Oracle 3 2017

MARCH 20 1 7

ORACLE Outdoor Resort Palm Springs - the Number One RV Resort in the USA

In this issue:

Annual Meeting Friday, March 10 La Palma Ballroom Call to order and immediate recess for counting of ballots

Important Announcements

page 3 page 9

Chapel

Golf

page 10 &14 page 11 & 12 page 13 &14 page 17 &18

10:30AM

Tennis

Pickleball Activities

1PM

Resume Meeting:  Special Recognitions  Committee Reports  Announcement of Election Results  Open Forum

Movies

page 19

Day In the Life of Outdoor Resort Palm Springs

Refreshments will be served !

The Marketing Committee is thrilled to promote an event we think everyone will enjoy! Saturday March 11 will be designated “ Day in the Life of ORPS ” Photo Shoot Day . Our goal is to illustrate through photographs the lifestyle enjoyed by residents. of ORPS. See Page 8 for more details.

ELECTION BALLOTS Ballots are due by March 8th. We now have a secured ballot box in the Board Office. See p. 4 for important information about the de- livery of your ballot!

OUTDOOR RESORT PALM SPRINGS

March, as is typical for us in the Resort, proves to be a busy time of year. For residents, many are out enjoying the warm weather and are out enjoying all the wonderful amenities in ORPS.

We did it! The February 3 Board Meeting was the shortest ever (not official, of course). We hope that this was an indication that we are getting better at communicating what is happening at the board level. We continue to get emails and letters from owners. We strive to answer all promptly. Information in this correspondence is considered for any Board action. If the letter is confidential in nature (i.e. health, personal matter, legal, etc.) it will not be made public. Otherwise, regardless of whether or not it is labeled confidential or not, Board correspondence from and to owners is public record. We want to thank everyone involved in the continuing efforts to make the Oracle more accessible. We have gotten many positive comments regarding the February issue. This month promises to be a busy one as we work with the Facilities Planning Committee, Finance Committee and the General Manager to review the recommendations regarding next year’s expenditures and adopt the budget for Fiscal Year 2017-2018 at the March 6 meeting of the Board. All owners are invited to attend the Annual Meeting of the Association which will be held on Friday, March 10. The meeting will open at 10:30AM for introduction of the Inspectors of Election and then immediately recessed for counting of the ballots. The business meeting will resume at 1PM, annual reports, and announcement of the election results. Owners may address the Board with their comments or questions during the Open Forum portion of the meeting. Get to know your Board members, staff, and plan to stay for a reception immediately following. CFO REPORT FOR FEBRUARY ORACLE A recap of our January 2017 financials reveal that we are $86K in the black and $183K ahead of budget. So all looks great as we pass our halfway point in the annual budget. Areas of interest are; revenues are higher due to Resort fees and increased real estate sales. Expenses are lower in part due to reduced electrical and water use as rain and cooler weather allowed less irrigating and a one time reduction in our cable TV charges. Our thanks to Management and staff for their work in keeping expenses down. A recent meeting with First Foundation Investment Management provided us with an update and review of our investment portfolio. As a result we plan to move some of our reserves into longer-term instruments in order to earn a higher rate of return.

MARCH 2017

Board of Directors President B RIAN C ANFIELD Vice President C RAIG W IRCH Secretary M ARYELLEN M UIR CFO A LLEN G AYKEN Members

For the Management and Board, we are finalizing the budget for adoption, planning our summer projects, getting ready for the election and this year putting our governing documents out to vote for various changes. One new addition here in the Resort this March is the hiring of a Community Standards Coordinator (formerly titled Compliance Officer). We had the fortune of finding a great candidate by the name of Mike Wilson (for more on Mike please see his profile in this month’s Oracle). Mike’s primary duty will be to make sure the lots and rigs stay within the standards as outlined in our governing documents. He will be dividing his time between being in the field and being in the office. To start, Mike will be in the field from 8:30AM – 12:30PM and be in the office from 1 – 5 PM. Mike’s office is located in the Oracle Office that is located in La Palma. Mike can be reached at 760-328-3834 x 252 or by email at mwilson@orps.com . When in the field, Mike will be checking lots for weeds, untrimmed hedges and trees, debris on the lots, etc. He will also be inspecting the rigs on each lot to ensure that they are compliant with the new aesthetic rule that was recently adopted replacing the 15 year rule. As a reminder Section 1 B. of the A&A rules state: “RV’s must be maintained in a first class road-worthy and well-kept condition as to both the general visual aesthetics of the RV and the specific elements of the RV listed below which are not inclusive of every element that may require repair. Any deterioration or neglect of the RV will be cited for remedial action as described in the Enforcement Procedure. (Continued on Page 4)

D E D E L OOP B OB M OORE T ED W ILSON

General Manager C LINT A THERTON

Oracle Staff Editor Emeritae E LLEN L YNCH C ATHY C HAUNCEY

Editor E VA N ORCROSS

Sports Editor L UANN W ARD

Photo Editor S HAREN W OODGRIFT

Production Staff L OUISE K NOBF S USAN M ATTHEW J OANNE N YQUIST M ARY A NN P RIDDY M ARGIE S LEIGHT

BOARD OFFICE HOURS Monday thru Friday 9AM to 3PM assist owners with Board issues

2016-2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NEWS ABOUT YOUR BALLOT

See page 4 for an important announcement about your ballot.

