EE's Arizona Centennial Ceremony, Parade and Potluck
When & Where: Tomorrow, February 14, ceremony at 3:30 p.m., Esperanza Estates Park followed by the parade; potluck dinner with entertainment at the Ramada at 4:30.
Important Event Information: You may drop off your potluck dish at the Ramada starting at 3:00. Please don't bring dessert, as there will be birthday cake. Soda, mixers, wine, coffee and water will be provided. There won't be any car parking spaces at EE Park, so please walk or use your golf cart. If you plan to be in the parade, please arrive at EE Park by 3:20. Decorated golf carts and western attire are encouraged. 

SAV News
The Sheriff's Auxiliary Volunteers have started mailing out their annual fundraising letters. Last year, several people reported receiving phone calls from someone claiming to represent SAV and stating they could make an annual contribution on a credit card. This claim was false. SAV never does any phone solicitation. Please report any such phone calls to SAV.

Periodico Photo Contest 
The deadline for submitting photos for the March photo contest is Friday, Feb. 17.You may submit up to three digital photos taken around EE in the past year. Send your entries to Denise Roessle (droessle@mac.com) as an email attachment, or copy them to a CD and drop it off at 801 Circulo Napa.

Annual Patio and Bake Sale
The Enhancement Team is continuing to collect items for the annual patio sale, to be held at the Ramada on March 3. For pick up of items, call Lorna Kitchak (838-0653) or Jackie Rautio (269-7864). To donate baked goods, call Sandi Oster (625-0039).

Free Coffee and Donuts
Join us at the Ramada on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 8:30 a.m. for free coffee, donuts, and an opportunity to chat with your friends and neighbors.  It's a nice way to start the day, and as an added plus, you could win the door prize!

Snake-Makin' Poster
Lynn Theder is creating a poster to celebrate the creating of the EE snake, and she'd like to include comments from the participants. If you decorated a tile, call Lynn(262-212-0267) with your comments today so that your words can be immortalized.

Afternoon Aquasize
Want that great feeling aqua exercise gives you without jumping in on those cool mornings? Starting Feb. 17, join Fern Gunther and Kris Bean in the EE pool at 3 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a 60-minute workout. The sessions will include a brief warm-up, aerobic exercise for heart & lungs, deep-water moves for back/torso strengthening, and strength-training for arms. Bring your aqua dumbells/buoys, if you have them.

Weed Spraying in EE Has Started
Tom Cooke reports the following about the HOA weed spraying program: "Currently what is being applied is a pre-emergent spray, designed to prevent weeds from germinating. The substance being applied is a commonly available product, and not dangerous. Only the common areas and parking strips are currently being sprayed. The spray is mixed with a harmless dye, which will dissipate in a day or so, and will not stain sidewalks or painted areas. In order for this product to be of maximum effect, it should be watered in, so we are asking all owners who can do so to wet the parking strip in front of the house with your hose. Just a few minutes of watering in will help the product do its job. It will work without water, but it works much better with it. Later on in the season, areas requiring it will be sprayed with a herbicide to eradicate weed growth. The HOA is tackling this project early to prevent the terrible weed infestation we experienced last year."

Emergency Notice
After a break-in at a home in EE last week, our webmaster sent an emergency notice to EE residents who are on our email list.  This is an important communication tool that we have in EE.  If you know of someone who didn't receive the email, please encourage them to sign up with our webmaster at ee-webmaster@msn.com to receive future emergency notices.

GVFD Residential Lock Box Program
From Neighborhood Watch Captain Mary Beth Wallace: "Recently, emergency responders were locked out of an EE home and we had no emergency key holder listed with our Neighborhood Watch. The GVFD Residential Lock Box Program makes key boxes available at a nominal cost, and provides a secure method for firefighters to access your home when no one can open the door. If you haven't given a neighbor a key for emergencies (or haven't given the keyholder's name to your NW zone captain), please consider having a lock box installed." To get more information, go to the GVFD Web Site, or contact Mary Beth at 399-0299.

Preview of HOA Board Meeting Agenda Item
The Board will consider altering the Architectural Control policy to designate the wood walls and ceilings of our garages as "interior walls", to allow these areas to be painted the house color, rather than Norfolk Brown. This subject will be one of the agenda items on the February 20th Board meeting; Eric Ellingson, EE Board president, encourages interested homeowners to attend and express their opinions. 

Volunteers Party Committee
Anyone interested in joining the committee to plan the annual party for EE volunteers is welcome to come to the meeting at the Ramada following Coffee & Donuts on Wednesday, Feb. 15.  Or, contact the committee chair, Kay Miller at 393-1914.

Congratulations to Denise Roessle
Second-Chance Mother, a new book by Denise Roessle, publisher of our EE Periodico, has just been released in print version. In the words of one reviewer: "Now and then a book comes along that reaches deep into the reader's soul and opens the door to new perspectives on life. Second-Chance Mother is one of those rare stories that will capture and change your life."  The book, from Red Willow Publishing, can be purchased now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and soon from the Book Shop in GV. Denise will be happy to sign your copy.

EE Hikers
Schedule from Hikemaster Marian Mundale
Meet at the Ramada at 8:00 a.m. for both of these hikes:
February 20th -- DeAnza Trail.  A 4.5 mile hike from Tumacacori to Tubac along a good trail with no elevation.
February 27th -- Hope Camp Trail.  A moderate 5.8 mile hike in the Rincon Mtns with a 600 ft elevation. Beautiful views of the Rincons, two windmills, and a water tower.
Kudos to Kathy Konrad for completing 10 hikes with the group.

Neighborhood Watch Block Captain Meeting
Mary Beth encourages Block Captains to attend the February 20 Board meeting at which items of interest to Neighborhood Watch will be discussed. After the Board meeting, there will be a brief NW meeting to discuss some items on the Zone sheets.

Common Areas Report
Dean Hess reports that Hot Desert will be cutting back the Mexican Bird of Paradise on Monday and Thursday of this week in the areas west of Holgado, west of Portillo and east of Portillo.