Woodbridge LIFE March 2014

W oodbridge Volume 4 ▪ Issue 3 ▪ Number 30

March Oops!

The Woodbridge LIFE editing team apologizes to John Turner and Dick Turner. We called John, "Dick" on the front page last month. Now, understand that Dick Turner also lives here, so you might see how we could mix up the names. However, the number one rule at journalism school is to get the names right. Plain and simple, we goofed.

John and Carol Turner Bedford and Hancock . . . 6 Bridge Scores . . . . . . . . 8 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Committees . . . . . . . . . 17 Day Trippin' . . . . . . . . 30 Events and Tours . . . . . . . 17 Garden Tasks . . . . . . . . 32 Groups and Clubs . . . . . . 34 Where in the World . . . . . 31 & 38 WOA Update . . . . . . . . . . 4

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Contact us:

WBLIFE2012@gmail.com

Your Life. Your Community. Your News.

March ▪ 2014

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Celtic charms and lucky clovers

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Inside

LIFE

By Dodie Miller

oday, four-leaf clovers are associated with St. Patrick’s Day, but they appear in centuries-old legends as symbols of good luck. The Druids (Celtic priests), in the early days of Ireland, believed that when they carried a three-leaf clover or shamrock, they could see evil spirits coming and have a chance to escape in time. Four-leaf clovers were Celtic charms, presumed to offer magical

protection and ward off bad luck.

Children in the Middle Ages believed if they carried a four-leaf clover, they would be able to see fairies.

According to Christian legend, Eve is said to have carried a four-leaf clover with her when she left the Garden of Eden. That means that anyone who has one can claim to hold a bit of Paradise. The odds of finding a fourleaf clover have been calculated at 10,000 to one. If you do find one, you are lucky indeed.

The Irish often say that the green hills of their Emerald Isle contain more four-leaf clovers than anywhere else in the world. Hence, the “luck

o’ the Irish.”

However, the Irish also believe that while finding a four-leaf clover will bring you good luck, finding a clover stem with five or more leaves is actually unlucky!

The leaves of four-leaf clovers as a lucky charm can stand for: FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, LUCK.

Chair Volleyball is a HIT with residents Chair volleyball is often played at 5 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room, but days and times can vary. The residents pictured at left are having a ball playing ball.

In addition to lots of laughter, the game gets people stretching, moving and flexing upper body muscles. This might not be as effective as going to the gym, but it sure beats sitting at home on the sofa. Call Jacquie Steffy at 825-4805 for more information.

WBL photo by Volker Moerbitz.

Page 2 • March 2014

Editor's Viewpoint:

Woodbridge LIFE

Frankly, it's impossible to please all of the people all of the time. (I'm

By Deb Ristau on a roll with pithy adages.) As a e're familiar with the adage result, those residents and executives about time moving at a snail’s from Pulte Homes who willingly and pace when we are young, but it graciously have put themselves and seems to fly like a 'bat out their standing in the of hell' once we are past 40. community on the line March is here and spring is as decision makers, around the corner. Master sometimes have difficult Gardener Sandi Larson has choices to make. Our some great tips as we step up community leaders water conservation efforts. struggle when tough Let's hope 'April showers' choices need to be made. turn into steady rain or we But they make them. won't see those May flowers.

Decisions are made with the best interest of the With each passing day, I am Deb Ristau community at heart. Will reminded how fortunate we Woodbridge LIFE Editor each decision be the right are to live in this wonderful one? Maybe not. But community. Those of you who read my column regularly know that time has a way of letting us know if we are heading in the right direction.

I, along with several other writers, often expound on the virtues and joys Residents voice opinions. Changes are made. We regroup, readjust and of life here at Woodbridge. It's hard not to carry on incessantly about how move on. It is precisely these strong personalities coupled with joyous much we love it here. There is an or dark moods that are thrown into emotional connection felt by many the stew pot and the end result is residents. Who knew we'd feel this a community that gives, takes and sense of contentment living here? ultimately offers the best of everything Why? What is it about our to residents. community that sets us apart from other communities around the world? The current California drought is not the fault of our residents or A big part of it is the Del Webb the WOA Board. It is a situation lifestyle of activities, events, groups, that will, in time, alleviate itself. sports and more. As members of the Doomsday preachers aside, it always various groups get together, they has and it always will. Meanwhile, develop activities and goals based it is a condition we need to consider. on the needs and ideas of the group Adjusting the entrance fountains was as a whole. Our Activities Director, one way to help. Is there something Dodie Miller, has had her finger you can do to help conserve water? on the pulse of the community for several years to determine popular As for activities and events, check the activities and events appealing to the schedule on page 17. Pick up flyers at varied interests of residents. the Clubhouse and don't delay buying tickets to anything. Kudos to Birdie I believe another powerful aspect Nieri and the Women of Woodbridge of our community involves the for recognizing the demand for tickets personalities and moods of our to the Woodbridge Tea fundraiser active residents. We share common and adding a second day. Innovative concerns but have a variety of thinking will rule as we come up with opinions regarding those concerns. new ideas and new ways of doing We are passionate about our things. community and have a say in what happens here. Residents who meet No matter what you find to be like-minded neighbors regarding our passionate about, it is the ongoing varied interest groups are bonding passion of residents that keeps this and creating lasting friendships. community abuzz with fresh ideas, People are making time to get activities and events. It's okay to to know one another. Residents upset the apple cart once in a while. care about each other and for the It helps get rid of anything stale (like community. my adages) and fill it with a new crop. Life has a way of upsetting our Is there a fly in the ointment of personal apple carts once in a while, this utopian world? Why do we too. If yours got knocked over recently, sometimes hear people complain I know you've got a neighbor or a new about a decision by the WOA Board? friend here at Woodbridge, who is Or whine about not getting a ticket willing to help you get back on track. to a sold-out event? Or moan over the cost to attend an activity or Now, go make your own luck because fundraiser? time is flying. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

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www.ourwoodbridge.net

Through the Lens Photos by Volker Moerbitz

Interested in photography?

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hese images of our Woodbridge by Del Webb community were captured last month by resident Volker Moerbitz. Do you have an interest in photography? Does anyone want to start a photography group? We are on the lookout for images that capture the beauty and essence of Woodbridge. You choose the subject. Submissions for Through the Lens may be sent to WBLIFE2012@gmail.com. Only digital photographs in high resolution at 300 dpi or better will be accepted.

There is no guarantee photos submitted will be published. We look forward to seeing your work and hope you enjoy looking through the lens.

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A wish of “GOOD LUCK” to all!

WBL photo by Volker Moerbitz.

e'll be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day soon and that means a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner is in order.

If you’re not planning to cook, our Men of Woodbridge group will be sponsoring a delicious St. Patrick’s Day dinner again this year so you may want to let them serve you instead.

We had a Wellness Health Fair that residents attended, received lots of free handouts and had a chance to win gift cards to Rite Aid. Blood pressure screenings, COPD and diabetes testing and anyone needing flu or pneumonia shots were given them for free. Pharmacists were present to discuss medications, oneon-one.

The pre-Valentine’s Day Dinner/Dance was a sellout. The Multipurpose Room was decorated in pink and red tablecloths and the tables set with pink, red and white balloons suspended in the air. The stage had a backdrop of silver and pink metallic curtains and was set off by more pink, red and white balloons. Lots and lots of compliments were received for the catered dinner by the Manteca culinary students who served chicken breast with cornbread stuffing, sautéed cheese ravioli, fresh broccoli coleslaw, sautéed green beans, baked rolls and butter. Dessert was a scrumptious chocolate brownie sundae with salted caramel and whipped cream.

Our Strummin’ Wonders Ukulele group gave another performance that had the

Photo by Dodie Miller.

By Dodie Miller, Activities Director

audience singing along to the love songs, getting everyone in a “Love Is In the Air” mood for Valentine’s Day. Great job, players.

Our Annual Afternoon Tea, Dodie Miller, WOA Activities Director hosted by Birdie Nieri and the Women of Woodbridge, was another huge success. Thirtytwo hostesses decorated their tables “Americana” style. It being a twoday event, the hostesses all outdid themselves, creating beautifully designed themed table settings and repeating it all the following day. What an attractive display of ideas. We are so fortunate to have such talented ladies here at Woodbridge who treated us to such an extraordinary afternoon tea.

Thank you, all who participated.

Second Chance Band came through again with a night of playing all those songs that Woodbridge loves to dance to.

This is our own in-house band that gets everyone out on the dance floor. Keep it going, Second Chance.

And we finished February with our monthly potluck of delicious Mexicanstyle food. Enchilada casseroles, tacos, tamales and salads were devoured and finished off with decadent desserts. This theme is always a big favorite. Our March potluck will feature pastas with chicken, beef, shrimp and more.

Page 3 • March 2014

Photo by Karla Hoyer.

From Dodie's Desk:

Woodbridge LIFE

WBL photo by Volker Moerbitz.

www.ourwoodbridge.net

From top: Shirley and Chuck Foley enjoyed the Valentine's Day Dinner/ Dance.

Karen and Bob Perrin are all smiles on the dance floor at the Valentine's Day Dinner/Dance last month.

Note the elaborate centerpiece depicting the iconic Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco as one of the "Americana" themed table settings at the Women of Woodbridge Tea. The Tea is a major fundraiser with all proceeds going to help Manteca area children in need.

WBL photo by Volker Moerbitz.

Above: Chair Volleyball is enjoyed by residents on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room.

Mel Bernstein and Ken Harper enjoy playing pingpong in the Multipurpose Room. This is a great activity for any rainy days that may be on the horizon next month.

Page 4 • March 2014 the experience of every individual homeowner and/or resident we serve.

You’ll notice each of the bullet points is identified with a “V” for VALUE, as this is the underlying theme for all of our business activities.

Kayo Armstrong Executive Director

Adding VALUE to Your Lifestyle

By Kayo Armstrong

I

n my article in the January issue of Woodbridge LIFE, I outlined the WOA staff’s goals for adding VALUE to your WOA membership.

Since then, the team has been working diligently to define what is important to our residents and how best to provide this. By applying Six Sigma and Lean Organization principles loosely adapted for the lifestyle business, we are developing practices and new ways of thinking to further our pursuit of delivering the highest VALUE possible.

Last month, we as a WOA team developed our Business Purpose Statement for 2014. Each of the ten WOA employees contributed to this purpose statement and agreed to abide by it in all that we do: The purpose of the WOA’s business is to represent and promote the Del Webb lifestyle at Woodbridge by: V providing accurate information, targeted services and beneficial features; V consistently enforcing the governing documents; V ensuring prudent stewardship of the WOA’s resources; and V adding VALUE to

Specifically looking at the third bullet, “ensuring prudent stewardship of the WOA’s resources,” we are focused on how we can maximize your monthly assessment and use your dues as effectively and efficiently as possible.

We’ve made some changes in HOW we do business without changing the fundamental reasons WHY we do business. We’ve standardized all of our major processes, cross-trained our staff and greatly reduced wasted resources. We’ve established electronic files in place of printed ones.

We’re posting the week’s events on the bulletin board and handing out only the information needed. We’re making two-sided copies on smaller paper and settling for black and white when color isn’t absolutely necessary. These seem like small changes, but the savings add up!

On the maintenance front, we’ve developed a fantastic in-house team in the past year that performs many tasks that were previously contracted. We’re doing more tasks to maintain and repair the community’s assets than ever before and saving money doing them.

And, on the community portal that is now established and well-received, we are saving thousands of dollars each year compared to our previous website provider.

As an Association, we continue to raise the bar on our lifestyle standards and develop tangible ways

Woodbridge LIFE

WOA Update

By Kayo Armstrong

E-WASTE is Back!

Have unwanted electronics?

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, March 19, and get rid of those old, used or broken electronics. The WOA is partnering with the San Joaquin Regional Conservation Corps to pick up unwanted items.

While these items have no use to us anymore, they are disassembled to retain parts for recycling thus minimizing landfill waste.

On Wednesday, March 19, leave electronic items on your driveway by 9 a.m. or bring them to the Clubhouse by noon. Electronic items eligible for recycling are basically anything with a cord, including VCRs, computers, televisions, telephones, etc. The only items not eligible for pick up and recycling through this program are refrigeration units such as air conditioners or refrigerators.

Please call the Clubhouse Front Desk at 824-7581 if you have questions. to improve the efficiency of our business operations as the community grows.

Each employee is expected to approach his or her work by “adding value to our business every day and with every task.” As a team, our mission is to combine our individual talents, skills and responsibilities into a unified and purposeful effort that adds VALUE to Woodbridge.

If you have any additional cost-saving ideas, please feel free to contact me at 8247581 or kayo.woodbridge@ gmail.com. Thank you for supporting our efforts to make Woodbridge the BEST community around!

Blue Bag Recycling for Glass Bottles

In partnership with the San Joaquin Regional Conservation Corps, Woodbridge is participating in the “Blue Bag Resource Recovery Program” for glass bottles. Participation is easy! Place glass bottles in a blue bag available at the Clubhouse and leave it on your doorstep or driveway every Wednesday morning by 8 a.m. The Conservation Corps will pick up your full blue bag and leave an empty one. The following types of glass will be recycled: any CRV glass bottle, wine bottle, beer bottle, syrup or mixer bottle. You may also deposit your glass bottles in the recycling containers designated for glass at the Clubhouse.

As a reminder, please continue to bring your CRV cans and plastic bottles to the Clubhouse to assist in our efforts to support The American Cancer Society.

WOA Emergency Contact Information

The WOA Administrative offices keep information provided by you in the event of an emergency.

This information is not given to anyone outside the administrative staff and used only to reach your designated contact in an emergency. As many of our residents provided this information several years ago, it may be outof-date. If your emergency contact situation has changed, please be sure to update the WOA staff with current information. This information is separate from anything you’ve shared with Neighborhood Watch. The WOA does not share your information with anyone.

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Exercise the Doors!

We have several automatic door openers throughout the Clubhouse. When these were initially installed, the WOA saved thousands of dollars by installing batteryoperated door openers, rather than those which would require extensive wiring. These batteries are charged by manual openings at an approximate ratio of 10 manual operations to one automatic operation. If you need the assistance of the automatic opener, please utilize the button as these doors were installed to make your Clubhouse experience more enjoyable. However, if you do not need the assistance of the automatic opener, please open these doors manually so that you help re-charge the batteries.

Fitness Center Etiquette

There have been numerous complaints from residents regarding fellow residents who continue to take food and beverages other than water into the fitness area. Crumbs from food and sticky drinks CAN and DO hurt our equipment.

Please respect YOUR Association’s resources and your neighbors by abiding by the rules and regulations in place. Water in a plastic container is the ONLY permitted beverage in the fitness center, walking track and indoor pool.

Decorative Flags at Residences At the Listening Post, a resident asked about flags approved to fly at his home.

Here’s the answer: Except during holiday periods, the only permitted flag at residences is the American flag. Sports or other decorative flags are not permitted per the Design Guidelines. Decorative holiday flags are allowed See

WOA page 5

Woodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Resident Directors' Report

A

s we progress into that pivotal calendar month of March when our days

and nights become about equal, we hope our drought conditions are answered with an abundance of soaking

Roger Cunning and his wife Elizabeth enjoy playing Celtic music for Woodbridge residents.