Make an appointment with S ANDRA (extension 240) to get your new photo-id prox card as soon as possible. Old prox cards will be de-activated on March 1, and as of that date will not give you access to the Resort or owner-only facilities.

M ARYELLEN M UIR , Secretary, D E D E L OOP , B RIAN C ANFIELD , President, A LLEN G AYKEN CFO, C RAIG W IRCH , Vice President, T ED W ILSON , B OB M OORE

COMMITTEE LIAISONS

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Activities

M ARYELLEN M UIR T ED W ILSON B OB M OORE D E D E Loop C RAIG W IRCH A LLEN G AYKEN C RAIG W IRCH M ARYELLEN M UIR A LLEN G AYKEN M ARYELLEN M UIR D E D E Loop

A&A

T ED W ILSON

A&A

A CTIVITIES

S ANDY H OLGUIN J OAN C RAVEN

B INGO

Communications Facilities Planning

A VA F ELT

Finance

D AVE M UELLER T OM O’F LAHERTY

Finance

Golf

Health & Fitness

P AM W ALKER

Health & Fitness

Landscape M ARKETING Pickleball

V ACANT

Landscape M ARKETING Pickleball

W ARREN D AWSON

S TAN M ILLER -N IELSEN

Safety & Security

S TEVE F RIDLEY P AUL H ABERMAN

Safety & Security

B OB M OORE B OB M OORE

Tennis

ORPS BOARD & COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Meeting of the Board of Directors: Monday, March 6 and March 20 , 1:00 pm – La Palma Auditorium Annual Meeting Friday March 10, 1:00 pm—La Palma Auditorium

A&A

Wednesday Tuesday Monday Thursday Wednesday

1:00 pm 2:00 pm 11:30 am 2:00 pm 2:00 pm 1:00 pm 10:30 am 1:00 pm 11:00 am

Mar 1

East Room,

Activities

Mar 14

Owners’ Lounge ES

Communications Facilities Planning

Mar 6

East Room, East Room, East Room,

LP LP LP

Mar 2 & 16

Finance

Mar 15 Mar 7 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 1 Mar 3 Mar 4

Golf

Tuesday Tuesday

Owners Lounge, ES

Health & Fitness

West Room,

ES LP

Marketing Pickleball

Wednesday Wednesday

Owners’ Lounge

Owners’ Lounge, MPR

Safety & Security

Friday

2:00.am 9:00 am

East Room,

LP LP

Tennis

Saturday

La Palma

GM REPORT (Continued) By way of example and not limitation, the following elements of an RV must be repaired, replaced or restored: 1. Oxidized cladding/ fiberglass; 2. Fading paint, dents or scratches on sidewalls; 3. Obvious discoloration of exterior wall due to removal of decals; 4. Peeling, faded or deteriorated decals; 5. Peeling or deteriorated cap rails; 6. Faded, torn or missing awnings; 7. Cracked, loose or missing slide-out seals; 8. Cracked, missing or fogged windows and broken or missing seals; 9. Sagging door, rotting or failing wood, faded or deteriorated paint on front storage enclosure; 10. Sagging, deteriorating, rotting or failing steps, landings and/or ramps; 11. Broken or rotted wood or faded/deteriorated paint on skirting/lattice; 12. Road-worthy. For example, no flat or missing tires; towables are capable of being towed and self-propelled are capable of being driven. 13. RVs must be in compliance with California State laws.” These criteria are listed in a gradable format in Sched- ule F of the A&A rules and will be used when conduct- ing an inspection. It is recommended that owners self- evaluate their rigs prior to Association inspection to have an idea which items may need to be repaired. In addition, if you are selling your rig within the resort, an inspection must be completed prior to sale. If the rig does not pass inspection in the sale inspection process the seller has the option to cure or pass the responsibility on to the buyer so it does not hold up escrow. There is a maintenance assignment form to help accomplish this issue. For more information on the A&A rules and to view schedule F, please visit OPRS.COM where you can find the documents by putting your cursor over the Homeowners Association drop down and clicking on Governing Documents.

A&A MMI The A&A committee continues a very active season with regular committee duties as well as the consideration, proposal, and

adoption of several rules designed to enhance the outdoor living style of Outdoor Resort. Rules proposed and passed include:  Change in the time allowed for full RV Covers  Elimination of the 15-year rule that was replaced with an Aesthetics rule applying to all rigs in the resort.  Application and enforcement of this new rule will be the responsibility of our new Community Standards Officer.  The A&A Committee will be working with the Officer to ensure consistent application.  Change in the amount of hardscape allowed on owner lots from 75% to 85%  Proposed free standing shade structures. This rule is out for the required 30-day posting and will be considered by the Board at the March 6 regular Board Meeting. The specific models considered for approval are posted on the board outside the Board Room.  Outdoor kitchens. This rule is out for the required 30-day posting and will be considered by the Board at the March 20 regular Board Meeting. Ongoing efforts also include the evaluation of the Mega lot concept. This proposed concept suggests two adjacent lots owned by an individual lot owner to be landscaped in a combined harmonious design allowing a larger space to be used for outdoor living. I invite all owners interested in participating or just observing the A&A committee meetings to please attend. We meet for regular meetings on the first Wednesday of the month but schedule special meetings throughout the month for business purposes.

