The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Home of the Year

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Gerald Batzel, of Countryside Drive in Timber Lake Estates, received the Timber Lake Estates Beautification Home of the Year award. Batzel received a certificate, a flag to display, and a cash award of $150. The winner was chosen by a committee from the four quarterly winners of 2016. (Courtesy of Jo Ann Buley)

Sprucing up the park as residents return

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Gail Baker displays a wreath created at a get-together.
(Photos courtesy of Jean Lane)

Many of our residents have returned from up north for the winter.

The mulch was replaced around trees and shrubbery in November, and on Dec. 5, we started with a community-wide pool cleaning. Volunteers from the park helped power wash the pool, the walls, and spruce up the pool area.

Casa Del Sol’s first breakfast was Dec. 9, and many people enjoyed a delicious breakfast prepared by the men in the park. A special thanks to the men who prepare a breakfast every other Friday. This is a park-wide breakfast, and every resident is invited to attend.

Alice Brandel joined the ladies in the park to create wreaths.

On Dec. 15, the ladies in the park had an impromptu wreath-creating get-together. Several ladies joined in and had a good time.

By Jean Lane
Casa Del Sol

Published December 21, 2016

 

 

The holidays were made for food and fellowship

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That beautiful time of the year is upon us once again, and Grand Horizons is celebrating it in style.

Sandy Lindke proves you are never too old for a visit with Santa.
(Courtesy of Adrianne Ayres)

We had our Friday Connoisseurs on Dec. 2 at the Black Rock Grill in Tampa. There were 26 of us in attendance and, being that there is much going on during this time of year, it was a pretty good turnout.

I can’t speak highly enough about this restaurant, as it not only had a varied menu and something for everyone’s taste buds, but it is also known for the black stone. This is an 8-inch square stone that is super-heated and placed on your table so your steak is prepared the way you like it. Ginny Sarver hosted the outing, and we all enjoyed this restaurant.

The following morning, there was a pancake breakfast. It included all the pancakes, French toast and sausage that you wanted, plus coffee.

Wearing their Christmas finery, Judi and Jim Leitzke are ready for the Christmas party.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)

There were approximately 50 people in attendance. The breakfast was hosted by David and Mary Heim, and their helpers included Linda Rogers, Diane Taggart and Tom Carter. Before the breakfast started, Jim Leitzke said grace.

That night, there also was a Christmas party. It started off with a golf cart parade of 22 golf carts. All of them were decorated in some way, shape, or form, while several of them were decorated all over and made for a beautiful sight, while going through the development past each individual house.

After the parade, everyone from the parade met at the community center where others already were gathered. There were about 100 residents attending this party.

Rudi and Lamar Lawson look forward to the cookies being served.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)

We had hot chocolate and cookies. The table was full of all sorts of cookies, cake and candy.

There was also a Santa Claus who gave out candy canes to the women, and everyone got to socialize.

Joyce Bell presented donations collected from throughout the community to Beth Akers, a representative from Meals on Wheels. Beth was very appreciative and offered a few words in thanks.

Helene and Marty Rubenstein at the Grand Horizons’ Christmas party.
(Courtesy of Adrianne Ayres)

The party was hosted by Joyce Bell with several helpers and was absolutely beautiful. The helpers were Chris Fulton, Rosemary Semian, Karen Donlon, Terri Satterlee, Lynne-Rae Dyson, Robbie Lockard and Ron Bell. All the people who worked on this Christmas Party did a fine job, and everything was done to perfection.

The following day, the Ladies Lunch Bunch had their luncheon at the Cheesecake Factory.

The 25 women who attended had a marvelous time. I spoke to Joyce and she told me that they each had a delicious meal, and most of them had cheesecake. Quite a few took their pie home to “relive” the afternoon. She also told me that many women went earlier to go shopping or did their shopping after lunch. It was a fun and friendly group.

The outing also was hosted by Joyce Bell.

By Helene Rubenstein
Grand Horizons

Published December 14, 2016

Residents can take their pick of activities

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Every week more activities are starting, and our residents can be as busy as they want to be.

