Remember the Hospitality Committee's holiday party, today at Sunset Ramada from 5 to 7. This is a freebee, and the Committee will provide libations suitable for all tastes, and mixers, brandy, hot chocolate, and various utensils necessary to enjoy the evening. Please bring your favorite hors d' oeuvres to share. Raffle tickets at $1 or 3 for $2, will be available. Wear your festive attire. Dont worry about the weather as the screens can be lowered and the patio heaters will be available if needed.  Please remember to bring a non-perishable food item for our local Food Bank.

About 75 people showed up for the Enhancement Team's wine and cheese festival last Wednesday, during which the new Pet Post was unveiled for the first time. The Post was constructed around one of the Ramada pilers, in the southwest corner of the structure, and has been modified decoratively to display statutes of a dog, a cat, and a mouse, which are representative of all pets. It is very clever in appearance, and a great and very unique addition to our Ramada. Work on the re-design and additions to the  new Pet Post was done by Lance Ewing, Vince Brow, Jim Sage, and Ben Sheffield. Many thanks to all of them. A number of the Enhancement Team's Christmas boutique collection of items were sold during the event, along with several new pet memorials for the Pet Post, which now total 15, with several more pending.  If you have not already seen this, be sure and stop by and take a look. Pet plaques will be for sale from now on, and may be purchased for the small sum of $25. See any member of the Enhancement Team to make arrangements. A total for the evening was about $700, the net of which will go toward more enhancements for our Ramada. A collection for the Food Bank was taken at the event as well and 148 pounds of food was donated.  Food Bank collections will be a regular part of all of our gatherings from now on, and a bin for donations will be provided, so please remember the less fortunate and be as generous as you can to help those without enough to eat.

There will some new photos of the Pet Post unveiling, and some other photos of some historical and general interest posted on our website under 'Recent Activities' at esperanzaestates.net.  Some of these will involve the conversion of the area now known as Sunset Park from what it was before, to what it is now. You should check these out.  Many thanks to our webmaster, Craig Surprise, for the posting of these photos.

Swimmers are reminded that winter pool hours are in effect; they are from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. These hours were set by Board resolution in December of 2007.  The Board is also currently studying what reasonable steps might be taken to enable a saving in the cost of the natural gas used for pool heating, which is the second largest line-item in the HOA budget.

The HOA annual meeting will be held next month, on January 18, 2010.  At the meeting, three directors will be elected to serve on our Board for a three year term.  If interested in so serving, please contact Joe McCalpin, Board Secretary.  Potential nominees should act promptly in order that notification about them can be available for publication in the December Periodico.  Directors must be members of the HOA.  Article V of the Bylaws provides details of the election process. Formal notice of the annual meeting, together with ballots and other materials, will be distributed later in December.

Remember, HOA dues are payable by the end of the year. You should have received your bill and the written statement that the HOA is required to have all residents fill out and return. Prompt dues payment will be appreciated by the HOA.

The HOA is interested in contacting someone who understands the grant writing process, to assist in making application for area improvement grants that might be available to help with some of our capital improvement projects.  If this might be you, or if you know of someone who is familiar with this process and might be willing to help, please contact Barb McCalpin, our Board capital projects chairperson.  Barb can be reached at 867-8067, or via email at bmcalpin@cox.net.

The Sons Of Orpheus Male Choir of Tucson, will present a Christmas Holiday concert at the new Green Valley Performing Arts Center on December 19, at 7:00 p.m. The building is located at 1250 W. Continental Road.

The Sons Of Orpheus Male Choir of Tucson is Tucson's premiere male chorus, celebrating its nineteenth anniversary in the area.  Sons is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian community based choral organization, comprised of men from all walks of life. They provide scholarships, they do fundraisers for the Tucson Food Pantry, and many other community service projects, including a recent tribute for Veterans' Day, at the Veterans' Campus in Tucson.

Orpheus is not new to Green Valley, and many residents are already familiar with the annual Spring concert, which has been held at the Green Valley Community Church, on Esperanza and La Canada for several years running. They also present six performances annually at The San Xavier Mission, joining with the Tucson Boys' Choir, on December 8^th , 9^th , and 10^th. Several GV men are members of the chorus.

Tickets for the December 19^th Holiday performance in Green Valley, are available at the door for $17, or in advance for $15, by calling The Performing Arts Center at 399-1750.

Remember, the elves Sheila and Melodye are still available to decorate your light post. The nominal charge is $10 if you have the decorations (including the adapter), and $15 if you dont. No orders for decorations can be taken after today (December 7), so please move promptly if you wish to avail yourselves of this service. So far the busy elves have decorated 16 posts in EE.

Pickleball has been changed to the hour of 10:00, due to weather changes, so players please take note. This time will be effective for all days until further notice.
 

Put on your calendar the EE First Day Gathering--an annual event that takes place the first day of each year at Sunset Ramada. This will be its third year, and the event has grown tremendously in popularity. Please join us on January 1, at the hour of 2 p.m.. Bring something to grill, your favorite beverage, and a dish to share. Plates and cutlery will be provided. The event is sponsored by our Enhancement Team. This is a fun social time to share with your friends and neighbors. There is a sign-up sheet at the Ramada, on a clip board by the bulletin board, and they ask that you please sign up and include an indication of what dish you will be bringing, i.e. side dish, salad, or desert. The large grill will be available, and at least one talented chef to assist you if you need it. There is no charge for this event. Please bring a donation for the Food Bank.

Continuing thanks to Craig Surprise, our webmaster, who is and has been helping the HOA on any number of projects.

Many thanks to our always stalwart Enhancement Team Men's Auxiliary members, Lance Ewing and Vince Brow, who decorate many of our common areas beautifully each year. Hospitality Committee members Scottie Blum and Norma Stanley also helped in this effort, as did a number of other volunteers, including the McCalpins, and the Lindbergs.

It appears someone borrowed one of our Ramada propane tanks. If this might be you, please return it.

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