T ED W ILSON C HAIR

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING DELIVERY OF YOUR BALLOT In an effort to encourage owners to vote this year, the Board elected to cover the cost of the return mailing and your return envelope was pre-printed with Business Reply Mail Postage. Unfortunately, our Inspector of Elections advises that he is experiencing delivery issues of these ballots from the US Postal Service as these ballots require separate handling. This is not his experience of past years and he is trying to work the issue with the Postmaster General so that all ballots that have been mailed as of today will get delivered to the Inspector by the March 8 deadline. However, to ensure your ballot gets counted, IF YOU HAVE NOT YET MAILED YOUR BALLOT , please either  Affix your own postage… one 49 cent stamp within the United States; or  Deliver your ballot to a secured ballot box located in the Board Room, La Palma, between the hours of 9AM – 3PM, Monday through Friday; or  Bring your ballot with you to the Annual Meeting at 10:30AM, Friday, March 10 at La Palma

A recent event at the resort is worthy of sharing with all residents. On February 17, Cathedral City Fire Department responded to the resort due to a fire in a motorhome. Since we are a high-density community, three engines and crews were dispatched, along with two thankfully unnecessary paramedic vehicles. The fire was caused by a faulty refrigerator in an RV that had not been occupied for the last several seasons. Luckily, the damage was limited to that vehicle, with no surrounding RVs or other property sustaining any significant harm. For those of us who spend our season (or shorter times) in an RV, it should be no surprise that refrigerator fires are not uncommon in rigs equipped with RV type (sometimes known as absorption type) refrigerator/freezer units. In recent years, there have been several recalls on certain brand appliances to resolve overheating/fire related issues. If you are not the original owner of your RV or the manufacturer is no longer in business, you may have not been notified of any recalls. If you are unaware of any recalls affecting your refrigerator you should do a website search on your brand (Norcold, Dometic, etc.) to check to see if it was one of the recalled appliances. You will need the model and serial number from your fridge (usually visible inside the door or on the inside wall of the unit) to check for recalls. Note that this issue does not apply to RVs equipped with residential style refrigerators. Such recalls are typically resolved at no cost to you by an authorized repair person for that brand of appliance. Finally, an absorption style refrigerator should not be left in service when the RV is not occupied for an extended period. The motorhome in this event had substantial damage to the interior, and, since it was unoccupied and locked, had additional damage since the firefighters had to break into the unit to extinguish the fire. On the security front, thefts and other security related issues are substantially lower in the new year as compared to the last two months of 2016. We feel that this is due to increased security patrols at night and residents being more diligent at protecting their property. We should consider this a success and keep up the good work. S TEPHEN F RIDLEY Chair

Please

Carry a

Flashlight when Walking !

AVOID IDENTITY THEFT

Two locked PAPER SHREADERS are AVAILABLE for our use. They are located across from the L A P ALMA Mailroom. You may dispose of sensitive information, such as credit card offers. The bin is emptied once a month.

DO YOU RECYCLE?  Do you conserve water?

 Do you recycle and employ energy efficient machinery and devices?  Do you teach the next generation and show by example the need to live a green life?

COMMUNICATIONS

MMI

A special thank you to Dede, Brian and Clint and all our phase representatives. I’d also like to acknowledge the time and dedication J ENNIFER M IRANDA has offered to The Oracle and the Website as well as Susan Matthew who can answer all our questions and supply us with important historical date. It does take a team. J OAN C RAVEN ..L OT 1109 Chair

The just embarking on developing a Strategic Plan to ensure the work we do will serve Outdoor Resort in the years to come. Our focus is to improve communication with ORPS as well as the extended community. One strategy is to focus on face-to-face communication. We are also trying to identify the many touch points the Communications Committee can im- plement to communicate a concise, clear, and consistent message. A representative from our committee visits each com- mittee meeting and then reports back at our meetings. This ensures we all have up-to-date information about what is happening throughout the resort. We regularly update our two bulletin boards in the clubhouses. We are committed to emailing reports from Town Halls as ways to ensure the message reaches all. We will soon have signs at the front gate announcing upcoming Board and committee meetings. When we host events we deliver consistent information. The Candidate’s Forum was well received as was the New Owner’s Reception. We’ve heard good reports about Neighborhood Picnic. Events are just one touch point for communication. On March 12, the Cathedral City High School Jazz Band will be having a concert here. Instead of a Picnic in the neighborhood, Phase 3 is sponsoring this event to raise funds for the band to travel to Australia. It will be a great concert. Please plan to attend and support our neighborhood school. We have been working closely with one of the most visible written communications in the Resort, the ORACLE. Recently, the editor, E VA N ORCROSS and a representative, T OM O’F LAHERTY met with the Board Chair, J ENNIFER M IRANDA , S USAN M ATTHEW , our GM as well as myself to identify ways to ensure the ORACLE continues in it’s important role. We all recognize it will evolve and the transition to an on-line version will have and has had it’s challenges. We are grateful for the enthusiasm and dedication we get from the ORACLE editor, to continue to produce a quality product. The phase reps are an enthusiastic group of men and women dedicated to communication. If you are interested in communication you might like to join us at our meetings. Guests are always welcome. We couldn’t embark on this exciting journey without support from the Board and GM. Continued in the next column. Communications Committee is

Security Report 3 Stolen Propane Tanks 2 Stolen Bikes 1 Attempted Stolen Bike 1 RV Break in 1 Vehicle Break in 1 Stolen Purse 1 Pair Stolen Golf Shoes

