Summer Book Club

The Summer Book Club will meet on

 June 14th at 7PM at Lot 43 (Kelm's) at 7PM.

There is no designated book.

We will just talk about what we have read recently,

both good and bad.

Wine, coffee and dessert will be served.

******

Now, my two cents...

I've just finished a series of trilogies that I LOVED!

It is fantasy...

now don't get all in a tizzy!

I am not a fantasy or sci-fi fan...AT ALL...but I loved this series.

Author is Robin Hobbs, the first book is The Assassin's Apprentice.

It is available paperback, hard back, and Kindle.

I can not praise this author enough.

A true wordsmith.

Sue P and Jim have also read it, and Catherine got us started.

None of us have been able to function normally for weeks as we can't put the book down!

Try it, you might be a surprised.

Memorial Day Weekend

What a nice weekend we had at Sandpipers.

Hot dogs, watermelon, root beer floats, lots of water volleyball, and of course, lots of sun and heat....and now humidity.

The crowning achievement was a wonderful presentation at the Court of Honor by Stan, Mike, Karon & Steve.

They read from the brass plaques that surround the flagpole, with the brass bell tolling after every name..

If you have a loved one, an ancestor, a heart-felt expression you want immortalized this is where to do it.

Most, but not all, of the plaques remember a military relative,

fallen or not,

 still with us...or not.

 Contact Stan Croonquist via snail mail. 

 He is a tech dinosaur and proud of it!

But you can reach him at #30...

you MUST know the rest of the address!

To give you a rough idea of cost...

$10.50 for the plaque, $0.15 a letter, 8.25% tax.

You can expect to pay between $15-$20 depending on how wordy you are.  Military symbols cost an additional $5.

Ask Stan for more info, or to send you a form.

There are sentiments such as "My heart belongs to Sandpipers", honored war dead from both sides of the Civil War, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, even the World Trade Center are all well represented.

I got two, one to honor my father, a career Air Force officer and a fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater during WWll...the other to honor the memory of my great, great,grandfather, who fought on the Union side during the Civil War. 

This feels very special to me.

Ooooh...Movie Recommendation1

David and I went to see a wonderful movie yesterday.

"The Best Exotic Marigold Motel"

It stars Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith

 plus other great actors and is about a group

 of retired Brits who go to India to live in a hotel.

Great plot and a movie made for "mature" adults.

Watch for it on your travels this summer.

Sandy & Dave

Great Summer Read!

One of the reasons it has been so quiet at our end of the park is the book...books...we are reading.

Assassin's Apprentice is the first in a series of trilogy's that has

Jim & Me & SueP. enthralled.

CAN NOT PUT IT DOWN!

We all recently got Kindles and have never looked back.

Finish a book, load the next.

And this series is the best thing I have read in eons!

Here is a cut & paste from Amazon to give you

 just the slightest hint of the series.

Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated like an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill--and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.

Go to Amazon for more info:

Assasin's Apprentice at Amazon

Truly love this author! What a wordsmith.

Summer Silence

It's been pretty quiet around here lately.

Summer quiet.

Oh, Saturday's find two, and sometimes three, water volleyball teams...and you KNOW that isn't quiet at all!

Sun, Wed, and Thurs has much laughter from the pool, too.

There is the hum of mowing almost constantly.

The fox hasn't returned but I understand there is a large toad just waiting to be kissed at Sharon & Mike's place.

Volunteers?

Coming up...

Hot Dog Picnic

Sat, May 26, 6pm – 7pm

Flip Flopz

Hot dogs,

 

 chips and

 

watermelon provided.

 BYOB

*****

Then On Sunday, May 27, at 7 PM in Flip Flopz

enjoy a Root Beer Float.

 

Why don't you bring a little sweet to share?

***

Memorial Day Program

Monday, May 28,

Court of Honor

10-11 AM

 

Lest We Forget.

Fox!

We had what passes for excitement here at Sandpipers yesterday.

Jim returned from his daily walk and said he saw a cat walking down the street.

Wait, it gets more exciting.

Then he went to Lowe's and upon return said,

"Saw that cat again. But it's maybe not a cat."

Well that peaked my curiosity so I took a look and saw...something...staggering around the field. 

"Maybe it's a coyote, but it's not a cat!", says I.

See, aren't you on the edge of your seat?

 We called Maria in the office and she said it was a silver fox.

It looked hurt or sick to me, dragging it's legs, collapsing occasionally.  It lay down in driveways, fell in the field and rested...but when dogs (on leash) showed up it took off like a marathon runner, so who knows.  Haven't heard what happened to it yet, but the day is young.  I did google silver fox and found out it is in fact, a Common Grey Fox instead.

