Baby Owls

I tried to get a photo of the three baby owls this morning but couldn't seem to hold the camera steady enough for a good shot with the telephoto lens. I would take a tripod, but I'm sure I'd get squashed by the oncoming traffic in the process. Of course, Mama Owl won't let us get very close before she herds the kids down the tunnel so this is my best shot. Sorry for the blurr.

Weird Weather

What a difference a day makes!! Isn’t there a song about that?? Look at this temperature switch! From 108 yesterday at this time to 56 today. Weird weather….but we love it. It RAINED today!! Our first rain since early February! It smells wonderful. I even took off work early this afternoon so I could hurry home and sit on the patio to watch it rain….thunder and lightning and everything. Great stuff.

My other BIG news is that our owls have babies!! I've seen Mom, Dad, and three little fluffy critters outside the nest these last few days. Awesome! If I get a chance this weekend, I'll try to get a photo without getting too close.

Summer Already?

May 19 marks our first day of triple digits for this year. The summer-like temperature just sprang up on the horizon without much warning but the weather man says it will drop back to normal by the weekend. I think this calls for a celebration and a trip to the swimming pool tonight.
We had a great fun-filled weekend as Donna and Larry Kraft came by for a short visit from their home in Sun City. They were certainly surprised to see all the new construction in Casa Grande so it was fun to tour them through the Promenade Mall area including a stop for lunch at Mimis.

After a few hours of golf, tennis, softball, and bowling at our Wii station, we settled down at the kitchen table for some serious Pegs and Jokers. I never saw anyone be as lucky at a game as Larry was that evening. The turkey would count how many spaces he needed to land me back to square one and then he would draw exactly that card. UGH!! And he did that time after time that night. Even though I was ready to throw something at him any moment, it provided for a fun and memorable evening. The girls managed to win the final playoff game so that’s all that really counts. Right??

I’m upset that I didn’t get out the camera for some nice reunion photos, but I did get a couple shots of our Wii tournament in the afternoon. For those who haven’t experienced a Wii station yet, it is really fun and gets all of us out of our chairs and into some action. Here are a couple pics of Don and Donna during their tennis match. With Donna’s tennis background, she proved to be a tough adversary.

Algodones Mexico

Don and I made a trip to Algodones Mexico yesterday for dentist appointments. Poor Don has an infected wisdom tooth that must come out and I want to get a couple crowns before I start having trouble. Based on our past history, we’re more than willing to make the long trip and save hundreds of dollars even considering the price of gas to get there. We have had great success stories from our past history with Dr. Ramos and can highly recommend him if anyone needs dental work while you’re here.

Neil and Rae Carr joined us for the excursion as they wanted new glasses and hadn’t been to Algodones before. It turned out to be a fun day. We took care of business first by seeing Dr. Ramos and making arrangements for upcoming appointments while Neil and Rae got their eye exams and picked out new frames. The easy part was getting the eye exam. The frustrating part was being patient with Rae while she tried on pair after pair of frames to find just the ones she liked. It was fun to join her in the hunt. Several of the Best Optical stores are related so you can exchange some of the frames between stores. We kept the clerks in both stores quite entertained as we bounced back and forth trying to make up our minds which pair Rae should pick. WE did a good job as her new frames look great on her.

Next, we had to peruse the many shops and stores along the strip and barter for a few jewelry pieces neither of us needed but it’s always fun to haggle for a good price. Now that most of the snowbirds are gone, the crowd was very thin and the merchants were eager to bargain.

The next stop was, of course, the cantina for lunch, margaritas, and some icy cold drinks. Our favorite stop is that little open cantina in the square where the music is loud, the waiters are buoyant, and the food (drinks) are pretty good. It was the perfect way to end our excursion……and there wasn’t even a line at customs upon departure! The last time we were there in February, the line was several blocks long waiting to exit. (Remember to take your passport with you.)

EXCITING NEWS!!! By this time next year, a huge new casino will be waiting for you! What a perfect location. They’re building a huge Quechan Casino right at the Algodones exit so it’s the perfect place to stop before and after doing your shopping. The sign says it will be done by spring of ’09 so it must be a big project. I’ll get some photos on our next trip…which will be this coming Wednesday for those dreaded dentist appointments. Woe is me. Wish us well.

Rae & Neil Carr (Notice how the size of Rae's drinks progress through these pictures.)