As I stated in last month, I have had the addition to another Officer patroling at night. With the cooperation of Cathedral City Police Department, I am happy to say that the number of thefts have gone down. With the two reported stolen bicycles, one was found and returned to its owner. The attempted stolen bike was thwarted due to the owner utilizing the U Lock instead of a cable lock or chain. The vehicle break in was due to the vehicle being left unlocked overnight and the stolen purse was in that vehicle. With the added presence of both my Security Staff and Cathedral City Police Department, we have disrupted the amount of time that the criminal element has had to victimize you in the past. This has left the criminals no choice but to limit their time spent within our walls and perform strictly “Crimes of Opportunity”, meaning that they take what is easily available. I urge you to secure your items in your rigs overnight and lock your vehicles with alarm set if you have one. Keep in mind the numbers that I provide come straight from the incidents that you report to us. I have been made aware that the bicycle alarm that can be purchased at the Convenience Store successfully stopped an attempted bicycle theft. This incident was not reported to us. I urge every- one of you to report any suspicious activity to my staff right away so we can attempt to catch individu- als that do not belong in the resort. Thank you. C OREY S ATHER P OST C OMMANDER PostCommander@orps.com

Report on Visit of Deputy Chief of Police for Cathedral City

How does Outdoor Resort compare to other like-sized places within the Valley? The police don’t get called here as often. Having said that, Deputy Chief Walker reassured all present that they care about what is going on in the resort and will do their best to solve all thefts. I reported on-line and it took ten days to receive a case number. California laws states that any property over $950 is considered Grand Theft and a felony crime. Property under $950 is a misdemeanor. Every report is looked at and then prioritize. The goal is to get back within ten days for the misdemeanors. While they don’t forget them, with limited resources priority cases take precedence. Looking around the resort what do you see as things owners can do to reduce thefts? • If you see something, say something. Don’t feel security or police will judge. They want to know. • Light up your rig. • Buy motion detector lights. Make sure the front of your lot is well lit. • Take photos of all items that have serial numbers so if something you have stolen is sold to a pawn shop you may get it back. A retired police officer is hired to go to all the pawn shops in the valley and search out stolen items. • Some motion sensors have alarms that go off inside to alert you someone is around your property. • If you purchase a camera/video ensure the resolution is of high enough quality that it can be run through their facial recognition system. Grainy video can’t be used. • Buy bike locks that cannot easily be cut through. There are ones only locksmiths can remove.  If you see something, say something. In other words, if you observe someone out of place or not sure they belong in the resort, please notify security. Often it turns out to be a guest or relative visiting a resident but it does not hurt to inquire if you are unsure. If I hear someone around my rig what should I do? Call 911 and ORPS Security. If a theft is being committed or someone is trespass sing on your property be the best witness possible. Note the height of person, color of clothing, any identifying features, writing on t-shirt etc. Be as specific as possible.  If you hear someone prowling around make lots of noise and get on the phone and call security and the police. It is not recommended to confront the per- son.  Deputy Chief Walker closed saying it is their goal to work with ORPS to stop the thefts. It can only be done with citizen engagement.

A Brief summary of the Jan 31 Town Hall Meeting: Deputy Chief of Police for Cathedral City, Travis Walker and his Crime Analyst, Courtney Dono visited ORPS. Deputy Chief Walker reassured us that he and his staff are taking our security issues seriously and looking at many ways to support us. Was it a transient problem? He met with the police officer who deals with the homeless activity within Cathedral City and also looked at our property. Deputy Chief Walker said, there was no obvious transient activity around the surrounding property. Could we do a better job of securing the perimeter? Yes, he and our GM are looking at ways to use natural bushes and growth to ‘fortify’ the outside walls. For example planting spiny plants that grow up the walls and trimming bushes where people can hide and the possibility of putting spikes like they use as pigeon deterrence on top of the wall. Could parolees from the area be coming into the resort? Every parolee, in the Corrections System, has a GPS attached to their leg and there were no pings that would tell them they had entered Outdoor Resorts. Was there a specific pattern to the thefts? None could be found. The only pattern was that most occurred between midnight and 5AM. Were any of the thefts considered an inside job ? They are reviewing all the factors. They won’t know until they look at all the factors. No, they cannot search vehicles. According to the law, not without ‘probable cause.’ There is significant liability if this were to occur. Do Cathedral City Police have a visual presence within our resort? The police are aware of issues now and will be doing drive-throughs when time permits. Why do the statistics you are sharing, with regard to how many incidents, differ from those we hear within the resort? The Police must have a written report, taken from the victim. They cannot take the report from Outdoor Resort Security . If the victim has not reported to Cathedral City Police, the incident did not happen. The more incidents that are reported to the Cathedral City Police, the more Outdoor Resort will be on their radar . How do we report something is stolen? First victims should call Outdoor Resort Security at 760-770-0065. We then need to report crimes so the police are aware. Our security cannot file a report to the police. To report Can Outdoor Resort’s security guards search vehicles leaving the resort?

