Happy Halloween!

I'm certain you've all seen this charming statue located along side Bill Wrightson's home at Site 1535. He originally bought this up at the Mesa flea market and has received a multitude of compliments from folks as they pass by.

Occasionally, a few sly friends like to decorate the display. This one is truly great! Check it out.

Update

Good Morning Readers,
Brrrrrr......it's 56 degrees this morning so I'm sitting inside for morning coffee until the sun gets up to warm us back to our normal 80+ temps. I actually slept with a blanket last night and turned off the ceiling fan. The cool temps feel great after our scorching summer....but I guess my blood is still thin.

Our winter visitors are returning in droves now so activity has certainly increased. My calendar is getting crowded with all the fun stuff being scheduled. Love it! I figured with so many people returning that the blog would become idle but when I checked in this morning, I found there were 380 hits this past week. Yipe. That means folks have been checking in and I'm not writing.

Attached is a copy of a flyer that came in our mailboxes this week. The front 9 is so pretty with the new green grass and the lawn bowling area is gorgeous. It always looks so fresh and immaculate with the way it gets mowed.

I had to laugh with our neighbor, Don Blair, this week. Carrie wanted a shepherd's hook in the yard so she could hang a hummingbird feeder. Ha!! Have you ever tried to dig a hole in this desert ground?? We loaned Don a foot long concrete drill bit for the project. It is no easy task!

And.....I've heard the saying several times already that if there is such a thing as reincarnation, it would be nice to come back as a pet at Palm Creek. We do love our little furry pets! Benny here is getting up in years and has a heart murmur so doesn't get around much on his own but certainly enjoys his daily stroller walk with Mom Lana.

Community rumor has it that the Room Store is going to open a location here in the old Wal-Mart building on Florence Blvd. Ashley Furniture has also recently opened a store here.


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Update

Photos compliments of Bill Wrightson. Thanks, Bill!!!

Ah So Steak and Sushi restaurant has closed!! Sad news for those of us who loved their teppan menu and fun entertainment. It was also a nice place to stop for a cocktail or two before or/and after a movie. Bummer. The same company also owned the adjacent Berrygood frozen yogurt store so that closed as well. Hopefully, someone new will occupy those spaces soon. I'm quite surprised that they chose to close just as the season is beginning. Guess they had their reasons.

The Gym Bar and Grill on Florence Blvd is open and seems to be doing well so far. Don and I have tried it a couple times....but...how do I say this....we're not the proper age for that place. Hard metal music and boisterous young people seem to inhabit the establishment.

Ruthie's bead store is doing some aggressive advertising via an email newsletter. She's hosting a big open house next weekend and is starting some cool classes with guest instructors, etc. etc. A group of us plan to attend some upcoming classes. I've had several gals asking if the park would start a beading group but this sounds like a better idea. Let's support Ruthie! She's a terrific lady and is dedicated to the art of beading.

The front nine of our golf course is turning it's gorgeous shade of velvety green. It's such a miracle to watch how it changes and grows daily. The work really seemed to go fast this year and we're hearing all sorts of good things about the new landscape guy....Jeff. I haven't met him yet, but we're looking forward to the fruits of his labor as he beautifies the resort for us this year.

Our residents are streaming in on a daily basis this month. I see more and more cars at the park model homes and the RVs are coming in too. We hear that reservations have really increased over last season so let's all hope the economy is regaining its health! See ya soon.

October

Welcome to the beautiful month of October! The weather forecast calls for highs in the 80s this week.....not even 90s and especially not triple digits. Yahoo!! Do you notice a direct correlation between the beautiful outdoor weather and my sudden absence from updating the blog?? That's what happens as people start returning to the park, the weather calls us outdoors, happy hours start up and we greet returning friends.

I took a few pictures with my new cell phone. It comes in handy because it's so easy to carry with me all the time. All the crews are out feverishly working to get the resort looking its best before the snowbird migration. I took a nice long bike ride around the park this morning...Saturday morning....and it is definitely a busy work day for all the landscape and maintenance crews plus outside contractors. Here's a road crew patching the black top around the park.



Repainting all the striping on the roads.

The golf course is getting its annual deep haircut and reseeding. With such a dry summer, the dirt and dust is really thick during this process.

We don't live on the golf course though so we called friendly, hard working Mr. Maldonado to get our house washed after the summer dirt storms. What a difference!!! When he got done, it looked like a fresh new coat of paint. He washed all our patio furniture, grill, golf cart, car, and steam cleaned Don's big easy chair. We highly recommend his services.

I'm posting the sign from the side of his truck in case you're interested in calling him. He really gets busy this time of year so call ahead.

I rode my bike around the non-pet section this morning and was really surprised and amazed at the size of that new hotel going up. I've seen it from the road (Florence Blvd) but seeing it from the back made me realize how big of a unit it really is. I also didn't visualize how close it is to the wall. The folks who rent those sites are going to be quite surprised to come back and see a huge building on the other side of the wall. They'll be able to wave at the hotel guests on the upper floors.

How things have changed on the other side of that wall. This photo shows the LA Fitness center on he far right, the Sleepy 8 Motel, and now this huge motel..... not sure of its name yet.

That's my news for today. Must go back outside and find some fun thing to do instead of being indoors.

October Newsletter

Here is your October newsletter announcing a host of fun activities ahead. Don't you wish you were here already???

This is Hilarious!

Arizona Ice Cream Truck

I received this in an email from Nikki Rainha this morning. Thanks, Nikki!

