Memorial Day Rememberance

Thank you for your service. We have not forgotten you.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/veterans/azwardead.html

About Town

We've had a few days of rare rain in the QC. The temperature dropped from 110 to 52 degrees in one day. It's overcast at the moment but the air is fresh and clean.

We had a tiny bit of traffic diversion on Ironwood this past week due to some construction at this intersection.

Since the gas prices are so high at present I'm sure many of us are staying local for the holiday weekend. If you need something to do that is free then you need to stop by San Tan Village this Saturday night for the last of their Spring Concert Series. This weekend, May 24th the band is The Chadwicks. Bring your own lawn chair and relax and enjoy the music and the people watching.

We stopped by last weekend when the band North was playing.

The crowd was mellow but it was such a nice community event.

The concert is from 6-8 at the Santan Plaza at SanTan Village in Gilbert at Williams Field and the 202.

I end todays blog with an addition of a new Franken-Pole portrait taken on Ocotillo.

Coming Soon!

Coming soon... three digit temperatures

Fry's Market Place

Burger King

Near this intersection.

Super Secret Construction Project...

Just kidding... it's not a secret. Giant pipes being installed on Queen Creek Rd. No motorists allowed.

About Town (Plus Commentary)

Another Grand Opening in Queen Creek this week. Super Walmart arrives to the 85242. The nice thing about new stores is.... that they are new! Along with new comes clean and orderly. I made my contribution to the Queen Creek economy AGAIN this week by shopping at the new Walmart.

I LOVED the wider aisles. The colorful displays were a nice touch too. I filled up my cart with new outdoor cushions for my backyard lounger. There was a good selection of sundresses and I bought them before there was a run. The cashiers seemed nice and attentive. A good time was had by me.

I haven't talked much about traffic lately. So here goes... Ironwood is working for me in the mornings now. I have noticed more traffic on this stretch the past few week as word gets out. There is a jam over the bridge after Baseline where you get in the left lane to get on the highway going west. I chalk this up to the folks who cut in at the front of the line. You know who you are, and we don't like you. Get in line!

I also have not mentioned the gas prices lately. Because of my long commute to work I ended up buying a hybrid. I love my hybrid and have been seeing more and more of them on the road. I was so psyched the other day when I saw my first Smart Car traveling on Ironwood. Too cool whom ever you are.

Yes I'm sure I freaked you out when I tried to take your picture from my car. Please forgive me, I was too excited. You go girl. At least I think you were a girl.

Now onto other traffic matters that are bugging me. Have you noticed the photo speed enforcement vans on Ironwood lately. Watch closely it is a $200 ticket. They are normally pulled over to the side of the road. I have seen them on Ironwood, both sides and all the way down Gantzel. The speed limit on Ironwood is 50 mph, so when you slam on your brakes, slam to under 50 mph and you might avoid a ticket. We all know how easy it is to speed on this road since you are basically driving through ranch land. Just use caution in this area.

On to my next gripe. Cars that look like speed enforcement vans but are not. IMPOSTERS! I photographed this van with white blocked out windows the other morning. Why would you white out your van windows??? Stop torturing us commuters. (This photo is NOT a photo enforcement van).

So that is the good the bad and the ugly this week in Queen Creek. See you in traffic on Monday!

Happy Mothers Day!

Shoppers Rejoice !

Do you hear that sucking sound? It's coming from my wallet. The new Stein Mart opened in Queen Creek this week. I no longer have to drive 20 miles to buy clothes! Hip Hip Hooray!

Country Club Event at Encanterra

The new country club and lifestyle community on Combs Road advertised a special event in the paper last week. From 4-7 they had a free concert featuring Apple and Rave billed as a British invasion concert. The ad said to bring a blanket and a chair. Food and drink was available for purchase.

Ok, for once there was an event that was actually close to my house and FREE! Need I say more. So we drove on over at 4. As you drove in through the gates immediately you saw a police car. Was this to make you feel comfortable or was it to keep the non-golfer rif raf out? As we drove through the winding golf course road to the clubhouse area we encountered more Security. It seemed they were expecting not only a huge crowd but a rowdy out of control mob.