FACILITIES PLANNING The Facility Planning Committee will continue to meet in February to address the needs of our facilities into the future. We recently completed our screening process for our future capital projects and have submitted these to the Board of Directors for their review and funding in the upcoming 2017-18 fiscal year. We will now consider several capital items that our resort will need in the upcoming years. Our committee is working with C LINT A THERTON , on creating plans replacing and adding some equipment in our kitchen facility at ES. This will ensure that this highly used kitchen is EFFICIENT, SANITARY and SAFE. Our next meetings are February 23 and March 2 at 2PM in the La Palma East Room. All owners are welcome to attend. Please feel free to share your IDEAS and also your EXPERTISE. We will have openings on our committee so please contact me or one of our com- mittee members if you would like to be involved in planning for our FUTURE. A VA F ELT Chair HEALTH & FITNESS COMMITTEE Committee Membership: G ABE F URTADO (lot 153) was approved to join our committee at the February 13 Board Meeting Welcome, Gabe. Fitness Center: We have reduced the heat/cool temperature from 72 degrees to 70 degrees – this should help with any humidity issues. Pathway to Fitness: We are not going to participate in the March 18 Flea Market, as originally planned, because we want to install the three laser bricks, ordered to-date, before the purchasers go home for the season. Resort Bench: The Grey Cub 2016 Group has purchased a bench, similar to all our other benches, to be placed just outside the pedestrian gate. We ordered it and hope to have it installed by the end of March (dependent upon our Maintenance Departments schedule). Health and Wellness Event: Our Health & Wellness Fair held on February 11 was a great success! Based on the number of gift bags distributed, we had 350 – 400 attendees. The attendees were surprised, delighted, and extremely happy with the quantity and variety of the vendors. And the vendors were very pleased with the large volume of attendees. Thank you very much, everyone that helped make our Fair the success it was!!!! P AM W ALKER Chair

“Day in the Life of ORPS” Photo Shoot Day . The committee’s plan is to pull together a slide show of photos created by ORPS residents that show off the awesomeness of our Resort by illustrating the lifestyle enjoyed by residents. This is done by earmarking one day as an example of what the people do during a full day in the Resort. The slide show will be used to publicize and market the Resort. Examples: Golf, Tennis/Pickleball, Pool-time Exercise, Bicycling, Music, Social Time, Happy Hours, Lot Maintenance, Potlucks/BBQ. Don’t be afraid of getting close to people. All the shots must contain people, or a pet. Activities are best. Laughter is great. Don’t rule out silliness. Portray having fun. Look for colorful backgrounds and interesting framing. Photos will only be taken on the designated day within the Resort. Using your smartphone or camera, every resident of the Resort is encouraged take pictures that best illustrate what makes Outdoor Resort a great place to RV. Take as many photos as you like, but submit only the best three photos to orps@rvzeal.com. Make sure your photo email includes your name and lot number. Photos should be submitted by noon 3/13/17. The slide show will be presented on the Resort’s website and may show up in the following places: RV magazine websites (Trailer Life, Motorhome, Tiffin, etc.), RV Social Websites like RVillage. We are hoping we are starting an annual event. Please note, that by submitting your photos you and your subjects are agreeing that the ORPS is given permission to use the photos and any likeness as it wishes to promote ORPS. Once all the photos are submitted, the Day in the Life committee will review each one and pick the shots that will be used for the slide show. The marketing committee has this huge budget ($00.00), so among the slides used for the slide show we will choose some exceptional photos and award them special recognition! Winners will be recognized in writing and published with an atta girl/boy J

ORPS CHAPEL

After a blessed season, we have concluded Ladies Bible Study.

Chapel meets every Sunday at 8:50AM in La Palma C HAPLAIN J IM G WINN

We were 63 women strong and pray the Lord continues to grow our “sisterhood” We wish you all peace, joy and love. D ONNICE K OCH

Lot 274

Cell: 847 445-0077

DAVID AND GOLIATH

CHAMPIONS ARE MADE EVEN THOUGH NOT RECOGNIZED

David was a runt, yet God had a great purpose for him in his life. Many disregarded him as a person with no power, influence or purpose. Read the story in 1 Samuel 17 of the Bible. Youngest of four, his dad asked him to take food to his older brothers who were in military camp fighting the Philistines. Upon arrival his brothers ridiculed him, “why are you here?” Ever feel left out or put down by people you care about? Look at some principles we can learn from the life of David: 1. Don’t be intimidated by your peers. Verse 28 2. We don’t need an audience to prove our self worth, read verses 32-37 3. We can live out a cause bigger than ourselves and serve others. Verses 46-47 4. We should face our problems head on, don’t run from them. Verses 48&49 5. Once we have started something we should finish the task. Verses 50&51. 6. We should save items which remind us of victories we have had to confirm positives for the future. Verse 50&51 7. Lots of times people don’t know who we are or what value we can be to them. Verse 55-58 8. When a task is successfully completed we often deserve promotion and further causes. Verse 18:5 9. We can prosper before the Lord and people as we serve Him and them putting others before our own causes. 18:12-16 There is so much to learn from this conquest of David. As he, lets put the Lord first in our lives and see the wonderful plans and purposes He has for us. Life becomes truly meaningful as we receive His blessing and opportunities. Keep our priorities correct. “Never trade away a lifetime of Gods blessing to satisfy a short term appetite.” CHAPEL SPEAKERS March 5: D ON W YRTZEN , musician March 12 Teen Challenge March 19 Chaplain Gwinn March 26 G REG S PECK , who’s been with us often before