From

WOA page 4

only for major holidays, two weeks before and after the holiday. The winter holiday season is defined as November 15 through January 15.

Woodbridge Website

The company managing our website made a significant migration to a new, more efficient web server in order to provide enhancements to include better viewing and a quicker load time of pages.

Unfortunately, a major winter storm devastated the eastern part of the country and our site's migration was significantly slower than expected. But, it is now finished with enhancements in place.

DO NOT USE your bookmark or favorite link that you previously used as that will take you to our old site. DELETE your old BOOKMARK immediately. Please use this new address: http:// www.ourwoodbridge.net.

WBL archive photo by Robert Philis.

By Roger Cunning

Once you go there, click "Sign In" in the upper right of your window and log in using your previous username and password. Once logged in, BOOKMARK this new page or make it a new FAVORITE. This will take you to our new site on the improved platform. If you have any difficulties, please check with someone at the front desk at the Clubhouse.

They will be happy to assist you. The number at the Clubhouse is 824-7581.

February Listening Post Notes

Thank you to those residents who participated in February’s Listening Post.

The notes from this meeting are now posted on the portal. Please mark your calendar to attend a future Listening Post held the third Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. The Listening Post is your opportunity to ask questions about, dispel rumors or provide suggestions on any topic regarding the WOA.

days. While we have had a few wet days this rainy season, more are needed.

We also think of March as a potentially “lucky” month, hoping for something good in our future.

That’s a hope we all share.

Woodbridge has sprung into a fast-growing community following a drought of new home sales that once lasted for a while. For most of the past year, new families joined our active association at a brisk rate. This means new faces to meet and lots of joys yet to experience.

M

arch, a month of change, often foretells what’s coming later in the year. As more new

March Dates to Remember

homes continue to sell, our Woodbridge Owners Association (WOA) will also change. By the end of this year, we may realize that about two-thirds of our originally planned homes will be in the hands of homeowners, and they will join us as members of our association.

If our national economy grows and home sales continue as they have during this past year, it is predictable that, by the end of 2015, about three-fourths of our development will be owned by friendly neighbors wanting to meet us. By itself, that means a change to the make up of our Board of Directors.

Our association’s bylaws state that when the 1,056th lot, that’s about 73.9% of the development, closes to a buyer, our Board of Directors composition should be converted to residents in a majority voting position.

That day is not far away which means preparations for a smooth transition will begin soon.

Monday, March 10 – Policy & Procedures, 2 p.m.

Thursday, March 13 - Property & Grounds, 3 p.m.

Wednesday, March 19 – Listening Post, 3 p.m.

Thursday, March 20 – Finance Committee, 2 p.m.

Wednesday, March 26 – Board of ehind the scenes, some Directors, 6 p.m. amount of organizational Thursday, March 27 – New and infrastructural changes Resident Orientation, 6 p.m. will be taking place. That’s

B

inevitable. You’ve probably

Page 5 • March 2014 seen business graphs depicting the health of an organization that typically starts as an entrepreneurial effort, then grows to a small company and eventually develops into a large corporation.

The graph typically drops off after several years if the organization fails to adequately change to sustain its growth. We are planning now for our sustained growth in the future.

Items you may see or experience might include changes to some of our governing documents.

A restructuring of our committees and how they interact with each other is also an area that may change. Employees and their specific duties may change to better suit the direction in which the association is moving.

March is a month of change as we continue to see growth in the number of homes and our association membership. That’s exactly what we hope all residents will enjoy, a time for change with a desire for fresh, new light for our homeowners’ association.

Together … A Community!

Page 6 • March 2014

 FITNESS

Woodbridge LIFE www.ourwoodbridge.net

FOOD ≠ COMFORT

By Paul E. Serpa, Senior Fitness Specialist

F

ood does NOT equal comfort.

Food equals fuel. Comfort food is hot soup on a cold day, not a gallon of ice cream on a hot day.

Food will not wrap its arms around and tell you that everything will be all right. It won’t send you a card saying everything will be okay or dry your tears. It will wrap itself around you and never let go; the only card you will get is from your doctor, saying that you have heart disease and you will have to wipe your own tears when bones and joints ache from the extra fuel (comfort) that you have been carrying for too many years.

 SELF DEFENSE

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By Carol Jo Hargreaves

he Woodbridge Lifestyle Committee will sponsor a FREE class, Friday, March 21, at 1 p.m. in how to use a cane for self defense. Taught by Black Belt Master Robin Taberna, students will learn to use a cane – the only “weapon” allowed on an airplane

By looking at food as fuel, we can make the analogy of looking at your body like a vehicle. If you tried to put more fuel in your car than the tank will hold, where would it store the excess? In its trunk, on its fenders, under the hood or back bumper? If you never burned that excess fuel, yet continued to add fuel, just think of how sluggish your car would eventually become by carrying all of that excess weight.

Your body is an amazingly efficient vehicle that would get 92 mpg if it could run on gasoline. Be sure to fill your tank with premium, not lowgrade (comfort) fuel.

– to hit vital points of the body in offensive and defensive moves.

Class members will use canes to stretch and exercise, learn blocking techniques, practice single hard pokes and learn the Crook set and Swing strike set. Extra canes will be provided if you do not have one.

Sign up for this valuable, fun and informative class at the front desk.

 KEY LOCK BOXES

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By Bob Hall

s the Commander of the Woodbridge Neighborhood Watch Program, I sent an email to the community in January asking if anyone was interested in obtaining a key lock box that the Manteca Fire Department offers to residents.

The box is mounted near the front door of the home where the resident can place a spare house key and alarm code inside. The fire inspector then locks the box and the firemen will have the key in their fire truck. The fire inspector suggests mounting the box eight to ten feet high and somewhat concealed. The boxes are primarily used on commercial properties so they are sturdy. The fire department will not install the box but resident handyman Garry Kerr will install it for a nominal fee. He installed mine and knows how and where to place the boxes.

His cell is 510-406-9151.

In our community of senior citizens, we never know when a time will come that a need for medical help will occur. It is usually at a time when least expected and a quick response can be critical. used as an underground code to meet at 4:20 in the afternoon to smoke pot on campus at the statue of Louis Pasteur.

April 20 has become a counterculture holiday. The 420 mile marker sign on I-70 east of Denver has frequently been stolen, so now the sign is changed to 419.99 to stop the thievery. In certain movies, the clocks in a scene show 4:20. The director, obviously, is having a little fun.

Currently it is legal to buy, possess and consume marijuana for recreational use in Colorado.

You do have to be of legal age.

 FOUR TWENTY

By Pepper Noble

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he term four twenty originated at San Rafael High School in California. In 1971, among a small group of students, the term was

NOTE: We DO NOT have a trip scheduled to Colorado.

This is a cartoon!

My wife is in a wheelchair and has had to call 911 when I was away from the house and the doors were all locked. Luckily, we had given neighbors keys for just such an emergency and the emergency responders were able to enter the house, and, thankfully, the call was not critical. But what if the neighbors had not been home? I had a key lock box installed the next week after that incident.

At the time of writing this article, over fifty homes have decided to take advantage of the key lock box offer.

If, after reading this article, you wish to look into obtaining a key lock box for your home, call Fire Inspector Ty Campbell at the fire station on Union Road. The number for Ty is (209) 456-8344.

 NW VOLUNTEERS

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By Bob Hall

ould you like to help your neighbors? Neighborhood Watch is looking for a few good men and women. Volunteering to be a Block Captain for your street only requires a few hours but can make a big difference in the quality of our community.

Many of us have the same outlook on our retirement years--wanting to enjoy the rest of our lives as carefree and happy as we can.

Part of that happiness is being able to feel safe and secure in our community. Which we do, thanks to an active Neighborhood Watch Program. The program promotes the welfare of all the residents in so many ways and it only takes a little effort from a few people to make that happen. If you would like to volunteer as a block captain, call me at 239-5712.

Contact the front desk or me for more information regarding the following programs.

R.U.O.K. Vial of Life Vacation Check Request Patrol Volunteers Emergency Contact Info Information for Singles House Key Data Form Car I.D. Decal

Woodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

 ATTITUDE

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

I'm a Senior and Having a Ball!

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By Pam Phelps

hinking back, like so many of us, I spent a lot of time thinking about things like, “Are my clothes in fashion with today’s trends?” “Did I choose the right career to make my parents proud and my friends like me?” “Am I having a bad hair day?” I have to laugh, because now this seems silly to me and such a waste of energy. Ah, but maybe that’s the real meaning of the saying, “Youth is wasted on the young.”

All I know is that since I achieved my senior status, I feel freer and much more comfortable in my skin (no matter how much it hangs now).

And why do they call us “seniors”? Is it because by reaching this age we’ve earned seniority? If so, I want to think of the positives rather than dwelling on the negatives--like what we’ve lost because we’re not as young anymore…Balderdash! Most of us seniors are fortunate to be retired.

No daily alarm clocks and grumpy bosses for us! And, I love how society caters to us with perks like ‘senior discounts’ at movie theatres, retailers, BART, etc.

And then there’s the ‘early bird specials’ and senior discounted meals at restaurants….score!

Becoming a senior has all but eliminated my shame. Examples: I happily trot right up to a cashier, smile, and say, “Oh, and please don’t forget my senior discount.” I no longer worry about the ‘fun house’ mirrors in the changing rooms. I just look the other way. I no longer worry about fitting into a two-piece bathing suit. Besides, who wants to look at my lovely scars and muffin top? Actually, I believe these to be badges of courage just adding character to our lives.

Nope, no need to apologize…ever!

Page 7 • March 2014

Pamela Andrews,DDS Over 20 Years Experience Personalized Service Excellence with Value

Happy 2014

Pam Phelps

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es, I’m aware there have been trade-offs. We trade youth for wisdom, boundless energy for sore muscles and arthritis and nights of parties and drinking for Lipitor® and Geritol®. But isn’t it wonderful to wake up in the morning and know that now you have more choices than obligations? Living here at Woodbridge has opened my eyes to new and wondrous things. I can get up on any given day and choose one of dozens of activities, or I can choose to visit family or friends (many of which are my fabulous neighbors in this community). Or I can choose to have a “Me Day” and just stay in and read a good book, watch an old movie or soak for an hour in the tub. Trust me, there are days when I still just stop and pinch myself because I feel so fortunate to be the age I am, have reasonably good health and live in this little piece of heaven. I’ve decided to trade in any “poor me” days for “count your blessings” days from now on. Now, let’s go grab those senior discounts, my friends!

�

Exams/Cleanings Fillings Crowns Whitening

Dentures Bridges/Partials Extractions Emergencies

239-5996 132 N. Grant Ave, Manteca (Union Rd South. Left on Center. Right on Grant)

www.mantecafamilydentist.com Senior Discounts

Payment Plans

Major credit cards and many dental insurances accepted

Making Manteca Smile since 1994

Page 8 • March 2014

Woodbridge LIFE www.ourwoodbridge.net

Arts

At the Clubhouse

 BRIDGE

By Don St. Lawrence

The Bridge Group meets Mondays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Club Room.

Bridge Scores FEBRUARY 3:

Carolee Jones Letha Watson Phil McCallion Grace Pasion Phyllis Tindell Don Harris Lee Stern Robi Cornelius Don St. Lawrence Kathy Comden Nancy Compton

4350 4300 4130 3980 3280 3060 2840 2810 2750 2440 1680

Grace Pasion Letha Watson Don St. Lawrence Phyllis Tindell Carolee Jones

5050 4520 3270 3100 3040

FEBRUARY 10:

Nancy Compton Robi Cornelius Phil McCallion Lee Stern

2930 2770 2720 2240

Nancy Compton Phyllis Tindell Don Harris Robi Cornelius Nancy Hansen Phil McCallion Kathy Comden Lee Stern Letha Watson Judy McNamara

4960 4820 3580 3470 3300 3000 2780 2630 2620 2550

FEBRUARY 17:

 ARTISTS & CRAFTERS

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By Penny Dauler

t’s raining outside and I’m delighted. I love the rain and have been missing it. While it’s been raining, I have been working on a quilt. Other crafters have been painting, making aprons and knitting.

In February we took the day off and went to Modesto for an ‘out and about.’ At the cake store I stocked up on cookie cutters. We all enjoyed the Dutch Baptist country store and, of course, lunch.

Bonnie Buckman taught a class in mixed media. We made seascapes on 3” x 3” canvas with tissue paper, Mod Podge®, ink and imagination.

Bonnie will teach another class in March that has already filled up. We are enjoying this challenge to our imaginations.

March has other classes in the offing. They include: dandelion painting with Margo on Monday, March 10 and continued on Friday, March 14. ‘Out and about’ to the Decor Store in Livermore on Thursday, March 20. Mixed media on Friday, March 21. Monday, March 24, is UFO day and our first craft swap. We end the month on Friday, March 28, with a new Zen tangle project. That same afternoon Geni Becker will be teaching a class on making dish draining mats.

A word about the craft swap. This is your chance to bring in any project(s) you know you will never complete.

Maybe somebody else would like to work on it and they will take your project(s) home. However, if no one grabs your unwanted items, you get to take them back home or we will throw them in dumpster. Things to bring might be material you don’t need, yarn you will never use, half started embroidery projects or some other craft you no longer want.

See the calendar posted on the yellow message board in the Arts and Crafts Room for a list of all classes.

Let’s hope for more rain so we have an excuse to stay indoors and work on our quilts, our paintings, our knitting, our crochet or whatever craft we’re involved with.

 HIDDEN TALENT

By Betty Grandt and Penny Dauler

Artists/Crafters Work Retreat & Hidden Talent Display

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Retreat date is May 17

ast May the Artists & Crafters group held its first all day work retreat and a display of the many hidden talents found throughout our community. We had such favorable response to this event that, once again, we are extending an invitation to the community to view our artists and crafters work retreat and hidden talent display, Saturday, May 17.

All new and not so new residents are invited to display their creativity to our community. It was amazing last year to see all the talent we have here in Woodbridge.

Your projects will be showcased in the center of the Multipurpose Room.

We will also have different groups/ individuals working on their projects around the perimeter of the room. If you have ever been curious about what the Artists & Crafters Club does, this would be a GREAT opportunity to observe us working on our projects and to see how much fun we have.

Please note there will be a mandatory meeting of the Artists & Crafters Club on Tuesday, March 11 at 10 a.m. to find out how many people are willing to display their work and how many people in the different groups will be working on projects. Details of the May 17 event will be available at this meeting.

The Artist/Crafters Work Retreat & Hidden Talent Display is an exciting event and I encourage all artists/crafters to display their work or at least drop by on May 17 and visit with us.

Woodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

 READERS' CLUB

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By Marie Evans

he Woodbridge Readers' Club is the new name of the old Book Nook book club but the club itself remains the same. Twelve of us, including a new member, Shirley Lopes, met at our usual time of 10:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the month to discuss BIG STONE GAP, written by Adriana Trigiani. Helen Navarro had been scheduled to present this book but at the last minute was unable to make it and asked Ann Barden to lead the discussion. Thank you, Ann. You did a great job.

