We’re on the countdown for our last day in Arizona. The park is getting quieter and quieter as people close up their homes here and pull out to return to their Summer homes. There are about 100 owners who live here year round, though they have to leave for a certain amount of time during the year (the park isn’t zoned for permanent living). I’m not sure what the regulations are, but I believe they have to leave for a month out of the year.
In these last days of residency, our meals get quite varied (strange??) as we try to finish off all of the perishable food. I’m completely out of sugar now so have switched to using Robert’s Splenda in my morning coffee. When I walked into the card room last night with the platter of Lemon Bar cookies, I remarked that they had taken the last bit of granulated sugar in the house, so these would be my last cookie contribution. Millie brightened up and said, “I have a 5-lb. bag at home that’s never been opened!” I think they want to keep me baking! LOL I still have a dozen of green apples to be used. Not entirely sure what I will do with them.
We went for a walk yesterday, going down to the Bocce Ball pits to check on the construction of the two new pits.
The park is land-locked, so expansion is a very difficult, if not impossible, option. The open area shown in this photo is actually a retention pond, where rain water flows from all areas of the park. There’s been a marked increase in the number of people who want to play Bocce Ball, so it was decided to take part of the retention pond and construct two new pits. There’s also an insufficient number of Tennis Courts and Pickleball courts, but residents voted down a major renovation/construction project that would have provided more courts. Likewise, several years ago there was an opportunity to purchase additional land adjacent to the park, but the residents at that time voted down the idea of purchasing more land. Today, in hindsight, that decision was shortsighted and regretful. There’s a strong conflict of opinions by residents in the park concerning the spending of any additional monies to improve the infrastructure of the park. One side doesn’t want anything done other than maintaining what we have, while others want improvements to be made, additional activities, and the desire to remain competitive in the 55+ marketplace. Eventually, our buildings will need to be replaced — nothing lasts forever, even if you keep maintenance going. We will have to spend money eventually, and it’s known that the property values here in this park will gradually diminish if improvements aren’t made. Our HOA can’t do anything about this situation without the approval of the homeowners. So for now things are at an impasse.
Be safe, be well, and please be happy. Be sure to tell those you love that you love them. We each have a path to walk in this life — to learn, experience, and grow through. May your path bring you peace and contentment.
tehachap 
Those bars look good. Can you move to a more proactive environment?
LikeLike
Well, that is a possibility, but for tax reasons we shouldn’t consider selling out for at least 4 more years. After that, who knows… One benefit to this place is we own the land and the HOA fees are very low. I’m thinking we might consider buying into a 55+ place there in Santee so we can be close to the grandkids, but it’s crowded and the cost of living is high there (San Diego). (no offense)
LikeLike