Monday night euchre begins at 6:30 p.m. Many participants arrive at 6 p.m., to “practice.” This past week’s winners with bragging rights were Mary Kay Lynch and Larry Sharp.

If you would like to learn to play this game, there are a lot of good players who are excited to teach newcomers.

Tuesday night at 6 p.m., Deann Harrington heads up the marble game. Shuffleboard is on Wednesday at 10 a.m. This week, Marlin Thomas was a three-game winner.

Karen Wyant hosts chair exercises at 9 a.m., on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Ellie Brookins follows up with “Stepping to The Beat” at 10 a.m.

Last Thursday morning, 108 residents enjoyed coffee, donuts and conversation. Linda Files opened the gathering by asking Wayne Getchell to give the invocation. Richard Burgess added a bit of humor and started our day with a good laugh.

Watch the marquee for upcoming activities, which will include a golf cart and bicycle parade on Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m. Lineup will begin at 5 p.m.

There will be a cookie social in the clubhouse following the parade.

Our first “special ” entertainment will be The Sugar Bear Band on Jan. 6. Tickets are $10 for the show, which will begin at 7 p.m. See Lee Heffelfinger or Tess Stacy for tickets.

Also, Bingo starts the first Wednesday in January.

By Mabel Budzinski
Gem Estates

Published December 14, 2016

Fashion and food on the agenda

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There was a fashion show on Nov. 17 at the community center, with many women and men viewing clothing presented by Bon Worth.

There were six models in all, and each model wore three different outfits. The models were Terri Satterlee, Pat Mc Kain, Elaine Hilton, Mim Gardner, Joyce Bell and Rosemary Semian.

Skip Frye is a professional guitar player with a style like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. (Courtesy of Gary Wilcox)
Skip Frye is a professional guitar player with a style like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
(Courtesy of Gary Wilcox)

About 40 people attended the show. Cookies and brownies, along with coffee and tea, were served.

The fashion show was hosted by Rosemary Semian, and our thanks go to her for a lovely show.

A pancake breakfast was held on Nov. 19 at the community center and was attended by 71 residents, who enjoyed the breakfast.

Jim Sinner said the blessing before the meal of pancakes, French toast, sausage, orange juice, coffee and/or tea. There was also regular syrup in addition to sugar-free syrup. You could have all you cared to eat, and it was hosted by Mary and David Heim.

Germaine Marion and Jerry Raffa (back row) with Marion’s children and grandchildren, Kevin Moore, Roxanne Moore, Fabian, and Kaleigh Moore. (Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)
Germaine Marion and Jerry Raffa (back row) with Marion’s children and grandchildren,
Kevin Moore, Roxanne Moore, Fabian, and Kaleigh Moore.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)

There were also many volunteers that included Linda Rogers, Rosemary Semian, Tom Carter. Diane Taggart, Rosemarie Weingartz and Walter Barr. They did a very nice job, and our thanks go out to all of them for a lovely breakfast.

Later that night, there was a show/dance at the community center. The name of the show was the Skip Frye Group, hosted by Gary Wilcox. I spoke to Gary and he was nice enough to tell me a little about it.

He said that all who attended had a very good time. He went on to mention that more than 65 people were there that night to enjoy the music and dancing. Also mentioned was the fact that Skip and his wife, Nancy, put on a wonderful three-hour concert, playing a variety of songs from yesterday to today.

Frye is a professional guitar player with styles like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Thanks goes out to all our volunteers!

A day of thanks
There were 104 people, including residents and guests, at the community center on Nov. 24, to observe and celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The dinner was hosted by Margaret and Andy Castonguay, and several helpers.

