Twenty-six gals from Unit 8 celebrated Christmas at the home of Jane Holdcroft.
Unit 8
Shawnee Robison
On a frosty Thursday evening, December 17, 2015, 26 gals from Unit 8 got together to celebrate Christmas and to catch up on all the latest of Eagle’s Nest in the lovely home of hostess Jane Holdcroft. Needless to say, a wonderful time was had by all!
After a brief end of the year meeting, the gals sat down to enjoy the delightful array of goodies prepared!
Each one brought a dish to share—from tantalizing cocktail meatballs, special recipes of salads, scalloped potatoes, baby burritos and seven layer dip, lemon bars, pumpkin and pecan pie, wedding cookies and homemade fudge to a decadent, gorgeous, layered fudge cake supreme! Wow! You should’ve been there!
Now they’re all waiting to see what 2016 will bring and would like to say, “Have a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, everyone! And don’t forget to share your time, talents and treasures with your family and friends!”
Photo taken by Misty Millwood.
Unit 20
Shawnee Robison
It was a very cool 34°F, as I quickly stepped inside the Black Angus Steakhouse on Thursday, February 4, 2016. Aspen, the lovely Front Desk Hostess, escorted me to the tables for our Unit 20’s Monthly Luncheon. I sat down and waited for the other gals to arrive! On the tables I saw that our Unit Hostesses, Carolyn Rota and Yolanda Laborin, had placed a Valentine treat bag for each of us! (That meant they worked their pinkies to the bone putting together those adorable bags!) Thank you, ladies, for making it so special!
After everyone had arrived we ordered and Carolyn shared last month’s minutes.
We then selected the hostesses for the up-coming luncheons for 2016.
The food and service was excellent!
Tom Stephenson, the general manager and frequent golfer at PebbleCreek, made sure everything was perfect and to our liking, while our terrific waitress, Misty, was at our beck and call!
She even asked if she could snap the group photo of us! Thank you, Misty! We’ll be back! All in all we had a wonderful afternoon!
Power lunch of Unit 26 women. Girl Power!
Unit 26
Dee-Dee Patrick
Thank heavens for Colleen McMaster (in the purple scarf)! She continues to enthusiastically orchestrate luncheon gatherings for the women of our unit. Thus far she has even managed to locate diverse and interesting eateries for us to gather. She chooses places that are not too large or crowded thereby allowing us to have quiet conversations with those immediately adjacent at our table, or even walk around and rub elbows with the rich and famous! In January we met at The Saddleback Brewing Company in Goodyear.
Each month seems to attract some returning oldies (residents who are the historians for our unit) and newbies as new homeowners enter our neighborhood. It is always heartwarming to see a sea of smiling faces as you approach the table. Informative discussions included home repairs and remodeling to comparing how cold the temperatures were in our states of origin. Snowbirds and non-migratory Creekers alike compared stories of shoveling out and hunkering down which, fortunately, are not mandatory in our Arizona climate!
We look forward to many more such events and welcome women who reside in our unit to join Unit 26 Ladies Who Lunch; great way to stay connected and in touch.
Unit 27A neighbors enjoyed a tour of Taliesin West.
Unit 27A
Dr. Cyndee Krause
Fabulous! is the perfect word that describes the January 26 car-caravan trip to Taliesin West in Scottsdale by Unit 27A neighbors and friends.
Taliesin West is a living memorial to the great American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. It is nestled in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains by the spectacular Sonoran Desert. It was Wright’s winter home and even today continues as an architectural school.
The group was especially taken by how the site co-exists in harmony, form, color, beauty and grace with nature as well as science—and in the middle of a hot and dry desert! While Wright’s peers were designing Roman and Gothic structures, his designs were organic architecture with site-specific construction where form and function co-exist. His architectural principles gained him fame throughout the world.
After the wonderful 90-minute interesting and educational tour, the hungry group traveled to nearby Flo’s Asian Kitchen where they feasted on delicious Chinese cuisine.
