Unit 3 South
Jim and Mary Leversee
Frank Strubel
Ken and Barbara Lund, Canyon Shadows Lane, hosted a really nice patio party on Friday, October 23. Fifty people were in attendance. Pizza ingredients were selected by the guests and prepared by the pizza Chef. (If you want a good catering service for a patio event, contact [email protected].)
Jim and Mary Leversee recently moved to South Belrock Court in U3S. They also reside in Jackson, Wyoming, where they currently operate a property management business in the Jackson Hole Ski Resort area. They are very busy during the ski season booking reservations, doing maintenance and trying to keep owners and tenants happy. Both Jim and Mary are avid skiers. Our warmest welcome to Jim and Mary.
Host Ken Lund pointed out a number of constellations in the evening sky including Sagittarius that has one star that is 26,000 light years away! (As Ken says, “you do the math to figure out the mileage.”) Ken, who has taught Astronomy for the SaddleBrooke ILR, discussed the Rosetta Mission which will land a space probe (November 12) on the surface of comet 67P/C-G. The Rosetta space craft took 10 years to reach the comet. The Mission will provide loads of information on the origin of our Solar system (and life in SaddleBrooke). See http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/ for pictures of the comet.
The 50-50 prize was shared three ways (because the prize was so big!). Add this on your calendar: Holiday Brunch at HOA1 Vistas on Saturday morning December 13. See you there! Barb, special thanks for letting us use your patio for our party!
Unit 5
Unit 5
On October 24, residents of Unit 5 and some of their friends toured the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona. There they saw the large oven where technicians melt 40,000 pounds of glass onto a honeycomb frame to make the largest astronomical mirrors in the world. They also saw the technicians polishing one of the large mirrors, which will soon be shipped to the high Chilean Desert where an array of powerful telescopes is being installed. A convivial lunch at the BlueFin Bistro followed the tour. Unit 5 will finish out the year with our annual Holiday Party December 15.
Unit 17
Brian and Cheryl Mundy held the Halloween party.
Betsy Lowry
My goodness, it doesn’t seem like December is here. Where did 2014 go? As far as Unit 17 is concerned we have had a great year and we are delighted to welcome several new residents.
Dick Roach is retiring from Social Chairperson after two years of doing a great job. We also want to thank Faith and Dick Fromson. Dick is our Unit Rep and Faith, who is a very talented artist, decorated our Spring Fling this year into one of our finest.
Arlene Desjardins will be our new Social Director along with Jackie Alderman and Betsy Lowry. David Dodd will stay on as Treasurer and keep the Unit advised of different activities. Sharon Meade will stay on as our Sunshine Girl and Jake Jacobson will chair our bridge and bowling groups. Mary Gelinas, who has held many positions in the past, will remain on as New Resident Welcome Wagon.
The new social committee met at Arlene’s home and we have several events planned for next year. In the meantime we thank Cheryl and Brian Mundy for a great Halloween party and Sue and Paul Wilson for the November get-together. In December we will again have our annual Caroling Christmas party on December 8. The hosts will be Alison and Gary Luster.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
Unit 27
Neighbors gathered around Chuck Aurand’s musical instrument collection (photo by Ron Talbot).
Sue Case and Karen Spalter
November 2014 was a busy month for unit activities. The unit ladies attended a luncheon high tea at Tea on the Town in rural Marana on Thursday, November 6. Vicki Strief, ably assisted by June Stoebner, once again planned and coordinated this very successful event. Everyone attending dressed quite festively; and several wore hats and gloves, as befitting the occasion. Nicky, the hostess/owner of Tea on the Town is of British descent, but hails from South Africa; and Rooibos tea, which is native to South Africa, was prominently featured, in addition to green and white tea blends. The garden setting was lush and gorgeous; and the four food courses, including fruit and cream; savory sandwiches; sweet scones with cream and jam; and delicious desserts, including the traditional English trifle, were all created and served by Nicky.
Unit 27 has a long history of dining at different restaurants around Tucson. After 12 years of the Dine Around adventures, trying just about every interesting restaurant within a few miles, it was time to strike out to more distant horizons. On Tuesday, November 11, 21 adventurous unit residents traveled for an hour to reach Feast, a restaurant known for its creative dining experience. The diners selected their entrees from five very different choices, including a vegetarian entrée called Pumpernickel-crusted Butternut Steak! Though not all so creatively named, each meal was beautifully presented. Feast’s owner/chef likes to mingle with his guests and spent time with the group, chatting and discussing entrees and wine selections. The wait staff was also very knowledgeable and helpful, as well as friendly. Each month the chef changes the entrees to keep the menu interesting. The restaurant is known for its wide range of wines and has a large wine store that was visited by several unit diners, who brought home some wines they had enjoyed at dinner. Everyone loved their dining experience and many look forward to visiting Feast again.
