Unit Happenings – March 2025

Unit Nine Valentine’s Day Party

Scott Baker

Unit Nine’s Valentine’s Day party drew more than 40 members. The party was hosted at the home of Tim Snyder and Sue Murphy, and everyone brought delicious food to share. It was a beautiful evening, and the sunset lit up the Catalina Mountains in shades of mauve and tangerine. After the bountiful buffet, two large cakes were unveiled and were enjoyed by all. It was a great party!

 

Units 11 and 5 Enjoy Soup-er Bowl Party

Ken Marich

On Feb. 5 about 50 residents from Unit 11 and Unit 5 gathered at the SaddleBrooke One Activities Center to celebrate socialization and, of course, the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles. You guessed it—the food was “super,” featuring soups, chiles, salads, and desserts. Helmets, I mean, hats off to the cooks!

Ric Nicholson, our new Unit 11 representative, was busy selling squares for a chance to win big money based on the football scores at the end of each quarter and the final score. We all had to wait four days until the game was played. The Eagles won 40 to 22. The grand prize winner was Kurt Steinert who won $100—lucky guy! The attendees all had fun playing the 50/50 raffle and the football trivia game. Fact: When and where was the first NFL football game played? Answer: Oct. 3, 1920, between the Columbus Triangles and the Dayton Panhandles, played at the Triangle Park Pavilion in Dayton, Ohio. The Triangles won 14 to 0.

Our unit parties are fun, and each one seems to bring more attendees. Special thanks go to Lynne Pendlebury and her team for the efforts to plan the Soup-er Bowl Party. Members of Lynn’s team are Rhonda Nicholson, Lana Steinert, Shelia Ratza, Evelyn Freel, Dee Zellinger, Laurel Derkson, Wendy Savarese, and Carol Aeschliman. Also, thanks to the Unit 5 people who helped with the party preparations.

Unit parties are a great way to meet your neighbors, make new friends, and eat those delicious desserts. We can hardly wait for the next party or activity!

 

Unit 27 Activities

Sue Case

The first Unit 27 Dine Around for 2025 was held Jan. 21 at LongHorn Steakhouse on Oracle Road near the Tucson Mall. Appropriately for January, it was cold outside that evening; however, Fira Stout, the fearless coordinator of Dine Around events, had assembled a large contingent of diners. The sit-down restaurant is quite casual but has a menu large enough to suit most tastes. No one went away hungry! The attendees enjoyed the opportunity to gather and catch up on each other’s activities. Thanks again, Fira!

The first Snack and Chat in 2025 was held at the home of Suzan Carter and Terry McCarthy who have a large home that easily welcomed the large group of attendees. The gathering provided the opportunity to meet new Unit 27 neighbor Rachel Haley whose husband Tom was not in town. Rachel is the sister of Unit 27 resident Dave Fields and sister-in-law to Dave’s wife Jane Spande. Welcome, Rachel and Tom!

An interesting fact is that Rachel and Dave are not the first siblings to both live in Unit 27. Former resident Sheila Hilt (Tom) and Sheila’s sister Peg Tomlinson (Joe) both had homes in Unit 27 at one time, and current resident Betty Cole (Rick) and her late sister Bonnie also both had homes in Unit 27. Currently, Kathy Plum and her father Bud Smith (Joyce Robbins) both have homes in Unit 27. And while they weren’t residents concurrently, Cheryl McMillen (Kurt) moved into the home of her father and former resident Chuck Aurand when he moved away.

In a dramatic departure from the casual steakhouse setting, Fira Stout arranged for a Dine Around on Feb. 19 to Le Rendez-Vous. The restaurant is farther away from SaddleBrooke than the typical Dine Around destination. It is also somewhat pricier. Le Rendez-Vous has two different dining opportunities: a formal dining room and a more casual bistro room. The Dine Around was held in the bistro; however, the menu choices, although still on the high side, were meant to appeal to a variety of tastes. The food and service were exquisite. Undoubtedly due to the distance, the attendance was lower than normal; however, those who did make the trek enjoyed themselves very much. Thanks once again, Fira!

The February Snack and Chat was hosted by Steve Sanchez on the unseasonably warm evening of Feb. 22. Although the breeze kept attendees from sitting outside the protected area, the seating in his covered patio was full! Additionally, attendees were located at some large tables, as well as living room couches and chairs. The very attentive host seemed to be in constant motion, making his way from one seating venue to another. Thanks, Steve!

Enjoy the spring, whatever it may bring.

 

Soup Supper in Unit 29

Debbie McGeehan

We held our annual Soup Supper at the Activities Center in January. What a great way to start off the year with hot soup and good friendships!

