Cancer Awareness Weekend

T'is the weekend of our huge Cancer Awareness extravaganza.  There were golf tournaments, horseshoe tournaments, tennis and probably more that I didn't get to see.  The highlight, of course, was tonight with the parade and events at Palm Park.  

THANK YOU to John Ross and his comrades for donating their time for the balloon glow!  It's fascinating to be up close and personal when these giant balloons fill with air and come to life. 

This giant wizard stole the show.

This is John Ross's balloon where he gave customers a quick tethered ride up above the trees.  I'll bet it was a lovely sight to see all the luminaries from above.

 It's a lot of work to heat up the balloons and then get them all packed up again at the end of the night.  Thank you to everyone for making this a part of our events.

After all the excitement, I enjoyed a lovely walk home down the streets with the luminaries all aglow.

I didn't get a picture of the food tents but want to give credit to the group that baked over 2500 cookies for us.

So much stuff

I'm about to cry "uncle" as its too hard to keep up with all the events here this season.  Saturday we had tennis tournaments, softball tournaments, and the big Welcome Back party with thousands of residents in attendance.  

I guess I'll just post hit and miss.  You can refer to the Palm Creek Facebook page for more pictures.

I do want to take time to acknowledge the spaghetti dinner last night to honor our wonderful Fire Fighters though.  They are such a HUGE part of our community and we certainly thank them for their service.  So glad to see that it is always a sell out crowd to honor these folks.

Our local department has been able to purchase uniforms for their honor guard.

There was a 50-50 raffle, t-shirt sales, and a putting contest to win a $200 bottle of champagne.  The winner made 8 out of 10 successful putts.  Buzz came close with 7.

I have a couple photos from the softball game last week too.  So much fun to watch the game and enjoy one of those giant burgers from the snack shack.

I've lived in Arizona for the past 12 years and I still enjoy studying the landscaping.  Do you take time to enjoy your surroundings here?  How many times have you walked past these trees but didn't take time to "smell the roses" and really take a look at nature's wonder.

Another Wednesday

For me...Wednesday starts with a 9:30 a.m. computer club meeting.  This morning, President Mike Salter talked about Microsoft Office and gave a brief summary of each of the programs including Word, Excel, and Outlook.  Next Wednesday he plans to introduce Publisher.

Next usually comes lunch on the patio each Wednesday.  It's such a nice way to enjoy a good lunch with friends.  I often go alone and enjoy siting with new people to meet.

Dolores Forbis and Larry Marik were there to entertain us with their musical talent.

Today's special was taco salad.  Yum!  Love those new crispy salad bowls.

The Adobe room gets active every afternoon with assorted card games.

Bev and Jane said they liked to see jokes here on the blog so I'll try to accommodate them today.

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Here's MY favorite:

Just Plumbing

Our sponsor and guest speaker at the Monday morning coffee was Justin from "Just Plumbing".  I've seen their trucks in the park frequently but haven't had the opportunity to meet with them as yet.  

Several things Justin mentioned were very impressive:

His company offers a lifetime warranty on their work.  That includes parts and labor for a water heater or water system.

They hire husband wife teams.

I met with them for a few minutes after the presentation and look forward to meeting them the next time I'm looking for plumbing service.

P.S.  As a follow up to today's sponsorship, they are offering Palm Creek residents a 10% discount on any service for the next month.

Just Plumbing

520-876-5878

Wednesday lunch and activities

After a fun event at our weekly Computer Club meeting, I could hear the lovely sound of piano music outdoors and remembered that it was Wednesday patio lunch so decided to stay for a delicious coney dog and some of Robin's wonderful french fries.  Also had broccoli salad and a scrumptious peanut butter cookie for dessert.  Thank you to Dolores Forbis for sharing her great musical talent at that piano.  It's such a pleasure to listen to her play.  

Wednesday lunch is such a nice way to gather with friends on the patio.

I saw this happy group of gals enjoying their lunch before they head off to their weekly beading club.

They were willing to show off some of the handiwork they had with them.  They give classes on how to make all these masterpieces. 

Sharon Marchant was setting up in the Sonora room for their meeting.  Sharon comes periodically with her truckload of beads and findings plus offers classes as well.

I passed by the Welcome Station and said a friendly hello to our rangers and hostesses.  I still remember how impressed I was when we first drove into Palm Creek (12 years ago) and were greeted by friendly folks ready to help us and get us settled in to our spot.  

 The Adobe Room is busy 24/7 as there are always card players in there.  Want to play along?  Stop in around 12:15 most any day and see what the groups are playing.  Many times they can invite you to join them.  Today this table was full with some Texas Hold'em players who choose not to participate in our nightly tournaments.

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HUSBAND DOWN....

A husband and wife are shopping in their local supermarket.

The husband picks up a case of beer and puts it in their cart.

"What do you think you're doing?" asks the wife.

"They're on sale, only $20 for 24 cans" he replies.

"Put them back, we can't afford them" demands the wife.

They carry on shopping.

A few aisles farther on, the woman picks up a $40 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.

"What do you think you're doing?" asks the husband.

"It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful," replies the wife.

Her husband retorts: "So does 24 cans of beer, and it's half the price."

That's him, there in Aisle 5.

Welcome Home Party Postponed

The big Welcome Home party that was scheduled for this Saturday, January 21, is being pushed back one week due to the weather forecast looking very dismal.  The forecast is calling for several days of rain and breezy winds.  The tickets you've already purchased will be honored on Saturday, January 28.  

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

Friday, February 3 is the kickoff for our BIG Cancer Awareness weekend.  A huge highlight of that night is the hot air balloon glow where we have 8-10 BIG balloons here.  We NEED VOLUNTEERS to help handle the balloons as they're blown up and tethered.  

Please sign up in the Activities Office for one of these volunteer positions.  No super strength needed but we need folks (men or women) to hold the lines.  You will be treated to dinner before the event.  Sign up now so the correct number of meals can be ordered.  

Healthy Foods

Our local volunteer group called "Loving Hearts, Loving Hands" held a fund raiser for the Casa Grande Cancer Support Center.  We were served a variety of nutritious foods and then were asked for our comments.  

Believe it or not, my favorite was the Ziti tofu.  I doubted I would have liked any of the food as the word "tofu" does not bring joy to my palette, but this dish was quite good.

Same goes for the turkey meatballs.  To me, turkey doesn't below in a "meatball" but these were quite tasty.

We also tried different chilis and salads.  

Of course, my favorite of all were the delicious cookies for dessert.

The nutrition expert was there to answer questions and was interested in getting feedback for her recipes.

Diane Gaines was our hostess.

We even had a belly dance demonstration.  Myaesha (Bernadette Rezak) gives lessons at the Cancer Support Center.

Take time to read through the Facebook page for the Support Center to see all the events and services they have to offer.

Cancer Support Center

Speaking of nutritious foods.........the "Orange Man" as I call him is here on Tuesdays and Fridays in the front parking area by the mailboxes.  His oranges are delicious and only cost $6 per bag.

He also brings other fresh vegetables when they're available.