From left: Margaret Castonguay, Clayton George, Carol George, Andy Castonguay and Vic Dyson (forefront) lend a helping hand for a Thanksgiving dinner. (Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)
From left: Margaret Castonguay, Clayton George, Carol George, Andy Castonguay and Vic Dyson (forefront) lend a helping hand for a Thanksgiving dinner.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)

Before the dinner even started, grace was said by Cookie. He did a fine job. The dinner consisted of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, squash, green beans, cranberry sauce, pickles, rolls, butter, and dessert of apple and pumpkin pies with a dab of whipped cream. The meal was delicious and the turkey was moist. They served either white or dark meat – your preference.

There were several helpers, and they consisted of Carol and Clayton George, Mim and Terry Gardner, and Vic and Lynne-Rae Dyson. Everybody had a specific job to do, so everything ran smoothly.

In addition, I found out that the entire crew met the previous night to set up tables, clean the turkeys and put them in the oven to cook. Everyone outdid themselves and put on the perfect meal. After the dinner, we sat around and talked for a while.

Helene and Marty Rubenstein look forward to a Thanksgiving meal at Grand Horizons. (Courtesy of Adrianne Ayres)
Helene and Marty Rubenstein look forward to a Thanksgiving meal at Grand Horizons.
(Courtesy of Adrianne Ayres)

Later that night, several people returned for a game of euchre. I used to play this game, and I can truthfully say that it is a fun game, and it definitely keeps you on your toes. Of course, during the game, the people who are playing kept up a friendly conversation with much banter.

We had dominoes on Nov. 28, and, as always, it was loads of fun. There were several of us that joined in on this lively and fun game. Seeing that it was during the holiday season, quite a few of us showed up.

As the game progressed, you can hear people saying things like “My train just fell off the track,” “I have a mighty small train” and more.

One thing was for sure, everyone had a good time.

By Helene Rubenstein
Grand Horizons

Published December 7, 2016

 

From one holiday to the next

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The delicious Thanksgiving dinner at Gem Estates was the highlight of the week. Jim and Karen Nagle, and a group of awesome neighbors, volunteered their time so we could all gather as the Gem Estates family and share our thankfulness.

About 130 meals were served to residents and guests

The maintenance committee, headed by Ron Raymond, has Christmas lights in place at our entrance and on our community buildings. Many folks have begun decorating their homes.

Gem Estates is bustling with activity.

By Mabel Budzinski
Gem Estates

Published December 7, 2016

Mary Kay Lynch was one of the happy volunteers for Gem Estates’ Thanksgiving dinner. (Photos courtesy of Mabel Budzinski)
Mary Kay Lynch was one of the happy volunteers for Gem Estates’ Thanksgiving dinner.
(Photos courtesy of Mabel Budzinski)
Gem Estates’ President Linda Files and Treasurer Sandy Mann welcomed everyone to Thanksgiving dinner, as Ellen Raymond (in the background) prepared to serve the pumpkin pie.
Gem Estates’ President Linda Files and Treasurer Sandy Mann welcomed everyone to Thanksgiving dinner, as Ellen Raymond (in the background) prepared to serve the pumpkin pie.

A bucket of peanuts and a salute

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Ron Bell, Linda Bartle, Donna Quinn and Terry Satterlee catch up while waiting for their meals. (Photos courtesy of Marty Rubenstein and Adrianne Ayres)
Ron Bell, Linda Bartle, Donna Quinn and Terry Satterlee catch up while waiting for their meals.
(Photos courtesy of Marty Rubenstein and Adrianne Ayres)

Fifty-four residents from Grand Horizons gathered together on Nov. 11 for a lunch connoisseur outing at Texas Roadhouse, hosted by Sandy Lindke. The people that attended all met outside the restaurant, and mingled and talked. They were well supplied with peanuts, so time just literally flew, and before we knew it, the time came for us to be seated. There was such a crowd from Grand Horizons that we occupied many tables. More conversation went on, and lots of pictures were taken.

Al and Sandy Lindke relax during the lunch connoisseurs’ outing at Texas Roadhouse.
Al and Sandy Lindke relax during the lunch connoisseurs’ outing at Texas Roadhouse.

If you ever were in a Texas Roadhouse before, you probably know about the jukebox that is located in the front of the restaurant where you can play any song you desire. Therefore, while eating our fabulous lunch, songs were being played on the jukebox. Whether you heard them or not was the question, as there was much discussion going on.

