the resort, but they didn't seem to encounter anything like we met out on the road. We saw some leaves, dirt, and palm fronds on the streets but no damage we're aware of. We'll check out everything in the morning and talk with the neighbors to see what they have to say. Will make another post later.

Here are a couple links that explain a "haboob" or desert storm....also some awesome photos.
http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll118/en/development/types.list.haboob.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottorama/sets/651237/detail/

First Haboob of the Summer

We experienced our first haboob of the summer today...which is rather early. Haboob is the local term for this HUGE yellow cloud of dust that comes flying in...usually from the east or south which is quite unusual since most winds come from the west. The day started out as quite warm at around 97. Then this afternoon the dark clouds started rolling across the sky. Don and I were sitting on the patio when the wind suddenly picked up into a fierce gust and the HUGE yellow cloud of dust and dirt blew in. It's really quite a sight to see. Then we even had a little rain but unfortunately not much. Within the hour, the temperature dropped down to low 80s and the sun was back out for a beautiful evening. Very unusual weather.

I made the rounds of the houses I'm watching and didn't see any damage to report other than a broken clay pot at Marilyn and Bill's house. It evidentally blew over in the wind. We heard that Mission Royale had a few downed trees and they were without electricity for two hours. Must have been worse over their way. We've never been without power in the three years we've been here. Better knock on wood, huh!

I ended the day with a nice swim up at the main pool. It wasn't too crowded....five people. I love it!!

Thank You, Jan

Jan and George Waters threw a very nice "bash" this week so thought I'd post a blurb to say thank you and bid adeau to Jan's friend, Lynne. Lynne said she is a loyal fan of this blog because she likes to keep track of our activities. We were surprised to see that there are still so many people here this late in the season. Thanks Jan.....it was great.

Another Day

Oh, how I love living in Arizona!! It was a lovely spring day with a high of about 90. That may seem hot to some, but when it's a "dry heat", it is absolutely wonderful. We went out to Francisco Grande tonight for dinner with some great friends (Bob and Bev Carte). I keep hearing about that lovely place, but this is the first time we went out to dinner there. It was great!! They've really done a lot of remodeling but the best part was the wonderful food and great service. I highly recommend it. Don loves golfing there and confirms that they also have a friendly staff in the cocktail lounge. Now how would he know that?? I'll get some pictures the next time we head out that way as I didn't think of taking the camera. I must get back into my "blog" mode as updates seem to be in great demand.

As many of you know, Don's sister (Pat) and her daughter (Tracy) successfully write mystery books under the pen name of PJ Tracy. They've been on the best seller list with each of four novels!! Their bio has appeared in People Magazine and tomorrow they will be on the Today Show. Can't wait to watch them. Our TVO is set to record. Check out their website sometime at www.pjtracy.net and read their entertaining newsletters. They also appear in an article in the May issue of Ladies Home Journal in an article about mother/daughter businesses. We are sooooooo proud of them!!

Don and I took a ride this afternoon with camera in hand to take pictures of some of the construction progress around town.

The most exciting site is, of course, the new mall just on the east side of Hiway 10. Most of you passed it on your way out of town. The recent progress is remarkable as you can see from these photos. Walls are springing up all over the place and even on this Sunday afternoon, trucks and workers were active like bees. There are only a few signs posted identifying the various buildings. The ones listed are Harkin’s Theaters, Staples, and Pet Smart.


Approaching the new "Prominade Mall" from the overpass.
Here's the view from on top the overpass looking north up Hiway 10.
This view is heading east just past the overpass.
This is one of the buildings closest to the road.

The next most important site will be watching the construction of the new high school just across the street from Palm Creek. I took these pictures from the corner of Cottonwood and Arizola. You can see Palm Creek in the background so you know how close this new building will be.



Medical buildings are bouncing up all over near the park. Here are some new medical facilities going up right alongside the hotel across the street. There are quite a few more going up on McMurray. Casa Grande will be a convenient stay for anyone needing medical assistance.

The building to the left is the hotel. The new medical buildings are alongside and behind the hotel. This photo is taken from McMurray.

Our owls are still residing in the lot outside the main gate but their surroundings are sure being cut down. I keep a close eye on them as much as possible and have the phone number of the endangered species organization handy should I see any dangerous activity near their home. These cute little feathered guys are protected by law. Whoever buys that property will face a big expense in moving the owls to a new location.

The Season Winds Down

Sooooo…..the season is truly winding down. The major activities are done, most of the RV folks are headed home or on the road again, and we “year rounders” are enjoying the peace and quiet that descends upon the streets of our beautiful resort. The weather has been gorgeous…80s by day, 50s by night. Neither air conditioners nor heaters needed; just the rustling sound of the breezes through the palm trees and the singing birds (and, of course, the gentle sound of the plentiful cooing doves). I expect our rabbit population may dwindle a bit as a couple of coyotes have been spotted near the golf course toward dusk and early morning. Certainly can’t blame them for sneaking in here where furry critters, fresh water, and cool green grasses abound.