When we walked into the event area there were a handful of people on the lawn with their lawn chairs at the ready. The chefs had some outdoor grills set up and a taped off area with tables and chairs for dining. We found a spot on the veranda and sat in some comfy outdoor lounge chairs where we had a nice view of the area. We did a little people watching.

Give these poor boys some shade.

The stage was set up out in the middle of the lawn. Granted it was a sunny Arizona day and at 4 pm it is HOT. There was no shade for the British invasion band. To top it off they were wearing black suits. Poor babies. The music was good but I felt sorry for them the whole time as they were in the sun, facing the sun and had only a handful of people in the audience. I think if the event had been held later in the evening they may have had more attendance.

The golf course is nice. You can see the lots staked off for some of the sold homes near the clubhouse. The clubhouse was also nice but seemed a bit small. If you are a golfer I'm sure this course and it's location will be very appealing to you. Shea homes builds a great house. I know because I live in one myself.

We took a tour of the home models. I LOVE visiting model homes. I love checking out the decor and landscaping. You can get some great ideas. Encanterra had about 10 models. Some of the decor was odd to me but much of it was fantastic. I loved the small courtyard entrances on some of the homes and the outdoor rooms were impressive. The models are right on the golf course so the backyard views were pretty good. Some of the homes had huge sliding doors so that when the weather is good you could pretty much open up the whole back of the house to the outdoors.

I did not photograph it but the men in our party went wild over a "secret room" in one of the models. So here is a good reason to check out the models (Shea homes, I'll take my kick-back now). If they did not point it out to you, you would not know it was there. Secret entrance to a wonderfully dark paneled man-cave.

Nice decor.
Not my personal style but interesting. 70's throw-back.

Comfy. Watch the golfers stroll by from the comfort of your bed. Just remember, if you can see them, they can probably see you too.

Man- porch alert ! Note the flat screen above the outdoor fireplace.

I felt bad that Encanterra did not have a better turnout for their event. I realize that this will be a private gated community and golf course but it would be nice if once the homes are sold and built that they might hold a few events for the community as the setting was very nice and conducive to a community concert. Queen Creek needs some nice upscale community events that don't involve hay rides and $7 bottled water. (you know who you are.)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Queen Creek is changing quickly. I notice new structures daily. I thought I had better photograph a few before they go away. I wish I would have photographed the farm at Ironwood and Ocotillo before it was torn down. I loved the chickens that would dart around the yard. The old house looked like you had stepped back in time.














The new structures are popping up so fast. We are in between the rural and the new. Some of the houses are pretty small and some are almost shack-like. Those are the structures that I foresee disappearing as quickly as the new structures are popping up.

I'm not sure what our little town is becoming. Only time will tell. I was perusing the Town of Queen Creeks website and found their Mission Statement and thought I would share it with you.

Here is the Town of Queen Creeks Mission Statement as stated on their website. It is titled Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Plan:

Town of Queen Creek Vision. The Town of Queen Creek strives to honor our past, manage our present and embrace our future to create a quality, unique place for families and businesses.

Town of Queen Creek Mission: It is the mission of the Town of Queen Creek to provide a framework for a high quality of life, promote a strong sense of community and provide responsive public services in a caring, ethical, innovative and accountable manner.

Town of Queen Creek Values: In support of its mission statement, the Town of Queen Creek believes in the following values: • Quality service that is honest, trustworthy, professional, fair and efficient • Unified vision for the future through ongoing community dialogue • Empathetic listening to the needs and concerns of the community • Enthusiastic application of creativity to find solutions • Never missing an opportunity to assist a customer • Communication that is honest, timely and accurate • Responsibility for personal actions and recognizing their impact on the workplace and community • Encourage involvement by all to ensure that the diversity of the community is represented in decision making • Environmentally sound planning and practices that will ensure natural resources for future generations • Kindness in all dealings with residents, customers, partners and employees .

The mission statement sounded so familiar..... Oh, I know ....

On my honor, I will try:

To serve God and my country,

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Words to live by. Amen.