They are doing it AGAIN! Bashas' Farmers Market

Along with the Farmers Market, there will be SNOW (shaved ice?) and pictures with Santa.

In case it is hard to read the picture, we are talking Dec. 5, this Saturday from 8am -1pm.

See you there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I actually get to be a part of TWO events like this one today. I don't need that much food, but I DO need that much family.

And that is what I am most thankful for today - family. I won't lie to you, it holds the greatest pains of my life, but has made the greatest contributions as well. I will just call out Grandma Leatha today, who never tired of having grandkids spend the night, and would get up to fix us an amazing breakfast, complete with a time in prayer and the Bible.

And I get to go to work in her home, remembering. I am blessed.

Turkey Oil in the Tank

Read this.

This is the real deal. If you are deep frying your Turkey today or tomorrow, you can drop off the used oil at the places listed in the article, and a Gilbert company will turn it into biodiesel. It will then likely get used in vehicles in Gilbert.

This is one of those green efforts that is not going to change the world, but why not do it anyway? Our sewage treatment plant doesn't need the grease, and biodiesel works in the Valley where the temperatures don't turn it to goo.

Gilbert among the safest cities

This is good news, isn't it?

Now, the thing to remember is that being among the safest is not the same as no risk. Plus, we don't want to tempt the bad guys either. So, just as the police officer at our annual meeting said, let's keep those garage doors closed, and cars outside locked and our eyes open for activity that doesn't make sense. And then rest comfortably, knowing we live in a safe community.

Gilbert Forum

This article gets it about right. I was a part of the Forum, and I would say it was a good deal. The article does not really communicate that the mayor's goal was to inform Gilbert residents who could serve as ambassadors for these projects, through their relational networks.

And, yes, industrial and office go really slow. I suspect our industrial along Power Road really will take 20 years.

I'm Glad I Went

Saturday was the second time Basha's put on a farmer's market, and from what I saw, I wasn't the only one that was glad I went. We were a little early and it was chilly; but when I returned later to get some ribs and chicken and roasted corn for lunch, the place was hopping. The First Cousin brought her daughter-in-law and a couple of grandkids:





They blocked off a section of the parking lot and set up booths all along the way. It was sort of like a mini-fair. Even the Basha's employees dressed for the occasion.







There were some kid-sized dragsters there. I think this is a club, and it looked like so much fun. Ironically, right across from the dragsters was a '55 Chevy police car. It had the special paint that changes colors in different light. I tried to get my camera to see what my eye was seeing, but it didn't really work. But it's a cool looking car, anyway:



This is a local farmer selling trees and flowers. I hope that in the future markets we see more of these. I was looking for some local produce and herbs.




Basha's did a spectacular job. I found roasted green chiles and green-corn tamales to go along with the ribs and roasted corn. There were free samples of ice cream; and also for sale hamburgers and hot dogs and chips and salsa and all manner of food that Basha's brought outside; there was a DJ, and folks selling homemade goods. It was festive and neighborly, and I hope they make it a regular occurrence. See you there next time.

Gilbert Police bring a smile

They don't often get to do that, do they.

This seems like a good project, something worth supporting. A toy drive.

I have friends who are officers. They come across many people in need, victims of a crime or circumstances. There is no question that they can find people who need this kind of support.

How about those Hawks!

Look what the Highland Hawks Marching Band accomplished!

I went to Gilbert High, but two of our daughters went to Highland, so I have a warm spot in my heart for Highland as well. Great job, Band. (Yeah, I was in the band, not a football player.)

Farmer's Market at Bashas'

Bashas' is hosting another Farmer's Market this Saturday. I will try to get some more details, but I suspect it will be about like last month, mid-morning to early afternoon. I plan to go by this time and see the goodies for myself.

Are We Homebuilders?

There is often confusion about our role in the formation and generation of Morrison Ranch. And this is especially true because one of the homebuilders throughout the ranch goes by the name of Taylor Morrison, formerly known as Morrison Homes. But I ask you, would you trust your home to be built by this man?



Well, actually, somebody did. This picture was taken a few days ago at a lunch break in Mexico, where The Mister was, yep, building a house. For the past dozen years, we have gone south of the border for a long weekend with a bunch of friends and helped to jump-start a family's economic position by building a very basic structure in which to live. There is an outfit out of San Diego called Amor that coordinates everything from the recipients of the houses to the building materials, and then we provide the labor. It is a most satisfying, though exhausting, way to spend three days. This year, the structure we built will be used as a child care facility next to a center that provides family counseling and help for drug and alcohol abuse. So, while a family will not be living there, it is still a worthy project. Here is the finished product, with both builders and beneficiaries pictured. The Mister is second from the right:



So, to return to the original question: are we homebuilders? Yes. And no. We build one house a year in Mexico. We do not build houses in Morrison Ranch. Our role is to design the community, and then to help maintain that design throughout the community and throughout the years. We honestly don't know much about building houses, so we leave that to the experts, and we have some very fine builders. You will see Ashton Woods and Taylor Morrison homes going up in Lakeview Trails as we speak. And I will add that we in the U.S. are very fortunate to have access to homes that might be considered palatial. With running water. Electricity. Bathrooms. And lots of space. Not to mention a variety of floor plans.

By the way, do you know that the tax credit for first time home buyers has been extended? You may not know, however, that a new credit was attached to that legislation for folks that already own a home but are looking to move. So if you have been thinking of moving to a larger home, and you have been in your current home at least 5 years, now might be the time to do it, from a financial standpoint. Ask your tax preparer. Please ask before you act. As a CPA, I BEG you to ask before acting, to make sure you qualify. The accountants are always the last to know, it seems. And then trust the expert homebuilders.