There is such a large selection from the menu, that I honestly do not think anyone had any trouble ordering. Sandy somehow got each couple to receive an appetizer for their next visit. She did a marvelous job in hosting this event, and our thanks go out to her.

Several flag bearers enter during a veterans’ ceremony at Grand Horizons.
Several flag bearers enter during a veterans’ ceremony at Grand Horizons.

The next day, on Nov. 12, we had an egg n’ bag hosted by Jim and Judi Leitzke. The volunteers were Andy Castonguay, Galen and Sue Parker, Jim and Judi Leitzke, Carol and Clayton George, Ron and Joyce Bell, George and Sue Richardson, Phyllis Jones (who played the music) and Dan McDuffie (who took the pictures of the vets for the wall).  As usual, there was a big turnout. There were 132 residents that joined in on this event.

A breakfast was given to all veterans, which was a very nice touch. Before the tables were called, Galen Parker said the blessing. Breakfast consisted of omelets (stuffed with your choice of toppings), orange juice, potatoes, and biscuits with gravy, jelly or butter. After each table was called, Jim presented a video about America, freedom and the American flag. It ended with fireworks surrounding the Statue of Liberty.

The POW/MIA table takes center stage to remember those military members lost.
The POW/MIA table takes center stage to remember those military members lost.

Then flags were brought forward for each individual service. These flag bearers were Ernie Rice, Tom Carter, Bill Donlon, Dave Molinek, Frank Fogle, Bill Taggart, Irwin Smith and Rich Fulton. Bill Sarver played “Taps.”

There are 132 vets in the Grand Horizon development, and they were recognized on this day. Each branch was called, and when called the veterans who were in that particular branch stood, and were recognized. There was the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force and Merchant Marine.

Gary Wilcox then presented and explained the POW/MIA table. When you looked at this table, you remembered your friends and loved ones. The volunteers that brought items to this table were Skip Jefferis, Bill Elliott, Lamar Lawson, Al Simpkins, Galen Parker, Ed Goldstein, Jack Eastwood, Alan Slade, Terry Gardner, Bill Sarver and Ed Sexton.

Thanks to the vets who served and gave us our freedoms.

The afternoon ended with everyone singing “God Bless America.”

By Helene Rubenstein
Grand Horizons

Published November 23, 2016

Celebrating honor and service

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Gem Estates hosted a lunch in honor of the park’s veterans at its own Veterans Park. (Photos courtesy of Mabel Budzinski)
Gem Estates hosted a lunch in honor of the park’s veterans at its own Veterans Park.
(Photos courtesy of Mabel Budzinski)

Our special little part of Zephyrhills has really begun to buzz with activity. Most days we see new arrivals. The maintenance committee volunteers have been seen out and about making our community look spiffy.

Bill Files, with Lew McGouldrick, helped organize the “Snowbird Seniors,” who support Saint Leo University athletics. They recently invited several folks to attend a men’s basketball scrimmage game. What a fun-filled afternoon! It was so nice to see young people who are so polite and appreciative. Many thanks to Mr. Files for spearheading this event.

Gary Gibson, left, and Sy Budzinski were honored for their decades of service at a Veterans Day Pinning & Celebration.
Gary Gibson, left, and Sy Budzinski were honored for their decades of service at a Veterans Day Pinning & Celebration.

On Nov. 11, two of our residents received recognition for their years of service at a Veterans Day Pinning & Celebration presented by Bayfront Dade City and Gulfside Hospice. Gary Gibson gave 27 years and Sy Budzinski gave 37 years of service. Both men completed their naval careers when they retired from the Naval Reserve Center in Cadillac, Michigan.

The same afternoon, Gem Estates residents honored its veterans with a pizza and salad lunch. There were two WWII veterans in attendance — Harry Kinsley and Ted Woods.

By Mabel Budzinski
Gem Estates

Published November 23, 2016

 

As Florida goes, so goes the nation…again!