Merry Month of May

No exciting news, but just a few notes from us “year rounders”.

The weather continues to be wonderful although afternoons can hit high 90s. By that time of day though, we’re worn out from morning activities and it’s a good excuse to relax in the cool house before going out again when the sun slides down into the western sky. Nights still cool down to 60s for some awesome sleeping with the windows wide open. As we sat on the patio last night, well past dark, we commented on the fact that we’d never be able to do that back east because of mosquitoes. There aren’t very many annoying mosquitoes in our arid desert…at least at this time of year and away from the golf course with its freshly watered grass.

The Promenade Mall will always be in the news because there are new stores opening weekly. This weekend we explored the new World Market with all the goodies it brings our way. How exciting!

I really enjoy riding my bike around the park so I can observe the pretty cactus and various plants in bloom at this time of year. With the promise of the upcoming summer heat, the landscape crew has pulled all the pretty flowers at the entrance and at the four way stop by the rose garden. It’s always sad to see them go but we know they’d never survive the summer sun. I guess it’s like watching the last of the colorful autumn leaves as they fall from the trees. We just wait until the next season.

Speaking of pretty flowers, I must comment on RV Site 1614. I’m sure everyone who reads this will know which site I refer to as it certainly is the nicest spot in the park. I stopped to chat with Pam and Bud as they were preparing to leave for the summer. Pam was up on a ladder trimming the oleander trees at the time. I took a few pictures to show you what I mean by “the nicest spot”. Pam is very dedicated to her flowers and tends to them with great care. They respond by showing their best. Thank you Pam (and Bud) for adding to the appearance of the park. With your spot being right on Cole Circle, many folks pass by and enjoy the view.

April 2008

Ahhhhh….Spring time in Arizona. 80s by day, 50s by night and LOTS of sunshine. I love it here and April is the best month of the whole year.

The resort has really emptied out as snowbirds head for distant places or scurry on home. The organized activities have all but ceased. Still there are folks up in the card rooms at night and the courts are still active during the day but the big crowds are definitely gone.

Spring time brings the cactus plants into blossom … especially the famous Argentine cactus with its huge 8” diameter flowers. Attached is a photo from Jan Waters’ “little guy” plant that is in its first year of bloom. This little plant is quite a show off for its size! Seven blossoms! Congratulations, Jan and George.
My big news! Don and I went to the Ak-Chin casino Sunday to check out their rebuilt Bingotainment center. The building was shut down all season due to a fire and just reopened last week. Since Bingo is done here at the park for the season, I was eager to hit the casino. Lo and Behold….I got to yell BINGO and I won $1,000 jackpot!! Yahoo!!! I am still sooooo excited.

The Promenade Mall is still prospering and opening new stores. This week’s Casa Grande Dispatch lists the following to open in May: Aeropostale, Bath & Body Works, Tilly’s, and Victoria’s Secret. Fashion Bug, Lane Bryant, Dress Barn, Famous Footwear, Cost Plus World Market, Ah-So Steak & Sushi. Aeropostale is a specialty retailer selling casual apparel for young people. Tilly’s sells surf, skate and motocross clothing. Red Brick Pizza will likely have a summer opening and Olive Garden is well under construction but an opening date hasn’t been announced yet. You can monitor progress of the stores at this website: http://www.promenadeatcasagrande.com/.

Since this site is now linked to the Palm Creek blog, I will try to keep my personal happenings on another link called “Sue's Journal”. Friends and family can check there for “Hepler” news and I’ll keep this site strictly for any summer Palm Creek updates. I’ll be sure to have my camera battery charged and ready for the summer storms to come. Hope you’re having safe and happy travels. For those of you who haven’t yet heard about the Palm Creek blogspot, be sure to check it out. There are some great photos from this past season’s events. http://www.palmcreek.blogspot.com/

On the Road Again

Our park is slowly emptying out as folks head home or on the road to their next adventure. Every year we question "why" they leave so soon because April seems to be the best month to be in Arizona. The weather is just perfect! 80 by day and cool 50s at night. Awesome! I've already heard from one friend who made it back to Wisconsin just in time for a spring snow storm. Ha!!