Set in her small home town of BIG STONE GAP, VIRGINIA, Ms. Trigiani peopled her community with very interesting characters.

In her research of the author, Ann found that Ms. Trigiani is a very prolific author, has written for TV and has led a varied professional life. Everyone enjoyed reading the book, some more than others, but no one seemed to dislike it. I was amazed at how many things I missed when I read it and was fascinated to hear others tell of this event or that character and how it fit into the story. The theme was a love story, many different love stories, in fact. The love of the protagonist for her mother, her love for the man who was to become her husband, her love for this tiny village that had taken her in and made her their own, her love for her friends and her love for her Italian family still residing in Italy and, finally, her love for the 'father' who had raised her and his love for her. Reneé St. Lawrence described the book as 'a breath of fresh air.' Sally Collins loved the quirky characters. We all found it an easy and refreshing read. The book is easy to read and would be a good book to take on a trip or to the beach as it is one you can put down and pick up again later without ruining the continuity of the story.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, March 5, 10:30 a.m. at the Clubhouse. Hazel Field will lead our March discussion of her selection DEAR LIFE by Alice Munro. April's selection is THE

ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN

by Garth Stein and selected by Penny Dauler. Tamara Supremo has selected A RIVER IN THE SKY by Elisabeth Peters for May. June's selection is BLESSINGS by Anne Quinlan, selected by Judy Murdock. July is CUTTING FOR STONE by A. Varghese selected by Reneé St. Lawrence. August is A DEATH IN THE FAMILY by James Agee and selected by Marie Evans.

ALL Woodbridge residents who love books are welcome to join our club.

&  DRAMA

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By Anne Madrid

ust a few short weeks into the new season finds the Drama Club excited and planning for the next performance scheduled for late spring.

“Frank’s 75th Christmas” and the Santa play drew rave reviews from our best critics (Woodbridge residents).

Now the group is challenged to do even better. Look for all your favorite actors to show you a good time.

On a sad note, our published writer, Carol Goodwin, is taking a break from her demanding job as secretary of the club. We hope she will continue to provide us with outstanding material such as the Santa play “All I Want for Christmas Is Everything” and “Bob Does Dinner.” Carol’s latest creation, “The Road Trip,” will be featured in our next play.

The character roles have been filled, but drama is desperately in need of someone who knows about sound effects, visual aids and lighting. Ray Noble works closely with the group as a set designer and has made our plays come alive!

If you would like to help or just see what the Drama Club is about, join us on Thursdays at 1 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room.

Contact Anne Madrid at (209) 8245725 for more information.

 WB SINGERS

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By Elizabeth Cunning

hat do Dean Martin, George Burns, Elvis and the Mammas and Pappas have in common?

A night with the Woodbridge Singers, of course! The group rehearses every other Monday night at 7 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room. Come join us on Monday, March 10 and Monday, March 24 as we sing favorite songs of the ‘50s and ‘60s for our upcoming “Senior Prom” concert in May. Reading music is not required – having fun is! Questions? Contact Elizabeth Cunning at (209) 647-4380 or email: elizcunning@comcast.net.

 SECRET PALS

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By Linda Hauser

ast year, several ladies within the Women of Woodbridge Group (WOW) got together and started a year-long Secret Pal exchange that will culminate in April when the ladies get together for a party including lunch and reveal.

The program was very successful and the ladies are planning to do it again, but not under the auspices of the WoW. This year, the Secret Pal program is open to ALL female residents. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know your neighbors and make new friends.

There are no meetings to attend and no fundraisers to work on. You simply have to remember another woman on special days in her life and any other time you wish to say “hello.” You may have had a secret pal before at work or with a club or church. By the way, some other woman will be remembering you, at the same time.

General information:

• Our year will run from May 15, 2014 to April 30, 2015.

• On May 15, 2014, we will gather at the Clubhouse to draw names and answer questions. We will discuss getting together from time to time to foster friendship between all members.

• At the end of our year, we will have a party and reveal our secret pals.

• During the year, you will need

Page 9 • March 2014 to remember your secret pal on her birthday, anniversary, holidays and any other time you may wish to do so. We have a $25 spending limit per event.

• You may spend less, but no more. An “event” is a birthday or a holiday.

• Remember, this is an ANNUAL name drawing event, so if you do not participate now you will have to wait another year.

The questionnaire from your secret pal will provide information on her likes, favorite colors and styles.

You will learn her love for music, foods, travels and other areas of life that interest her.

Our motto is: “It is better to give and receive.” Come and join us for a year filled with lots of fun and great surprises.

Please pick up a questionnaire at the Clubhouse from the slots containing the information on coming events. Fill out the questionnaire and make a copy.

Return the original and the copy to the Clubhouse front desk in a sealed envelope with my name, LINDA HAUSER, on the outside of the envelope. Questions? Call me, Linda Hauser at 824-8582.

 BOCCE

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By Carole Pfoutz

hirty stalwart bocce ball players descended upon the home of leaders Ray and Carole Pfoutz recently for a delicious potluck supper after their Sunday afternoon session of casual, if noisy, game playing.

All Woodbridge residents and their friends are invited to participate in this entertaining sport. We are friendly to all who venture out to our informal games. No equipment or experience is necessary as everyone is willing and able to teach as we progress through the games.

This has been quite an enjoyable winter for us. Hardly any rain except for Super Bowl Sunday. More rain in the forecast but we are hoping to get in lots more fun before we change to our summer hours. For now, please join us at 2 p.m. every Sunday afternoon for fresh air and camaraderie.

Woodbridge LIFE www.ourwoodbridge.net

Page 10 • March 2014

Things to do this month:

 POTLUCK

By Carol Jo Hargreaves

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PASTA!

uesday, March 25, is PASTA NIGHT at Woodbridge! Join our monthly potluck dinner for good food and a fun social evening with your neighbors.

Bring your favorite pasta dish, salad, bread, dessert and/or contribute whatever you would like to add to the pasta (chicken, beef, shrimp). Be sure the dish you bring will feed eight to ten people.

Coffee and water will be provided but you may bring the beverage of your choice.

The potluck begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Clubhouse Multipurpose Room Please sign up at the front desk.

 NEWCOMERS

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By Carol Jo Hargreaves

f you are a newcomer to Del Webb in the last year, the Lifestyle Committee has reserved a night for a social get-together just for you. What better way to get to know your neighbors and other new residents?

 SWINGIN' BLUE STARS

By Carol Jo Hargreaves

Swingin' Blue Stars of the USS Hornet entertain Woodbridge residents Tuesday, March 11

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he Swingin' Blue Stars of the USS Hornet is comprised of four talented singers from the East San Francisco Bay Area. They perform close harmony, swing style music made popular by 1940s female vocal groups such as the Andrews Sisters. They sing and dance to “people-pleasing” music, mixing saucy and romantic WWII tunes that appeal to a variety of audiences, whether young or older.

The Newcomers Social will be held Thursday, March 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Clubhouse Multipurpose Room. You may bring an appetizer to share and your beverage of choice.

Please sign up at the front desk to let us know you are coming.

 TAKE A TRIP

By Dodie Miller, Activities Director

DAFFODILS AT IRONSTONE VINEYARDS Thursday, March 20

Enjoy the acres of daffodils blooming at the winery and, in addition, there will be a wide assortment of daffodil varieties and other flowers blooming in wooden tubs. Enjoy wine tasting at Ironstone before you move on to Murphys Historic Hotel for a hosted three-course lunch. Entrée choices are listed on the flyer. Enjoy a guided tour of the Ironstone Winery followed by an elegant private wine tasting that includes canapés. After lunch there will be two more wine tastings at Milliaire and Stevenot wineries.

Motorcoach, private tour, luncheon and three wine tastings. Price is $119 and reservations are through Setness Tours at (209) 476-8486.

The group was founded in December 2002 when the original members had sons and daughters serving in the military and were part of the East Bay Blue Star Moms. The women began singing together to relieve the stress of having loved ones in a combat theater, as well as to have something positive to do for aging veterans. Gaining confidence in their harmony and style, they formed the Singing Blue Star Moms to share their music. Their repertoire was selected to demonstrate appreciation for veterans of all wars, while increasing public support for troops currently serving in harm’s way.

Within a few years, the high spirit,

 WINE 101

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By Jon Ford

hat an exciting event that took place in February with 101 participants. Get it? Wine 101, 101 participants! Anyway, 101 participants (a full class) came to the February Wine 101 "A Port in Any WBL photo by Deb Ristau.

Storm" and consumed Bill and Brenda Buffington are Wine 101 regulars who enjoy some wonderful ports many other social events at the Lakeview Clubhouse. as well as delightful chocolate dishes and The challenge this month is cheeses. to acquire Petite Verdots and Cabernet Francs as they are not Great things are planned for the as available as Malbecs. Good March event as well. March will be luck!

"Baffling Bordeaux," a look at the lesser known red Bordeaux such as If you want to learn a little more Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petite about wine and enjoy some very Verdot. pleasant company with old friends and make some new ones too, then Everyone is encouraged to sign up sign up today for the March Wine and attend. No knowledge of wine 101 class. Sign up at the front is necessary as we have every range desk at the Clubhouse. of wine drinker in our classes. Signups are taken at the registration desk in the Clubhouse and space is limited to 101 participants, so act quickly. Registration is currently underway and flyers are available in the Clubhouse.

The next event will take place on Wednesday, March 12 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Clubhouse. Bring your own wine glasses and an appetizer to share with the group. In addition, bring a bottle of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, or Petite Verdot to share as well. Have the bottle open and recorked upon arrival as it expedites things.

period style and swing repertoire gained a solid following in many parts of the Bay Area. Public demand expanded beyond the initial Blue Star Mom “support our troops” mission, with performance requests by veterans organizations, community service groups, city parades, retirement homes and, the USS Hornet Museum.

In May 2007, the group changed its name to The Singing Blue Stars of the USS Hornet and established a relationship with the famous WWII aircraft carrier museum in Alameda.

In January of 2011, they became The Swingin' Blue Stars. Regardless of their name, their mission remains the same

– they bring history to life for their audiences. They love entertaining just as the USO entertained troops in WWII. The Swingin’ Blue Stars has performed for audiences of 20 to over 1,000. They performed at Woodbridge last year and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Don’t miss this lively performance on Tuesday, March 11. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; show runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Croissant sandwiches will be provided along with coffee and water. You may bring your beverage of choice.

Tickets are $8 per person and are available at the front desk.

Woodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Get Ready for Softball!

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By Dave Reed

t's time for another exciting season of softball! Today, Friday, February 28, is the last day for the initial sign-ups for the Silver Sluggers (men) and Diamond Gals (women) softball groups. Players of all skill levels are welcome to participate in our softball program.

If you missed the main sign-up period, you may still sign up anytime during the softball season.

You can obtain the sign-up sheets at the front desk of the Clubhouse.

TEAM SELECTION AND SEASON LENGTH

Silver Slugger coaches will meet on Wednesday, March 5, to select their teams. The balance of March will be spent with practices and practice games. Silver Slugger coaches will contact each player to let them know what team they are on and when they practice.

All of the coaches were named in last month’s article. Diamond Gals coaches will also gather in early March to select their squads.

The Diamond Gals will then be advised what squad they are on.

Diamond Gals practices are every Monday, starting March 10, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. We will begin the “official” season with Opening Day on Saturday, April 5. The first half of the season will run from April through June. We will take the month of July off and then hold the second half of the season from August through October.

Our annual dinner and general meeting will conclude the season on Saturday, November 1.

OPENING DAY CEREMONIES

Opening Day of our softball season will be a family event that all of our Del Webb Woodbridge community can enjoy. Accordingly, Opening Day on Saturday, April 5, will start at 8:30 a.m. with free doughnuts and coffee set up on the basketball court.

Also starting at 8:30 a.m., we will have the following:

• Music from the Second Chance Band.

• Classic cars owned and displayed by Wheels of Woodbridge members.

• Representatives from the Manteca Fire Department.

• The Manteca Police Department canine unit and local celebrities.

• The Opening Ceremony is planned to start at 9:30 a.m.

Teams and umpires will gather on the field. They will be joined by the following: • A trumpeter to perform the national anthem.

• The Woodbridge Singers to perform a patriotic song and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

maintenance personnel, to improve the Del Webb field conditions for both player safety and fan comfort.

Aqua Smart Field Dressing has been spread on the infield and rototilled deeper into the infield dirt. This product absorbs water and becomes spongy, thus making a safer playing surface. It will also help level the infield and minimize low spots or puddles when it rains. We are also considering adding a product called Turface to the top coat of the infield if needed to help level the field and additionally minimize puddles. The sun screens that cover our dugouts and bleachers have been repaired and will be installed prior to Opening Day.

Page 11 • March 2014 Coaches meetings (5 p.m.): Tuesday, March 4, and Tuesday, April 1. All residents are welcome.

Woodbridge Senior Softball Council (WSSC) meetings (6:30 p.m.): Tuesday, March 4, and Tuesday, April 1. All residents are welcome.

WSSC General Meeting (7 p.m.): On Thursday, March 13. All residents are welcome.

Opening Day of Softball Season Ceremony and Games; Saturday, April 5. All residents are invited.

I look forward to seeing you at the Del Webb Field. If you have any questions, please give me a call, Dave Reed, WSSC Vice President Communications 209-740-6289.

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IMPORTANT DATES:

• The East Union Jr. ROTC to present the colors and a local celebrity to throw out the symbolic first pitch.

The first game will be the Diamond Gals and it will start 15 minutes after the ceremony is over. The Silver Slugger games will follow that game.

The Snack Shack will be open during the games and our great volunteers will be staffing it. The Strummin’ Wonders ukulele players will also be providing music during the games.

FIELD MAINTENANCE

Our Field Maintenance Committee continues WBL photo by Dreanna Langdon. to work with the Editor's note: We ran this photo in a very early edition of Woodbridge LIFE and never gave proper credit to the Property and photographer. This photo was taken by Woodbridge staff member, Dreanna Langdon. Hope to see everyone Grounds Committee, out at Del Webb Field this spring! as well as landscape

Page 12 • March 2014

Woodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Meet Softball Players Brian and Laura Conway I

By Butch Larson

recently had the privilege of interviewing first year softball players, Brian and Laura Conway. They moved to Woodbridge by Del Webb last April from Manteca where they lived for the previous 24 years. Both are still employed, Brian at All Systems Broadband in Livermore and Laura with Manteca High School in their Special Education Department. The Conways have been married 30 years and have three children, two boys and one girl. Their children reside in Modesto, Fresno and San Diego.

The Conways grew up in the southern part of the East Bay where Brian attended Logan High School in Union City and Laura Memorial High (now Newark Memorial) in Newark. Not surprisingly, Brian played basketball as well as soccer while Laura played softball, volleyball and gymnastics. They met at the Union Square Lanes in Union City where Brian’s dad was running an evening of Monte Carlo bowling (ask Brian what that is). The bowling alley has since been turned into an apartment complex, but the memories are still present and it was a pretty good gamble for both of them to attend that evening.

They scouted out Woodbridge by Del Webb shortly after their children left home and realized they had a lot of empty space. They were attracted by the beautiful Clubhouse and amenities. Brian and Laura last played adult softball in a Northgate league in Manteca so were interested to see what we had going on with our softball program. Initially they were concerned about the competitive level of play but after attending a few of our games as fans, they felt they could fit in nicely.