Palm Creek Wildlife

No....this blog entry isn't about wild happy hour parties....but is about the birds and four legged critters that reside here. Everyone knows about our owls, but there are other visitors to brag about as well.

The grand trophy for bird photos goes to Bill Wrightson for these great shots of a nesting nighthawk. As a lifelong avid bird watcher, I LOVE these photos and eagerly want to see a nest like this for myself. Thank you, Bill, for sharing!!

Here Mom is sunning herself in the nice warm gravel. Nighthawks are great insect hunters and catch most of their food in flight. They're awesome to watch in early morning or at dusk as they swoop through the air in pursuit of a juicy bug. They nest on the ground in gravel areas so Bill was lucky enough to come across a nest. Their camouflage is amazing at how they blend into their surroundings.

Will Updyke (Palm Creek Maintenance Manager) was recently called upon to investigate a furry critter seen lurking among the village homes. He set a live trap and wound up with this adorable little gray fox. After a short photo session, Will lovingly released the little guy back into the desert where he will be safer.

Being the nature buff that I am, I had to look up some internet info on the fox:
The Gray Fox is the only member of the dog family that can climb trees, usually to seek refuge or in search of roosting birds. It can reach a speed of 28 mph for short distances and has lived for up to 10 years in captivity; longevity in the wild is probably much shorter.The Gray Fox is smaller in size than the Coyote -- usually 32 to 45 inches long, and weighs 7 to 11 pounds. Its coloration is grizzled gray on top, with a white throat extending underneath; it is rusty-red along the sides. The tail usually has a black mane along the top, with a dark-gray or black tip. Gray Foxes have elongated muzzles and forward-pointing ears.Although primarily nocturnal, The Gray Fox may sometimes be seen foraging during the day, seeking primarily small mammals, but being an omnivore, it will also eat eggs, insects, birds, fruits, acorns and berries. If not using a hollow tree, the vixen (female) may dig her den into soil or enlarge the burrow of another animal. This den may be as much as 75 feet long and can have 10 or more exits. There are also numerous side chambers used for food storage and for the transfer of young, once a chamber becomes too soiled to inhabit.
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This has been a good season for our burrowing owl population! You can regularly see four of the cute feathered creatures at the entrance to their burrow right outside the front Palm Creek entrance. They're especially visible in the early morning or toward dusk when the temperatures are cooler.

Bill Wrightson captured this fantastic photo near the RV storage area. He said he frequently spots this little guy peering over a mound of dirt in that area. Perhaps there is another nest in the vicinity. Since Bill is out in the early morning chasing his golf ball around the course, he has great opportunity to come home with some trophy photographs.

There are four more owls usually perched on top the park model along the north wall. They must have a burrow right outside the wall or across Cottonwood Lane.

Visit Site 1160 along the north wall in the early morning. The little critters will be waiting and are quite patient while you ready your camera.
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TV Reception

I can surely tell that summer is winding down and the snowbird season is starting to hatch. As we drive through the park, I see more and more cars in driveways at the park models. Don't see too many RVs yet, but the park model folks are arriving daily. We also got our 2010 park stickers for our cars. We've had a definite break in the weather and it is beautiful outside this morning. It's after 9:00 am and my windows are still open with a lovely breeze blowing through the house. Love it!!


Today's mail included the following notice about the upgrade to Dish network TV. Sounds like it will be installed and ready for you when you return.

Have a GREAT day!

United Football League at Practice

WOW!!! Don and I (and friend Mel Heckman) drove out to Francisco Grande this morning to check out the United Football League progress at the new playing fields. We were awed by the construction and organization we saw. What used to be just plain desert dirt 5-6 months ago is now green sod covered playing fields of at least 4 football fields. The sports facility is HUGE and really looks nice.

There is still a lot of construction underway but it is truly amazing at how much has been accomplished so fast. Hats off to the organizers for a fantastic job. In this photo, you can see the Francisco Grande hotel in the background at the left side. The huge building in these photos is all sports complex for training rooms, offices, etc. We didn't attempt to go in since there was so much construction going on but I plan to check out more on my next visit.

We were able to drive way back to the practice fields (all nicely paved road and parking lot now) and we stood to watch the practice. We only planned on a brief drive by but we wound up staying at least an hour because it was fascinating to watch the drills. There are no bleachers so next time I'm lugging along a lawn chair and an umbrella for shade. I could sit there for hours watching. This photo shows how far behind the hotel we are......and its all now green grass!....and notice all the huge lighting fixtures. (Ignore my thumb in the upper corner!)

I'm hoping you can zoon in on these pictures to see the players in action. We were quite exhausted just watching the work out exercises!

There were a good number of the blue "carts" on the field that raise up in the air so the camera crews can get good video. All were occupied and recording away. The organization and preparation it takes to make all this happen so fast is really impressive.

As we were walking through the parking lot, we passed this worker finishing up on a very complex sprinkling system. Couldn't resist another picture. I'm always impressed to learn about the "behind the scenes" work and things like this that we seldom think about when we pass a pretty flower bed.

Our son, Anton, is a bartender at the Holiday Inn where most of the players are staying. He said the first night he walked into their banquet room, he thought he had shrunk a foot of height overnight. He said all the players are HUGE. You won't find any of them at the bar though as alcohol is not in their contract.

The teams are holding a scrimmage match Thursday night, Sept 24 at 7:00 pm at Casa Grande Union High School. I definitely plan to attend!
California Redwoods vs Las Vegas Locomotives

For more info about the league, go to their website at:

www.ufl-football.com

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