W ELCOME N EW O WNERS

LOT

NAME

FROM

298 431 493 632 721

A LLEN & P AMELA S MOOT Yucca Valley, CA

M ICHAEL & B ARBARA B ROWN D WIGHT & R. L YNN J ANZER

Okotoks, AB Blackfoot, AB

R ICHARD & S UZANNE S TRAUSS Punta Gorda, FL

C HARLES L EAHY & C AROLYN C ANDLER

Harbor Springs,MI

740

J ODY L EE W HITNEY O NESPOT

J ASON J ENSEN

Cathedral City, CA

812 862 846 913

L EN & C AROL P ENNER

Winnipeg, MB

D ARCY & Z ONYA C AOUETTE

Fort McMurray, AB

D ARRYL & G RACE L YONS Ryley, AB

G EORGE & C AROL P UCAK Carbondale, CO 1011 R OBERT D LUGOSH , D ON M C K EE Seattle, WA 1111 R USSELL & M ARIE B AKER Harrisburg, OR 1189 D AVID & S HARON R OBSON Troy, ID 1192 C LAUDE & S HIRLEY P ICRAY Ponteix, SASK 1194 L UIS & K ATHERINE B LOISE El Macero, CA

MEMORIAL CORNER Dedicated to those who have passed on in recent months.

Sincere thanks to all for the many generous gestures of sympathy over the loss of our beautiful daughter, Kristi. We appreciate you all so much. Fondly, Russ and Margie Sleight.o

If you love to sing, come join RESORTERS CHORUS

Tuesdays at 2PM @ La Palma Directed by R ON J AMES

FYI 2017 Easter Sunday April 16

HOLES-IN-ONE Hole-in-one scorecards must be dated and signed by at least two playing witnesses. Include phone number and indicate if this is his/her first hole-in-one.

NAME

DATE

HOLE

FIRST

Golf

J ERRY M C G EE

01/04/17

G ERI G RANT

01/14/17

B OB M OORE

01/15/17

OPEN TO ALL!

Tuesdays we have a mixed scramble. Thursdays men and women are on separate teams with each member playing his or her own ball. Formats vary from week to week. On both days teams are handicapped as evenly as possible. All low and high handicappers are encouraged to play. Guest averages will be based upon your home course handicap.

G ALE S TEPHENSON

01/18/17

S ONIA A POSTOLIUK

01/30/17

Yes

D AWN K IRKCONNELL

01/31/17

Yes

R ON H ILL

02/02/17

Yes

K ATIE T ARABOCHIA

02/05/17

Yes

E D E LIAS

02/09/17

Yes

Organized play starts at 9AM Sign ups begin at 8AM in ES Sign up to play prior to 8:45AM ! Bring $4 and join us

F RED H YDE

02/10/17

No*

J ULIE F ARMER

02/11/17

Yes

*T HIS IS F RED ’ S 24 TH

2017 Tournaments

To get an official golf handicap through Southern California Golf Association at ORPS call L INDA P ARKER : 760-285-9119 . The cost is $36 including a GHIN number and a $15 gift card for Roger Dunn Golf Store.

Three Club

March 11 March 17 April 1 *

Nine and Wine

Farewell

One Club Tournament * denotes Owners Only.

April 8

2016-2017 Golf Committee

There are lots of fun events to look forward to as we close off our year. Be sure to mark your calendars so you don't miss any of the events listed above. A reminder to everyone, keep electric carts 30 ft from greens. Also we ask that everyone not take their pull carts onto the T-boxes. We bid a fond farewell this month with heartfelt thanks to three of our committee members. We appreciate the time and energy these men have put into making our scrambles and tournaments fun and successful. Leaving us after serving on the commit- tee for two years are T OM O'F LAHERTY , D ALE W ALD and B RIAN W ATERMAN . Please take the time when you see them to say thanks. The committee welcomes three new men volunteers, D ON R ENOE , G REG R OSE and A LLEN G AYKEN . As volunteers, we all appreciate constructive feedback in an effort to make everyone's golf experience at ORPS an event to remember and look forward to.

T OM O’F LAHERTY

Chair

D ALE W ALD

Vice Chair, Treasurer

S ANDY S EAMAN

Secretary

G ERI G RANT

Computer & Hole-in-One Course set up & Marshals

B RIAN W ATERMAN G ALE S TEPHENSON

Hospitality

C RAIG W IRCH

Board Liaison

LADIES’ PUTTING CLUB Sign up Wednesday mornings 8:45AM at ES. Bring your putter, a ball and 4 quarters and have FUN!

Secretary - S ANDY S EAMAN

Under the Desert Stars Night Tennis held February 12

Maui Luau Mixer Hosted by: Ladies 3.5 Desert Ladies’ Team

A monthly tennis calendar will be emailed to all players on the tennis roster in addition to posted on bulletin boards in the resort. Please contact any tennis committee member or email at orpstennis@yahoo.com if you are not receiving the calendar. Check the calendar for drop in tennis programs, mixers, league games, clinics and other social activities.

February Horse Race Winners

Free Novice Tennis Clinics Thursdays 2-4PM LP Courts 3 & 4

For more information contact: B RIAN “S PARKY ” F ARRELL - Lot 506 707 497-9663

WIN

PLACE

SHOW

Next Horse Race Saturday March 4. Bring your $5 fee to La Palma and sign up no later than 8:15AM. ALL LEVELS WELCOME.

Return to LP for refreshments & General Meeting at 10:30AM.

