Tuesday - rain aftermath

There is no damage to report anywhere as a result of the downpour yesterday but we can be certain that road construction will be delayed another day or two.  It's pretty soupy out there.

 
Ernesto is back on duty after a vacation so work will begin on Palm Park with all the paver stones to be installed.

 
Water has receded quite a bit between 149 and 150.  This is where it was out over the street late yesterday.

 

 

 

 

No other news so far today.  Sage bushes are really pungent this time of year.  We can definitely smell them as you walk past and when we broke off a branch.....Whew!!  Strong odor. 

 
Ta Ta for now.....have a good day!

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Monday RAIN

Today started out to be very quiet.  After our morning rounds, I didn't even have an interesting photo to post on the blog.  About noon we headed up to Costco and Frys Electronics to do some shopping.  It was a pleasant uneventful trip although Don noticed that the northbound traffic on 10 all had their lights on and we thought we might encounter rain toward Casa Grande.  We hit a few sprinkles on the windshield as we neared the exit by the mall but we immediately remarked that there must have been a HEAVY downpour because the fields were standing in water.  

 

 
When we turned down Henness, we were amazed to see the whole street flooded all the way across.

 

 

 

 
Water splashed up way high as we drove down the street.

 
We stopped at the gate to talk to Roger.  He said we had a torrential downpour that lasted the better part of an hour and it had just quit.  Water had already receded as he said it was as high as the curb and sidewalk out on Henness.

 
There was a message waiting on our answering machine from Helen Vosburg who lives at Site 132.  She advised that we come over and take photos of the golf course as she had never seen the water that high before.  (Thank you, Helen!)

 
That IS a LOT of water!!

 
It came across the road here between sites 149 and 150.

 

 
Of course, Don had to play so drove through it fast with a big grin on his face.  Hey, free cart wash.  It just doesn't pay for us to ever leave Casa Grande or we're sure to miss some excitement.  Here we were in Chandler for the day and never saw a drop of rain.  Dang.  We missed the fun.

 

 
Then we drove out to the construction area to check things out.  Congratulations to the construction crew who built those pickleball courts!!!!!  They were completely dry and ready for play!!  Even the sunken court was completely dry!

 

 
There was a construction crew finishing up for the day.  They looked a little muddy.  I'm going to guess that the roads may be held up for another day or two due to soupy surfaces.

 
We also spied Mr. Roadrunner out and about.  He runs with his mouth open in this hot weather.  

 

Oh Yes...............more information for you.  The reason we had to make a trip up to Fry's Electronics is because I DROPPED MY BELOVED CAMERA!!!!!  Sometimes it would turn on and sometimes it wouldn't.  Dang!!!  I must have a camera that works ALL the time.  (I'm sorry, Don!)

We went up to the camera counter and I said I needed a replacement camera just like I had.  A very pleasant (and good looking) young man took a look at my camera and said he had one better for me.  He steered us directly to a Sony CyberShot.  It is a smaller camera, lighter weight, stronger pixel strength (18 vs the 12 I had before) and the same 20x zoom............plus it was cheaper than the original  Canon.  As are most Fry's associates, he was very knowledgeable about all the cameras available so I took his advice and the new camera is now sitting next to me on the charger.  We'll give it a good test run tomorrow.  (Thank You, Don......again.  ) 

Sunday Entertainment

Greetings to you on a lovely Sunday morning.  We had a fantastic thunderstorm last night!  The dark sky purely glowed with almost continuous lightning and the deep resonating rumble of thunder was awesome.  Rain fell so fast and furious that the stream running down the street practically changed its direction of flow.  Don and I parked ourselves on our patio with a cocktail and enjoyed Mother Nature's performance.  She gets a standing ovation for that one.

Today all looks fresh and clean.  

If you're busy today...........you can delete this post and continue on your daily chores.  If you have extra time, I recommend relaxing and watching the attached videos.  They are not related to our beautiful park.......they're purely entertainment from around the world wide web.  Enjoy!

The Canadian beer fridge. A salute to our northern friends.

A Place in the Choir by Celtic Thunder.....one of my favorite groups.

Rush hour in Ho Chi Minh City. Wow!

If you think cirque du soleil is something....watch this!

Dashboard camera from Russia. Yipes!

Jeanne Robertson - favorite comedian

Pampered Chef Party

Diane Gaines hosted a Pampered Chef party here yesterday.  I've been to quite a few of these parties in the past so I didn't think this would be a very big deal as they're usually just a typical house party but this one was FUN, educational, and entertaining.  I attribute it to the Pampered Chef representative, Rachel Thomas, who gave the presentation.  She obviously loves the job and the products she presents.

Rachel Thomas and Diane Gaines

All the proceeds from the sales plus the hostess items received will be donated to the Cancer Awareness program in February.  Hostess gifts will be added to the silent auction.  If you like Pampered Chef products and would like to order, you can still do so on line until Wednesday at:

Pampered Chef - Palm Creek orders     Enter Diane Gaines as the hostess name.  

