Sunday, June 11, 2017

June 10th Workday

It was a beautiful June weekend and we got a lot done around Elderberry!  It will be getting hot soon, so we made the most of the lovely weather today.  We had with us our newest Associate Member, Monica Ferrari, who wishes to buy the 900ft2 home that is currently under construction.  If she moves ahead with this, that will leave just one home for sale - a 1200ft2 house with a lot of storage and a beautiful upstairs room overlooking the pasture next door.

On the workday, we stained and put up a new swing that Dick made, mowed, weeded, and spent a good bit of time working on the landscaping near our parking area.  After our workday and business meeting, we shared a fantastic dinner made for us by Vonda and Meg, including a birthday cake for Cheryl's 60th birthday.  The cake is getting to be a legend around Elderberry.  It is Bobby Boyle's Mother's Carrot Cake, and comes from the mother of a childhood neighbor of Karolyn's.  That is one delicious carrot cake!!!

Leslie and Rosemaire - They were joking that I should not put up this photo because we look like
back stabbers!  

Rosemarie, Cheryl, Leslie, Dick and Mary worked on the swing
 Monica and Karolyn did a LOT of work in the landscaped terrace near our parking area.  Those working on the swing were in the shade, but these ladies, and also Barb and Richard, were doing landscaping and mowing in the sun.  Toasty!

Cheryl and Jeff pose for an American Gothic photo

Taking a break over lunch.  We were relaxing outdoors while Vonda, Meg, Joan and others were
indoors making our dinner!

Mike spent much of the day working on his house.  He is building a tiny house (350ft2).
The builder has done the structure, but Mike is doing a lot of his own finish work.
 Putting up the swing - didn't really take this many people, but it was great to have
a hand from Dave and Mike it putting up the beam.  We didn't get it finished today
because Dick needed another piece of hardware.  Watch this blog for a photo of
the finished swing!

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Our newest homes... 2 for sale

It has been so lovely this spring at Elderberry, even in light of ongoing construction!  Rosemarie, Anne, Karolyn and others have worked hard to create a place of beauty for us.  Our final 4 homes will be finished in July.  Two of the homes are sold, and the last two are currently available.
The final 4 homes

The house on this end is a tiny house (350ft2!).  
The two homes available in this quad are 900ft2 and 1200ft.


We are planting elderberries where we can.  This one (right foreground) is in bloom.
Anna and Joan/Joyce's houses are in the background.


Karolyn loves lillies!  She has planted many varieties along one of our paths, and everyone at Elderberry has a lilly named for them along this path.


Circle Party!

OK, so have you noticed I'm doing all these May and June posts on the same day??  Well, my computer was so slow I couldn't load photos but I'm hoping that is fixed now!!

This past weekend we had a Circle Party.  It started at 3pm with a lawn party, which we try to have once or twice a year.  We play lawn games (croquet, corn hole, badminton, bocce, frisbee golf, table suffleboard, and whatever other games people bring).  This year we set things up in the usual place - west side of the common house in the big lawn.... but it was HOT!  So we migrated to the central circle on the east side in the shade of our 100-year-old oak tree. Perfect!  After the lawn games, we had a visioning session for how to make this central circle beautiful and inviting.  We had LOTS of creative ideas.  After the visioning session we had more circles..... in the form of a pizza party!
Mary and Mike playing corn hole

Vonda and Mike - great form!

Leslie and Nancy taking a rest in the shade

Karolyn and Joyce looking beautiful!

Joe and Gus (Elderberry neighbors) visit with Cheryl, Karolyn and Joyce

Jeff and Leslie try their hand at corn hole

The central circle (with frisbee golf hole at center!)

Dave (wearing someone's lovely hat) and Vonda (wearing her own lovely hat!)

Joan - and HER lovely hat!

Anne, Rosemarie and Joan at the pizza party

Pizza for all!!

Mary making notes of ideas for the central circle (and Miles helping)

All gathered around to think through ideas for the central circle

Joan, Karolyn and Joyce hanging in the shade


Rosemarie found some books in the library to read to Mary's grandkids - Evey and Miles

Kate, Vonda and Mary played croquet

Mike is Retiring!!

Mike officially retired on May 31!  To celebrate, a group of 29 went to the Durham Bulls game together.  We all enjoyed seeing the Bulls win, eating hot dogs and watching the fireworks.  Congratulations Mike!!




The group!!

Mike and Betsy

Phil and Jan

Mike - love that hat and beer!!!

Dick and Joyce (with Dick's Bulls cap!)

Too many people to name!


May Workday

Beautiful day for a workday in May!
Several people helped with the usual spring mowing and common house cleaning - but we also worked on a new little sitting area.  We used leftover edging and stone from another project and created a space for a bench and a swing that Dick made for us.

Cheryl and Joyce enjoy a moment's rest

The team that worked on the new sitting area

Anna helping with Common House cleaning

Dick is a mowing machine!

Joyce and Mike admiring Mike's new Tiny House

Joan, Joyce and Leslie

Mike, Mary and Joyce helped move the stone

Leslie did most of the work on the edging

Jeff and Leslie helped to spread the stone

The making of a fence

At Elderberry, we have a shared electrical system that saves our members a lot of money in the cost of electricity.  The down-side is that there are 3 centralized electrical systems that are downright ugly.  For one of the systems, we put up a simple screen to make it blend into the common house.  We are planning a cool piece of art on that screen.  For the second system, the Art Committee decided to make an artsy fence to hide the system.  The initial design was inspired by photos in a magazine.  The Art Committee improved on the design.  The construction involved a lot of people!

Step One - digging for the posts.  Dick, Richard and Mickey helped with this, and with setting the posts in concrete.





Step 2:  Mary laid out the design on the boards and we had a jigsaw party to cut all the holes.  With all the helpers we cut and sanded over 200 holes in less than an hour!

Ann is sanding holes - hubby David is behind her with a jigsaw

Dick used the drill press to cut the round holes

Leslie was at another jigsaw "station"

David doing lots of cuts!

Joyce became a jigsaw master!

 Mickey doing sanding


Mike also doing sanding!

Here's the whole team - PLUS Meg and Kelly came to help but we were already done!

Step 3 - assemble the fence - Mary and Dick did most of this with help from Dave.  Cheryl helped to attach the sun and moon.

The finished product - looks much better than the electrical system that it hides!!