Left to right: Hosts Debbie and Craig Schreiber, guitarist Rick Still and his wife Diane.
Unit 4B celebrates last day of summer
Camille Esterman
The third annual ice cream social in Unit 4B was held on Sept. 22. What a perfect way to celebrate the official last day of summer! The event was hosted by Debbie and Craig Schreiber and Debbie and Bill Nixon.
Friends and neighbors gathered on the Nixon’s outdoor patio, with balloons shaped like ice cream cones welcomed everyone with the sentiment “Have a Sweet Day.”
Vanilla and chocolate ice cream was scooped into bowls. Everyone created their own sundaes with toppings that included crushed cookies, chocolate chips, mixed berries, pineapple, syrups, whipped cream, and cherries. Tables were filled with brownies, cookies, cakes, chocolate mousse, key lime tarts, and ‘oreo RumChata shots.
An extra treat was the live music provided by resident guitarist Rick Still.
Clockwise, (left to right): Kathie Calbone, Dick Ryan, Betty Ryan, Sam Calbone, Mary Jo Stastny, and Lee Stastny enjoy a lasagna main course at the Calbone home during the Unit 8A progressive dinner.
Unit 8A ladies host mahjongg mini-tournament
Janelle Authur
Twelve Unit 8A ladies took their mahjongg skills to the next level, participating in a Unit 8A mahjongg mini-tournament on Sept. 16, at the Ranch House. For most participants, the mini-tournament was their first venture into tournament play, and all agreed it was a worthwhile learning experience.
About half of the ladies in Unit 8A play mahjongg, and 12 to 16 ladies regularly play at the unit’s monthly afternoon of mahjongg. So, Unit 8A residents Gail Latimer and Janelle Authur coordinated the mini-tournament as a way to encourage the ladies to participant in the Ranch-wide Fall 2019 Mahjongg Tournament on Nov. 14. While the Ranch-wide tournament will consist of five rounds of play, this mini-tournament consisted of only three rounds of play, with four games per round, for a total of 12 games.
Prizes were awarded for the high score for each round of play, bonus hands, and the three highest overall tournament scores. Overall tournament winners were Janelle Authur, first place; Gail Latimer, second place; and Debbie Shelton, third place. Janelle had the highest scores in the first and second rounds, and Denise Doepke, Betty Ryan, Kate Thomsen, and Mary Jo Stastny tied for highest score in round two. Janelle also made the bonus hand on the last game of the day.
Ranch resident Barbara Simon served as tournament administrator, reviewing the rules, resolving questions during play, and serving as the official scorekeeper.
Clockwise, (left to right): Kathie Calbone, Dick Ryan, Betty Ryan, Sam Calbone, Mary Jo Stastny, and Lee Stastny enjoy a lasagna main course at the Calbone home during the Unit 8A progressive dinner.
Unit 8A progressive dinner
Janelle Authur
Unit 8A residents shared their culinary expertise at the Unit’s third progressive dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 24. The evening featured three courses—soup or salad, a main course, and dessert.
Participants were randomly assigned to host homes for the first two courses. The evening began with six to eight Unit 8A-er’s gathering for soup or salad at six hosting homes. The 38 participants then mixed it up and moved to six different hosting homes for the main course. The evening ended on a sweet note, with all participants gathering for dessert at the home of Denise and Stan Doepke.
Each hostess selected the dish served. The starter included an autumn salad, a green salad with seemingly unlimited trimmings, and a caprese salad accompanied by a pomegranate martini cocktail. Main courses varied from lasagna to ham to chicken enchiladas. Desserts included pecan tarts, lemon bars, peanut butter brownies, and mini Oreo cheesecake bars.
All attending agreed it was an evening of tasty food and camaraderie. Most importantly, all felt it was an opportunity to get to know neighbors in a more intimate setting, enjoy their homes, share a meal, and create a stronger bond.
CJ Utecht planned and coordinated the evening for the unit.Unit 8A dines across the neighborhood
Janelle Authur
Unit 8A residents shared their culinary expertise at the Unit’s third progressive dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 24. The evening featured three courses—soup or salad, a main course, and dessert.
Participants were randomly assigned to host homes for the first two courses. The evening began with six to eight Unit 8A-er’s gathering for soup or salad at six hosting homes. The 38 participants then mixed it up and moved to six different hosting homes for the main course. The evening ended on a sweet note, with all participants gathering for dessert at the home of Denise and Stan Doepke.
Each hostess selected the dish served. The starter included an autumn salad, a green salad with seemingly unlimited trimmings, and a caprese salad accompanied by a pomegranate martini cocktail. Main courses varied from lasagna to ham to chicken enchiladas. Desserts included pecan tarts, lemon bars, peanut butter brownies, and mini Oreo cheesecake bars.
All attending agreed it was an evening of tasty food and camaraderie. Most importantly, all felt it was an opportunity to get to know neighbors in a more intimate setting, enjoy their homes, share a meal, and create a stronger bond.
CJ Utecht planned and coordinated the evening for the unit.