Brian was assigned to the Red Team managed by Jerry Monares and Laura played for the Diamond Gals managed by Dave Reed. Both report their first year experiences were exceptional, being able to meet many people and make new friends. With each working five days a week, the Conways

found it had been difficult to meet their Woodbridge neighbors. They are particularly pleased with our philosophy of playing for fun and safety. Brian states, “Even though everyone tries their hardest, there is little criticism when a mistake is made and any outcome is left on the field.”

They are also pleased that their parents can attend as fans being that they are close to Woodbridge with Laura’s mom in Prestige Living and Brian’s in the Commons. Both are anxious to sign up and play softball in the 2014 season.

Laura really enjoys our Snack Shack. She stated, “The snack bar was a real surprise. I didn’t expect they would have such a broad menu and the food Photo courtesy of Butch Larson. is great. We love when Laura and Brian Conway enjoy playing softball at Del Webb Field. they announce a special for the day.” Both Brian and Laura made several good suggestions about our another opportunity to attend activities and meet program during the interview. Laura was pleased other residents of Woodbridge (approximately 100 to see us recognize October players are signed up this year). as Breast Cancer month this If you are a new resident to Woodbridge, please past season with wristbands consider signing up for our softball program. We and feels she would like to have teams for both men and women and our goal be more involved with it this is to make the game playable for all skill levels. season. She is a thyroid Wednesday, March 5, will be the date of our 2014 cancer survivor and has a draft for male players. Diamond Gals will choose special appreciation for the their teams in March as well. Should you sign up use of October as a “cancer after the teams are chosen, we will see that you survivor” month. are assigned to a team. We will accommodate

“Even though everyone tries their hardest, there is little criticism when a mistake is made and any outcome is left on the field.”

In addition to softball, Brian and Laura have enjoyed the outdoor pool and spa and are looking forward to expanding their use of other amenities.

They would like to learn to play pickleball and get more time in at our workout room.

Brian reports that they have already signed up for the 2014 Stockton Ports Silver Slugger program after being treated to a game last season

by Robert and Donna Ybarra. They see it as

you whenever you sign up. If you just can’t sign up, please come out and be a fan. Support those who play and enjoy the great food from our snack bar. This year will be a special year for our fans so come out and see what we have up our sleeve.

Brian and Laura asked me to pass along their recommendation to residents to come out and support our softball program.

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www.ourwoodbridge.net

57 Woodbridge LIFE

Page 13 • March 2014

New Neighbors: When Al met Sally A

By Mel Bernstein

l met his Sally way before Harry (Billy Crystal) met his (Meg Ryan) in the 1989 film. Hollywood aside, Al and Sally Johnson moved here last June from their Morada home of 41 years. Taking care of the property, which included a water well and septic tank, became too time consuming and one day they took a ride to check out our community. They liked what they saw, decided to purchase a home already under construction, and less than three months later, moved in.

Al grew up in the Bay Area, while Sally hails from Southern California. Both have memories of electric trains that ran between Oakland and Sacramento, with one stretch going through the Oakland Hills. Sally still recalls visiting her grandparents in what is now the Montclair district of Oakland and placing a penny or two on the tracks for proper flattening. Why should boys have all the fun?

Years later, Al and Sally met in Palo Alto, while attending college there. After graduating, they married and planned to remain in the area. However, Al was soon presented with employment opportunities which caused them to leave the Peninsula for various areas, including the Central Valley. Morada, located between Lodi and Stockton, proved to be the longest stay among the places to which Al's career brought them and where they raised two sons and three daughters.

Al worked in the production end of several fields, including magnetic tapes, fragrances, wines and consumer products. The latter, on one occasion, while at Procter & Gamble, involved disposable baby diapers, for which Al volunteered Sally as a home tester. “It was an

 STUDENT ART

Compiled by Carol Jo Hargreaves from a press release by Eddie Hargreaves, The Haggin Museum and the museum website.

Student art returns to museum walls at Haggin for 83rd McKee Exhibition

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he Haggin Museum’s annual McKee Student Art Contest & Exhibition—the longestrunning student art competition in the United States - is on display through April 6. The exhibition was first envisioned 83 years ago by The Haggin Museum’s founding patron, Robert T. McKee, whose goal was to encourage students by providing a public venue for their artworks.

interesting experience,” recalls Sally, “though not quite ready for prime time.” But it was the start of Pampers® and soon the days of cloth diapers fastened with those large plastic head safety pins became a thing of the past. Well, apparently not for all moms, as some have recently gone retro, shedding the plastic and paper throwaways for cotton cloths – softer for baby's bottom.

While living in Morada, Al and Sally managed to carve some time out from raising their children to volunteer at the San Joaquin County Historical Society. Al also did 4-H work and became involved with The Haggin Museum, where he continues to volunteer. Over a span of nearly 40 years, their volunteer activities included acting as docents, tour guides and assisting in classes for school children. In addition, while their children were growing up, Al spent some time as head of the local Little League while Sally served as president of the PTA. 1,127 entries from student artists, kindergarten through grade 12, in 59 public, private, charter and home schools in San Joaquin County were received.

The walls of the West and Tuleburg Galleries are covered from top to bottom with two- and threedimensional art works created in crayon, colored pencil, pastel, watercolor, oil and acrylic paint.

In addition to the traditional entries described above, 2014 marks the second year with the addition of digital entries. High school students were invited to submit short digital films, and nine were received. The shorts will be shown in one of the galleries and special prizes will be awarded.

This year's works are being judged by Monika

Their five children, one of whom lives in Australia, have made Sally and Al the proud grandparents of nine grandchildren. Since moving to Del Webb in Manteca, Al has become involved in the Manteca Historical Society, while both he and Sally retain connections in Lodi and Stockton.

Al also volunteers at Delta College, teaching a monthly class in small business development.

Sally gardens and still bowls in Stockton with her team of over 30 years. They enjoy spending time with their friendly and affectionate border collie, Scotty, traveling and playing bridge. Woodbridge welcomes the Johnsons and offers them best wishes on the recent occasion of their 57th wedding anniversary.

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Meler, an assistant professor in the department of visual arts at the University of the Pacific.

The Haggin Museum is located at 1201 N. Pershing Avenue, Stockton, and is open Saturdays-Sundays from 12-5 p.m. WednesdaysFridays from 1:30-5 p.m. and the first and third Thursdays from 1:30-9 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults; $7 for seniors (65+); $5 for students and youth (10-17). Museum members and children under 10 accompanied by an adult are admitted free of charge. Admission is free to all on the first Saturday of the month. For more information, call 209-940-6300 or visit www. hagginmuseum.org.

Page 14 • March 2014

Woodbridge LIFE

Communication tips for people with a hearing loss

By Pat Passarell

Pat Passarell is a resident of Woodbridge and has been a hard-of-hearing advocate for over 25 years, assisting with workshops and conventions. She is also a volunteer advocate for Cochlear Americas. If you have any questions, email her at PatPassarell@aol.com or call at 825-1841.

M

any of us are beginning to have problems with our hearing.

We're making adjustments as we learn to adjust to these problems.

We're not sure what we can do about it and our spouse and friends don't know what they can do to help. I hope this article will be of help to you. The first article is Communication Tips for people with a hearing loss. Next month will be Communicating with a person with a hearing loss.

This information was provided by the Hard of Hearing/Late Deafened Adult program at Deaf Counseling, Advocacy & Referral Agency (DCARA). Website: www.dcara.org.

Environment

• Pick the best spot to communicate - avoid noisy and poorly lit areas.

• Eliminate or reduce background noise such as the television, radio or kitchen noise.

• Remember that carpets and drapes in your home will help cut down unwanted background noise.

Planning Ahead

• Think about the vocabulary you might encounter - "Anticipatory Listening."

• Anticipate communication challenges and plan how to minimize problems.

• Arrange for frequent breaks to give yourself a mental rest.

• In a large group situation, ask a buddy to help you keep abreast of what's going on - direct you to changes in speakers or have him repeat messages to you when necessary.

• Have realistic expectations about what you will be able to hear and understand.

• Find out if you can get accommodations such as:

captioning; closer seats; FM or Loop system or sign language.

Positioning

• Choose the best seating.

Sit close to the speaker.

The closer you are, the easier it will be to understand the message.

• Situate yourself in good lighting with your back to the light and the speaker's face well lit.

• Ask the speaker not to stand in front of a light source, such as a window.

• It's alright to move to a different seat if that will help you understand better.

• Ask the speaker to face you when she is talking.

When Talking Begins

• You should let a speaker know that you may experience some difficulties understanding others.

• Educate others on how to best communicate with you.

• Let conversation flow awhile to gain more understanding of the context.

www.ourwoodbridge.net • Pay attention to the speaker maintain eye contact.

• Watch for facial expressions and gestures.

• Look for visual clues and context.

• Be careful not to interrupt too often.

• Respond to the speaker’s questions and comments so that he knows you understand.

• Provide feedback to the speaker by telling her what she is doing that is helpful

When You Don't Understand

• Saying "What?" and "Huh?" are ineffectual in improving communication because they do not explain what you need to solve the miscommunication.

• Let the person know when you do not understand and suggest what would be helpful.

• Ask for speaker to spell or write out words you simply cannot understand.

See

HEARING page 19

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Woodbridge LIFE

Page 15 • March 2014

Page 16 • March 2014

Household Hints

By Bill Barnhart

Program Your Sprinkler:

H

ere are some things you need to know about the sprinkler controller. There are three programs, A, B and C; everything you set up within each program is specific to that program. The three programs are so you can have multiple schedules of days of the week, start times and run times.

Within each program you can set up to four Start Times for that combination of stations, the Run Time for each station and the Days to Water during the week. The Run Times will apply to all four Start Times and the four Start Times will apply to all of the Days to Water you set to run. If you want a different schedule or combination of run times and start times, then you need to program each different schedule into a different program.

The horizontal arrows 1 are to progress back and forth through the function the dial is currently pointed at. The vertical 2 arrows are to change/increase/decrease, on/off, etc. You can exit whatever function you are in and save changes you just made by turning the dial back to the Off position.

Before you start, you need to know which sprinklers are on each station. Turn dial to Manual – All Stations and press the Program button to get Program A in the display. Turn the dial back to AUTO and the cycle should begin. Once you’ve identified the sprinklers on that station number, you can advance to the next station by pressing the Right arrow ". If any of the station numbers are skipped, call me as the explanation is too lengthy to include here.

Short Programming If the date and time displayed are correct, then go to first step, otherwise fix.

Step 1 Turn dial to Program Start Times. Press the Program button until Program A is displayed.

Press the Right arrow until the #1 Start Time is displayed; then press the Up arrow until the time you want your system to start is displayed. Next, make sure the other Start Times are turned off by pressing Right arrow and check Start Times #2, 3 and 4 to make sure they are “OFF;” if not, press Up arrow until you get to the OFF

Woodbridge LIFE

position near midnight.

Step 2 Turn dial to Station Run Times. Press the Right arrow to each station number and then press the Up arrow to get the number of minutes to run. Next, press the Right arrow for next station and continue setting each one. The increments are in hours:minutes. 0:05 equals five minutes and 0:00 is the same as Off. Step 3 Turn the dial to Days to Water. The days of the week will display with the first letter of each day (e.g., M, T, W, etc.) Use the Right arrow to move through the week. The days you should not water should have a circle around the corresponding letter turning it off for that day. Do this by pressing the Down arrow which places the circle around the letter and it also then moves you forward to the next day. If it is turned off and you want it turned back on for a given day, press the Up arrow for that day and the circle is removed, thereby turning it on.

Step 4 If you need to add another schedule, repeat the above three steps for Program B. Then go through just Step 1 for the remaining programs making sure the four Start Times are all turned OFF for each program.

Based on City of Manteca ordinance code, during daylight saving time, residences with Odd numbered addresses are only allowed to run their sprinklers on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and Even numbered addresses are only allowed to run sprinklers on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. No sprinklers should run between noon and 6 p.m. You might as well keep this schedule year around as the remainder of the year doesn’t need daily watering anyway.

Last, check to see if your sprinkler controller has a battery compartment. Along the left edge, pull out on the panel that has the dial on it. On the back side, there may be a battery compartment that should have a 9-volt battery. The newer controllers have a capacitor (a little square silver ¾” feature) that takes the place of a battery. The purpose of the battery or capacitor is to save your programming if/when commercial power is lost.

Reaching Out Lakeview Clubhouse: 824-7581

Board of Directors

John Johnson, President Roger Cunning, Vice President Christine Carlson, Treasurer Garry Dudley, Secretary Carl Hansen, Director at Large

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Woodbridge LIFE

2401 Morning Brook Drive Manteca, CA 95336

209-824-7581

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WOA

824-7581

Resident Directors

EDITOR

Executive Director

ADVERTISING

Activities Director

WBL EDITORIAL TEAM

Roger: 647-4380 / Garry: 648-4868 Kayo Armstrong:

Dodie Miller:

824-7831 824-7927

Management

Riverside Management PO BOX 697 Roseville, CA 9566 916-740-2462

Watering Tips: Test to see if you are watering the correct amount by using the screwdriver test I’ve written about in the past. Using a regular screwdriver with a shaft of about eight inches, push the screwdriver into the ground in several locations, including both the yard and shrub beds. If the screwdriver goes in easily, cut back on the number of watering minutes for that area. If the screwdriver is hard to push in, increase the amount of watering minutes.

Fescue and bluegrass, like most of us have in our yards, are susceptible to fungus growth if it is too damp during nighttime hours. Thus, I suggest not running your sprinklers between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Additional Household Tips for March Calendar: The season is changing. Check the tire pressure in all of your vehicle tires and make sure they are at manufacturer specifications when the tires are cold.

Now is the time to put snail bait out around all those plants that snails love to chew the leaves on. Make sure it is the pet-safe kind.

The opinions expressed in Woodbridge LIFE’s feature articles, paid advertisements and editorial content do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper or the Woodbridge Owners Association.

Deb Ristau

765-5058

Kayo Armstrong Kayo Armstrong, chair Mel Bernstein Sharyl Burgeson Roger Cunning Carol Jo Hargreaves Dodie Miller Volker Moerbitz Pepper Noble Pam Phelps Deb Ristau Mike Spence

824-7831 824-7831 510-482-8304 239-1492 647-4380 988-5831 824-7927 239-7965 239-1933 408-930-8758 765-5058 924-8032

Woodbridge LIFE is a free monthly publication of the Woodbridge Owners Association, a nonprofit organization serving the residents of the Woodbridge

by Del Webb community in Manteca, CA. Woodbridge LIFE invites stories, photographs, comments, cartoons, jokes and any other information that would be of interest to residents. We reserve the right to accept or refuse submissions and edit for content and length. We also reserve the right to refuse advertising or articles that in our opinion do not reflect the standards of the newspaper. The opinions expressed, whether by paid advertisement or editorial content, do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper or the Woodbridge Owners Association. Content submitted may be edited, reprinted and acknowledged without consent unless specifically requested. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork. Materials submitted with a self-addressed, stamped envelope will be returned. Contents copyright © 2014 by Woodbridge Owners Association. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

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Woodbridge LIFE

Coming to Woodbridge EVENTS and TOURS - March/April 2014

By Dodie Miller, Activities Director

MARDI GRAS PARTY – Saturday, March 1 @ 4:30 p.m. We’ll start with the decorated golf carts parade around the center amenity park and then immediately go into the Clubhouse for a delicious New Orleans style dinner from 5 to 6 p.m. catered by the Manteca Unified School District’s culinary students. We’re hoping to see lots of masquerade costumes and masks (all optional). We have DJ Jerry Sauceda starting at 6 p.m. for dancing. Ticket price is $18 per person at the front desk.