Lynne Austin, our unit representative, has organized this event for the past three years, and it has been a very successful get-together since it started in 2010. We had a great turnout of more than 55 people. Brooke McIntyre and her son Greg collected money for a 50/50 raffle during our happy hour.

We had five large crockpots of various soups, which were all outstanding, along with salads and delicious breads. Everyone brought a soup bowl, along with their beverage of choice. Dessert is always a favorite. We had lemon bars, chocolate-covered macaroons, cranberry cake, and more to satisfy all who attended!

Some of our neighbors were recognized, as they will be moving on to independent living near and afar. One of our neighbors who has lived here from the beginning and has served on our Social Committee for most of her 25 years is Gail Brown. We appreciate her dedication to our unit. She will be missed, along with Scott and Sandy Newberry, Phil and Suzann Noll, and Gerry Goode.

We welcomed some of our new neighbors. Brooke started the 50/50 raffle, and we had a good laugh when Deb Porter, a new resident, pulled her own raffle ticket and won the $100! Wonder if she will share that with her husband Chip.

This event is always a favorite, and we look forward to another in 2026!

 

Golder Ranch Fire Department Shares Life-Saving Info with Unit 46

Linda Greenough

On Feb. 19 members of Golder Ranch Fire Department Station 373 presented three fire and emergency training sessions for Unit 46 homeowners. Each session was approximately 20 minutes long, and attendees rotated through each session.

Crewed by probationary firefighter Anthony and Captain Pete, the first station covered CPR. Two practice dummies were set up so that any interested person could practice CPR. A demonstration on the operation of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) was also done. The key takeaways were call 911 first, get the victim breathing with 120 hard chest compressions per minute, and use the AED if needed.

The second station, crewed by paramedic Alec and firefighter Danielle, provided tourniquet training. Two practice arms with “wounds” attached to medical drip bags with liquid provided attendees with the opportunity to stop serious bleeding. Working in pairs, one person applied direct pressure to the wound while the other person applied a tourniquet above the wound. It was surprising the amount of tightening of the tourniquet that was required to stop the bleeding. The first step in this kind of emergency is to call 911.

The third station offered fire extinguisher training, led by engineer Samuel. Using a special video screen that displayed flames, participants were able to practice using a fire extinguisher. A green laser light at the end of the fire extinguisher hose was aimed strategically at the base of the “fire.” Four sensors at the bottom of the video screen would respond to the laser light, extinguishing the fire. The key takeaways were call 911 first, then Pull the extinguisher pin, Aim, Squeeze the trigger, and Sweep across the fire, or PASS. Homeowners were reminded to check the expiration date on our home extinguishers.

Everyone enjoyed the presentations. Hopefully, cool heads will prevail if we’re ever faced with these emergencies.

 

Dennis Marchand Goes Back-to-Back at the 49er Cup

Diane Marchand

Unit 49 held its annual year-end tournament, dubbed the 49er Cup, modeled after the PGA’s FedEx Cup. Each month, 49ers compete in a tournament and accumulate points toward the finals held in January. Going into the final tournament, last year’s champ Dennis Marchand held a sizable-point lead.

The final tournament was held on Jan. 26 at MountainView. Despite a very windy day, three competitors were able to shoot in the 70s. Mike Collins shot a sizzling 75, while John Smith and Dennis both shot 78s. However, the day belonged to Gerry Braun who won with a tie-breaking net 71. He defeated John Smith who also carded a net 71. Dennis, Mike, and Don Plapinger followed with a net 73 each.

Because of Dennis’ lead going into the match, none of the 49ers could catch up to his point total for the overall championship. This is the first time a 49er has won three titles. Dennis won his first in 2020. Gerry Braun, with his win, moved from 19th place up to second for the year.

Afterwards, everyone gathered at BJ’s Brewhouse in Tucson for dinner and to hand out the awards and talk about the shots that got away.

A special thanks to Tournament Chair Dave Schafer for all his work running the event all year and to Bob and Maureen Edelblut for securing dining locations after each of the monthly tournaments.

Congratulations to a unit that always has something special going on.

 

Don Plapinger Shoots His Age

Dennis Marchand

If you are not a golfer, you may think that a hole-in-one is the ultimate goal for any golfer. Well, it sure is nice, but it is far from the most difficult achievement by any golfer. The ultimate achievement in golf is the ability to shoot your own age. No one on the PGA tour has ever accomplished this (they are too young). So, Don Plapinger did what so many of the SaddleBrooke golfers have done—he got older. After reaching the golden age of 75 last June 18, he managed to shoot his age at MountainView on Jan. 4 of this year. And he did so in style by getting a birdie on the 18th hole to card a sensational 75!

Unit 49 golfers are always gifted with a trophy to commemorate the first time they achieve this milestone, along with the unit’s McDivot Award. McDivot is given when someone does something special or really, really not so special!

Congratulations, Don!