Tennis is a social game, a game involving simple politeness and consideration. Everyone will enjoy the game so much more if those standards are maintained. Here are some of the most important tennis etiquette rules:  Talk quietly when standing near tennis courts that are in use.  Never walk behind a court when a point is still in play. Wait until the point is over and then cross as fast as possible.  If people are already on your court, don’t disturb them until their time is up.  Always come prepared. Bring not only balls, but towels and water to drink when it is hot.  When you’re ready to play, put racket covers, ball cans, jackets etc., out of everyone’s way.  To see who serves first, spin your racket or toss a coin. If you win the toss, the choice is yours. You may serve first, or you may choose to receive first or to pick which end of the court you want to start playing on. As a third choice you may make your opponent choose first.  When sending balls back to a neighboring court, roll them on to the back of the court. Never send them back while play is in progress.  Offer to bring new balls or organize a system to decide who brings the balls.  Retrieve balls for your partner and your opponent.  Call your own lines and let your opponent hear the call. If the ball is good say nothing and play on.  Always respect the line calls of your opponent.  If there is a disagreement, offer a let. In other words, replay the point, even if it was a second service. If you’re not sure whether your opponent’s shot is in or out, it’s in.

THE COMAN TIEBREAK FORMAT The Common tiebreak procedure is identical to the regular tiebreak procedure except that the players change ends after the first point and then after every four points, and at the conclusion of the tiebreak. ▪ Set Tiebreak: First to win 7 points by 2 points wins “Game “ and “Set.” ▪ Third-set Match Tiebreak: First to win 10 points by 2 points, wins match. ▪ The player whose turn it is to serve shall serve the first point from the deuce court. ▪ After the first point, the players shall change ends and the following two points shall be served by the opponent (s) (in doubles, the player of the opposing team due to serve next) starting from the ad court. After this, each player/team shall serve alternately for two consecutive points (starting from the ad court); changing ends after every four points, until the end of the tiebreak game. Switch sides after points 1,5,9,13,17..…. and at the conclusion ▪ ▪

Reporter: K IM K RAHN

Tennis Secretary

PICKLEBALL CLUB NEWS We continue trying to encourage as much Open Play time as possible for our pickleball courts. As mixers and intermediate skill clinics wind down in March, these times will be replaced with Open Play time for all. See the schedule below for details. See below for schedules for each event and check our web- site for further information: ORPSpickleball@wix.com . LADDERS PLAY Ladders play is scheduled for every Friday morning, starting at 8 AM. We have 60-70 pickleballers taking part. We have had a successful Ladders draw every Friday, starting Feb. 3 . Ladders’ play is completely voluntary and recommended for players looking for competition at their own ability level. Our last shootout will take place FRIDAY, MARCH 10. PICKLEBALL MIXERS We have held pickleball mixers three times a week for the season. Men’s mixer on Monday, women’s on Wednesday and couples mixer on Saturday. A great opportunity to play with your own gender, get extra practice with your partner, and meet new people. A big THANK YOU to Alisia Foyle for organizing and running the mixers every week. Mixers ended on March 1, but we plan to have them up and running again next year.

BEGINNER PICKLEBALL LESSONS Beginner lessons for pickleball take place Monday, Wednes- day and Thursday from 3-4PM. All clinics are free. Please wear running shoes or court shoes. We will provide paddles for the clinic, if you don’t have one. Our promise is that we will have you playing a game within 30 minutes of beginning instruction. You will learn:  how to volley the ball  how to serve  basic rules of the game  basic strategies of play  why you have to stay out of the kitchen! Anyone wanting extra practice in particular skills can also come out and receive some extra instruction. Come out and give pickleball a try and find the fun and exercise of this great new sport. INTERMEDIATE SKILL DEVELOPMENT CLINIC Our second intermediate skill development clinic began February 14, with 24 participants. The participants in the first clinic will instruct the newcomers in the skills of:  -deep serve, and deep return shot  -the drop shot  the fourth shot  -dinking skills  consistent volleying  -blocking hard shots. Our goal is to advance the skill level of all of our pickleball community.

* Intermediate skill clinics will end on Thursday, March 9. *Ladders play will finish on Friday, March 10. *Open Play will resume in these time slots.

PICKLEBALL SCHEDULE MARCH 2017

SAT/ SUNDAY Open Play

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WED

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

7:AM- 12:00 Noon

Novice: Courts 1-2 Intermediate/

Ladders Play until March 10 then Open Play. Ladders Play until March 10 then Open Play.

Advanced: Courts 3-7 Open Play

12:00- 1 PM

Open Play

Intermediate Skill Clinic until Mar 9, then Open Play

1PM- 2: 30PM

Open Play

Intermediate Skill Clinic until Mar 9, then Open Play

Open Play

Mixed doubles Mixer

3 PM - 4 PM 4PM- 10 PM

Beginner Lessons

Open Play

Beginner Lessons Beginner Lessons

Open Play

G ERRY F RIESEN , Outdoor

Golf Continued …...

Resort Owner, participated in the Palm Desert Senior

Sweetheart Tournament 2017

Games and won a silver medal in men’s mixed doubles. Congratulations, Gerry!