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This was an election like no other.

Once again, the Sunshine State was at the epicenter of it all.

For months on end, Florida was the center of attention in the national and international media, with its 29 Electoral College votes up for grabs — the largest number of any swing state.

Dr. Susan A. MacManus stands in front of a bus parked at the first 2016 presidential debate. The bus is touting CNN’s coverage of the 2016 race for president between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Courtesy of Susan A. MacManus)
Dr. Susan A. MacManus stands in front of a bus parked at the first 2016 presidential debate. The bus is touting CNN’s coverage of the 2016 race for president between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
(Courtesy of Susan A. MacManus)

The candidates visited here over and over. During the last 100 days of the campaign, Trump visited Florida 100 times and Clinton 87 times.

Each made multiple stops here the final week before the election. Other states never saw either of them.

More than $49 million was spent on TV ads run in the Orlando and Tampa media markets — more than in any other media market in the nation.

But by the time it finally ended, Floridians were just happy it was over. The general consensus seems to be that while it was a very engaging campaign, it was too long, too negative, too expensive, and too divisive.

At the end of a very long, fiercely-fought, and contentious presidential election, Florida kept its record of picking winners intact, albeit by a very narrow 1 percent—the same margin by which Barack Obama won Florida in the 2012 election.

Few realize that since 1964, Florida has voted as the nation at-large in every election except for 1992, when George Herbert Walker Bush narrowly defeated Bill Clinton in his first race for the White House.

Pre-election polls had generally predicted that Hillary Clinton would win the Sunshine State. So when the networks called Donald Trump the winner at around 11:30 p.m. on Election Night, it came as a shock to many political analysts around the globe. It verified that the polls were unable to capture the extent of the “shadow” Trump vote.

A closer look at turnout and voting patterns reveals that Clinton was not able to repeat what Obama had done in Florida in 2012. Turnout and support levels among millennials and black voters were lower, offset by significantly higher rates among white voters in the state’s rural and suburban areas. The women’s vote was less cohesive than in 2012 and the Latino vote, while greater, was less unified than projected. Economics mattered more than other issues, and change mattered more than the status quo. In the end, those desperate for a change in direction of the country slightly outnumbered those valuing experience and the continuation of Obama’s policies.

How did Trump defy expectations?
There are 10 big reasons for Trump’s win, based on election results and a national press pool exit poll of around 4,000 Florida voters:

Reason No. 1: Trump ran up a large margin of victory in the famous Interstate 4 Corridor (the Tampa and Orlando media markets) where 44 percent of the state’s registered voters reside. Trump won the corridor 51 percent to 45 thanks to the area’s suburban counties where turnout and the vote margin for Trump was high. Trump did considerably better in three bellwether suburban counties (Pasco, Polk, and Manatee) than Romney did in 2012. Clinton won only three of the 18 counties in the corridor—Orange, Osceola, and Hillsborough—all large urban counties. Among them, the turnout rate fell in the largest (Hillsborough), although it did increase in Orange and Osceola.

Statewide, more than (54 percent) of those voting came from suburban or rural areas and most of both areas chose Trump. A majority of voters from urban areas picked Hillary.

Reason No. 2: Clinton did not do as well as Obama had in 2012. Clinton underperformed Obama’s share of the vote in every market except Miami, and underperformed his margin of victory in every market but Miami and Gainesville (narrowly). The falloff in the vote share of Clinton was steepest in the Tampa Bay media market (from 49 percent for Obama in 2012 to 44 percent for Clinton in 2016).

Reason No. 3: The state’s black voters did not turn out at the high level they did for Obama in 2012 nor did they give Clinton as wide a margin. In 2012, Obama’s margin of victory over Romney among black voters was 91 percent; hers over Trump was 76 percent.  Trump gained some support within the black community from Haitian voters around the state, thanks to his visits to Little Haiti and an aggressive radio ad campaign aimed at concentrations of Haitians around the state, including Clearwater. The falloff in black turnout has been attributed to less enthusiasm for Clinton than for Obama among some who saw breaking down the racial barrier to the White House as a bigger motivator to vote than cracking the gender glass ceiling.