I took a leisurely bike ride down Cole Circle tonight and stopped to admire the pretty flowers along the way. The geraniums, pansies, oleanders, and other flowering bushes are coming into their prime. Too bad so many people have to leave before the flowering peak season. Speaking of FLOWERS!!....here are some photos of the awesome cactus blossoms that appear at Site ____. We’ve counted as many as 12-15 in the past, but last week there were 60 huge white flowers all in bloom at the same time! What an extraordinary sight to behold. Wow. They’re beautiful flowers and only last for one day so these pictures were taken at exactly prime time.

Party at Ron & Nancy's...without Ron and Nancy

It was a beautiful sunny Arizona day but the wind was quite ferocious. Where can we comfortably sit for our afternoon happy hour???? Ron and Nancy's patio looked like the perfect spot....protected from the wind but still with lots of sunshine. The only dilemma is that Ron and Nancy weren't home. No problem....we gathered on their patio anyway and just waited for them to return. Here we are waving a cheery hello to our hosts....wherever they may be. Thanks for the hospitality!!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2007! Have you already faced that long hesitation when you try to write the date with the new year?? Ha...join the club.

Our New Year's celebration started off with a fun happy hour at Carol and Bernie's place. Lots of fun, sunshine, good food, and good friends.

Later that evening we had a gathering at Ron and Nancy's new park model to bring in the new year. It was a fun group and we certainly welcome them to the neighborhood. Thanks for a great time! We played a crazy game where we all learned that counting to 30 was a major chore that was beyond us at that hour of the celebration.

The next party followed a few days later. It was an impromptu neighborhood happy hour that started at Jim and Valerie's place. For some reason, that neighborhood has always been party central. We definitely welcome Jim and Valerie, and Ron and Nancy to our new crew of revelers. Our sympathies go to whoever doesn't attend the party. This time it was Mike and Bev who were absent. A few party leftovers somehow wound up in their driveway to welcome them home and let them know they were missed.

That same neighborhood band of revelers arranged for a group dinner the following Friday night. We gathered together and caravaned out to Picacho Steak House for a delicious steak dinner or some of us opted for their famous Friday night fish fry. Great food....and a very "homey?" atmosphere. Take exit 211A off of Hiway 10 to get to the steakhouse for some delicious food. Next time Jerry and Judy better be ready on time!

And a Very Merry Christmas It Was

What a beautiful Christmas Day!! Lots of friends out and about shouting Holiday Greetings. I think we fed Christmas chicken to most of the pets in the park. It has long been a standing tradition that we keep fresh chicken in our frig for whenever folks stop by with their pets. The puppies come running toward our house if they should see us outside cause they know there's a treat waiting for them. These cute pics were all taken today as guests stopped by.
First guests were Gigi and Murphy.
Rally, the wonder dog.
And Macey wearing her "Who's Your Doggie?" t-shirt and sporting a collar of jingle bells.

This afternoon we headed up to the ballroom for a Christmas feast. I didn't think the park crew could possibly be as successful as they were in preparing our Thanksgiving meal, but they did it again. They managed to serve over 400 people in just 20 minutes and each table received hot delicious home cooked food. It was great! Thank you to all the volunteers and kitchen elves who made it possible. We had a happy hour at 3:00 with dinner following at 4 and lots of laughter
through the whole afternoon.

Even the weather cooperated to give us a great day with temps in the high 60s and plenty of Arizona sunshine. Folks were out golfing, playing pickleball, riding bikes, playing tennis, and just having a fun time.

Christmas Approaches

Tis the season to be Jolly......and we are! My Dad once told me a story: "When I was a lad, my mother said when she was young Christmas came but once every 10 years but now it seems to come 10 times a year. I can now understand what she meant." Thanks, Dad....I now understand it too. Wow, does time ever pass quickly. To quote another saying: "Time flies when you're having fun!"

Bev and Mike Connolly hosted their famous "Love Thy Neighbor" Christmas party last weekend. What a great time! This year's bash was held in the San Tan card room here at the resort so we could eat, drink, and be merry indoors. We all brought a nice gift to place at the front table. After a delicious potluck happy hour, we opened the packages via drawing numbers from the hat. When your number was drawn, you could open a gift from the table or steal one from someone who had already opened theirs. What a riot! Highly envied gifts like booze, vibrating chair cushions, beverage blenders, etc. got traded back and forth like hot potatoes! Lots of raucous laughter emerged as some folks chased after coveted stolen gifts. Bev finally had to limit the number of trades so the party could continue. I'm sure we all went home with a plethora of happy memories. Thank you, Bev and Mike, for a wonderful time.





