Lunch Bunch 11 outing
Lynne Penrice
Lunch Bunch II was started in April of 2000, and we recently celebrated our 18th anniversary at Ada’s Fish Fry on Indian School Road. We marked our 5th anniversary at The Phoenician, the 10th at T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms and the 15th at Vivo! Ristorante in Scottsdale. We have travelled all over the Valley in search of good food. Sometimes fancy and sometimes not so much, but always a lot of fun was had by all. Of course, lots of members have come and gone over the years, but we still have six original members.
Unit 26 raises $800 for Natalie’s House
Colleen McMaster
At the February 24 PebbleCreek Parking Lot Sale, Unit 26 raised $800 for Natalie’s House (APECA), an Arizona 501(c)3 charity organization for the protection of exploited children and adults. Natalie’s House is a foster care group home for exploited and/or abused girls.
This fundraising event included selling donations of jewelry, purses and scarves donated by many generous Unit 26 residents. These items were sold at the Parking Lot Sale.
Several volunteers spent countless hours sorting and packaging over 1,000 pieces of jewelry for re-sale at the event. Many thanks to Pat Gitzinger, Judy Sinor, Sherrie Campbell, Helen Martina, Kriss Smith, Terri Jones Hoefflin, Karen Folsom and Grace Cooper. Some also did double-duty by assisting at the sale.
Other supporters, Jim and Marge Ellison, Dennis and Carol Moore, and Ernie and Carol Coudert, loaned items to outfit our booth. Bill Smith provided transportation and assistance with set-up.
More information on Natalie’s House can be found at www.protectchild.org.
Unit 27A – Night at the Ballpark
Camille Grabb
It was another spectacular event as 50 neighbors, family and friends from Unit 27A gathered under the stadium lights for their fourth annual “Night at the Ballpark” on March 8. This year’s competition was between the LA Dodgers (runner-ups in the World Series) and the Goodyear “home team” Cleveland Indians. In the end, the Indians won 4 to 1.
Whether our neighbors root for either of the teams on the field or a hometown in between, each year this is a favorite outing to gather in the Right Field Pavilion to enjoy an evening of food, fun, and friends…while sometimes watching the game, too!
Unit 34 Mano-A-Mano tourney
Bob Young
If you noticed small lights traveling across the streets, the skies and into your bedroom windows during the early morning hours of Monday, February 12 and wondered what that could be, don’t be alarmed. It was just the lights from the golf carts traveling to the rules committee meeting and pairings announcement for the very first Unit 34 “Mano-A-Mano” golf tournament.
For those of you who are not bilingual, “Mano-A- Mano” comes from a Spanish word that means “hand to hand” combat. In this case it was club to club, chip shot after chip shot, putter to putter combat with no holds barred. Okay, the rules did allow for a mulligan on the first tee. So much for “Mano-A-Mano.” No putts were given or at least none that we know of.
Our Commissioner, Keith Constable, hosted the early morning gathering featuring freshly brewed strong coffee and goodies. “Shad,” Keith’s dog, was very happy to see us and begged for crumbs.
The twelve participants, Keith Constable, John Olerud, Ron Morrow, Bill Hill, Bob Young, Bob Michaels, Lee Blair, Don Schutt, Jim Palmer, Bob Riemuth, Pat Gradin and Duane Koberg all waited patiently with baited breath as the pairings were revealed. This was a random drawing of neighbors spread out all over the 52 resident unit. This may explain the reason the gallery could hear the participants saying, “What’s your name” or “who are you and what are you doing in my golf cart?” throughout the day. But this format turned out to be a great way for all of us to get to know our neighbors.
The early morning start did not seem to deter the enthusiasm of the boys to compete for this much coveted “Mano-A-Mano” first place trophy. They all dashed off in the darkness of the rainy, dreary morning to the practice range. Some of the participants even used their range finders to locate the practice range which may explain why they were not in the winner’s circle.
All participants gladly payed for their own golf and the players entry fee of $5. But it was well worth the money as our financial committee went all out and purchased several trophies for our tournament from our sponsor the Dollar Store.
Golf balls were donated by X-Out. Our “Golf Cap” sponsor requested we turn our caps backwards during any photos. As you can see from the photo, men just don’t listen or maybe in our case don’t hear.
The closest to the pin contest was won by Ron Morrow (two) and Lee Blair and Pat Gradin won the other two Closest to the Pin. This proves once again the man with the fastest golf cart has the best lie and wins all contests.
The longest drive contest was won by Jim Palmer. Jim also took second place gross and Pat Gradin took third place gross. No net scores were rewarded. This was “Mano- A Mano”.
The big winner of the “Mano-A-Mano” tournament and the proud owner of the coveted solid gold painted plastic trophy is Bob Michaels. Bob shot a score of 70 gross.
Bob was very humble during his two hour acceptance speech and spent most of his time praising his very capable caddie for giving him the distance to the pin, club selection and reading of the greens throughout this windy, rainy, grueling 18 hole event. His caddie asked to remain anonymous but said if you insist on knowing who he is just call him by his nick names “Fluff” or “Bones”.
Thanks again to our Commissioner Keith Constable, all who participated and our wives, who have to put up with hearing over and over our many reasons why we missed that darn putt on 17.
Unit 34 get together
Jan Koberg
The ladies of Unit 34 had a fun get-together and lunch on February 19 in the Toscana’s boardroom. This was a great opportunity to get better acquainted and meet our new neighbors. It was unanimous that at the top of our list of things we like best about PebbleCreek are the people and especially those in our unit and the way they look out for each other. Many thanks to Toscana’s for the outstanding service.
