Friday, June 1, 2018
Montecito Clubhouse
Photos by Erin Smith

Saturday, April 7, 2018
South Course Golf Lawn
Photos by Connie King, Rich Smetana

Friday, February 9, 2018
Anaheim, CA
Photos by Veronica Moya

The SCSH Desert Gardeners Club recently took a fun field trip to the Gubler Orchid Farm located in Landers. If you’ve never visited the farm, I highly recommend you give it a try, but be sure to wear closed-toed shoes, as NO SANDALS are allowed. Our group of 19 members traveled to the high-desert locale via carpools and were met there by Gubler employees who led us on a very informative tour of their entire operation which has been in the Landers facility since 1975. This family owned and operated orchid farm has been selling their orchids exclusively to Trader Jo’s and Lowe’s for many years.

Their farm is open to the public and you may tour their premises every half-hour during normal business hours. On the day we toured there were over 1700 different varieties on premise, all available for purchase. The ladies there were so helpful and willing to package up our plants for safe passage home, as well as give us hints for the proper care and feeding of our purchased orchids. For more information visit www.gublers.com.

Next, was lunch at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown. Another must visit locale in the high-desert. Pioneertown is an Old West town built as a 1940’s movie set, where The Gene Autry Show was filmed for five years. In 1946, Pioneertown was founded by a group of Hollywood investors, including actors Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. They dreamed of creating an Old West set that was actually a town worth visiting, with 1880s-style false-front facades but interiors that had stuff for visitors to see and do, too. Up went (from the outside) frontier stables, saloons, and jails; inside, they housed ice cream parlors, bowling alleys, and motels. More than 50 films and television shows were filmed here in the 1940’s and ‘50s.

While location shooting and businesses here have dwindled, you can still see mock gunfights on Mane Street (pun intended). But the most happening place by far is Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, with surprisingly good live music (Paul Mc Cartney, Robert Plant and Leon Russell have played here) in a seemingly unlikely setting. This must-see desert find also serves up awesome ribs, plus classic Santa Maria barbecue, burgers, sandwiches, and salads.

If you haven’t visited Pioneertown, I highly recommend you take the drive to Yucca Valley and find this little gem of a town and while you’re there try Pappy & Harriet’s for a libation or two and come hungry because the servings are hearty!!! For more information visit www.pappyandharriets.com.

Next, the group moved along Highway 62 into Morongo Valley where we visited the Cactus Mart. The Cactus Mart is a plant emporium featuring cacti, succulents, tools, supplies, decor, and more! Travelers from around the world have had the opportunity to experience Cactus Mart as a “go to” destination or as a stopping point during their travels. Some have found the perfect compliment to their landscape. There we met owner, Nicole Holland who personally lead us on a tour of her property. Plants and design are her passion. She loves to help homeowners turn their desert homes into a tiny piece of paradise, all the while using plants conducive to our severe climate. "Working with plants and homeowner's personal style to help them achieve a landscape that is both desert adaptive and functional with their needs." Nicole has worked with all ranges of clientele from high end to DIY and loves each project as her own. For more information visit www.cactusmart.com.

A special shout out goes to Amy Tomlinson for organizing such a fun event for all of us to attend!

Santa Rosa Clubhouse
Friday, January 19, 2018
Photos by Valeria Batross

Santa Rosa Clubhouse
Monday, January 1, 2018
Photo and Video by Valeria Batross

New Years Eve Gala

12/31/2017

Photos by: Veronica Moya

Thursday, December 14, 2017
Montecito Clubhouse Ballroom
Photos by Al Schumacher

September 27-29, 2017
Laughlin, NV

Photos by Maria Lewis and Veronica Moya.

Thursday, August 31, 2017
Montecito Clubhouse Ballroom

Photos by Connie King.

Monday, August 14, 2017
Sawdust Festival & Laguna Beach

Photos by Veronica Moya.

July 18 - July 20
Morro Bay & Solvang California

Photos by Connie King.

A great time was had by all 441 attendees of today’s big 4th of July event in the Montecito Clubhouse! A big THANK YOU goes out to the staff and volunteers who were there to make this event such a huge success!

Connie King and her staff had the whole clubhouse decked out in Red, White, and Blue balloons; flowers; and streamers!

The lines moved quickly, the tables were called efficiently and everything was organized down to the last detail.

Best of all, there were screams of laughter, hugs and dancing, lots and lots of dancing!!! Wherever you looked there were people chatting with neighbors and having a really good time! This year, the event sold out quickly, I can’t wait for next year’s party!!

June 14, Flag Day, marked the formal dedication of our new community flagpole outside Shadows restaurant, a cooperative effort between our HOA and our Veterans Club.

Photos by Stephanie Walton

Monday, May 29, 2017
Montecito Clubhouse

Photos by Beth Bolduc, Lissa Evans, and Veronica Moya

SEE THEIR ART ON THE WALL NEAR THE LIBRARY (MONTECITO CLUBHOUSE)

EMILIE JESTER

I was born in the mid-west. At the age of three my parents joined the State Department and we moved to what was then called Siam . . . Thailand now.

Until the age of 22, I lived and was schooled in Panama, Ecuador, Bolivia, Kenya, Germany, and Brazil. I have continued to travel internationally extensively all my adulthood.