Gilbert Days Rodeo

The rodeo has events most of the rest of the week. Go here for details. Just below the banner there is a calendar button. Enjoy the historical roots of Gilbert! Yahoo!

Phoenix-Mesa Airport

We are getting to have quite a little airport over to the southeast.

Look here for more information. They are approaching their 1 millionth passenger. That is quite a milestone. A good friend of mine flew Allegiant back to Rockford, which is greater Chicago. Easy in, easy out. And they often have good prices.

I am a pilot myself, and it is interesting to note that my observation is that we still have more planes flying over our house on the way to or from Sky Harbor than Gateway. The really low ones are going to Gateway. And I saw a B-17 flying by just the other day. That is another story, but it was COOL!

Veterans Day

Thanks so much to those who serve, and to those who have served our country!

It's tomorrow, but there is a Veterans Tribute concert at Freestone Park. And it's FREE.

Get info here.

• 6:30 p.m. Thursday; the Veterans Tribute concert at Freestone Park Amphitheater in Gilbert will feature more than 30 of Neil Diamond's Greatest Hits, including his patriotic songs such as "America." Free. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. Food will be available for purchase.

Gilbert Days Parade - Nov. 14

The Gilbert Days Parade is next Saturday, Nov. 14th. It starts at 9 just north of downtown Gilbert and runs south. It is a real small town parade. You'll enjoy it!

You can get more information here.

In Case You Were Curious

If you saw the trucks at the intersection of Higley and Elliot last week, and you wondered what they were doing with the stop light poles, I have an answer for you. Or rather, The Mister has the answer, since he is so social and stopped to chat with the workers.



They are adding sound to the crossing signals. Apparently, a vision-impaired resident of Morrison Ranch asked for the sound to make it safer to walk to the Basha's. And the town of Gilbert responded.

The button is held down longer than just the normal push, and that will activate the sound.


I'm not sure if they intend to install it at all four corners, but next time I walk to Basha's, I'm going to test it out. Pretty high tech, no?

What's Missing From This Picture?

This is a shot of the southeast corner of Higley and Elliot, and at first glance there is nothing at all missing. There is one sort of hole next to the sidewalk on the the right side of the picture, and that is the clue. Anyone who regularly uses this path to walk to the shopping center will know immediately what is going on. We used to have light bollards along this sidewalk. And there used to be the same light bollards around the lake. And there are still some light bollards in various places in Morrison Ranch. They look like this:


We think they are attractive and fit the motif of Morrison Ranch, and offer good light. The only problem is the paint. It cannot stand up to water, at least not the amount of water required to keep our trees and grass in good shape. The paint peels, it looks terrible, we have had them repainted, tried different paints and coatings...and the Water Expert has gone gray trying to keep up with these light bollards. In the picture at the very top, you can see that we have removed them completely. There is plenty of light from the street lights and the businesses. Around the lake, we have replaced them with the tall lights:


And we are still discussing solutions for the rest of Morrison Ranch. But the Water Expert is still being plagued by those bollards in one way or another. This time it's vandalism. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate vandalism? Destroying something just for the sake of destruction seems more than irresponsible. It seems disrespectful. But I digress. The bollards in Lakeview Trails are disappearing, cut off from the base. This is what The Water Expert has been finding:


To what end, I wonder? They could never be used in the condition they are taken; and the base left behind can never be used for a replacement. Sigh. So it is back to installing or hiring some security. We have filed police reports and we will press charges when we catch the vandals. In the meantime, the Saga of the Bollards continues.

Higley History

Take a look at this to get a feel for the history of the area. All of Morrison Ranch was served by the Higley Post Office for a long time. Now that we all have a Gilbert mailing address, Higley is going to fade in people's mind. Newcomers may not be familiar with Higley as a place, rather than a road. But there is some interesting history there. Check it out!

Morrison Ranch Annual Meeting

We had the meeting for the Morrison Ranch Residential Association last Thursday. I've had other things to post about, so I haven't reported. And, I didn't get any pictures, but there may be some around.

I was pleased with the turnout. We had about 30 residents. That is not as many as I would like, but the good part is that all three of the neighborhoods were evenly represented. Now, to just convince more people to come. We have lots of room at Farm Bureau.

People had pointed questions. I am fine with that. A lot of money goes through the HOA and the Morrison Ranch Community Council, and people should have the chance to assure themselves that it is being well spent. I think the Q&A from the residents are going to be on mymorrisonranch.org, but I can't find them at the moment. I will let you know. Of course, we can't make everyone happy when we get exactly opposing views. Some want more events. Some what to know why we are spending so much on events. Things like that. But we are open to feedback, and will continue to do the best we can.

Free Cheeseburgers at Joe's Farm Grill Today

They do this once a year. It is customer appreciation, plus advertising, if you will.

It will be free. It will be a madhouse.

Just wanted you to know.

That free paper is about to stop

The Tribune is closing down the end of the year. Honestly, mine have gone straight to the blue bin. But someone is going to have to do local "reporting" even if it is the likes of us local bloggers. If you have a good source of Gilbert news, let me know.

Halloween Happened

OK. Halloween isn't my favorite holiday. However, kids exercising their imaginations and being oohed and aahed over by family, friends and neighbors seem to be a fine thing to me. So there you go.