Diane Cohen hosted a Unit 5 ladies’ coffee.
Unit 5
Fran Berman
Diane Cohen warmly welcomed Unit 5 women into her home for our bimonthly ladies’ coffee. She and her husband Howard moved here from the Chicago area just a few months ago and they’re jumping into the social scene with both feet. Besides being a great hostess, Diane is also on the social committee. Pastries, fruits and quiche were irresistible temptations.
Unit 5 women gather every other month for a coffee hosted by one of us. On alternating months, we usually go for lunch somewhere in the Tucson area. In April we carpooled to La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant for lunch. We don’t take a break for summer; this social schedule continues all year.
There’s usually an all-resident event each month too, like dining at the well-known Oracle Inn Steakhouse in May. We’re planning other off-campus outings such as a behind-the-scenes tour of the Reid Park Zoo (date to be announced). Unit 5 alive!
Unit 12
Margaret Blanchard
January 7, 2016, was an interesting day. It snowed and for the first time I can remember, the clubhouse was closed due to weather, and our happy hour was cancelled. We did have a happy hour the next week, talk being about the recent snowfall. Blame it on El Niño. Also in January, we had a luncheon at Michelangelo’s. It was well attended.
February began with our pizza party at Nona Maria’s. This event has become a tradition with Unit 12 as we have a chance to meet with the members of Unit 12 in a casual manner and at the same time discuss the business and upcoming plans for the unit. Eating pizza makes the business portion more enjoyable.
A ladies luncheon and our monthly happy hour at the Agave Restaurant continued through February and March.
In March, 26 members attended our progressive dinner. Everyone agreed it turned out to be one of the best dinners. This has always been a good time to get to know other members while at the same time enjoying a great meal. The hits of the party were the pastries at the hors d’oeuvre table, the home-made applesauce which accompanied the tenderloin dinner and the ice cream cookies for dessert. Thanks ladies for making the night such a success and thanks to Karen who arranged the evening.
Although the double digit club who play trivia on Tuesday usually has more than the legal six participants, only five attended one night (April 11) and they won. Congratulations!
It was a mystery! We had a dinner in April where we chose our dinner by giving Chef Dave a number for the meal and a letter for the utensil. The result was a knife or some other useless utensil to eat soup or chopsticks to eat peas. It was a fun evening and a good laugh as we ploughed through the dinner the best we could.
Thirteen is a lucky number or at least it was at the Kentucky Derby where Nyquist, number 13, won the race with a considerable lead. It was great fun watching the race and cheering on the number of our horse.
Thanks to Donna and Elaine for hosting both the Mystery Dinner and the Kentucky Derby party. They have been very busy.
A member of the Tri-Community Food Bank was in attendance at our yearly charity bunch. There were 34 unit members present and he thanked us for our contribution of $2,175, told us where the money would be spent and expressed a need for more volunteers, especially during the summer months, to assist for a few hours a week. Thanks to Mike and Chris Hanaper for arranging the brunch.
Former Unit 27 resident Darlene Bergmeier; photographer Jan Talbot
Unit 27
Sue Case
Giving fond farewells in the spring to those leaving for the summer and sometimes, the fall, is an annual ritual here in SaddleBrooke. However, this year we also said farewell to two Unit 27 couples who were moving away permanently. On Wednesday, May 11 Karen and Roger Spalter hosted a farewell party for Marci and Bill Strang who have since moved to Colorado Springs. The event was well attended and the catered buffet was more than ample. Karen shared the fact that after everyone had left, Marci washed up and dried all the dishes! With or without the domestic work, the Strangs will be missed.
The second farewell was a little more complicated. Long-time residents, Ken and Darlene Bergmeier, were in the process of moving to an assisted living home in La Reserve; however, Ken was hospitalized and passed away prior to the move and prior to the scheduled date of a party that Jan and Ron Talbot had planned to host for Ken and Darlene. On Thursday, May 12 the unit ladies feted Darlene at a lunch at Vivace Restaurant. Darlene had by that time moved to her new digs where she has a gorgeous mountain view and has already joined in some of the activities her new community has to offer. It should be noted that Darlene and Ken were the first official Unit representatives of Unit 27 back in 2002 and helped unify the unit after some initial rocky times. It is somewhat due to their efforts, and particularly the efforts of Darlene, that Unit 27 residents have continued to remain active as a group.
Two Snack and Chat events have taken place that were not previously reported: Friday, April 22 hosted by Eileen and Len Raab and Saturday, May 21 hosted by Mary Beth and Bud Snyder. Those residents attending each event were able to share summer plans and to offer best wishes to those off to various parts of the country and the rest of the world. The Snack and Chats will continue throughout the summer, although the summer parties tend to be very low key events.