Rapid progress is being made for the new LA Fitness Center being built in the once open field on Florence Boulevard in front of Palm Creek. Since I happen to work at a very busy printing company here in Casa Grande, I get to see blueprints for almost all the new structures coming to town. The Fitness Center will host 45,000 square feet of space! That's big. Plans are to have it completed by October. The contractor is also completing underground work for other potential occupants in that area. The plans look like there could be about 5-6 other buildings. No one has announced any plans yet, but the sewer, drainage, etc. will be in place for other stores or businesses should they decide to move in.

The new Sports Authority store opened in the promenade mall this week. They had some great bargains and there was a $25 coupon in the weekend newspaper. Don was among those that hurried down there, coupon in hand, and bought some new golf irons. We'll add that store to our favorite "toy" purchasing list. On Sunday, Sports Authority invited one of the Phoenix Suns basketball players to be present for autograph signing. WOW!! We drove by and saw hundreds of people lined up along the street just waiting for that autograph. The line stretched from Sports Authority....all the way down and around the corner to Bed Bath & Beyond. For those who don't know the layout of the mall.....that's the equivalent of several city blocks. Quite a turnout!

Many of you have noticed the big yellow "zoning" signs that are posted across the street from our Palm Creek entrance on Henness Road. Plans are in place for a developer to build a 400 unit senior care center there. I believe about 200 units will be independent living units, another section for assisted living, and a separate alzheimer's unit. The drawings look like it will be a very attractive building.

The part I'm most interested in......is watching out for the burrowing owls that currently reside on that acreage. I've been in touch with the Wild At Heart agency that will probably be contracted to move the owls. They assure me they will notify me when "moving day" occurs so I can be present with camera in hand to witness the capture. I promise to keep everyone posted on the outcome. I have links to some great websites that show how the owls are moved and how the new nest sites are built for the owls. Just scroll down through my previous blog updates to view them.

Verde Canyon Railroad

Hello Again!

It has been a fun-filled action-packed season. Everyone I talk to “complains” about how busy they are and how hard it is to schedule so many activities and events. Of course, they’re “complaining” with big smiles on their faces.

I opened the Palm Creek Happenings newsletter this week and read about the tour group going on the Verde Canyon Railroad ride. I’ve wanted to do that tour since I first read about it in Arizona Highways magazine several years ago. On impulse, I called Marilyn at Gallagher’s tours and was happy to find a few seats still available.

On Thursday, March 6, Don and I boarded a very nice tour bus at Mission Royale at 9:00 a.m. There were other “Creekers” present also and we were soon chatting and joking as good friends looking forward to the adventures of the day. The three hour bus ride was very pleasant and comfortable. Don really seemed to enjoy reclining back in his chair while someone else did the driving for a change. We made a quick stop north of Phoenix at a shopping plaza for coffee and Marilyn treated all of us to fresh donuts once we got back on board.

We arrived at the Clarkdale train station where we teamed up with quite a few other tour buses of passengers. I was glad we were with a tour at this point so we didn’t have to battle the long lines at the lunch counter. We just followed behind Marilyn and she lead us to our car where all the reserved seats were held for our group. As soon as we got seated, she handed out our yummy sack lunches.

The train itself is old but in good condition. We soon learned that luxury seats aren’t necessary as most of us immediately headed out to the open air viewing cars and spent most of the trip there. We were lucky to have such a beautiful spring day so all we needed was a light jacket and a strong battery in our cameras. The ride is through some of Arizona’s finest wilderness area. No towns or city sights came into view. There were just miles of beautiful hills, red rock, rambling streams, and high cliffs with an occasional bald eagle thrown in for accent. The train traveled at a leisurely 10-15 miles per hour so we could easily enjoy the beautiful scenery. It is a two hour trip to the ghost ranch of Perkinsville where the train switched track and brought us back again.

We had dinner at the Sizzler Steakhouse in Cottonwood and then boarded our bus for the ride home. Since it was too dark to enjoy the scenery on the way back, we were treated to a movie on the coach tv system. It was a great day! I can now cross off another item on my “Bucket List”.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to One and All!!

I happened to be looking out the window this week and saw Santa Claus all decked up in his finery....and....hopping aboard his motorcycle so I rushed out into the street to stop him and take a quick photo. Actually, it's our neighbor, Larry who was headed off to be the lead in a big motorcycle Christmas parade downtown. His picture appeared on the front page of the Casa Grande Dispatch the next day! I thought this would be a very appropriate photo for a Palm Creek blog.