Reason No. 4: Even though the Latino share of all voters increased significantly in 2016, Trump did better than expected among the state’s Hispanic voters. He received 35 percent of the Latino vote—a figure well above what many polls had projected in light of Trump’s harsh comments about immigrants. Press coverage of the impact of the huge influx of Puerto Rican votes into the state inferred that the bulk of Hispanics would vote Democrat and that would be enough to propel Clinton to the White House. (It is true that without the solidly pro-Clinton vote among Puerto Ricans, she would have lost Florida by more than 1 percent.) However, such accounts did not accurately describe the diversity of Florida’s Hispanic voters.  According to the exit poll, 54 percent of Cubans voted for Trump as did 26 percent of Florida Latinos with ties to other Latin American countries—Venezuelans and Colombians more than Mexicans, not surprising in light of Trump’s comments about “rapists” coming into the U.S. from Mexico and his plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.  (Cubans made up 6 percent of all Florida voters; non-Cubans, 10 percent).

Reason No. 5: Clinton did not do as well among women voters as expected.  Among women voters who were the majority of all voters, Clinton got 50 percent, Trump 46 percent, and other candidates 4 percent. Her 4 percent margin of victory fell short of Obama’s 7 percent in 2012—in spite of Trump’s degrading comments about women revealed in the Access Hollywood tape. Clinton did better among single than married women, and among older women more than younger women, especially millennials. The fact that Clinton would have been the first female president had led many to predict that the women’s vote would be much more solidly for her than usual. Instead, as has been true so often throughout history, the women’s vote was not as cohesive as expected.

Reason No. 6: Clinton had difficulty generating support (and turnout) from the millennials and GenXers who make up half of Florida’s registered voters.  These generations voted heavily for Obama in 2008 and 2012 but more than a third voted for Trump in 2016. There was also stronger support among younger votes for the third party candidates—Johnson and Stein—than among older generations. It was obvious Clinton was having trouble generating the same level of support among these younger voters as had Obama by where she held events during the last two weeks of the campaign—primarily on college campuses across Florida.  For many younger voters who had leaned toward Sanders (Democrats) or Rubio (Republicans) in the March Presidential Preference Primary, Clinton represented the status quo—a continuation of the two-party system that many view as corrupt, in large part due to elected officials’ heavy reliance on campaign contributions from special interests.

Reason No. 7: Nearly half (48 percent) identified the economy as the most important issue facing the country. Of those, 49 percent voted for Clinton, 46 percent for Trump.  But other economic questions tell a different story. Two-thirds of Florida voters have a negative opinion of the current condition of the national economy; 67 percent of them voted for Trump. Likewise, more than 70 percent describe their own financial situation today as worse or about the same (stagnant) as four years ago.  A majority of each group voted for Trump. Obamacare was another economic issue that helped Trump. Nearly half of Florida voters said it “went too far” and of those, 77 percent voted for Trump.

Reason No. 8: A huge portion — 73 percent — of Florida voters were dissatisfied or angry with the federal government. Of those 59 percent voted for Trump. Anti-Washington sentiments have run deep for almost a decade. The national exit poll results show that nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of voters across the country said the country was headed in the wrong direction—albeit for different reasons. Other surveys have shown an even deeper dislike/distrust of Congress over the same period.

Reason No. 9: Clinton’s promise to continue the policies of the Obama administration made it easier for voters wanting change rather than the status quo to choose Trump. A plurality (40 percent) of Florida voters identified the ability to bring change as the candidate quality that mattered most to them, followed by experience (21 percent), cares about me (16 percent), or has good judgment (18 percent).  Trump won a whopping 85 percent of those wanting change. Hillary won 88 percent of those who valued experience and 63 percent of those desiring caring or good judgment.