When I retired four years ago I knew I needed a hobby and decided to try to learn to paint. We lived in Kansas City and I was able to take lessons from Mark Weber, a premier painter of the Grand Canyon, who lives and teaches in Kansas City.  Mark enjoyed teaching real beginners – which I was.

My husband and I both love art and we enjoy collecting local artists on our various trips abroad. I draw inspiration from nature and look forward to painting the beautiful landscapes of this area that remind me at times of Africa.

My husband, Bob, finally retired at the end of 2016 and we moved to Shadow Hills full-time.

MARILYN BARTON, FINE ART

Marilyn Barton has recently moved from Arizona to Sun City Shadow Hills.  She paints with Acrylic, Watercolor, Pastel, Pencil, and Charcoal.

Marilyn also teaches art classes in watercolor and pastel.  In her classes, students have explored the magic of color, color mixing and artistic techniques.  Marilyn began teaching in 2007 at Central Arizona Community College.  Her classes are designed for beginning and intermediate students.

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”

Henry Ward Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit, 1887

WHAT IS THE CREATIVE ARTS CLUB?

The Creative Arts Club meets on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to noon in the Cambria/Mirada rooms of the Montecito clubhouse.  These are “painting and creating” days.

Art classes are taught in the fall/winter and spring months. Our members experience top quality artists in media such as acrylics, watercolor, and drawing to advance their knowledge of a particular medium. The classes accept beginners as well as more experienced artists.

The group has a closet full of resource materials and a plethora of tools to help get the paint on the paper ready for the next process. Come to one of our Monday or Thursday Art Days to get a dose of art and fun!

Saturday, April 29, 2017
Montecito Clubhouse

Photos by Connie King and Veronica Moya

Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Carlsbad Premium Outlets
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch
Carlsbad, CA

Photos by Veronica Moya

On Tuesday, March 22, 2017, the Ceramics Club celebrated the purchase of their new kiln. It was purchased with the help of the That's Entertainment club.

Photos by Gus Ramirez

Following the Tennis Club's 3.0 - 3.4 Tuesday morning session, the group, led by George Leroux, helped celebrate Bernie's 94th birthday today.

Photo Slideshow by Dennis Sheehan

Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Europa Village and South Coast Winery
Temecula, CA

Photos by Veronica Moya

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Rick Halla, the President of the Bocce Buddies. They are a chartered club with over 75 members and counting! According to Halla, “it’s just a fun way to get to know your neighbors, to get outside and enjoy our beautiful weather and to get a little exercise in, no matter your age and fitness level!”

On the day we sat down, there were more than 25 club members present to play a game of Bocce Ball with their neighbors. During a typical 90-minute meeting (the club meets on Mondays and Fridays at 8:30 AM and Tuesdays at 6:30 PM) they hope to be able to finish two games, however, due to the ever-increasing level of these players, they sometimes barely get in one game. Take club member George, a 92-year old resident, I observed this day, who walks slowly and even created a custom cane to pick up his balls, but he can throw the ball with a marksman’s accuracy. Halla reported, that over time, he has witnessed some residents’ health improve through their participation in the club. “We make sure we are playing as many 2 x 2 games as possible, which provides for more walking back and forth for the members, therefore, increasing their daily exercise.” There is no prerequisite for joining the Bocce Buddies, other than a desire to play! “There are new people joining all the time,” says Halla, “our members are great at teaching the rules and assisting new members with strategy. We welcome all levels to play and join our club! There are no membership dues.”

What’s turning out more and more residents, says Rick Halla, “is the awesome newly refurbished Bocce Courts at the Montecito Clubhouse just outside the HOA offices. Our courts were previously in major disrepair, making it no fun to play on. There were tears in the grass, an uneven playing surface and inconsistent and damaged side boards that needed replacement. The courts were not just an eyesore, but a misrepresentation of how we want our SCSH Community to be perceived on the outside. As a realtor, I wouldn’t show the Bocce Courts when I had a buyer, because I didn’t want them to think that this was typical of how SCSH maintained our amenities,” Halla said.

Halla and others began a campaign to educate the Board of Directors about the need for this refurbishment project. Their arguments for the need of repair and replacement funds included, how the current state of the courts prevented our residents from enjoying one of our amenities, how these courts looked to an outsider considering a purchase in SCSH, not to mention how it prevented our Bocce Buddies from ever hosting an event for our residents to participate competitively. The BOD looked at the many issues presented to them by Halla and others and they were quick to respond with the necessary funding to repair all seven of the courts – five at the Montecito Clubhouse, and two at the Santa Rosa Clubhouse; although they have run out of the replacement grass, so one court at the Santa Rosa has been out of commission for a while now . . . we need to check on that,” says Halla. “We really appreciate and would like to thank the HOA Board of Directors, especially Erica Hedlund and Barb Stocky, for their help in funding our project.”

The club plays year-round in foursomes and groups of six. If residents want to play Bocce at any time other than when the club meets, bocce balls are available for use at the Fitness desk.

For more information on the club, or anything to do with the Bocce Buddies, please call Rick Halla at (760) 347-9676 or just drop in anytime the club meets. The club meets on Mondays and Fridays at 8:30 AM and Tuesdays evenings at 6:30 PM at the Montecito Clubhouse.

Erin Smith
Information Advisory Committee

Saturday, February 18, 2017
Montecito Clubhouse

Photos by Beth Bolduc