Between work and play, this is a busy time of year! It's hard to find time for all the fun and activities so my blog will just have to lay at rest for the season. I will start up again come March or April after folks start to leave the park and life returns to a more normal routine (if there is such a thing as normal). Until then, if I update at all, it will be around the first of each month. Besides....the purpose of the blog was to keep folks up to date on what happens here during the summer while you're all away....and now most of you are here! Thanks again for all the kind comments about the blog. It's nice to know folks are enjoying the site.

Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours!!

Official Start of Season

Hi Everyone....

The November activity calendar is published and the season has officially begun. It seems many folks are returning early this year and the Arizona sun is staying warm to welcome everyone back. I've heard so many nice comments about this blog site. Thanks for the warm kudos....your compliments keep me at the keyboard.

It's hard to find time to write now though because there is so much happening. I guess MY big news is that I've arranged to drop back to part time at work so I can enjoy some of the park activities this year. I attended the first line dance class Monday and had a great time! It's a really fun way to exercise. Love it.

No new news about the owls. They're still sitting out on their perch each morning when I go by so no one has been out to trap them yet. It will be sad to see them go, but happy that they will be given a good home. If you haven't checked out the websites I published in my last post, be sure to do so as they're very informative regarding the move.

I'll try to be a good reporter by dragging out my camera this week and get some more current photos. All the pretty flowers have been planted now and the lights are up on the palm trees. The park is back in its splendor. Stay tuned for updates.

Our Burrowing Owls

Big news about our local burrowing owls that live across the street from the park entrance. Signs have been posted stating that the land is going to be rezoned and developed. I got all twisted in a tizzy when I read the sign as I fear for the safety of the nesting owls that have lived there for so many generations. I sent an urgent email to all the Palm Creek people I have addresses for and asked them to contact the City Development Center to inquire about the safety of the owls. I also wrote to the Wild At Heart agency that assists with bird relocation and rehabilitation. Tonight I received a very nice email from the Wild At Heart founder who said the developer has been in contact with him and is starting the paperwork process to relocate TWO owl nests located on that parcel of land. We'll certainly be sad to lose the owls but will be happy to know that they get a good home somewhere else.

You can view a short video about how the owls are moved by going to this link: http://news.yahoo.com/video/2714

The Wild At Heart agency can also be viewed at: http://mirror-pole.com/wild_at_heart/bur_owl/rel_sites/mac/grp1.html

Welcome Back!

It’s mid October and folks are returning at a steady pace. How fun to see familiar faces and hear about summer war stories. My favorite to relate is that we had a record breaking 31 days of over 110 degrees this summer. Whew! That’s HOT. The weather now is awesome. We’ve actually been able to shut off the air conditioner and open the windows. Evening temps are perfect 60s making for some great sleep.

The park is getting ready to plant the beautiful flowers again! Truckloads of flowers arrived this week and are waiting to dig their roots into our many flower beds throughout the park. When you look at these pictures, it seems over whelming to be able to plant that many flowers. The landscape crews have been busy tilling up the flower beds in preparation for planting. Love those flowers!

Other news: … the big white tent is gone. There’s a nice big open space there now that will be the site of a new fitness room, computer lab, and mail office. At least that’s the most recent word I’ve heard. Don’t know when construction will start….I’d guess they’ll wait till after the snowbird season.

The season kicks off on October 26 with a Fall Harvest. I guess this is the equivalent of the Welcome Back party we used to have. The “theme” this year is about a Mediterranean cruise so the Fall Harvest is where we’ll have the taste of Italy with wine tasting tables and “hot and delicious Italian specialties”. Don’t forget to pick up your event tickets at the activities office when you arrive. I was pleased to see how organized they were with all those tickets and seating arrangements. Someone put a lot of work and thought into that massive project. Hope it works out well for everyone.

The Senior Olympics are in full swing up in St. George, Utah so our avid pickleballers and softball teams are up north representing us in style. I hear they’ll be bringing home some gold medals!

The Casa Grande Dispatch had a picture of the ground breaking ceremony for the new high school that will be located at Arizola and Cottonwood. Estimated completion is two years from now. Must be a BIG school.

Our new Promenade Mall is coming along nicely. The Target store is open and is a strong favorite. Their flowers from their garden shop are sooooo nice and LOW prices. Those stores open so far are Target, Penneys, Kohls, and Staples. The area is huge and will be amazing when its all finished. We’re sooooo excited at having that kind of shopping available so close to home.

