Dining at Teaspoon are (left to right): Eve Fly, Janet Robinson, Jayne Poppert, LaVonne Ashwood, Judy Haenert, Lydia O’Connor, Diane King, and Marly Milks. (Photo by Marie Anderson)
Unit 4 Ladies Measure Out a Great Lunch
Connie Kotke, Deputy Unit Rep
“Tart words make no friends; a teaspoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar.” —Benjamin Franklin
The ladies from Unit 4 gathered once again for their quarterly luncheon on Sept. 27. This time the venue was Teaspoon, a creative, modern eatery with a delicious, locally-inspired menu for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Teaspoon is located next to Whole Foods on Oracle Road, and the setting was lively, as always.
Everyone enjoyed their food and beverage selections, and conversations flowed as we caught up with old friends and made new ones. Susan Morrison Cluley won the $40 prize from the 50/50 raffle, and she generously donated it back to the unit treasury.
The next event for Unit 4 was the Welcome Back bocce and chili fest on Oct. 27 on the patio at the SaddleBrooke Tennis Center.
Unit 25—Fall Activities
Ron Mazurek
Unit 25 kicked off their fall activities on Sept. 30 with a well-attended appetizer party at the beautiful home of Randy and Mary Zimmerman. The hosts set up a nice selection of wines, and Randy provided some of his home-brewed beer. Attendees brought a variety of goodies to be consumed by all! Despite a little wind, everyone ended up outside on the magnificent porch, affording outstanding views of the Catalina Mountains while catching up on the neighborhood news after a long, hot summer.
Unit 25 has a busy fall schedule this year—more appetizer parties, an Oktoberfest party, and its annual Xmas party in the offerings!
Everyone walked away happy that these unit get-togethers afford such a fine way to spend time getting to know our neighbors better!
Unit 25 Appetizer/Cornhole Party
Ron Mazurek
Unit 25 once again came together on Oct. 14 at the home of Joe and Sandy Pomerantz for a terrific appetizer party that was followed by a fun-filled, low-pressure cornhole tournament. As if our arms didn’t get enough of a workout at the splendid food table, we all found out about some muscles we haven’t used for a while playing cornhole! The neighborhood was filled with shouts of laughter as contestants gave their best at the game. Amazingly, no bags ended up in the pond or on the roof! In the end, our Cornholio Masters were Rich and Liz Levaro, with Doug Anderson and Don Caterraccio taking second place.
Next on our busy Autumn schedule was our annual Oktoberfest Party featuring some bocce ball and the typical seasonal German treats put together by some of our unit chefs!
On the patio at Dove Mountain Brewing Company (photo by Eileen Depka)
Unit 27 Activities
Sue Case
Some of our snowbirds have returned, and as this article is written, we are experiencing the first hint of autumn. Even the weather forecasters don’t know what to expect! But the good folks of Unit 27 have continued to participate in our social events, no matter the weather.
Janet and Doug Drake hosted the Snack and Chat on Oct. 14, competing with a variety of other (non-unit) activities that start up this time of year. However, the Drake guests were treated to a lovely evening of good food and gracious hospitality. Thank you, Janet and Doug!
Janet and Doug have also offered to continue coordinating a Unit 27 bocce event once a month—if the interest is there. Last year’s participation was on-again-off-again; therefore, they will not reserve courts this year unless there is better participation. Please let them know if you are interested, and they will give you the particulars. It is an easy game with lots of laughs.
Fira Stout once again arranged for a Unit 27 Dine Around, this time on Oct. 17 at Dove Mountain Brewing Company. Dove Mountain Brewing Company is essentially a brewpub with a very large selection of beers and a fairly limited menu. The nice weather allowed our Unit 27 diners to sit on the patio. The downside to that is that the patio is long but not very wide, and everyone sat at long tables arranged in a line end to end. It was somewhat humorous to look down the rows and not be able to see those on the far end. It was also somewhat humorous to see Cheryl doing her best drill sergeant impersonation as she tried to direct the table positioning. The waiter told all the diners that he worked a breakfast shift at The Brooke at the MountainView clubhouse. Small world! Approximately 30 people attended this Dine Around, including some who have recently returned from their summers elsewhere. It was nice to chat with Evelyn and Dick Schommer who returned from Minnesota for a brief time.
The holidays are already upon us, including the Ladies Holiday Luncheon and the Unit 27 holiday party. Get ready!
Unit 46 October Diva Luncheon
Denise Cashmore
Unit 46 has resumed its popular “Diva” luncheons. If you are a new lady to the unit, please join us for the next one. In October, more than 20 divas met up at the historic Hacienda Del Sol. Thanks to Sharon Greeson for organizing this fabulous group!
Dennis Marchand
Unit 49 Ace
Diane Marchand
On Oct. 1, the day after his 72nd birthday, Dennis Marchand awarded himself with his own birthday present: a hole-in-one at The Preserve’s very tough hole 14. He was with his First Sunday golf group and was playing with his wife Diane and good friends Bob and Debbie Ogle.
It was made particularly difficult by the 17- to 20-mile-an-hour winds that were in the face of everyone playing that day. Instead of the usual 7-iron to the 154-yard par 3, he decided two more clubs were needed to make it to the green. So, with a 5-iron in his hand, he proved his estimation was spot-on. After one bounce, the ball cleanly dropped out of sight and into the hole for his sixth hole-in-one.
Dennis’ first ace came 12 years ago, just before leaving California to move to SaddleBrooke. The other five were here at either the MountainView or Preserve courses. His last ace was at The Preserve 18 months ago and, by the way, it was the 14th hole!
Congratulations, Dennis, and what a way to celebrate your birthday!
Unit 49 Dining Divas (photo by Diane Demeroutis)
Unit 49 Dining Divas
Gail Thom
The Dining Divas of Unit 49 have kicked off the new season of luncheons. The Dining Divas were formed to introduce new people to Tucson restaurants and things to do in our city. Our September lunch was at Uptown Burgers on Campbell and Skyline in Tucson. It was unanimous—the burgers and salads were the best! And we all could order on their kiosks.
Our October luncheon was held at the SaddleBrooke TWO East Room at The Brooke. Representatives from Pottery Barn were there to give us ideas on how to decorate our tables for the holidays.
December will find us in a private room at Vivace Restaurant where we will have a gift exchange. In the new year, we will meet at the zoo, Botanical Garden, and several Tucson restaurants.
Unit 49 Oktoberfest
Liz Houser
Unit 49 neighbors enjoyed a lovely evening on Ironwood Court celebrating Oktoberfest. An Oktoberfest trivia game developed by Gail Thom kicked off the festivities, with Denise Dane and Liz Houser winning. Wisconsin-style brats prepared by Jeff Boettner were the hit of the night, especially when they were washed down with Mark Byl’s homemade beer. Perfect weather, good eats, and great neighbors made it a night to remember.