Spring Fling!

We are gonna have the BEST time!

As you get ready to head back north

take a day off to celebrate living at Sandpipers.

Say goodby to old friends and new,

remember the great times we all had this Winter,

and just have a good time being a kid again.

We are gonna PLAY all day long!

Start off the day enjoying your sport of choice, then grab a bag lunch

and sit by the pool to watch volleyball.

Or join in.

There will be music from the 50's-60's. Relax with your neighbors...noodle for awhile.

Then at 4pm regroup for a SUPER Happy Hour at the pool.

Too much liquor in your cabinet from the many trips to Progresso?

Bring your excess to the pool.

There will be tables set up under the trees by the east pool gate for a makeshift bar.

The pavilion will be ready for your crockpots full of meatballs or chicken wings.

This will be a SUPER DUPER HAPPY HOUR!

Clean out your fridge. We will need the strength to continue into the evening.

Jimmy Buffet music will be playing about now.

Poolside games will commence.

Wait til you see what the winners of the games will receive!

After stuffing ourselves with the offerings of our friends and neighbors

a spirited game of night volleyball will commence, possibly with a surprise.

So...plan to play on Saturday. You'll have all summer to remember the fun!

Bodacious Burgers!

Tuesday at 5:30, PAVILION!

(even tho the poster says comm room, it will be in the pavilion)

This is gonna be great!

Although we only have 6 chefs signed up there will be plenty to eat.

If you would like to be a chef it's not too late.

See Roy #24.

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The individual chef tables may be, could be, should be,

decorated in a theme to match their burger.

(As I just made this up on the spot it may not be true, but one can hope)

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We are all inspired to create the best burger experience, ever, in the history of man.

After all, this is a contest for the best burger chef, so be prepared to be WOWED!

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Take you cholesterol meds. You are gonna need 'em! Especially for my burger.

It is inspired by Jay, in fact it's called the Jay-Burger.

My lips are sealed. I'll say no more.

A Biblical Experience.

Bob & Bernie, Jon & Donna trekked over to Water 2 Wine to make a batch of vino.It looks like a lot of work what with the botttles and scary looking equipment and such, but I'm guessing it's pretty rewarding to whip out a bottle of YOUR wine to sip and share. Now this torture device was a real workout!They took turns.Look at those muscles!Bernie was busy trying out her wine...

Where'd you get that?....

"From this one..."

Even after the wine is made the work continues. The all important label.

Ta-Da!

Wine Makers Extraordinary!

Viva la vino!

Bike Ride at Bentsen.

Tuesday 9 of us caravaned over to Bentsen State Park, the center showpiece of the Birding Centers in South Texas, to ride our bikes and maybe see some wildlife.
The office is surrounded by butterfly gardens, each plant labeled. As we are going to be making a butterfly/hummingbird garden here at Sandpiper's I was interested in how the area was arranged.

After admiring the plants we hopped aboard and off we pedaled.Some of us forgot our binoculars.......then we ran into some birding enthusiasts with a scope that got us up

close and personal with the birds.I was able to get a picture through the scope of a Ringed Kingfisher.

The small picture is from the ID sign. I think the real thing is more handsome.

Lanny did a lot of study on the signs. He was afraid of getting lost again.

We overheard one birding group tell another about the possible sighting of a Blue or Indigo Bunting up ahead.

That got us talking about Painted Buntings, which have occasionally been sighted in this area.

Jim got all excited thinking we had found Painted Bunnies...

He was on the wrong tour. They can be found only on the Hugh Hefner Tour.

We did find a javalina eating birdseed.

After a seed snack he wandered over to the blind for a drink where we got to see him up close.

This is Donna & Tom quietly taking pictures of the javeina and the red-winged blackbirds.

After the javelina sighting I noticed Lanny's T-shirt.

Looks like he was ready for BBQ javelina.















Another scope picture. I think that dark spot is Jim's thumb.We met up with Dave who volunteers at the Hawk Tower four mornings a week, to explain and interpret bird behaviors.

It was a great day. Cool breezes and an easy 4 mile ride. We had a great lunch afterward at Danny's Mexican Restaurant. Next week promises to be just as enjoyable. Join us!

Garage Sale & Gardening.