Rachel prepared a spinach strawberry salad to share with us using many of her product items plus she cooked a microwave cake for dessert.  The afternoon was so much fun that we requested Diane to sponsor another party.  She suggested doing one in January just before the Cancer Awareness events but other guests requested one in December so they could purchase Christmas gifts as well.  Consensus is that we 'might' have two more to keep everyone happy.  At the next party, many of us want to bring our husbands because they spend as much time or MORE in the kitchen than we do.  It is always fun to have good quality TOOLS to do a job.

I was having so much fun chatting with friends, listening to the presentation, enjoying the delicious food, and deciding what to add to my order that I forgot to take photos of the whole group.  I gathered a couple stragglers for this picture

Back row Left to right:  Lesley Evans, Avis Gray, Nancy Flader, Barb & Jim Cobb, Bev Johnson, Peggy Fetzer.
Front:  Sandy Schoonover, Hostess Rachel Thomas, Bonnie 

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I received a couple text messages from Steve Endsley last night.  He is still in ICU and in a lot of pain but at least he is well enough to text.  He anticipates being released in 6-7 days.  I posted the address of Seeds of Hope yesterday where you can help his family with much needed contributions.

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We are definitely into monsoon season.  We get a little thunderstorm quite often ... mostly during late afternoon or evening.  Sometimes there is precious rain but usually just dust.  Humidity occasionally spikes up after a rain but the sun dries it up FAST....unlike what the weatherman says many folks out east are enduring.  We have no complaints about our summer here.  So far (fingers crossed) we can still enjoy our mornings and evenings outdoors.

Friday - Palm Park progress

More beautiful monsoon sky.  Soon you'll be as tired of these as you are all the cactus flowers I send your way.  Sunrise is awesome again.  We're always up at the crack of dawn to enjoy morning coffee on the patio before we begin our day.  We have to spend our outdoor time when it is cool enough.

 

 
The brief but heavy rains we've had have delayed spreading gravel on the roads over in the construction area.  Jim says it will start next week putting his schedule two days behind.

Ernesto is our superhero when it comes to stonework so the whole crew is readying Palm Park for his big project to begin next week.  These long concrete pavers will be placed in a shallow trench along the edge of the grass making it much easier to trim and maintain.

 

 

 

 
These bricks are heavy and there are a lot of them!  My back hurts just watching.

 

 

 

 


Doug Conkle sent me a link to a fascinating website where you just type in an address and the database narrows to your exact location.  Type in your home address and give it a try.  It's fun.
You'll be amazed when you see the photos available for Palm Creek as they're quite recent.

Show My Street

BTW (stands for By The Way for those non-texting folks) -- the acorn woodpeckers are still here even though the acorn trees are gone.  Hope they stay around as we always enjoy watching their antics in the tall palms by the main pool.

The little burrowing owl I used to photograph frequently has changed his roosting spot so we haven't seen him for quite a while.  Hope he is happy at his new digs.  Since several folks have asked about owls.......thought I'd post these.

Steve Endsley

Just days before his surgery, Steve was seen here in the park trying to finish up a couple small jobs he started before his accident.  He longed to be able to work again.    July 17 he underwent a major surgery due to the broken vertebrae in his back that were too crushed to mend on their own.  This means he will be out of commission for another couple months while his spine heals.  

Steve is an energetic young man who supports his family through his Handyman Services.  Being unable to work is a true hardship for him and his young family. (wife Leticia and 3 children).  Steve has done many services for residents here in Palm Creek.  Our residents were very generous and supportive in April when Steve's accident first occurred....but he needs more time and help.  

Financial contributions are being handled through the Seeds of Hope which is a charitable organization here in town.  Write a check to "Seeds of Hope" and be sure to put "Steve Endsley" on the memo line or in the card.  100% of your tax deductible donation will be sent to the Endsley family.  

Seeds of Hope

c/o Steve Endsley

702 Cottonwood Blvd.

Casa Grande, AZ  85122

Thursday - more bistro photos

Say Good Morning to Fernando as he finishes up some work in Palm Park.  They're trying to level out the walkways now and get ready for putting in the pavers.

 
Pavers will be even with the grass to make mowing and trimming a lot easier.

 
Wow!  They worked hard yesterday to get the bistro area cleaned up after cutting down all those trees and chopping up the cement.

 
Ha!  This machine is just eager to grab hold of that tree trunk.

 

 

 
Everything else is pretty quiet so far this morning.  We're out there pretty early though (6:30) so we take advantage of the cool coolER temperatures.  It was only 80 this morning and was quite pleasant.

Mama dove found the ideal tree for her nesting spot.  It's not often you get a nice shady spot like this!

 

 

Yes.  It is a lovely park we have here and we feel safe and secure knowing Roger and crew are ever vigilant watching over us.

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Have a GREAT day!