THORSON FINANCIAL DINNER PRESENTATION – Tuesday, March 4 @ 6 p.m. – Along with the presentation will be a sit down dinner. Sign-up at the front desk.

NEWCOMERS SOCIAL – Thursday, March 6 @ 6 p.m. - If you’re a newcomer to Del Webb in the last year, the Lifestyle and Welcoming committees have reserved a night for a social get-together just for you. You may bring an appetizer to share and your beverage of choice.

Please sign up at the front desk so we have accommodations for everyone.

SWINGIN’ BLUE STARS OF THE USS HORNET – Tuesday, March 11 @ 6:30 p.m. doors open and the show goes from 7 to 8:30 p.m..

This group of ladies specializes in performing songs of the ‘40s and ‘50s. They do their Andrews Sisters and McGuire Sisters show which will take you back to that era. We had them last year and they received a standing ovation. Croissant sandwiches will be provided along with coffee and water. You may bring your beverage of choice.

Tickets went on sale February 6 @ $8 per person.

WINE 101 – Wednesday, March 12 @ 6 p.m. – “Baffling Bordeaux” Taste interesting Bordeaux reds such Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec. A short presentation is followed by tasting, appetizers and socializing. Bring an appetizer, your own glass and a bottle to share.

Please open and re-cork your bottle

before arriving. Plates, utensils and water provided. Sign up at the front desk.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY DINNER – Monday, March 17 @ 5 p.m. – This dinner is sponsored by the Men of Woodbridge group. It will be an authentic corned beef and cabbage dinner. Doors open at 5 p.m. and dinner will be served starting at 5:30 p.m. There is a cap limit. Cut-off to purchase tickets is Friday, March 14 or when sold out. Tickets are $8 pp at the front desk.

REAL ESTATE FORUM BY THE LORI’S – Tuesday, March 18 @ 6:30 p.m. – Wine and cheese will be provided. Sign up at the front desk.

DOCTORS HOSPITAL WINE & CHEESE SOCIAL – Wednesday, March 19 @ 5:30 p.m. - Meet your neighbors and get to know Doctors Hospital of Manteca. Food and beverages provided and prizes to be given away. Please sign up at the front desk.

DAFFODILS AT IRONSTONE & WINE TASTINGS – Thursday, March 20 @ 8:15 a.m. - Enjoy the acres of daffodils blooming at the winery and, in addition, there will be a wide assortment of daffodil varieties and other flowers blooming in wooden tubs. Enjoy wine tasting at Ironstone before you move on to Murphys Historic Hotel for a hosted threecourse lunch. Entrée choices are listed on the flyer. Enjoy a guided tour of the Ironstone Winery followed by an elegant private wine tasting that includes canapés. After lunch there will be two more wine tastings at Milliaire and Stevenot wineries.

Motorcoach, private tour, luncheon and three wine tastings. Price is $119 and reservations are through Setness Tours at 476-8486.

PASTA POTLUCK NIGHT – Tuesday, March 25 @ 5:30 p.m. – We will do a pasta night-- chicken with pasta or beef or shrimp, etc. Whatever you want to add to the pasta. Salads and desserts are also welcome. Coffee and water provided, but you may bring your beverage of choice. Your

dish should feed 8 to 10 people.

Sign up at the front desk.

SPEAKER SERIES – Thursday, March 27 @ 2 p.m. – Juanita and Terry Hall talk about their 500-mile walk in Camino Santiago, Spain. Sign up at the front desk.

WESSON HEARING PRESENTATION – Tuesday, April 15 @ 3 p.m. – Details to follow.

DOC DIXON’S COMEDY & MAGIC SHOW – Saturday, April 12 @ 7:30 p.m. - “Doc” Dixon is a performer who will give us a hilarious performance with magic tricks throughout the show. He has performed with Tonight Show’s Jay Leno and Comedy Central’s Dave Atell and Greg Geralso. The show is guaranteed to give us lots of laughter and magic. Tickets are $15 pp and go on sale Monday, March 3.

DOCTORS HOSPITAL PRESENTATION ON MAKO KNEE AND HIP REPLACEMENT – Tuesday, April 22 @ 6 p.m. – Get all of the information on the most current procedure with this new MAKO surgical equipment. Sign up at the front desk.

A DAY AT THE RACES – Saturday, April 26 Time TBD – Enjoy a day of horseracing at Golden Gate Fields located in Berkeley on the shore of San Francisco Bay. Reservation includes an elegant buffet in the Turf Club, the entry fee and coach transportation. The bus picks us up at the Clubhouse. Cost is $99.

Reservations are through Setness Tours (209) 476-8486.

POTLUCK NIGHT – Tuesday, April 29 @ 5:30 p.m. - From a resident’s request, we’re going to try something different by asking everyone to bring a colorful dish so the buffet table has a colorful look. Spaghetti (red), green vegetable, orange vegetable, and pasta (white) meat balls (brown), tomato salad (red), etc. Sample dishes are on the Potluck flyer. Signups taken at the front desk beginning March 26.

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Page 17 • March 2014

Woodbridge Owners Association Board-Appointed Committees ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW • Mike Wallick, Chair mike.wallick@pultegroup.com

FINANCE • Christine Carlson, Chair christine.carlson@pultegroup.com LIFESTYLE • Dodie Miller, Chair millerdodie@gmail.com 824-7927 POLICY & PROCEDURES • Norm Hauser, Chair hauserl18@yahoo.com 824-8582 •

Debby Hickey, Secretary 629-8737

PROPERTY & GROUNDS • Mike Spence, Chair mspence1740@gmail.com 924-8032 COMMUNICATION • Kayo Armstrong, Chair kayo.woodbridge@gmail.com 824-7831

• Deb Ristau, WBL Editor debristau@verizon.net 765-5058 • Carol Jo Hargreaves, Directory Chair cjohargreaves@verizon.net 988-5831

WELCOMING COMMITTEE • Cheryl Juarez, Co-Chair cheryl.juarez@sbcglobal.net 239-6962

• Sue Vernali, Co-Chair suemo52@comcast.net 923-4899

Refer a friend and we’ll thank you.

2,500 times to be exact.

GLENBROOKE We have just added

There has never been a better time for your

OVER TWO THOUSAND

friends to explore a new Del Webb community.

reasons for you to refer your friends

You already love your new Del Webb lifestyle, why

to the fabulous Del Webb lifestyle you have already

not share it with the people you care most about.

discovered. Right now you can receive $2,500

THE CLUB

for every person you introduce to us who purchases a new home in any Del Webb community in Northern California.

WOODBRIDGE

See the Woodbridge sales office for details: 1451 Americana Street • Manteca, CA 95336 • (209) 239-3099 • www.delwebb.com/woodbridge

SIERRA CANYON

*Residency requirements at Del Webb communities require that at least one resident of household must be 55 years of age or older, and additional restrictions apply. Some residents may be younger than 55. This referral payment offer is valid only on new purchase agreements for homes in the Del Webb community entered above and that are accepted by Del Webb on or after 9/1/11 and close escrow before 12/31/12. In addition to other terms, conditions and limitations established by Del Webb, the buyer may not be represented by a realtor or broker in connection with the purchase of the home, buyer must not have visited the community before the referral and buyer must register the referring party on buyer’s first visit to the community as required by Del Webb. Eligibility for receipt of a referral fee is subject to terms, conditions and limitations that have been established by Del Webb. In order to be eligible to receive a referral fee, both the buyer and referring party will be required to sign a separate document of Conditions, Restrictions and Certifications. If the document is not signed by both parties and delivered to Del Webb as required by Del Webb, and all of the terms, conditions and restrictions are not fulfilled, a referral fee will not be paid. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. This offer is subject to change or withdrawal at any time without notice. This material shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required or if void by law. © 2012 Pulte Home Corporation. All rights reserved. Pulte Home Corporation is a licensed California real estate broker (lic. #00876003).

www.ourwoodbridge.net From

Woodbridge LIFE

Page 19 • March 2014

HEARING page 14

• Do not bluff! Pretending you understand can make you look uninterested and stupid.

• Provide feedback and reminders as to how the person can improve their communication (slow down their speech, speak more clearly, talk louder).

• Request that a speaker rephrase a message you didn't understand.

• If you think you understood, but you are not certain, repeat back what you heard for verification.

• If you are too tired to concentrate, take a break or postpone your meeting.

Helpful Phrases to Use

"I would hear you better if I sat over there. Can we switch seats?"

"I really want to know what you're saying, but I can't hear you enough in here. Could we go over there and talk instead?"

"I heard that you want to go out to dinner, but I didn't catch what day or time you said."

“Oh, I didn't know you were talking to me. If you get my attention before you start talking, that would help me next time."

"Can you spell that word for me? I'm not understanding it clearly."

If you hear something funny that you assume is incorrect, share it. They might laugh with you and clarify: "Funny, I heard you say, "Tulip slice today." .... "No, I said, 'You look nice today!'"

"Seeing your lips helps me understand you. Can you move your hand away from your mouth?"

"It might not seem like I have a hearing loss because I can talk better than I can hear.”

"I have a hearing loss. It would help me if you: (be specific).

Saint Patrick's Day Dinner Monday, March 17

Sponsored by:

The Men of Woodbridge

Next Month

�

Next month I will offer help communicating with a person with a hearing loss.

By Carol Jo Hargreaves

C

ome and enjoy a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner hosted by the Men of Woodbridge on St. Patrick’s Day (Monday, March 17). Multipurpose Room doors open at 5 p.m.

Dinner will be served at your table beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Dinner includes corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, carrots, rolls with butter and dessert. Coffee and water will be provided but you may bring your beverage of choice.

Tickets are available for $8 per person at the front desk until Friday, March 14 or limit cap is reached. There will be no refunds if you buy a ticket and cannot attend.

It will be fun to see who wears the most green to this event!

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Fans•Lighting•Landscape Lighting•Recessed & Track Lighting•Lamps & Lamp Shades•Wall Clocks• Accessories for the Home• Tyler Candles Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:30pm Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm

209-823-1999 www.mantecalighting.com • mantecalighting@msn.com

Page 20 • March 2014

Woodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

The Woodbridge TEA "This signature event has morphed into a beautiful way to celebrate womanhood and our kinship with each other."

W

hew! Another highly successful Women’s Tea comes to a close. The hostesses really shined once again. I am so proud of them for creating such beautiful tablescapes. Their imagination depicted and clearly stated their theme. Nice going, ladies. You should pat yourselves on the back.

This could not happen without you.

The theme of “Americana” had 32 hostesses for the two-day event. Men of Woodbridge and our Veterans group served us.

Cynthia Bolin and Carole Pfoutz were instrumental, as well.

All in all, about 60 men and women brought this event to fruition.

Planning began in October when hostesses met each other for the first time and their sense of style became apparent. The women would share good news of a special

By Birdie Nieri, Tea chair and WOW president

item found for their table and call me with their excitement. Some women found that “special” little thing for another’s table. For me, someone had a baby doll high chair, someone else had a baby doll and a Marilyn doll and yet another had a Scarlet O’Hara doll. That’s how it happens. You get a theme, you think about it and talk about it and, voila, someone can help you with what you need.

As we have come to expect, the caterer from the Manteca Unified Vocational Academy did an outstanding job. We had a cream cheese/cucumber/red pepper sandwich, cheese puff pastries, chicken filled pastry, shortbread/ almond cookies, and two different scones. The meal was plentiful and decorative baggies were at each table in anticipation of leftovers for later. Some ladies brought dipped strawberries to share, curds, lemon

tea cookies and, of course, chocolates.

These hostesses did not miss a trick.

The décor was absolutely beautiful and stunning. The room began with black tablecloths and the matching chair covers purchased by WOW in December. The slate was set for drama. On display were a five-foot pirate ship mast with its bounty of gold spilling onto the table, a four-foot high windmill shadowing a farm scene from “America’s Heartland,” and aqua blue peacocks branching out of a huge white vase in “Proud as Peacocks.” A fourtiered Valentine said, “I Love You” to everyone. Yellow roses welcomed us to “Deep in the Heart of Texas” and next door to that was “Wine Country” and all its accessories.

“American Folk Heroes” gave us a history lesson while “Celebrating the USA” showed us who we are and the “July 4th Picnic” gave us cause

WBL photo by Volker Moerbitz.

Birdie Nieri, Tea chair and WOW president, writes of the Woodbridge Tea, "We had mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters and even granddaughters as guests this year. This was the first time friends and family have been invited to attend."

to reflect. Who wouldn’t recognize “America’s Favorite Pastime, Baseball” and want a hot dog? The colorful “Mardi Gras” table was beautiful. The “Fabulous '50s” and the “Pioneers of Rock 'n' Roll” tugged at memories of our youth.

The “So Cal Beach Party” made us feel warm while “Garden Time” gave us peaceful memories. The stunning “State Flowers” bouquet was abundant in size and aroma.

You could smell the chalk at “School Days.” The “San Francisco” scene was amazing with its handmade buildings and bridge. We got the giggles when we saw the baby at “Oh, Baby” and the pigs at “When Pigs Fly.” “Americana” was certainly on display. A vignette was set up near the kitchen showing items from our youth such as old pictures, an antique phone, cameras and odds and ends that flavored the event.

Two speakers entertained us with their humor and insight about being writers. Representatives from Manteca Unified School District described the needs of the homeless children's program. We are pleased to donate to their cause and raised even more money with two days of raffles.

This signature event has morphed into a beautiful way to celebrate womanhood and our kinship with each other. We had mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters and even granddaughters as guests this year. This was the first time friends and family have been invited to attend. I was happy to share and boast about where I live and share in my experience. I believe all involved were proud of what we created.

�

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Woodbridge LIFE

Page 21 • March 2014

Talent, creativity and a willingness to share...

T

By Jean Benner

alent, creativity and a willingness to share were in abundant supply as the Women of Woodbridge (WOW) recently transformed the Multipurpose Room into an amazing “Americana” themed tea house for the fourth annual event.

Enlisting the help of friends and family, 40 plus amazingly artistic women backed up their cars, trucks and SUVs and unloaded what appeared to be about everything they owned! Cart load after cart load made its way into the Multipurpose Room and the miracle began with lots of energy and laughter. Who knew work could be so much fun?

Birdie Nieri, the dynamic new president of WOW, has chaired the tea for the past three years and somehow manages to top the previous success each time. The tea is so successful that this year’s event was held twice to allow even more women to score a coveted ticket.

Those lucky enough to attend the tea were not disappointed. Table hostesses, excited and eager to share their table creations, greeted Woodbridge residents and their guests as they entered the room.