Next Saturday, March 21st, is filling up with great things to do.

Do go through your closets and sheds to clear out unwanted stuff.

It's time to move your stuff to somebody else's shed or closet.

Take a walk around the park Saturday morning.

You just might find a treasure...you know, One Man's trash....
Then, Saturday afternoon join Sandy and a bunch of other dirty fingers at her house, #48, at 2pm, to discuss the newly formed garden club.

Anyone, everyone is encouraged to attend to get ourselves organized.

After the meeting we'll walk across the street to look at the new plot of land donated by Karen to build a butterfly/hummingbird habitat, complete with benches, a trellis, host & food plants for butterflies.

We'll attract hummers, too.

Even if your thumbs are brown instead of green please come.

We need strong backs for digging, wood builders (that trellis & benches), people who want to dig in the dirt and get their hands dirty.

Spring is calling....

The Eyes Have Had It!

I think we are getting a little weary of these eyes staring at us.
It's time to end it.
Theresa has identified 11 eyes correctly, and has she ever worked at it,

but I'm guessing the rest of you want to know who's who...so here we go.

I'm saving the hardest for last, to make you scroll through the whole list.

#2. Most everyone got Donna right away. Bedroom eyes.

#3. George was a little harder, but now that you know, it's so obvious!

It's George!

#4. These smoldering teal blue eyes are Joey's. #5. Marijanne has almost the same color eye as Joey.#6. Mysterious Mary. Many got her right away.#7. Sherry. Did the false eyelashes give her away? Nope.

She was a bit harder to ID than you'd think.#8. Sue P, was ID'd early. Think the jewels gave her away?
#9. Theresa. Very distinctive eyeshadow may have been a give away.#10. I think even Toni herself missed this one. #11. Tony. Tony with the longest eyelashes ever seen on a human.

I think maybe Koala Bears have longer, or maybe Llamas.

He was actually the last to be correctly identified.#12. Nora. Nora has the smoothest eyelids to work on, like a 20 year old make-up model.

And what a beautiful golden brown eye.

#1. The one left standing. The last one. Who the heck is this. Irwin? JimZ? Mel? Elsie's John? the guesses went on an on. Even after the hints nobody got it right. Well, that's not quite true. I heard it from "the eye" himself that Lisette guessed it was him, then after looking at him decided it wasn't. And I myself saw Sherry peer into his eyes, count freckles and declare, "Nope, not you."

And after Tony was identified I thought surely the correct guess would follow...but no.

Don, you fooled 'em all!

I am declaring Theresa the overall winner with the most correct "eye D's".

Theresa you have won a pair of lunch tickets to be given out at the next FunBuzz.

I am putting all the rest of the guessers into the cigar box for a drawing for another pair of tickets.

Fun contest. Thanks for participating.

Not That Far Away, in Pharr.

Dick and Sharon, #116, will be serving their famous

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

on Monday the 16th at 1pm in the pavilion.

Cost is $1.00 for 2 scoops.

There is a small amount of Strawberry Ice

for those who cannot have ice cream.

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Pharr 5K Run/Walk

Our on-the-spot, action reporter, Vickie, sent in this report:
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Neither clouds, rain or cold kept 12 Sandpipers' residents

from participating in this annual event. Out of the 12 entries from Sandpipers,

7 won trophies for their respective age groups.

Will not divulge age groups, you will have to ask them yourselves.

Duane picked up Bob W's trophy at the awards ceremony.

Bob W headed back to the park to soak in the hot tub and missed

the award ceremony and photo shoot, but that hot tub sounds sooooo good.

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We met Officer Johnny in the parking lot

and he did a great job of taking our group photo. Dorothee thanked Officer Johnny on our behalf.

In their age groups:

Roy took 1st place.

Vicki took 2nd place (notice there was no 3rd place).

Nora took 2nd place.

Duane took 2nd place.

Dorothee took 1st place.

Marijanne took 2nd place.

Bob W took 2nd place.

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The attendance was low due to the nasty weather (it wasn't SNOWING).

There were 91 participants that crossed the finish line.

How do I know that????

Bob was number 90 and I was number 91.

Yes, I was the last one to cross the finish line and still got a trophy.

Vicki

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You guys are terrific! Sandpiper's is so proud of you!