Chuck Aurand and co-hosts Cheryl and Carol welcomed unit residents to Chuck’s house for the monthly Snack and Chat on Saturday, November 15. As the cool weather finally arrived, most attendees remained inside, many viewing Chuck’s extensive collection of musical instruments, mostly woodwinds, that he has collected from all over the world. However, those intrepid attendees that sat outside are due many accolades for their bravery. As befitting the large group, the food supply was ample and varied and the conversation level energetic: a perfect segue into the holidays.
Unit 32
Meg Rau, with husband Jim, enjoys a gift sundae from Gaslight Theater for organizing the trip. Some others also enjoying front row seats are Daniel and Renee Beste, co organizers; Vicky Coletti and Jerry and Dana Parker.
Barb Williams
With laughs galore, lots of music and more, Unit 32 residents claim the Gaslight Theater always entertains. The group rocked along to Macho Man and other oldies in the musical melodrama, Cronan the Barbarian. All of us laughed through the Johnny Carson olio, which was packed full of wacky humor. Meg Rau and Renee Beste get a standing ovation for putting together the November 9 matinee this year.
As the fall temperatures dip, how better to dispel the evening chill than with a beautiful fire? Dan and Renee Beste invited Unit 32 over to their fantastic home, complete with fire pit on November 15. Returning residents were welcomed, while all enjoyed hearty appetizers and desserts. Thanks, Dan and Renee, for the “Best(e)” time!
“Pizza with passion, salad with soul, and wine with everything!” claims Zona 78 restaurant. Café 32 ladies thought this statement ought to be investigated. Carol Erie, one of the originators of Unit 32 luncheons and outing facilitator extraordinaire, organized the trek on November 18.
Unit 49
Unit 49 veterans representing the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force being recognized for their service; photo by Marge Wong
Current Unit 49 Social Committee Chairperson Pam Corrigan (left) with Founding Chairperson Susan Kjar; photo by Marge Wong
Ken Wong
Unit 49 held its fifth annual picnic at Catalina State Park on Friday, November 7. We had near perfect weather, with temperatures in the 70s and a slight breeze. Eighty-two residents enjoyed socializing in a beautiful setting with the Santa Catalina Mountains as a backdrop. Several groups also hiked some of the scenic park trails. Hosted by Ken and Marge Wong, everyone enjoyed the catered meal which included fried chicken, baked beans, salads, rolls and, of course, dessert which consisted of cookies and ice cream. We recognized all Unit 49 veterans of the armed services, providing those in attendance with special name tags and thanking them for their service. We also recognized all members, both past and present, of our Unit’s Social Committee. A special gift was given to each of the founding members who launched the committee in 2009. This was another of the many fun events the unit has enjoyed this year.
Unit 49
Pictured left to right are Linda Massie, Angela Martin, Shawne Cryderman and Cherrill Kallio.
Lan Bedard
On October 31 Unit 49 celebrated Halloween in style. Starting with a golf cart rally organized by Sam and Suzy Miller, participants received instructions and clues to find the required objects located throughout Unit 49 and Unit 48. The goal of the rally was to answer correctly 43 questions in the least amount of time by recording the address number where the objects mentioned in the instruction package were located. Two dozen golf carts could be seen zooming up and down the streets in Unit 49 and Unit 48 carrying participants decked out in their best Halloween costumes.
After the golf cart rally, Unit 49 continued Halloween celebration at HOA1 Activity Center where the winners of the golf rally “clues hunting” were awarded. The competition was tough; the majority of participants failed to locate all required objects but they sure did have a great time. Pat and Wendy Barry took first place with the most correct answers finishing their golf cart rally/scavenger hunt in 58 minutes.
Linda and John Massie won the prize for the most unique and unusual costume as Spy vs. Spy. Kathy and John Lauder also won a prize for their “funny and outrageous costumes.” Let’s not forget about the pretty decorations, the delicious food, to die for desserts and wonderful candies thanks to the hard work of Unit 49 social committee.