March 25 to April 11, 2014 Bead Week and Casa Grande

What a wonderful and busy time – .

I volunteered to be store manager for Bead Week and what fun it was!

Bead Week started on Sunday, March 30 so the days before were spent organizing, training, scheduling, etc.

On Sunday, we were up early to move the store from the cabinet in the club house to the stage in the activity center.  We were so blessed to have so many people that helped carry, set up and organize the store.     Thank you all so much.

At 1 PM, the doors opened for class registration and it was crazy until 4 PM.  Geri, Joann, Susan and I manned the store and did we get a workout.  About mid-way thru the afternoon, water and soda magically appeared before us.  Jan saw how crazy it was and went home and brought us drinks – how wonderful!

The rest of the week went much smoother.  I love working the store because I get to see and talk with so many people.  And I get to see all the beads and colors and the projects everyone is working on – oh my – my head was spinning.  There is so much creativity here and everyone just seems to build on each other.  WOW!   And that is also why I love coming to Bead Week – the creativity, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.

All I can say is “What a wonderful week!” 

Spouse activities were new this year and Andy participated in the golf scramble and the hike.  The hike was to the crested saguaros.

“The cause of cresting is not fully explained;  biologists disagree as to why some saguaros grow in this unusual form. Some speculate that it is a genetic mutation. Others say it is the result of lightning strike or freeze damage, but whatever the stimulus, the growth point of the stem has switched from a geometric point, to a line, which folds and undulates as the crest expands. Though these crested saguaros are somewhat rare (1 in 250,000), cresting occurs naturally throughout the range of the Saguaro, and can be encountered in many other cactus species.”

This one looked like an elephant’s head:

 

Can I say it again – What a wonderful week!

Bead Week ended with a dinner on Friday, April 4 and the next few days was spent saying our goodbyes and “see you later” to old and new friends – !

On April 7, 2014, we made our way back to our lot on Casa Grande where we will be until after Easter.  The park is starting to empty as people are heading on their summer journeys.  The weather is starting to heat up – 98 today – so it won’t be long before we head north to cooler temperatures.

So stay tuned and enjoy today!