Unit 43B Neighbors share a laugh
Susan Knox Wilson
It may have been a bit chilly for the Villas’ annual spring block party on Saturday, February 24, but with so many laughs all around the event warmed up quickly. The laughs came surprisingly fast as neighbors learned their name tag came with one half of a joke and they had to seek out a neighbor with the other half of the joke.
The first neighbors to meet and create a joke were Clarisa Harper and Donna Patterson. Their joke? “If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Answer: Pilgrims!”
Fortunately, the pot luck dishes were much better than the jokes and a good time was had by all 54 residents in attendance.
Unit 52 Block Party
Liz Gibson
Almost 80 residents of Unit 52 got together for their annual Block Party on Sunday, March 4. It was a fun mix of newer and long-time residents who enjoyed a cocktail hour beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The catered bar-b-que included pulled pork, chicken, beef, mac and cheese, baked beans, several salads and several desserts. Held at the end of Monte Vista Road, we could see a lot of the new builds and sold lots in our unit.
With a total of 130 lots, we are almost full, with just a few lots to be sold.
Unit 51 neighbors attend Spring Fling
Janet Miazga
This photo depicts just a portion of the 38 Unit 51 neighbors who attended our Spring Fling in February. For a few, it was their first time to Dino’s Greek & Italian Grill at Dysart and McDowell, which got rave reviews from our crowd. They all enjoyed the pleasant afternoon on the patio for our private unit party, the delicious food, and the great service. Unit 51 continues to plan various types of fun social events – we’re certainly looking forward to our Lake Pleasant boat tour in April!
Unit 53 luncheon
Sandy Stephens
Joanne Braun and Sandy Stephens hosted the Unit 53 luncheon for February at the Verrado Country Club Grille. Our friendly and efficient server, Sonny, took exceptionally good care of all of us gals who enjoyed his joyful personality and competence. There were 17 gals at the luncheon some of which won’t be at the next one since they will be leaving for the summer to spend time with their other family.
Unit 52 lunch
Liz Gibson
A Valentine’s Day luncheon was enjoyed by the Unit 52 Ladies Who Lunch on Wednesday, February 14. Hosted by Phyllis Kotyluk at the Black Angus, the food was terrific, and a good talk-fest was enjoyed by all.
Unit 52 will hold the first of their four annual parties on Sunday, March 4. The popular Street Party bar-b-que will feature a large variety of food choices and be held on West Monte Vista. Social Chair Nancy Rosenfeld’s committee includes Rhae Jean Magnuson, Meg Chrisman, Connie Belina, Carol Liltz, Emily Grotta and Donna Goranson.
Unit 54 ladies luncheon
Barbara Dunson
Ladies from Unit 54 had an enjoyable and tasty lunch at Eta’s Grill on February 28. As our unit continues to grow the opportunity to make new lifelong friends grows with it. Next month will be an all-inclusive potluck at the beautiful Oasis Pool Complex.
Unit 58 women’s luncheon
Susan Jackson
Gisela Williams served as hostess for Unit 58 women’s luncheon on February 15. The 16 attendees enjoyed pizza, pasta and conversation at A Taste of Italy located on Estrella Parkway in Goodyear.
Unit 58 happy hour
Neil and Betty Wring hosted Unit 58’s happy hour on Thursday, February 22. Cooler temps didn’t deter friends and neighbors from gathering around the outdoor firepits and pool to enjoy tasty appetizers and lively conversation. Everyone was treated to a special musical rendition of Candy Man in honor of special guest Mike Rush, father of Colleen Frohne. Mike recently celebrated his 90th birthday and is affectionately known as the “candy man” since he routinely brings treats to bowling and work for friends and colleagues.
Unit 61 ladies luncheon
Adrianne Beck
Over 30 Unit 61 residents enjoyed a delicious lunch at Claim Jumper on Monday, February 12. Love was in the air as everyone got into the spirit of Valentine’s Day. The Unit welcomed several new residents to this monthly event.
Unit 62A monthly happy hour
Barb Downey
On February 13 thirty residents of Unit 62A met for our monthly happy hour. This month our fabulous hosts Dawn and Mike Razem, treated us with a Valentine’s Day theme complete with games, fun props and photos, great cocktails, and wonderful weather to enjoy their beautiful backyard! As with all of our monthly happy hours we dined on fabulous potluck provisions that never cease to amaze. We also celebrated the birthdays of Cathe Pruyn, Marilyn and Vic Coates, Don Clinkinbeard, Arlene King and Gary Watts plus the 49th anniversary of Marilyn and Vic Coates! A beautiful and delicious cake accompanied the singing, of course!
We are a very active unit with new neighbors moving in regularly and we have lots to keep us busy, in addition to all the wonderful PebbleCreek activities. One of the highlights this month was the great representation we had at the Pub Trivia Night, as one of our teams (represented by Patti Trapp, Judy Meservey, Cathe and Mike Pruyn, John and Jodi McCrickard and Lynn and Bruce Banks) won a round in a tough tie-breaker! Not an easy task, with those tough questions!
In February we also enjoyed a ladies’ luncheon, men’s breakfast, Hand and Foot and Bunco games, Bachelor watching party at one end of the street and a “non” bachelor watching party at the other end! In addition, we had twenty-six residents of our unit go out to lunch and then take a very informative tour of the 1.2 million square foot Amazon Distribution Center in Phoenix. If you’ve ever ordered from Amazon, this tour will provide a wonderful “behind the scenes” insight into the marvel of technology and logistics that enable this company to ship quickly and accurately. We all gained a deeper appreciation of this amazing company and the 2000 people that are employed at this site.
March is also going to have many highlights, including a spring training baseball game and a dinner and Escape Room event! Details in next month’s newsletter!