Resident News

By Sue Garcia

After much contemplation, we have decided to step away from our duties as newsletter editors/material gathers. We began this venture in 2011 and have continued until now gathering news, pictures, class times, etc. for The Waterfall. It was a passion we truly loved and took immense pride in producing for the community.

We truly thank the Cresswind management and Board for the pleasure of working on and seeing the newsletter grow from a 12-page online publication to what it is today which we could never have done without the help of so many!

Sincerely, Eleanor & Sue

What is in a Name? By Eleanor Whalen

In 2011, Carrie Neville, Activities Director/Assistant Property Manager, and two resident volunteers, Sue Garcia and Eleanor Whalen, took on the task of creating a community newsletter. Cresswind residents were invited to participate in a “Name the Newsletter” contest. Over 30 entries were submitted. The winner of the contest was Julie Walker [Noble Fir Trace]. Julie and her husband Tony were awarded a $40 gift certificate to Luna’s Restaurant for her winning entry. Julie said “I thought how appropriate it would be to call our newsletter The Waterfall because it is the first thing visitors and residents see when entering our beautiful community.” Thank you, Julie!

South Hall Community Food Pantry (SHC)

Everyone is struggling with something Let us be Kind, Thoughtful, Considerate Pay It Forward You are in Our Thoughts…Just Because We are merely helping each other along life’s journey

These statements are at the heart of CLL Random Acts of Kindness Project. Conceived during the isolation and distress caused by COVID, this project got formally underway earlier this year through the efforts of a handful of residents.

Sometime recently, you may have looked out your window at night and discovered that a solar powered lighted butterfly, accompanied by a lighted flower and/ or a small garden statue “magically” appeared in your front shrub bed. And taped to the outside of your front door was a note card adorned with a beautiful photograph of an actual Cresswind butterfly, born, fed, and freed from our Community Garden! The card with its butterfly photo, poem, and note inside are meant for you to keep. What better symbol of being in community with others than a butterfly. The ancients believed butterflies represented ‘positive energy’ and ‘good things’ for a healthy, joyous life...your own and those with whom you communed. Our Butterfly Garden is testament to that.

So, when you are walking or driving our roads at night and see a lighted butterfly in your neighbors’ front shrub bed, you will know that ‘Butterfly Blessings’ have randomly landed there. Homeowners and passersby are all invited to enjoy the ‘Blessing’ that is reflected through the lighted butterfly, for soon thereafter the Butterfly (and accompanying set) will “fly on magic wings” to bless another of our Cresswind friends and neighbors!

Sue & Arnie McCleese presenting check for $1K to Ken Hayden President, South Hall Community Food Pantry (SHC)

John Stevens

CLL Roads: Carts & Cars – Keeping Each Other Safe

“I’ve had this happen to me more than a few times. I’m driving behind a golf cart when ‘like a good neighbor’ the golf cart driver pulls over to let me pass. But he does so when I can’t really see what’s coming the other way. And sometimes they move over, hug the curb and continue driving, which is OK, but if I can’t see if anything is coming the other way, I’ll wait. Meanwhile the golf cart driver is waving for me to pass him. I definitely appreciate their gesture to let me pass, but it’d be a whole lot safer for me if they did so when there was a good line-of-sight for me to see any on-coming traffic.” (actual CLL resident comment) The CLL Traffic Safety & Road Use – Work Group (TSRU-WG) continues to meet with residents both formally and informally to gather concerns and ideas for promoting safe and courteous use of our community roads. This ‘grassroots’ resident-centered project is part of our HOA Board’s effort to give ‘voice’ to CLL residents as ‘stakeholders’ in helping shape the kind of ‘community’ we become. Building a community with a shared commitment to safe and courteous road use by ALL user-groups is what the TSRU project is about. Members of the TSRU-WG (John Stevens, David Jones, Tim Roth, Russ Schussler, and Stan Kopkin) believe that achieving this shared commitment to safe and courteous road use by ALL user-groups is very do-able, but requires both attitudinal and behavioral adjustments when we are out and about on our roads.

Support from CPAC-Cresswind Neighborhood Theater (CNT)

Rich St George, Wayne Blum, and other members of CNT are currently filming several CLL public service announcement (PSA) videos to help provide a light-hearted and funny series of 60-sec clips to help residents stay mindful of how to be safe and courteous when moving about our roads. The TSRU-WG would like to get as many different people as possible in these PSA video clips. If you are able and willing to be in a scene, there are many ‘bystander’ and/or ‘passive/active’ roles you can play. Reach out to John Stevens if you are interested in being part of the supporting cast.

Add Your Voice and Ideas to the CLL TSRU Project

Please contact John Stevens to add your voice and ideas to the CLL TSRU project by participating in a facilitated group conversation (maximum group size = 20 residents). These Forums will be scheduled during late-afternoons and early-evenings over the next 4-5 weeks.