From Marcia Baugh’s elegant black and silver “San Francisco” themed table to Kayo Armstrong’s

Woodbridge Tea Hostesses and Themes: #1 - San Francisco Marcia Baugh #2 - School Days Kathleen Music & Geri Rogers #3 - Beach Party Louise Hill #4 - America’s Favorite Pastime Chris Russell & Kitty Bester Terry Cummings & Laurel Place

Swoon to publish her new contemporary series. Both speakers were excellent!

Proceeds from this year’s tea will again go to the Manteca Unified School District’s Health Services Department and its homeless student program. Guests of honor Lynda Donelson and Caroline Thibodeau, from the Health Services Department shared how the need for financial aid has grown this past year and thanked WOW for their continued support.

The homeless student WBL photo by Volker Moerbitz. program is just one of These gracious members of the Women of Woodbridge Group hosted tables at the Woodbridge Tea last many organizations month. According to WOW Secretary Karen Penzenstadler, the tea event raised $4,600 for the Homeless that WOW supports.

Children of Manteca Charity.

The proceeds from the February tea, Sip for “America’s Heartland” showcasing cheerful smiles and helping hands.

Scholarship Wine Tasting in May a black windmill centerpiece, each Those attending the Saturday tea and Oktoberfest touch many lives in tablescape was a unique, creative heard guest speaker Penny Warner. the Manteca community. interpretation of the theme.

An author, teacher and newspaper “We have the opportunity to make Attendees enjoyed scrumptious tea columnist, Penny has penned over a difference and improve lives in our time cuisine. Chicken salad pastry 70 books. Her humorous stories community – that’s our motivator,” cups, 21-layer cheese puffs and reminded us not to take ourselves said Birdie. She encourages women assorted fruit scones were among too seriously and enjoy life’s ride. of Woodbridge to join the WOW the delicious menu items created by Sunday tea attendees were treated group and enjoy the experience and the students of the Manteca Unified to guest speaker Lisa Sanchez, satisfaction of helping others. WOW Vocational Academy Culinary. The daughter-in-law of Woodbridge meets on the third Wednesday Men of Woodbridge, decked out in residents Al and Kaye Sanchez. of each month at 11 a.m. in the their red shirts, were once again Lisa has had a lifelong love and Multipurpose Room. there to lend support. The tea passion for writing and recently wouldn’t be the same without their

signed a three-book deal with

#5 - America’s Folk Heroes Genie Becker & Lorna Powell

#11 - Mardi Gras Cynthia Bolin

#17 - Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers Carol Turner

#6 - Deep in the Heart of Texas Connie Reed

#12 - July 4th Picnic Kaye Sanchez & Shirley McGuire

#18 - Celebrating the USA Sharon Tassano

#7 - Skulls Island Judy Mishoe

#13 - Wine Country Terri Heath & Debbie Klug

#19 - Valentine’s Day Kathy Dezotte & Margo Flanagan

#8 - When Pigs Fly Karla Hoyer

#14 - America’s Heartland Kayo Armstrong

#20 - Proud as Peacocks Mary DiMaggio & Denise Drewry

#9 - State Flowers Sandi Young & Carole Pfoutz

#15 - Oh, Baby Birdie Nieri

#10 - Garden Time Ruth Whitten

#16 - Fabulous '50s Heni Parcesepe & Donna Marples

Page 22 • March 2014

The

Woodbridge LIFE

MAN Page

 MEN OF WOODBRIDGE

O

By Bill Barnhart, Head Lugnut

He's a Class Act

Jerry Cox

By Ed Shoup

ur taco feed dinner was a great success and a lot of empty stomachs were satisfied. Thank you to all who attended and made it a success. Our next event is our Saint Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner Monday, March 17.

The cost will be $8 for all the corned beef, cabbage, red potatoes, carrots and cake you can eat. Where else can you get a great meal for that price? Our group decided to SERVE the meal to the residents purchasing a ticket. We will begin serving from

WHEELS OF WOODBRIDGE

5:30 p.m. Get your tickets early as there is a cut-off on ticket sales due to seating arrangements.

We have discussed how our group can better serve the needs of our community and have come up with several ideas which will be discussed in more depth at future meetings. If you are interested in joining the Men of Woodbridge Group and having some fun, we meet on the second Monday of the month in the Club Room at the Clubhouse at 10 a.m.

Have a great day and a better tomorrow!

Jerry Cox grew up on a farm near Cedar Rapids, Nebraska, and served in the Army Signal Corps in postwar Korea. With a Master’s Degree from the University of Nebraska, he taught high school business education for 36 years.

After extended correspondence and persistent courtship, Jerry married Janis Topinka in 1961.

They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by traveling to visit their wedding party. After both retired from Lincoln Public Schools, Jerry and Jan have enjoyed RV camping, his vintage cars, farming and especially living in Woodbridge near grandchildren in Sunnyvale.

Jerry purchased his first car, a 1936 Buick, just because it had good tires. Ten years later, he rescued a 1934 Chrysler Air Flow coupe from a salvage yard. He sold both cars 50plus years later in 2010, along with 27 other unrestored collector cars.

The ’34 Air Flow went to a retired police officer in New York City.

In Nebraska, Jerry maintains six restored cars including: a 1936 Oldsmobile, a 1951 Kaiser Dragon, a 1948 Chevy Cabriolet, a 1955 Chrysler hardtop, a 1979 Chrysler Cordova and a 1965 Corvair convertible. Vehicles still needing

www.ourwoodbridge.net

restoration include a 1929 Dodge, 1968 Volvo and Jerry and Jan’s honeymoon car, a 1950 Chevrolet coupe.

Jan frequently relates a family trip to Colorado in 1976. They planned to tent along the river in Big Thompson Canyon but U-turned on the Interstate to follow several Kaisers heading south to a classic Kaiser car meet. After tenting near Monument in a heavy downpour, the next morning they headed north again and heard about the disastrous flash flood in Big Thompson Canyon.

If not for Jerry’s love of old Kaisers, no doubt the death toll of 144 would have been increased by five!

That is why Jan has always been understanding of Jerry’s vintage car passion.

Jerry recently donated over 500 automotive books from his extensive collection to the Classic Car Collection in Kearney, Nebraska, and continues to rebuild and enjoy his library. His 1951 Kaiser early Dragon is a twin to a former student’s vehicle; these cars are rare due to their dragon-skin upholstery.

Both cars are Caribbean coral and were sold new in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Since his vehicles are all original, Jerry is hopeful of acquiring a modified classic car here in California for his driving pleasure and participation with the Wheels of Woodbridge club.

2012 WBL photo by Robert Philis.

The Men of Woodbridge (MoW) meet on the second Monday of the month in the Club Room at the Lakeview Clubhouse at 10 a.m. They welcome new members and especially encourage new residents to stop in and say hello. Paul Bowers, Nick Music and Ed Shoup are regular volunteers at MoW and other community events.

Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner served March 17

Photo courtesy of Jerry Cox. Proud owners of Kaiser cars, Jerry Cox (front left) and a friend in Nebraska.

www.landscapingbyben.com

Page 24 • March 2014

Woodbridge LIFE

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WOA Business  P&GC REPORT

I

By Mike Spence, Chair Property and Grounds Committee

am saddened to report that longtime and highly valued P&GC member, Robin Adams, has left the committee due to personal reasons.

During a recent inspection tour of Stockbridge Park and Panda Park, P&GC and staff noted that the pump house buildings were in need of repainting. We have some paint left over from the Clubhouse painting project last June. The open cans of paint have a shelf life of one year. Why not use them for this paint job? The buildings don’t belong to WOA; they’re owned by the City of Manteca. Bill Goodwin made an arrangement with the city and organized several residents to actually paint the sections of the buildings reachable from the ground. Staff will paint the surfaces that require a ladder to

access. At the January WOA Board meeting, an ad hoc subcommittee of P&GC was created to Mike Spence complete this task. Look for the painting to begin this spring.

Staking trees at our parks and along WOA owned parkways generates many questions from the residents.

All of the now WOA owned trees were planted by Pulte landscape contractors and later turned over to us. When each tree was planted, the guide stake that was taped or tied directly to the tree was removed and discarded. There is no need for these stakes once the tree has been removed from its nursery container.

During planting, a pair of two to three-inch stakes is driven into the native soil outside the root ball of the tree. The tree is loosely attached to the stakes with rubber-like straps.

When, in a few short years, the gauge or girth of the main body of the tree is the same size as the stakes, the straps are cut. The stakes remain with the cut straps flapping for

several weeks until our professional landscapers determine that the tree can stand alone. The stakes and straps have done their job and are recycled.

www.ourwoodbridge.net

 P&PC

By Norm Hauser, Chair Policy and Procedures Committee

Please remember that the best rules are common sense and common courtesy.

T

he Policy and Procedures Committee met on Monday, February 10. Two smaller work group sessions were held on February 11 and 13.

We continued our discussions of the rental policies and have now reduced the original document to three pages of policy information.

We have removed the operational details that will now be dealt with directly by our WOA staff. This new material will be finalized during our March meeting and then forwarded to the Board for their review.

During our March meeting, we will take up a review of current Group and Club Guidelines dealing with the subject of residents engaging in profit making activities on WOA facilities. I do not anticipate that this review will take long so I suggest that those of you who would like to take part in the discussion attend the meeting. You will have every opportunity to be heard and contribute to the final product.

You can find the Group and Club Guidelines under the Governing Documents section of our Portal.

As I noted in my Woodbridge Life article last month, requests for changes in the administration of Policies and Procedures can be

Woodbridge LIFE directed to the Executive Director by email or during the monthly Executive Director Listening Post sessions.

Comments can Norm Hauser also be made directly to the Board during the resident’s open input portion of any regular Board meeting or to our two Resident Directors during their monthly Express sessions (you can find the dates and times for all of these meetings in the community calendar section of our Portal).

We continue to seek the participation of our residents in our various meetings.

The Policy and Procedures Committee will meet next at 2 p.m. on the second Monday of March – March 10.

Page 25 • March 2014

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Page 26 • March 2014

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Clang! Clang! Clang!

By Phil Bookman

"Poppa! Poppa! Look at me,"

my five-year-old granddaughter cheered with delight ringing the bell of a 1927 LaFrance fire engine.

The fire engine purchased for the hefty sum of $10,750 still running and in pristine condition, is on display at the Manteca Historical Society and Museum. It is rolled out on special occasions such as July 4 parades.

Clang! Clang!

Enter the museum and see Manteca through the years, its people, originally Yokut Indians, now an ethnic mix of Portuguese, Swedes, Mexicans and Italians. A settlement of Russian immigrants left their mark on an area known today as the "Russian Colony."

See the uniforms they wore when wives and mothers bid farewell, not knowing what awaited their men on the battlefields of Europe.

Museum directors originally rented a small building which they outgrew in a relatively short period. They next purchased the old Methodist, Episcopal Church at Sequoia and West Yosemite, saying, "Give us the space and we will fill it."

Clang! Clang!

And they did with as many as 3,500 photographs, a Victorian parlor, blacksmith shop,1920s kitchen and other memorabilia of the times.

Evidence of the lives of these immigrants can be found through the museum's thousands of photographs.

We can imagine them marching off to war and returning to fields of grain.

Nearby, a second building is dedicated to the fire engine and horse drawn equipment, a miniature dairy, horse and buggy, tractor and an original Wells Fargo safe. An array of

farming equipment is also on display outdoors.

As the city grows, it's not difficult to imagine the museum growing with it.

There's a large band of docents ready to lead tours for adults and school children.

Admission: Free. All expenses are paid through membership fees and fundraisers.

Manteca Historical Society and Museum 600 W. Yosemite Ave. P.O. Box 907 Manteca, CA 95336

Telephone: 825-3021 or 982-0339

Hours:

Tuesday and Wednesday (1 to 3 p.m.)

Thursday and Sunday (1 to 4 p.m.) and by appointment.

WBL photo by Deb Ristau.

WBL photo by Deb Ristau.

WBL photo by Deb Ristau.

Photo courtesy of Phil and Mary Bookman.

This gem of a small museum reflects the once great agricultural heritage of South County and its people. It includes the vast Manteca Cream and Butter Co. (1896 to 1964) and the large Spreckles Sugar Co. (1916 to 1996).

A short spin from either Stockton or Modesto, the museum mirrors Manteca with its steady growth that today nears 70,000 people. Much growth has been fueled by the march of technology from the Bay Area.

Page 27 • March 2014

Top left: Phil Bookman's granddaughter peers through the steering wheel of Manteca's first motorized fire engine on display at the Manteca Historical Society and Museum on Yosemite Avenue. Top right: A Victorian era parlor. Bottom left: Milo Candini graduated from Manteca High School in 1935. In 1950 he became a member of the legendary "Whiz Kids" of the Philadelphia Phillies. Bottom right: The Manteca Depot sign from 1914 and a photo of a Southern Pacific 'Cab Forward' Mali engine, circa late 1930s.

Page 28 • March 2014

Woodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Work begins on Manteca's WWII Mural "

t’s started! On January 30 a bunch of veterans gathered at the new Manteca Transit Center and brainstormed to come up with ideas for the design of the large 16-foot-wide by 20-foot-high World War II mural to be painted and mounted at the northwest corner of Yosemite Avenue and Main Street. About 25 of us were there to offer our ideas. The Woodbridge community was well represented with about half of the group made up of Woodbridge Veterans.

The breadth of ideas presented included: U.S. cemeteries in France; bombing of Pearl Harbor; the role of faith and religion; military medics; contributions made by people at home who

supported the war effort, the human loss by families at home and many, many more.

The plan is for the Manteca Mural Society committee to evaluate the ideas and to develop a short list which will then be presented at a future public meeting to be announced in the Manteca Bulletin. When the ideas are finalized, the Mural Committee will ask potential artists to submit mock-ups of how they would interpret those ideas into a mural

!

s a r G i

d r a M M

By Mike Spence

ardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday,” is the last day of a week-long celebration often called Carnival, Latin for “Farewell to the Meat.” In Germany Mardi Gras is called Fastnacht, “Eve of the Fast.” Mardi Gras is also called Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day in Great Britain), derived from the Latin shrive “to confess.” I thought Mardi Gras was about parades, throwing beads and partying in general. Why all the food references?

Mardi Gras has its roots in early Christianity, but it’s not a religious holiday. Early Catholic Church teachings established Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. Easter is not a fixed date nor is Mardi Gras. The six

weeks preceding Easter are called Lenten or Lent and begin on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a somber Christian season for preparation for Easter marked by fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. Now I understand.

Mardi Gras is like the last big summer party before school starts.

Mardi Gras is celebrated worldwide, especially in predominantly Catholic and Anglican communities. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, has by far the largest celebration attracting over two million spectators to its version, Carnival. New Orleans, LA, has been celebrating Mardi Gras since 1872 and is the largest venue in the United States. The size and perceived success of the celebration are measured somewhat differently in New Orleans. They count cups, doubloons and beads thrown. The beads are in strands, the cups are paper (affectionately known locally as “New Orleans Dinnerware”) and the doubloons are aluminum, not

"

I

By Bill Barnhart

painting. The mock-ups will be judged and a winner selected to paint the actual mural.

