Unit 12 Lunch at Lakeside Grill Estrella
Cathy Howell
A small group of women from Unit 12 braved the 115-degree heat to enjoy lunch together at Lakeside Grill Estrella. We enjoyed hearing of summer travel plans and to see who will be around to enjoy another Arizona summer.
Unit 44 Men’s Lunch: Patriotic Flops and Cash-Only Chaos
Dan Harris
On July 2, Unit 44’s Doug Kirkpatrick, Walt Saal, Jim Miller, Dan Harris (photographer), Don Paxton, and Darrell Livingston marched into the new Bubba’s 33 restaurant for their monthly summer chow-down. The mission: rock patriotic colors for the July 4th vibe. The execution? A total flop. Only one guy got the red-white-and-blue memo, while the rest claimed they were “saving their star-spangled swag” for the actual holiday. Sure, fellas, we believe you.
Over burgers dripping with enough grease to lube a monster truck, the crew jawed about unit gossip, Robson rumors, and whatever non-Robson nonsense made the cut. Plans for “beat the heat” summer getaways were hashed out. The food? Gloriously antinutritional, as always, just like last month. Except for one health-nut member who, just like last month, ordered a salad again.
But the real drama hit when the bill arrived. The restaurant’s tech took a nosedive, with the credit-card system deader than a doornail. Cash only, boys. One member immediately sprinted out the door like he was auditioning for Ocean’s Eleven. Was he dodging the tab? Nah, we thought he was just racing to the gas station’s ATM next door. But no—he had a stash of bills in his car—because who doesn’t keep a stash in the glovebox for burger emergencies?
Despite the payment fiasco, the grub was top-notch, the banter was top-tier, and the crew walked out fat and happy with enough stories to keep Unit 44 buzzing until next month’s meat-fest. And, by the way, prohibition was repealed in 1933, which is why the restaurant is named Bubba’s 33.
Having just finished a delicious breakfast that featured stimulating conversation, left to right: Chuck Hakkarinen, Dennis Gildea, John Haas, Tom Ratterman, Spike Razem, Hal Levy, Scott Carnahan, Peter Pop, Doug Sackville, Don Brzozowski, Peter Kirby. Absent: Jim Ramberg.
Unit 46 Men’s “Indoor” Breakfast
Spike Razem
The big dilemma for the Unit 46 men was …will we have our June monthly breakfast outdoors on the patio similar to the past four months, or, move it indoors?
Emailed invites were sent out. Who’s up for attending, and, do you prefer to eat indoors or outdoors? The decision ultimately was easy, especially based on the response from our Unit meteorologist, Chuck Hakkarinen, who advised how scorching hot the temperatures would be that morning.
So, on June 18 the Unit 46 Men enjoyed a nice breakfast together in the cool confines of Eagle’s Nest Restaurant. Although many neighbors were absent due to vacations or being snowbirds, we had a good turnout of 12 men in attendance.
Once a few of the guys started sipping on cold, refreshing Bloody Mary’s, the conversations were in full swing at our two tables. Don Brzozowski, who was still using a walker, was enlightening us about his most recent, successful hip replacement surgery. We also discussed stress tests (both chemical and treadmill), along with, of course, the game of golf (i.e., how do the pro golfers spin balls on the green with their chip shots, etc.).
Unit 46, which consists of N 165th Dr, N 166th Dr, Cora Ln, Sheila Ln, and Mulberry Dr, continues to grow. More new neighbors are moving in each month. Of the 74 total lots, only five remain unsold. “Soon” we will no longer be a construction zone, and we won’t miss the green dumpsters, port-o-potties, nails in the street, etc.
In the meantime, excellent monthly activities such as Men’s Breakfasts, Ladies’ Luncheons, and Happy Hours will continue to be enjoyed by all!
Unit 48 July 4th Pool Party
Rochelle Zuckerbrow
On July 4 Unit 48 celebrated Independence Day out at the Oasis Pool. We enjoyed catering from Dickey’s BBQ. Some of our guests left the party prior to the group photo. We had a great turnout even with so much of our unit away for the summer.
Unit 54 Men’s Lunch
Men of Unit 54 met at Eagle’s Nest for Lunch on July 1. We normally have breakfast but the first month of each quarter is lunch. Our small group, from left to right, included Mike Strong, Jack Klepinger, Steve Domholt, John Abercrombie, Ken Jarvie, and Mike Hurst.
Unit 54 Ladies’ Lunch
Barb Dunson
On June 11 there were 12 ladies from Unit 54 trying our new seafood restaurant, High Tide, in GSQ. Results were A+ from all 12 in attendance for some crab cakes, soft halibut tacos, shrimp cocktail, lobster mac n‘cheese, bang bang shrimp, and fish and chips. Our waiter gave us samples of their gumbo and tide roast. Service was exceptional. Wednesday is half price on bottled wine. We will go back either individually or as a group. Kayrene Brayden, Mary Sabatello, Hiromi Bayshore, Lorraine Schultheiss, Patty Klepinger, Pat Gray, Cindy Hurst, Sheri Trefz, Nancy Bartusch, Julie Kemper, Linda Sweet, and Barb Dunson all enjoyed the High Tide experience!
Unit 62A Ladies’ Lunch in June
Toni Erickson
The June ladies’ lunch for Unit 62A took the group to Lou Malnati’s at Prasada, just off the 303 and Waddell. While the Valley offers many Italian restaurants to choose from, this was a new spot for the group to try. Though the turnout was small, the fun time shared more than made up for the numbers. Those attending were, from left to right, Jackie Bachmann, Marilyn Coates, Joanne Wrout, Jody McCrickard, and Barb Downey.
62A June Trivia at Augie’s
Toni Erickson
Trivia night at Augie’s rolled around again on June 18. We usually have no problem filling our 14 seats, but with neighbors off on summer adventures, 10 trivia buffs held down the fort. As always, the evening was filled with laughs, good food, cold drinks, and a little healthy competition. The 10 people who held down the fort for the Sheridan Street neighbors were Laurie Wyman, Judy Meservey, Janelle and Gary Watts, Tim and Dale Scanlon, Jackie and Tom MacKenzie, and Staci and Bill Carp (not pictured).