Stay tuned for more updates.

The season begins.

Today is the first day of the 2007-08 season here at Palm Creek. There are quite a few rigs trickling in and there are more lights on at night in the park models. Don had three full tables of players at their Texas Hold Em game. The pickle ball courts are busy in the mornings and I see some new doggies walking their owners down the streets. The landscape crews are hard at work overseeding the golf course nad pruning trees and shrubs. Quite a bit of activity after a long hot summer.

JC Penney’s opened its doors this weekend along with Kohls. Found some great bargains at their first day opening. Target should be opening soon along with several other of the stores. It’s really exciting to have that kind of shopping right here in Casa Grande. If you’ve been away all summer, you’ll really be amazed when you see the Promenade Mall area at the 194 exit. It’s awesome! Need a part time job to earn some extra Christmas bucks?? ALL the stores will be hiring for the holiday season.

The weather has finally dropped below triple digits and the nights are finally cool. I actually had to turn on the hot water heater for the first time in weeks. Yahoo!!

Update

Time marches on…and so does the heat. It’s mid-September already but we’re still in the triple digit temperatures. I think I’m ready for some cooler temps. Monsoon season is officially over so Don and I decided it was time to have Malonado come to clean our house. WOW!! They did an awesome job! We are amazed at the difference they made to our little house. The white trim is actually white once again and the patio furniture is all clean enough to sit on. We asked them to wash the outside and to come in to do the carpets. They certainly did more than that!

The outside of the house and patio looks great. They even took down all the screens and washed them plus the windows. They (without being asked) included all the patio furniture and the golf cart! Don’s greasy grimey grill looks practically new again. I can’t compliment their service high enough. What great people to work with. I highly recommend their service to everyone.

Those of you who have been away for the summer….I warn you now that your park model is a mess. When we do our house checks, I have to take a broom along to sweep away the cobwebs before I’m willing to unlock the doors. Some folks have “layers” of dove doodoo all over their patios. If you would like, Don can call Malonado about a week before your return and have them do the outside of the house before you come back. Jolene and Bob Palmer did that last year and said it made their return a LOT nicer. I don’t know what they charge to just wash the outside but here’s their number if you want to call them. Malonado Power Wash 520-560-3374. There….that’s my blog commercial for the day.

The park is preparing for your return. Crews have been trimming bushes and trees every day and this week they repaved the entrance and repainted the crosswalks so everything looks nice and fresh. There’s really a ton of time, labor, and money to keep the place looking as nice as it does.

Last week a group of us took a fun excursion to “Easy Dinner Solutions” here in town. I’ve heard of the place a number of times but had never stopped in. Verna invited a bunch of us (and our spouses) to go down there one evening to check it out. They prepared two major entrees for us to sample and then explained how their service works. I’ll have to take my camera along the next time we go down there cause it’s kind of hard to explain…or maybe I’m too lazy to type that much. It was a fun evening and it’s a service that Don says we’ll try from time to time. He made three take home meals that night and so far we’ve been very pleased with the results.

Speaking of good meals….we stopped in at Macayos this week. It was very good and all went well. It will be a fun place for you to try when you get here. Great margaritas!!

Must sign off now as I have to get ready to play cards at Bob and Bev’s. Can’t miss our weekly games of Hand and Foot. We’ve been keeping track of our scores for the last two years. After all this time, total matches are almost tied. The girls won 21 and the guys won 23……..BUT the girls lead by 14,715 points. It makes for a fun afternoon.

Storms and "Soccer"

We’ve had one long series of dust storms this past week…several of which were real dandies. My trusty reporter (Verna Sheppard) sent these pictures to share with everyone.

It still amazes me how these dust storms just seem to spring up instantaneously. It can be as calm and clear as can be till you casually notice this huge yellow cloud on the horizon. You might as well batten down the hatches because you know it’s coming. Sure enough, the wind picks up, sends the dirt flying, and then just as rapidly disappears. Amazing phenomenon. I took a couple photos too that I thought told the story quite well.

Photo 1: All is calm. A typical summer late afternoon.

Photo 2: You can tell that the trees aren’t moving at all. No breeze…but a distinctive dust cloud off in the distance.