There will eventually be five murals at the Yosemite and Main location.

The WWII mural is the second,

gold. These trinkets are thrown by the participants on the parade floats to the nearby spectators, not vice versa. Recent counts were: 2 million cups, 3.5 million doubloons and 50 million beads.

The New Orleans version of Mardi Gras is loosely organized around parades that now number eight over several days. The parades do not have themes. Each entrant is organized by an established “krewe” (crew) and charges its members a fee to finance the float and other costs.

Each entry has its own theme for its float, band and/or entourage. The first krewe leader or “Rex” (king) decreed that the colors for all future parades would be violet for justice, green for faith and gold for power.

During the 1980s, a curious new activity began to appear at Mardi Gras, the “wardrobe malfunction.”

In the evenings after the parades, spectators would congregate in the French Quarter, especially Bourbon Street with its top notch restaurants and numerous bars. Apparently one of the revelers offered the coin of the realm of the day, beads, to a young lady, to “malfunction.” She did and it became ever so popular. I don’t know if the voluntary malfunction is

following the “Eaglehearts” mural representing the War on Terror already completed at that location.

The budget for each of the murals is approximately $25,000 plus many, many volunteer hours.

now considered a tradition at Mardi Gras, but it is more organized.

With more malfunctions, someone realized that the balconies lining Bourbon Street provided great spectator vantage points and a great place to throw beads down to the crowd. So today, all of the Bourbon Street balconies are leasable. The waiting time for such a lease is five years and the bidding is fierce.

Hope you got tickets for our very own Mardi Gras party here at Woodbridge on March 1.

Bring on the beads!

WBL photo by Deb Ristau.

Beads with the krewe emblem like these from the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club Krewe are highly prized at Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Woodbridge LIFE

Page 29 • March 2014

Manteca's history, told by its Murals Story and photos by Volker Moerbitz

W

Farming

elcome back to our Manteca Mural Tour. Last month, we visited the first people who called the Central Valley their home.

Today, we are going to move on to the first new arrivals. A mural at Library Park, called Farming, honors those pioneers.

Two horses carry a heavy load of hay, a woman leads two head of cattle and three pioneers overlook the valley and its potential. Their dream - still in a cloud - is shown in the center of the mural: a prospering farm with several buildings, horses and a railroad connection. It would take four decades until all these dreams

"The end of the Gold Rush left thousands of people stranded in California and many of them realized that California had a lot more to offer than gold and decided to make the Golden State their home."

crops were planted along the Stanislaus River. In 1846, a group of 20 Mormons arrived by ship and started a settlement in what is now Ripon. Their farm was flooded and abandoned only one year later, but word got out that the land between the San Joaquin and Stanislaus Rivers offered a rare combination of good soil, fresh water and favorable climate conditions.

The end of the Gold Rush left thousands of people stranded in California and many of them realized that California had a lot more to offer than gold and decided to make the Golden State their home. Those first settlers attracted still others. Amongst them was then nineteen-yearold Joshua Cowell, born in Tioga, New York. In 1861, Cowell joined a pioneer trek driving an ox team across the plains. After a brief "Their dream - still in a cloud - is shown in the center of the mural: a prospering farm with several buildings, stop in Nevada, he horses and a railroad connection. It would take four decades until all these dreams materialized, but the seed crossed the mountains was – literarily – planted by these first settlers." materialized, but the seed was – literarily – planted by these first settlers.

Two months ago, we talked about the French-Canadian fur trappers, the first non-native people to set foot in the valley in 1832. Their annual visits lasted until 1845, and just one year later, the first

on foot and settled in San Joaquin County, building his house at what is now the crossroad of Main Street and Yosemite Avenue. Forty-five years later, when Manteca was incorporated, Joshua Cowell owned about 1,000 acres in and around Manteca and became the town’s first mayor.

During those years, Manteca grew from a 50-soul hamlet to a thriving farming community with 2,000 inhabitants. The railroad reached the town in 1873 and irrigation started under Cowell’s supervision in 1913. At that time, Cowell’s farm looked pretty much like the dream-farm in the center of the mural.

Joshua Cowell is rightfully called the “Father of Manteca,” but this mural also rightfully honors Manteca’s grandmothers and grandfathers -- pioneers whose names got lost in time but whose dreams still live on.

The mural is located at Library Park at the southwest corner of Center Street and Poplar Avenue.

It was created by Manteca’s mural artist, Jessie Marinas in 2012.

�

Page 30 • March 2014

Woodbridge LIFE

Day Trips to consider this month DAY TRIPS OFFERED THROUGH MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE

I

By Carol Jo Hargreaves

f you are looking for ideas for your next day trip, the Modesto Junior College Community Education department is offering six reasonably priced day trips in March and April.

All of the trips leave from West Campus on Blue Gum in Modesto where there is plenty of space to leave your car. For more information and to register, call 575-6063 or go to http://www.mjc. edu/community/enroll/commed/ commed-classes/, scroll down and follow the links to Day Trips.

AT&T Park Tour & Lunch

Saturday, March 1, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. $83 This trip takes you on a tour of the AT&T Park where home runs can be "splash hits" and the breathtaking Bay view rivals the action on the field. A behind-the-scenes guided tour includes visits to View Level, a Luxury Suite, Club Level, Visitors’ Clubhouse and Field Level including dugouts and batting cage.

Following the tour, you will enjoy an all-American lunch of premium beef hot dog, potato salad, soda, water and cookie. After leaving the ballpark, you will have free time at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Exploratorium - Pier 39

Saturday, March 8, 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. $65 The price of this trip includes admission to the Exploratorium and chartered bus transportation.

In 2013 the Exploratorium opened a 330,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor space at Pier 15 on the San Francisco waterfront, providing three times more overall space than the original Palace of Fine Arts location. On this trip you will explore more than 600 indoor and outdoor exhibits, 1.5 acres of free, outdoor space featuring a public plaza, promenade, a bayside restaurant, a plaza-side café and the Exploratorium Store with interactive exhibits. After leaving the Exploratorium, you will enjoy afternoon free time at Pier 39.

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Saturday, March 15, 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. $48 The price for this trip includes chartered bus transportation only.

Carmel has consistently been voted one of the top tourist and visitor destinations in the country and after visiting you understand why. Within the quaint European-style village, visitors can relax, unwind and enjoy the peaceful European ambience.

With the art galleries, antique shops, boutiques, small intimate cafes and restaurants, Carmel promises visitors hours of discovery. On this trip the day is yours to spend as you wish.

Enjoy a no-host lunch as well as the beach and many shops. There will be a brief stop at Casa de Fruta on the way to and from Carmel.

Macy’s Spring Flower Show

Sunday, March 23, 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. $47 The price for this trip includes both guided tour and transportation.

Macy’s Flower Show began in 1946 at Macy’s Union Square, becoming the first department store flower show.

In addition to serving as the official celebration for the start of the spring season, Macy’s Flower Show is also a prime showcase for some of the City’s most renowned floral and entertaining designers. The one-of-kind creations are stunning centerpieces, each of which conveys the personal style of the designer. A guided tour is included. Discover all the details about this year’s flowers and plants, plus get a behind-the-scenes look at the celebration. The remainder of the day is yours to enjoy a no-host lunch and shopping.

Mama Mia - Orpheum Theatre

Saturday, April 5, 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. $142 The price includes the matinee performance in Center Orchestra seating and chartered bus transportation.

Playing for a very limited time in San Francisco, this smash hit musical is about a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father on the eve of her wedding. It is set to the disco beat and storytelling magic of Abba’s greatest hits, including “Dancing Queen,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You”

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Woodbridge Ladies' Bible Study Group plans Second Annual Retreat

By Kayo Armstrong

“Royal Treasures” is the theme for this year’s one-day ladies' retreat hosted by the Woodbridge Ladies’ Bible Study group. This is the second annual event of this type and promises to be bigger and better than last year.

“Royal Treasures” one-day retreat is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and will be held at the historic River Mill in French Camp. Tickets are $65 and include continental breakfast, gourmet lunch, afternoon treats, raffle items from local artisans and self-guided tours of the gorgeous River Mill flowering gardens.

Attendees will also enjoy keynote speaker Barbara Webb, live music, choral groups, drama and dance coordinated by Woodbridge Singers Director Elizabeth Cunning.

A Woodbridge resident and conference/retreat leader for more than 40 years, Barbara Webb is this year’s guest speaker.

Barbara is a seminary graduate with a Masters in Divinity who has traveled on mission trips to remote villages in Africa and smuggled Bibles into the former USSR. According to Woodbridge and “Take a Chance on Me.” Mama Mia weaves an enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship. You will be dropped off and given free time at Union Square for a no-host lunch and shopping before being picked up and dropped off at the Orpheum Theatre.

After the performance, the bus will pick you up. This trip will sell out very quickly. Call today: 575-6063.

California Academy of Sciences

Saturday, April 12, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. $69 The price includes chartered bus transportation and admission to the Academy of Sciences.

Singers Director Elizabeth Cunning, “Barbara loves speaking at women’s events and we are delighted to feature her. Among other aspects of her life in ministry, Barbara will share her own personal miracle of walking - and dancing – after being confined to a wheelchair for seven years.”

Last year’s event sold out with 75 ladies in attendance, so the group has reserved a larger venue to accommodate 100 guests this year. For more information or to purchase a ticket, contact Virginia Anderson at 624-3464.

The Woodbridge Ladies’ Bible Study began about five years ago in Woodbridge homes and is led by Carolyn Johnson. Today, with more than 50 members, the group meets every Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Calvary Church on Lathrop Road. Carolyn said, “The current study is a ‘Women of Faith’ series entitled, ‘Living Above Worry and Stress.’ All women are welcome.”

If you are interested in joining the Woodbridge Ladies’ Bible Study group, please contact Carolyn Johnson at 2390936.

�

The California Academy of Sciences is a world class scientific and cultural institution. A single building houses an aquarium, a planetarium and a natural history museum filled with hundreds of innovative and engaging exhibits. You may explore the academy located in Golden Gate Park across from the de Young Museum at your own pace. Choose from two dining spots as well as satellite food stations for your no-host lunch.

THERE ARE DAY TRIPPIN' OPTIONS GALORE AVAILABLE. CALL A FRIEND OR MAKE NEW FRIENDS ON THE TRIP. PICK A DATE. MAKE A PLAN. GO!

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Woodbridge LIFE

Where in the world ?

Page 31 • March 2014

Wow! Woodbridge LIFE has been circling the globe with our wandering residents! We will do our best to include ALL travel photographs, but space and clarity will dictate. Preference will go to those not featured in previous editions and, yes, to those in exotic locales and interesting photo ops! Send images electronically to WBLIFE2012@GMAIL.COM using high resolution or actual size. Thank you for your contributions. We're happy that you continue to enjoy Woodbridge LIFE. If your picture isn't here, look for it on page 38. Keep sending them in electronically. We no longer accept print photos.

Bryan and Jeannie Tebbutt on Kauai in January.

Clive and Judy Snedker in North Sydney, having just walked across the Sydney Harbor Bridge (fondly called "The Coat Hanger" by the locals), after a New Zealand and Australia cruise.

Sandi and Butch Larson at the Kula Lodge on Maui in February.

Hilda Urban enjoyed Christmas at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido, CA. Arthur Duncan (right) is a former tap dancer on the Lawrence Welk TV show.

Kay Green enjoying a beautiful day on Mount Wellington, in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Send travel photos to WBLIFE2012@gmail.com

Please use highest resolution and type WB TRAVEL in the subject line. All travel photos MUST be submitted electronically.

Woodbridge LIFE

Page 32 • March 2014

Garden Tasks for March

By Sandi Larson, Master Gardener

W

ell, I’m sure all of you are fearing hearing the “D” word. I’ve had a hunch it was coming based on our poor rainfall numbers over the last couple of months, but even with the rain we had in February, they aren’t saying we’re out of the woods.

Yup – we are in a full-blown DROUGHT! Just when you thought that by putting in all those flowering shrubs, annuals and water-thirsty fruit trees you would have the perfect yard – it’s time to rethink everything we’re doing in our landscape and even our bathing habits! I wasn’t fortunate (or unfortunate) to have lived here during the last California drought so I’m not used to watching my water usage.

I decided to grab a few articles on how to handle the drought and decide what I needed to share with my Woodbridge family.

What I share is a compilation of several articles on the drought, mostly from the University of California article available to the public and Master Gardener articles.

Sandi Larson

3.

4.

A few things to think about:

1. Be sure to check your sprinkler irrigation system to make sure it is running efficiently and there are no problems with broken, clogged or missing sprinkler heads or emitters in your drip system. Check that your plants aren’t blocking the spray of the sprinkler and that there is still a plant where there is a drip emitter.

2. You don’t have to replant your yard to achieve lower water usage. Once trees, shrubs and ground covers are “established” (normally after two years), they can do

5.

6.

7.

fine with 20 to 40 percent less irrigation than they currently receive.

No California native or landscape plant is droughtresistant until it becomes established. All plants require a steady supply of water during the first few months or year. What this means for you newcomers who are just planting your yards is that you won’t be able to “not water” your plants. On the other hand, if you’re still designing a yard, you may want to find out about more California natives or plants that survive drought better.

Can I save a lot of water by not planting a lawn? That depends primarily on what you put in its place and how well it’s managed.

If you put in plants but don’t cut back on your irrigation, you may not save any water.

If we are to conserve water, it is best to increase the run times but extend the number of days between waterings. Established plants will have deeper root systems than newly planted shrubs and trees.

If possible, hold off on fertilizing plants and lawns. Fertilizing encourages growth.

You can safely reduce irrigation on your trees, shrubs and other plants by 20 to 40 percent because over-irrigating is very common. You should try to adjust the watering gradually over a few weeks so plants can

adjust to less water, particularly if it’s more than a 10 percent reduction.

8. The best time of day to water is still in the early morning hours before the wind is an issue.

Evaporation is also lower in the early hours.

9. How do I prioritize my plants?

If our watering should be severely restricted – say the City of Manteca says we can only water two times a week – how would I know what to save? First, you would want to continue to water landscape trees and shrubs but only when needed. Mature trees and shrubs are expensive to replace and take a long time to mature fully so they are harder to replace. They are staples in our landscape. Second, you would want to continue to water perennials, fruit and nut trees, small fruits and vegetables and lawn that is less than a year old.

The last group that you should consider - which is a low priority - would be your annual flowering plants and herbs, ornamental grasses and established turf.

10. A few deep, thorough waterings spaced several weeks apart from spring through summer can be enough to keep most trees and shrubs alive during a drought situation.

11. During a drought year, the best time to plant landscape plants is during the fall or winter to take advantage of the cool weather as well as moisture from possible rains or frost. You can prepare

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your site during the spring or summer but, ideally, wait until the fall or winter to plant.

12. How often should you water newly planted shrubs or trees?

The rootball needs to be kept moist until the roots break through to the native soil. That may require frequent watering in the first few weeks and regular watering the first year.

Adding mulch around the plant can delay the evaporation and can reduce irrigation need by as much as 50 percent.

