Neighbors gather in front of the copper fireplace at Rancho de los Caballeros.
Old and new neighbors enjoy a Meet and Greet at the Palms third tee.
Unit 27A
Camille Grabb
As cooler fall weather arrived, Unit 27A residents, many of whom scattered during the hot summer months, began to slowly return, check in and start waving to their neighbors once again!
The group’s first adventure on November 17 was driving by caravan up to Wickenburg to enjoy the famous buffet lunch at the historic 1948 Rancho de los Caballeros. As visitors, we walked through the main gathering room with its white-washed walls, hand-hewn beams, Mexican tiles and a huge copper decorated fireplace. In a nearby nook guests browsed through many old leather-bound photo albums offering a visual history of many visitors from years gone by.
The award winning resort is referred to as a Dude Ranch Resort, but don’t be fooled. It’s much more than just horseback riding today by offering an 18-hole championship golf course, tennis courts and a spa—all within its 20 acres in the Sonoran Desert.
On the way home, several folks took a detour to visit the fascinating Desert Caballeros Western Museum in downtown Wickenburg as well.
As more folks meandered back to the neighborhood, the Unit welcomed everyone at a Meet and Greet on Sunday afternoon, December 6. Two next-door resident patios overlooking the Palm’s third tee proved to be the perfect mingling spot for neighbors to socialize, renew acquaintances, welcome some newly arrived owners and begin planning for the winter season fun! The Unit’s leftover funds collected from the event were contributed to the Pet Companion Club.
Marsha Lisle, Linda Pardue, Debbie Clinckenbeard, Di Week, Sue White, Jackie Horton and Linda Grabau; not available for the photo were Claudia Tiger, Peggy Wilkerson and Mary Jo Graff.
Unit 37
Linda Grabau
The Unit 37 Christmas Cookie Exchange for Tuscany Falls Golf Cart Caroling was held on Sunday afternoon, December 6 at Linda Grabau’s home. A special thank you to the 10 bakers that brought a tasty array of cookies! The cookies were then put into decorative containers to be distributed while we were out Golf Cart Caroling. Plus, we all got to take home some cookies to enjoy, and everyone knows that Christmas cookies have no calories! Thank you to all the Unit 37 Golf Cart Carolers for spreading some Christmas cheer to your fellow PebbleCreekers!
Unit 40
Diane Passafiume
Eagle’s Nest Palm Room was the site of the Unit 40 Holiday Brunch.
Every seat was filled as our residents came together to share the joy and fellowship that comes with the many holiday celebrations that occur this time of the year. This is also when our annual donation is collected for the Agua Fria Food Bank. I am very pleased to announce that this year’s contributions almost doubled that of last year. The food bank was very appreciative of the generous gifts. Thank you to Dick and Sherry Atwater for coordinating the event.
Pictured are Dawn Bogart, Executive Director Larry Cervarich, founder of Homeless Youth Connection and Renee Kotler, resident/shopper.
Unit 42A
Renee Kotler
For the third year in a row, the residents of Unit 42-A provided donations to adopt homeless teens who are a part of the Homeless Youth Connection. For each $50 donated shopping is done to fulfill as many of the needs and wants on a list provided by the students. In 2013 seventeen students were adopted. This year enough donations were received to shop for 30 students.
These teens face incredible challenges in trying to stay in school and complete their education in spite of their difficult personal situations. This year we were especially touched by a young man whose needs list was for clothes that would be appropriate to wear to FBLA meetings. We came to understand that this stood for Future Business Leaders of America. His aspirations for the future go way beyond completing his high school education. His only wish was for an acoustic guitar. The business clothes purchased used all of the $50 allotted to the young man; however, after reaching out to the entire PebbleCreek Community, a beautiful acoustic guitar was donated by Al Carney to fulfill a much deserved wish. This project has become an important part of Unit 42-A’s holiday tradition and, hopefully, will continue for a long time.
Unit 52
Liz Gibson
The Unit 52 Annual Holiday Party was another gala evening for our very social unit on Wednesday, December 9. The party started with socializing over cocktails in the bar and patio area and then moved into the Chianti Room for a gourmet dinner headlined with prime rib and Chicken Oscar.
Musicman Productions played throughout the evening, from listening pleasure through a lot of great dance music for the more than 80 enthusiasts on the dance floor.
Party planners for this event were Nancy Rosenfeld, Connie Belina and Meg Chrisman who received great accolades for the outstanding evening.
Unit 64
The ladies of Unit 64 met at a Zeta’s Grill (a new Mediterranean restaurant) in November to give thanks for our bountiful friendships. Great food and fun was had by all.
Unit 43A
Deb Chrisman
The Unit 43A Book Club met on December 4 and celebrated the holidays with a cookie exchange. The book of the month was The Girl on the Train. Participating were (from left) Barb Kripps, Ruth Clark, Jean Gill, Connie Peterson, Constance Angus, Debbie Boehm, Kathy Sheard (hostess), Kathie McNeil, Deb Chrisman and Jackie Low (not pictured).
Holiday Donation
Unit 51
Carol Adkins
A big round of applause to such generous neighbors in Unit 51! Our annual Holiday Pajama Program Project for those less fortunate children was a huge success! Once again we opened our hearts and collected 53 pair of pajamas along with 53 bedtime books – this equals 53 young souls who will feel the warmth of kindness this holiday season. What a great impact even a small number of people can make! Thank you, Unit 51, for your participation in this special project.
Carol Adkins
Unit 51 celebrated the holidays on Friday, December 11 with a dinner dance in the Chianti Room at Tuscany. The mood was made more festive with Doug Christensen playing piano and leading us in singing The Twelve Days of Christmas during our happy hour. All of the groups were vocally great with special thanks to Dan Rea for his booming and a Partridge in a Pear Tree chorus! Unit 51 would like to extend a huge thank you to three social committee volunteers, Sandra Adams, Lynn Lucas and Lori Rea, who are stepping down after four plus years on the committee! What a fabulous job they have done planning and organizing our unit events.