Photo 3: My camera is working fine. The picture looks cloudy because there is so much dust in the air. What you see is actually dust particles.
Photo 4: This particular storm brought some much needed wonderful rain but it certainly came with a fury.

Photo 5: Quite a change in temperature in a short time. I love Arizona!


Exciting news from Jan and George Waters: They have a new puppy to fill the void in their hearts left from losing Rally. Welcome “Soccer”. Soccer is a Chinese Crested PowderPuff. That’s a strange sounding breed, but he looks pretty cute in these pictures Jan sent from Show Low.

Farewell to Becca...Palm Creek's Activities Director

Tomorrow we say Goodbye to a very familiar face at Palm Creek. Becca is leaving her post in the Activities Office so she can be a stay-at-home Mom for a while. Palm Creek is giving Becca a send off tomorrow by hosting lunch for everyone in the park. We’re all invited up to the club house for lunch and to wish Becca the best in her new role. Thank you, Becca, for all your hard work here. We certainly wish you the best for your future.

Other big news is that the Toltec Tavern in Eloy burned down last night. Many of us have gone there especially for their great Friday night fish fry. Guess we’ll be looking for a new stomping ground now.

Speaking of restaurants…Macayos (in the old Johnny Carinos building) is supposed to open this weekend. Think we’ll give it a few weeks before we try to get in as I’m sure it will be packed for quite a while.

We broke a long-standing heat wave record today marking this as the 29th day of summer where temperatures have gone over 110 degrees. Yup. It’s hot. Cooler autumn temps will be welcome.

Bunny in Residence

We sure have a lot of rabbits in this park! It’s amazing to see how many are stretched out on the golf course in the cool grass and in the skinny shade of the palm trees. We haven’t had them in our yard much because there’s not a lot of landscaping in our particular area. This summer, however, I let our lantana go a little wild because I enjoy their pretty flowers this time of year. Lo and behold, a furry bunny has taken up residence in our tiny flower bed and munches away on the pretty purple flowers I have planted in there. If he wasn’t so cute, I’d be angry at the little bugger for eating the blossoms….but I guess the flowers can grow back. I took some pictures from my kitchen window and enjoyed his company while I did the dishes.

It’s still hot and a tad on the humid side so monsoon season remains with us. We just had to get the car washed today because it was getting hard to see out of the windows through all the dirt from recent storms. Wonder how long the clean car will last.

Still Recovering from Storm Damage

Casa Grande is recovering well from our big storm. It is now three days later and I believe everyone has their electricity back and the streets have been cleared of debris.

My star reporter (Verna Sheppard) is back in town with her handy camera after a long summer vacation. She forwarded these photos of some of our park damage. Here’s the 5th wheel that was blown over in the storage area plus a park model minus its patio awning. Thank you, Verna. I’ll see you up at the pool one of these nights.

Couldn’t go swimming tonight as we had a big dust storm late this afternoon. The sky was filled with good old Arizona dirt and grit with its huge yellow cloud and strong winds. What an awesome site.

It was a DANDY storm!!!

Wow! We had a jim dandy storm Monday night. It was an awesome sight for us avid storm watchers. There were a number of park model patios damaged but I don’t have any names of the unlucky residents. There was a 5th wheel parked out in the storage area that blew over and really got wrecked. The saddest part was to see all the pretty pine trees that were downed. For some reason, they seem to topple easily.

On my way to work Tuesday morning, I saw plenty of downed trees and tree limbs as I drove down McMurray Drive. Folks at the store talked about all the downed power poles out in the country. Some back roads were totally blocked due to fallen poles and hot wires. One school was closed due to damage and a mobile home park south of town had heavy damage. Las Casitas mobile home park had quite a few homes damaged where people had to move out to shelters. Some of the mobile homes were actually moved off their foundations. Parts of town were without electricity for a number of hours Monday night till the crews could get out and help with some of the downed lines.

City crews (and Palm Creek crews) were out in force Tuesday morning to clean up the debris and return to normalcy. There wasn’t a lot of rain but what we did have came down all at once and completely sideways in the strong wind. The weather channel says Casa Grande had over 2000 lightning strikes within two hours. At times the street lights would go out because they were tricked into thinking dawn was approaching with all the steady lightning.

Summer is moving along rapidly. We’re now rather tired of the heat and are waiting for cooler temps.