13. I was totally surprised to see that the City of Manteca only asks us to follow the water saving measures from the time Daylight Saving Time comes in until it ends in the fall. Our drought didn’t start in March; it started back in November so I’m surprised they didn’t address this a little sooner.

14. The City of Manteca is also discussing whether to give residents an incentive for tearing out their lawns and going with a Xeriscape landscaping. Xeriscape is a type of landscaping that minimizes the use of water.

Again, this will only work if you are willing to cut back on your watering.

15. Finally, if you are just planning your landscaping, make sure you research plants that are possibly native to California or native to a Mediterranean climate. Some of these plants have roots in our mountainous regions and do need a cooler

BACKPAIN????????

Call

DR. JON SERAFIN B.S. D.C. At

Lathrop Chiropractic 16972 S. Harlan Rd. Lathrop, CA 95330 Ph (209) 858-1029 www.docserafin.com

www.ourwoodbridge.net climate, so do your research.

Local nurseries can also be a good source of help when choosing drought tolerant plants.

16. Online you can check out the UC Davis Arboretum All Stars or the Sunset Plant Finder for ideas. Our zone is the USDA Zone 9 and we are in the Sunset Zone 14. Locally you can visit the San Joaquin Ag Building at 2101 E. Earhart Road, Stockton, near the Stockton Airport and see our demonstration garden which contains many plants that are low water use once established.

B

ecause I’ve taken so much space addressing the drought in our landscape, I only have sufficient space to briefly address regular chores this month: Aphids may start to become active now. If possible, spray off with a stream of water. If necessary, use the 12-month pest control which comes in either a granular or concentrated liquid form. I have not seen as many snails and slugs this winter with our lack of rain.

This is a good month to have your irrigation checked out for leaks or

Woodbridge LIFE breaks and, in light of the drought, this should be a priority for all of us.

March is a good month to start tomato seeds indoors on a southfacing windowsill. Hold off on planting tomatoes and peppers until near the end of the month. The last frost date in our area is generally by the end of March.

A resident asked me about fertilizing his lawn. Normally, we would be fertilizing our lawns this month but, remember, a fertilized plant takes on rapid growth which is going to require more water to sustain it.

Garden events this month to consider: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, March 19-23 at the San Mateo Event Center. Filoli in Woodside has many plants in bloom in March including spring bulbs and Chinese Wisteria. For a complete list of plants in bloom in March go to www.Filoli.org and to“Blooming Calendar.”

Beautiful!

Page 33 • March 2014

Page 34 • March 2014

ATTENTION! Please refer to the portal at www.ourwoodbridge. net for detailed information regarding WOA Groups and Clubs.

Beginning next month, we will change these two pages of Woodbridge LIFE. Page 34 will include a list of all groups and clubs with contact names and phone numbers only. Page 35 will include the two calendars of major activities/events for easy reference, but the time of day will be eliminated. Times tend to change often. Activity descriptions, dates, times, prices, and more will still be provided on page 17, by Activities Director Dodie Miller.

We encourage ALL groups and clubs to submit articles, photos and information of interest to residents to WBLIFE2012@gmail.com.

The Publication Committee is currently working with the Softball Club to facilitate a "WOA Goup and Club Faire" to be held in early May. An planning meeting will be scheduled and information posted on the portal and in the next issue of Woodbridge LIFE. We encourage a representative from each of the groups and clubs listed at right to participate in both the planning and the Faire. Detailed information will be posted on the portal and we will send an email to the group representative on file as well. This is also a good opportunity for anyone with an idea for a new group or club to brainstorm with others and see if there is enough interest to make it happen.

ATTENTION!

Woodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

WOA Groups and Clubs:

Club, Group Artists & Crafters Painters Quilters Bocce Ball Book Club Bridge Bunco Chair Volleyball Cribbage Crochet/Knitting Dance - Ballroom Line Dancing Drama Game Night Grandparents Hand & Foot Cards

Day Mon/Wed/Fri Monday 2nd Friday Sunday 1st Wednesday Monday 3rd Monday Tuesday Tuesday Thursday Thursday Mon/Wed/Fri Thursday Fri/Sat

Time 9 a.m.

5:30 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

2 p.m.

10:30 a.m.

11 a.m.

6:30 p.m.

5 p.m.

7 p.m.

10 a.m.

4:15 p.m.

9:15 a.m.

1 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Wed/Fri/Sun Thursday 2nd Monday

Men of Woodbridge

1 p.m.

7 p.m.

10 a.m.

Mexican Train Dominoes Tuesday Thursday Neighbors Helping Neighbors Neighborhood Watch Paddle Tennis Pickleball

Contact Nedra Ball

Phone 815-9309

ACR Ray Pfoutz Reneé St. Lawrence Don St. Lawrence Mary Braun Jacquie Steffy Dave Steffy Reneé St. Lawrence Patti Barnhart Patti Barnhart Anne Madrid Pat Buxton Claudia Watkins Ann King

239-0387 825-7137 825-7137 239-0409 825-4805 825-4805 825-7137 629-8838On 629-8838 824-5725 239-8663 823-8678 815-9805

Terrell Estes

824-7464

Monika Hunt 6 p.m.

10 a.m.

7 p.m.

8 a.m.

7 p.m.

1 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

TBA Varies 3:30 p.m.

9 a.m.

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

Varies 10:30 a.m.

6 p.m.

11 a.m.

7 p.m.

824-7295

Bob Hall 239-5712 Bob Hall 239-5712 Robert Philis 239-1542 Call Robert for time change info

Claudia Watkins

823-8678

Al Sanchez 239-8235 Joe Victoria 815-9343 Bob Umberger 239-2983 John Green 239-5256 Carla Marquardt 624-3754 Mel Topping 239-8718 Bob Hall 239-5712 Nick Music 825-9451 Dave Reed 239-5175 Bill Barnhart 629-8838 Jon Ford 815-9803 Birdie Nieri 624-3779 Elizabeth Cunning 647-4380

Non WOA Sanctioned Clubs:

Club Christian Men 55ers RV Group Indoor Walking Class Red Hat Ladies Senior Bowling Women's Bible Study

Day Varies Varies Mon/Wed/Fri Varies Tuesday Friday

Time

8:30 a.m.

1 p.m.

1 p.m.

Contact Mel Reynolds Sue Edmiston Jacque Reynolds Claudia Watkins Barbara Silva Carolyn Johnson

Phone 624-3768 601-9210 629-8508 823-8678 824-0262 239-0936

Please refer to www.ourwoodbridge.net for more detailed information

ACR AR BBC BLDR BR

Arts & Crafts Room Andover Room Bocce Ball Courts Billiard Room Bristol Room

CR DK DWF FITC

Club Room Demo Kitchen Del Webb Field Fitness Center

GPC Golf Putt Course IP Indoor Pool LBRY Library LVC Lakeview Clubhouse

BBC CR CR CR MPR MPR ACR MPR MPR MPR CR Varies ACR ACR CR CR CR

1 p.m.

7 p.m.

Monday Weekdays Mon/Fri Ladies' Doubles Tue/Thu Men's Doubles Wed Pinochle Monday Thursday Poker Wednesday Friday Radio Controlled Flyers TBA Second Chance Band Varies Strummin' Wonders Monday Tennis Sun/Tue/Thu Trivia (Fun Trivia) 3rd Tuesday Veterans 2nd Monday WB Softball See Schedule Wheels of Woodbridge 1st Tuesday Wine 101 Varies Women of Woodbridge 3rd Wednesday Woodbridge Singers Alternate Mondays

Location ACR

MPR Multipurpose Room OP Outdoor Pool PATIO Outdoor BBQ & Patio TPC Tennis & Pickelball Courts

PMH PP QR SBP

Varies TPC TPC TPC TPC TPC LVC LVC LVC LVC Varies CR/ACR TPC CR MPR DWF CR MPR MPR MPR

Location Varies Varies MPR Varies Strike Zone Varies

Pulte Model Homes Panda Park Quincy Room Stockbridge Park

2014 WMarch oodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Page 35 • March 2014

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1

March Activities

6:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Party

2

3

4

5

6

7

9

10

11

6:30 p.m. Swingin’ Blue Stars of the USS Hornet

12

Noon Ladies’ Luncheon 6 p.m. Wine 101

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

6:30 p.m. Thorson Financial Dinner Presentation

5 p.m. – MOW St. Patrick’s Day Dinner

6:30 p.m. Real Estate Forum by The Lori’s

5:30 p.m. Pasta Potluck Night

6 p.m. Newcomers Social Get-together

5:30 p.m. Doctors Hospital Wine & Cheese Social

6 p.m. Board Meeting

8:15 a.m. Daffodils @ Ironstone 6 p.m. Wheels of Woodbridge Potluck 2 p.m. Speaker Series

► All regularly scheduled club and group meeting dates and times are listed on page 34.

April Activities Sunday

Monday

9 a.m. CPR Class 1 p.m. Facility Rental

WOA meetings also listed on pages 4-5, 24-25.

April 2014

Tuesday 1

8

Wednesday 2

6 p.m. Wine 101

Thursday 3

Friday 4

Saturday 5

11 a.m. Facility Rental

Softball Opening Day 3

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

11 a.m. Facility Rental

3 p.m. Wesson Hearing Presentation

6 p.m. Doctors Hospital MAKO Presentation

5:30 p.m. Potluck Night

12 p.m. Ladies’ Luncheon

3 p.m. Board Meeting

7:30 p.m. Variety Comedy Show

11 a.m. Facility Rental

10:30 a.m. A Day At The Races

Woodbridge LIFE

Page 36 • March 2014

All our Woodbridge clients are “sweethearts” in our eyes... why not come and check out what they see in us. Call us today for a FREE consultation!

Thorson Financial Estate

o

Resident Ads

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We have provided over five years of care for Del Webb pets in their homes. Call Don and Margo Dryden at 239-4802.

Management, Inc. 1101 Standiford Ave., C2 www.thorsonfinancial.com (209 ) 522-0250 Office Thomas K. Thorson, RFC, ChFC®

Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, and advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc., Thomas Thorson, Representative. California Insurance License #0712011. Thorson Financial Estate Management, Inc. and the Securities America companies are separate entities. www.edwardjones.com

So Much Planning Goes into Retirement.

Have You Thought About Taxes As Well?

It’s likely that your retirement income may come from many sources, such as Social Security, pension distributions, a 401(k) or IRA withdrawals. That’s why, if taxes are a concern for you, it’s important to choose the right investments for your portfolio.

At Edward Jones, we have many options that can give you more control over your taxes, so you can enjoy what you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax advice. You should consult with a qualified tax specialist for professional advice on your specific situation.

Call today to see how our unique, faceto-face approach makes us best suited to help long-term investors meet their current needs and future financial goals.

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1144 South Main Street Manteca, CA 95337 209-824-1000

FDI-5333-A

Member SIPC

►PET AND PEOPLE SERVICE Four years exp. with pets and people too.

Great ref. available.

Call 624-3577 or email usstwo@yahoo.com.

NOTE: Woodbridge LIFE will no longer offer our Resident Ads classified advertising section. We are happy to have provided this service in the past.

Residents may still place ads on the Woodbridge Owners Association portal at www.ourwoodbridge.net.

Modesto, CA 95350

FUNDING STRATEGIES FOR SENIOR LIVING

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Reflections:

By Fran Benavidez

Here at Woodbridge we all live in beautiful new homes that we love. But I think many of you can relate to this short message written by my friend, freelance writer Fran Benavidez about her husband Isaac. Isaac has been the DJ for a few of our Veterans events. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. ~ Deb Ristau, WBL Editor

I

'm thankful for the widening cracks in the ceiling of my very old home, along with the uneveness of the weary floor beneath my feet, and how as a fine, upstanding mortgage-paying homeowner, I should look into repairing both. But today I'm thankful just to have a foreclosure-free home, cracks and all.

I'm thankful for the toothy saw sitting in my garage, patiently waiting to be called into action; a rusting testament to remodeling plans never started or finished. My kitchen cabinets could use some updating, even as Home Depot coos mating songs to me from around the corner. But so does In N Out Burger, and #1 wins every time.

I count my blessing every time my husband suggests we spend the weekend "spackling the cracks," which is code for "Let's pack the overnighter, hop in the Buick, and go wine tasting!" I'm thankful we speak the same language.

For over 10 years, Isaac and I have been passionate and devoted partners, thanks to roads less traveled we took to be together. It was in this simple house situated on a well-worn street that we glided across uneven floors to exchange wedding vows. Our gracious family and friends remain blind to building blemishes and the bumpy floors we've danced upon. The tiny kitchen continues to dish out memorable meals and merriment, while Home Depot has yet to be invited.

I'm thankful for Isaac reaching around the can of spackle and grabbing the corkscrew, grinning, "Cracks? I don't see any cracks!"

Bless his heart, he always looks past the flaws.

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Woodbridge LIFE

Page 37 • March 2014

WE HAVE PLENTY OF GOLF CARTS & GOLF CART ACCESSORIES TO CHOSE FROM...

CALL US FOR ALL YOUR GOLF CART NEEDS.

We sell top quality refurbished Golf Carts with 30 day warranty, all of our carts are thoroughly inspected prior to selling. We offer a full service shop with an experienced mechanic who will take care of all your golf cart needs, whether it is a simple tune-up, a repair or even a custom built cart.

We also sell all the accessories you want or need at a discounted price, including covers, batteries & chargers, seat belts, lights & blinker kits. We can either install the parts and/or accessories or you can chose to install them yourself.

“SEE WHAT YOU'VE BEEN MISSING”

Window Cleaning Pressure Washing Gutter Cleaning *Prices starting at $111* Call for a free estimate We've been in business for over 30 years. Relax and leave everything to us; We are Licensed, Insured & Bonded

Manteca, CA 95336 (209) 239-8906

Page 38 • March 2014

Woodbridge LIFE

www.ourwoodbridge.net

Where in the world ?

Wow! Woodbridge LIFE has been circling the globe with our wandering residents! We will do our best to include ALL travel photographs, but space and clarity will dictate. Preference will go to those not featured in previous editions and, yes, to those in exotic locales and interesting photo ops! Send images electronically to WBLIFE2012@GMAIL.COM using high resolution or actual size. Thank you for your contributions. We're happy that you continue to enjoy Woodbridge LIFE. If your picture isn't here, look for it in the coming months and keep sending them in! Sorry, we can no longer accept print photos.

Lois and Keith Wiednehoeft (left) invited Tony and Mary Braun to Cancun for two weeks in January. They said, "Everyone had a great time."

Al and Sandra Nevares took their granddaughters to Phil's Fish Market in Moss Landing for lunch. They said, "The food was great!"

Lynn and Maureen Whitaker sailed on the Azamara Quest for two weeks from Costa Rica to Los Angeles. It was to celebrate Lynn's 90th birthday. They said, "It was the best cruise ever. The ship, service and food were awesome."

Carla Marquardt visited friends in Waukesha, WI and for two days. She said, "The high was nine degrees below zero."

Send travel photos to WBLIFE2012@gmail.com

Please use highest resolution and type WB TRAVEL in the subject line. All travel photos MUST be submitted electronically.

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New Sliding Security Door!

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Over Security Doors to choose from!

Package Deals on Gutter Clean and Dryer Vent Service!