Wright’s Taliesin West is a great place to take your out of town company. It’s one of those gems in the Southwest that many people have on their bucket list, yet sometimes never get around to visiting. The group agreed that it’s time to move it up on your to do list.
Attendees were (front row) Ann Brown; (second row) Debra Seymour, Carolyn Bates, Betty Tomtan and Linda Rouillard; (third row) Diane Buchanan, Esther West, Joanne Scherer, Brenda Michaels, Elna Friesen, Judy Sondag, Janice Adamek and Karen Grant-Linth. All in attendance voiced their appreciation to Betty Tomtan who acted as hostess for this event and made all the arrangements.
Unit 34
Esther West
On Thursday, February 12, the Unit 34 ladies celebrated Valentine’s Day with an outing to Region’s, a college-operated restaurant on the campus of the Estrella Mountain Community College. Students in the Culinary Studies program prepare all the food as part of their education. The program is intended to give students the skills and experience necessary to obtain positions in professional kitchens and provide them with this career potential. Regions is open during the fall and spring semesters and serves lunch only on Thursdays (table service) and Fridays (buffet). The public is invited and welcome to attend. Reservations are required. Cost is reasonable for the meal which includes an appetizer, soup or salad, choice of entrée, dessert and a beverage. All proceeds are reinvested in the program.
Unit 31 group luncheon at Olive Garden on February 11
Unit 31
Unit 53
Sandy Stephens
Gail Galarneau and JoAnne Braun hosted Unit 53’s January luncheon at the Haymaker Restaurant on January 26. They chose this restaurant because Haymaker closed to the general public on Thanksgiving Day in order to feed Air Force families and Gail and JoAnne wanted to support this kind of community giving. There were 21 ladies at this luncheon with a room to themselves so that the group did not interfere with the conversations of other diners. This is a fun and involved group of women. Unit 53 is such a cohesive group and all the ladies enjoy getting together as a group and getting to know their neighbors better. The service was excellent at Haymaker that offered a standard lunch menu.
Sandy Stephens
On January 21 David and Joanne Burch were kind enough to open up their home to a record number of neighbors for the Unit 53 monthly Happy Hour. There were close to 50 guests that overflowed onto the patio. The residents of Unit 53 are a very active group in hosting monthly happy hours and luncheons thanks to our past Unit Representative Rosalie Pyle who is now involved in volunteering with Life Long Learning along with our other Unit 53 residents Bill and Lisa Greenhoot. Karen Knadler put together an email list of Unit 53 residents early on in order to contact the group regarding our unit events. Everyone who comes to the Unit 53 Happy Hour is asked to bring a munchie and whatever they want to drink. The munchies have evolved into heavy hors d’oeuvres and Happy Hour has turned into the dinner hour for those attending. The food people bring looks and tastes great and is devoured quickly. Along with the record number of attendees at our January Happy Hour were a number of new residents who got a taste of not only what people brought to eat but a look at the cohesive unit they bought into. The evening is never long enough at a Happy Hour as everyone is having such a great time together.
Unit 40
Diane Passafiume
Unit 40 ventured to Apache Junction to see the afternoon Rock ‘n Roll show at Barleens Arizona Opry. We were treated to an afternoon of great entertainment and great food at a very reasonable price. The performers are multi-talented and highly energized; no lack of talent there. Thanks to Alice and Charlie Miller for organizing the event.
Unit 52
Liz Gibson
The popular Eest Asian Bistro was the venue for the Unit 52 ladies’ luncheon on Wednesday, February 10. Organized by Hilary Fiscus, the group enjoyed great food and lots of chatter well into the afternoon.
The unit’s upcoming event is a joint Social Committee, headed by Leann Drummond, and the Men’s Social, headed by Ken Minichiello, co-venture. On March 19 husbands and wives will enjoy a Patio Party at Goodyear Park for the Cubs and Indians game. Dinner and private reserved seating will make it a fun unit get-together.