Reason No. 10: The underestimation of the enthusiasm gap between Trump and Clinton supporters was one of the greatest missteps by the press and the Clinton campaign. Their erroneous assumption was that the far larger crowds Trump was drawing was more out of curiosity than any strong attraction to his platform calling for change. Yet history tells us that after one party holds the White House for two terms, enthusiasm among those identifying with the other party is greater in the next election (Republicans in 2016).

Dr. Susan A. MacManus is a distinguished professor at the University of South Florida. She is recognized widely for her expertise of Florida politics, and is a resident of Land O’ Lakes.

Published November 16,2016

A welcome return to Florida

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Marty and I finally returned to Florida after leaving Connecticut on Oct. 15, and arriving a few days later to enjoy some nice weather.

A group of women prepare for an aerobic workout in the Grand Horizons pool. (Courtesy of Rae Rice)
A group of women prepare for an aerobic workout in the Grand Horizons pool.
(Courtesy of Rae Rice)

On Oct. 14, Bill and Ginny Sarver hosted a Friday Connoisseurs at Red Lobster. I spoke to Ginny, and she told me that they had a very nice lunch menu, and it seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves. The menu consisted of fish dinners, a chicken salad and other choices.

Nearly 40 people attended this function, and because many people were still away at various locations, this was a very nice turnout.

After the meal, they had a variety of shops to visit in search of things they wanted or needed, or they could just go straight home. In other words, they were able to make a nice afternoon of it.

There were several yard sales going on in the park on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. You could literally find a treasure that you have been looking for but never had any luck in finding. There were all sorts of items for sale, including tools, rugs, books, videotapes, handmade pocketbooks, clothing, shoes and all kinds of knickknacks. Yes, there really was something for everyone.

Tony and Nadine Guetti snagged first place in the costume contest for their portrayal of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. (Photos courtesy of Gary Wilcox)
Tony and Nadine Guetti snagged first place in the costume contest for their portrayal of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.
(Photos courtesy of Gary Wilcox)

While riding down a street in the development, you could hear and see aerobics going on at the pool, and hear the instructions for the different exercises. It was a nice day for some women to have workouts in the pool, while other people had yard sales.

On Oct. 30, 78 people were greeted at the community center by pumpkins, witches, goblins, spiders and ghosts, for a Halloween party. The banners and other decorations that were on the walls created a festive atmosphere.

I did not attend this event, but from what I heard from Gary Wilcox, everyone had a good time. There was plenty of dancing, and Karl Sapp played an assortment of music.

While he writes and plays mostly country music, he also has a good variety of rock & roll songs in his repertoire. His standard saying is, “See ya on the dance floor,” and they sure do meet there.

Besides the dancing, prizes were awarded for the top three Halloween costumes. The third place award went to Judi Davis as Mrs. Santa Claus; second place went to June Weinle as the little soldier; and, first place to Tony and Nadine Guetti as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.

As usual, there were many volunteers to keep things flowing smoothly.

A couple of days later, on Nov. 1, there was a pinochle game. We have heaps of fun each time we meet, but I wasn’t able to be there on that day, although my mind was on the enjoyable time that they usually have. This lively game was hosted by Jim Leitzke.

Barb Livingston seems to be praying for a good meal at the Halloween party.
Barb Livingston seems to be praying for a good meal at the Halloween party.

Also on this day, there was a ladies’ lunch at Cheddars Scratch Kitchen with 27 women attending. This was a delightful restaurant and had a varied menu — something for anyone. Many women took home parts of their lunch, as everything was very filling. They had leftovers for dinner, and they could still relive the entire day. There were several pictures taken and conversation flowed among all the women. The hostess for this luncheon was Marilyn Webb.

Later in the day, there was bingo in the community center hosted by Terri Satterlee and Cathy Hepp. Between Terri and Cathy, they keep having new types of games with big prizes. This definitely keeps everyone on their toes.

Once here at the bingo center, people gather around before the games start anticipating being a big winner for the night. But, whether you win or lose, you still have loads of fun mingling with all your friends and neighbors.

By Helene Rubenstein
Grand Horizons

Published November 16, 2016