We not only celebrate the Christmas season at this time of year, but some of us have wedding anniversaries to honor as well. Bob and Bev Carte celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 18 plus Don and I hit our 38th on December 21. We joined forces and went out to dinner at Picacho Steakhouse for a super evening of good food, great friendships, and awards for putting up with each other so many years. I'm posting some casual photos of the happy couples.


Bob and Bev received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from their daughter, Susan.


Algadonas, Mexico
This blurb about Mexico isn't really related to Christmas, but I neglected to post this earlier so you get the info today. Better late than never.
Don and I are avid Mexico shoppers when it comes to dentistry, drugs, eye glasses, etc. as the service, prices, and adventures are well worth the trip. If any of our Palm Creek friends are interested in going and want detailed information or recommendations for specific doctors, etc., give us a call. Just a word of advice for visiting south of the border during winter season: Be prepared to face a long line when returning through customs...and be sure to have your passport handy as new regulations are effective January 2007. Just allow yourself some extra time when planning to leave as the line will be long but moves along rather quickly. We usually start up a friendly conversation with other folks in line and before you know it, you have new stories to share and have met some great friendly people from other parts of the country (or Canada!). Here are some pics of the exit line on our last trip.






Remember the story I posted about Donna and Larry Kraft and their new puppy named Blanco? They were here for a nice visit yesterday so, of course, we have updated photos of our "godpuppy". This was Blanco's first real experience at "socializing" with so many different people and other dogs. She did really well and as you can see, she wasn't intimidated by Rally's large size.




Our little godpuppy loves shoestrings so be careful when you get up to walk around.



Here's Donna proudly showing her newest family addition to Bob and Bev.

It was so nice to see our cluster of friends together again.

New Blog Format

This blogger website has an updated version so you will notice a new format. Nice work. Thanks Blogger! (Google)

You'll notice some icons at the bottom of each update. You can post a message at each one to say hello or to add your two cents to my comments. (Be kind!) Feel free to post a message.

By clicking on the email icon, you can email the blog to a friend. Please feel free to share this blog with any other Palm Creek friends.

A special thank you to those who do send comments. It's much appreciated and keeps me motivated to do more updates!

Local News and Tidbits

Ho Ho Ho.....the Holidays are rapidly approaching and the park looks lovely with all the lights and activity. Folks back east will envy us as we decorate in short sleeves in the bright sunshine.





Neighbors assist with the decorating. That's George helping Mike...and Don keeping Frank in line.





The biggest chuckle this week came from my friend Char. We were invited over to Jan's for a "girls night" to just goof off, relax, and have a good time watching a DVD of Desperate Housewives. Char topped the cake, however, when she showed up in her finest regalia.

Construction around Casa Grande continues at a rapid pace. The bulldozers and construction equipment at the new mall location are busy and active.

An article appeared in the local paper about the location for the new high school. It will be located on the southeast corner of Cottonwood and Arizola. Rumor used to be that it would be adjacent to our Palm Creek but now we can lay that rumor to rest.

The city is going to build its first dog park and hopes to have it open by August of 2007. It will be located on approxmately four acres at Ed Hooper Rodeo Park located at the northwest corner of Rodeo Road and Pinal Avenue with an initial budget of $60,000. Should be interesting to see and a fun place to visit with our pets. Our community continues to expand.

No other big news this week. Just getting ready for all the upcoming holiday parties and festivities plus scurrying around with Christmas shopping. If the resort's Christmas dinner turns out half as good as the Thanksgiving party, we'll have another wonderful event.

Thank you, Jan

We have a new contributor to the blog. Thank you, Jan Waters for bringing home some pictures of the electric light parade. I didn't realize that the parade would be that special until I saw the Palm Creek float drive down Cole Circle on a practice run Friday night. The volunteers who built the float deserve a true "atta boy/girl" for doing such a great job. Mark that event on your calendars for next year as it's quite a spectacle to see. It drew big crowds for Casa Grande.



I must also share an email I got from Jan this morning. Our weather has been windy and cold the last three days. Well...cold for Arizona anyway. The rest of the country is in low teens with ice and snow so a cold day for us means 40-50. Anyway....the pet owners are bundled up and shivering as they walk their puppies in the brisk mornings. Thus this email from Jan today: "Must tell you about my morning. Went to walk Rally for his morning constitution. It was really chilly and windy out!! He pooped and when I picked it up in a little plastic baggie, it was nice and warm and kinda squishy. I thought to myself, "You might be a redneck if you use dog poop as a hand warmer."


Thank you, Jan for a good laugh. You should send that one to Jeff Foxworthy on Comedy Central. P.S. Jan is also famous for winning the hula hoop contest on stage at the Welcome Back dinner this fall.