Here are some facts:

 

The common gray fox is a medium-sized member of the dog family that is found throughout the United States and surrounding areas. Its distinctive gray coat and black-tipped tail differentiates it from the closely related red fox. The gray fox prefers to live in mixed hardwood forests and is considered an opportunistic eater. It also possesses the unusual ability to climb trees, which is a helpful adaptation when running from danger or chasing prey.

 

Appearance

Common gray foxes are medium sized, weighing from eight to 11 pounds and measuring up to 40 inches long. While they have reddish-brown legs, the back and side coat are gray in color. They may have tawny sides and white around the throat; the muzzle can have black points and the tail is tipped with black. Their features include pointed muzzles and ears, hooked claws and a black stripe running down the back and tail.

 

Habitat

Gray foxes live throughout the United States and in parts of Mexico. They are predominately found in mixed hardwood areas. Areas with lots of brush, ranges close to agricultural areas or river valleys also make good habitats. The breeding season is the only time these foxes make use of dens. The gray fox can make a den out of holes abandoned by other mammals or dig its own into an embankment. Fallen logs or hollow trees may also be used by the fox.

Diet

The common gray fox is considered an omnivore and an opportunistic feeder. In the winter and spring, their diet consists largely of small mammals like mice and rabbits. They also hunt and eat birds and insects. In the fall, gray foxes eat persimmons, acorns and a small amount of other types of fruits and nuts. They have even been known to eat fish.

Life Cycle

Gray foxes breed from January until April. The same male and female pair often mate year after year. After a gestation period of about 53 days, females give birth to a litter. Litters of four are common. The baby foxes, called kits, are weaned around three months of age and begin learning how to hunt. Foxes live in these family units until the fall, when the offspring as well as the mother separate and live independently. Gray foxes live anywhere from six to 10 years in the wild, and can live up to 15 years in captivity.

Interesting Facts

The gray fox is very similar to the red fox. They are distinguished by their coloring and also by their voices; the gray fox is much louder than the red fox, although the gray type is less vocal. Another distinguishing feature of this fox is its status as one of the few members of the dog family that can skillfully climb trees. They can chase prey up a trunk and may also use trees as a way to escape from their predators. Some gray foxes have been known to sleep in trees and even create dens in them.

Mother's Day Celebration

Come celebrate Mother's Day with us in Flip Flopz.

Have some champagne, strawberries

and dessert.

Sun, May 13, 7pm – 8pm

What a Storm!

Wasn't that storm last night a frog strangler!? 

If you are trying to keep track of rain inches by using our weather station stats...well don't. 

The rain gauge is clogged with debris and is reporting

 miserly amounts of moisture.

(Love alliteration!)

We've really had more than 3.5 inches in just a couple of days with more predicted during the next few days.

Oh, and since we are talking weather...

when we leave this summer (for 4 months) the weather station will NOT be working.  It is tied to Jim's computer, and when it is off for more than a day the station stops recording.

****

Any controversy out there?

Anything you want to discuss?

Leave comments....pretty please.

tap...tap..tap

is this thing on?

Summer Book Club-revisited

Yesterday Sue R, Karen & I had a mini-meeting about park communication and getting all our ducks in a row, so to speak.

One of the problems has been announcing events...getting the times right, the dates, etc.  Word of mouth is too easy to screw up.

Case in point...my blog announcing Summer Book Club for Tuesday night. 

Corrected!

It's Thursday, May 10

7 PM

Gloria's #43

Let's try this again!

In the future all events that should be on the calender will go to Karen first, a form filled out with the correct info...then to me and Sue R. That way we have a chance to get it right.

Sorry for the mix-up.

Summer Book Club

Tuesday, May 8

Gloria's, #43

7 PM

Summer book club starts!

It's an open discussion,

with coffee...

tea...

dessert...

and what would book club be without wine?

I shudder to think!

All are welcome.



Ice Cream & Cinco de Mayo

Don't forget the TGIF Ice Cream Social

Friday, May 4, 7:30, Flip Flopz

The ice cream is provided but you can bring a topping if you'd like.

*****

And while we are talking food...

do you know that Saturday is Cinco de Mayo?

Cinco de Mayo—or the fifth of May—commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Cinco de Mayo traditions include parades, mariachi music performances and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the United States.

We will celebrate with FOOD!

Food at The Republic of the Rio Grande.

5:30, Saturday, May 5th-duh!

Nancy needs an RSVP!

Find Nancy at #212