The tournament was well attended by 112 couples. Of the $3,360 entry fees 2/3 was paid back in prize money, and the remainder in snacks and refreshments. Players were divided into four flights. The A, B and C flights had handicaps and competed for gross and net places. A Z flight was made for those without recorded handicaps on the ORPS course and competed only for low gross. Prize money was paid for first and second low gross for A, B, C and Z, and the first 15 low net for A, B, and C. J ULIE F ARMER had a hole in one during the tournament. The winners are as follows: A flight : Low Gr oss: R ON AND D ENISE W ALTON tied with D UANE AND V IRGINIA S CHRAM (53). Low Net: B AS AND A LICE D EHASS (44.5) B flight : Low Gr oss: R ON AND C AROL D ERKSEN (55) Low Net: D UANE AND W ALLI O LIVE (43) C flight : Low Gr oss: C HUCK AND S HARI P OLLARD (57) Low Net: R USS AND H OLLY K NIPE (42) Z flight : B OB AND C OLLEEN I WANICKA (57) H AL AND J UDY M ORTENSON (58) Apologies to the I WANICKAS as they were wrongly scored and not announced as the winners.

The oldest and the youngest here are D ON R UDLOFF (age 86) and T ALON B AKER (age 11). Talon’s two younger brothers are taking up the paddles as well!

Intermediate skill clinics were held in the month of February. 16 participants worked on advanced pickleball skills. Many thanks to B ARRY H ILL for leading us and helping us to improve our skills!

Some of the participants in the first intermediate skills clinic gave back to our club by offering their new knowledge to another group of willing participants. Back row: B OB F OYLE , S TAN M ILLER -N IELSEN , R ON H AUSER , Russ Baker. Front row: G LEN B REWER , M AUREEN M ILLER -N IELSEN , P OUL L ARSEN , A LISIA F OYLE .

HISTORY OF THE ORACLE

Meet our newest ORPS Employee: Compliance/ Community Standards Officer: M IKE W ILSON By MaryAnn Priddy

The ORACLE started in 1991 by J EAN S MITH , an owner serving as head of Activities. She and S HERRY

You may see a handsome, bearded, young man (44 years old) checking out the conditions of lots and RVs. This would be our new Community Standards Coordinator, formerly called Compliance Officer. Mike is southern born, raised in a small community (population 38) in Alabama. He and his family farm cattle ranches in Alabama and South Carolina, family- owned since the 1800’s. After high school, Mike attended Bible College in Tennessee but decided not to follow in his father’s farmer/preacher footsteps. His first job was at a Radio Shack where he became, at age 19, the youngest manager in Alabama. Mike served as a US Marine from 1992 to 1996, and then returned to work at the cattle ranches for the following five years. He then re-enlisted, serving as a Marine until 2010 with eight deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, where he was wounded and then honorably discharged. Previous work experience includes jobs at Kmart, a casino surveillance supervisor, and at Home Depot, where he met his present wife. They have a two year old daughter and Mike has two sons, ages 22 and 10, from a previous marriage. In his few weeks working here, Mike says he is enjoying his job, particularly getting to meet everyone. Please say hello and welcome Mike as he works to help maintain ORPS as the prime resort we know it to be.

O UTLAW , also an owner, serving as Activities Coordinator, put together a paper called Recreation in Paradise , soon to become No Name News . It was then we had a contest to name the paper. At that time our Resort went by the title of Outdoor Resorts of America-Palm Springs , or ORA-PS for short. J OE AND D INNY F RASIER , lot 726, won the contest by tacking CLE onto ORA and there you have it ORACLE . H ELEN N AFACK was the next to take over as editor. Helping her were J OHN C HARLES B EAULIEU and S TEVE M ICHELS who had one of the first computers in the Resort. C ATHY C HAUNCEY began in 1993 and soon became assistant editor. Later in 1993 S HEILA K OENIG and N ANCY W RIGHT joined. M ARGIE S LEIGHT , Board Secretary at the time assisted the team . They used their own typewriters and word processors. For years they gathered in the Board Office and put the ORACLE together with a cut and paste session, then taking it to a local printer. Helen passed away in 1998 and Cathy became Editor and started using a computer. In February, 1999 we were given a Resort computer and a space in the Board Office. K AREN P ETERSON , E LLEN L YNCH , G LORIA M ICHELS , J UDY D E R ANICK and Y VONNE O GLE joined the team. We had to get out of the Board Office whenever the Board wanted a private meeting, usually the day before we had to go to print! Then we moved into a storage room next door where we lived for two weeks every month. The current office near the fireplace in La Palma has been a delightful place to work. It became available a few years ago when Security vacated it.

Meet one of Our Oldest Owners in ORPS P AUL H ARBACH 101 years old Lot 1071 by Lois Campbell

Eventually Paul and Barbara moved to a golf course and three acres of land near Hemet. His son lives in this home to this day and still goes out walking in the evening to look for golf balls which he then brings down to his Dad. Paul and Barbara eventually moved to a place in Laguna Beach, by a golf course and in 1980 he and Barbara bought their place at ORPS. The golf course was just nine holes long and #11 was #1. Paul's love of golf continued as did his weekly play of the Tuesday and Thursday scrambles and his Saturday golf. He and Barbara also spent a lot of time enjoying dancing at Outdoor Resort. When asked what he loved most about Outdoor Resorts his first answer was "the golf of course" next came “the kind people and the beauty of the place.” If any of you have ever wondered how to get to 101 and still be as good looking and sharp as Paul, he says it helps to have good genes. He has two sisters who both lived to be over 100. He also believes that the key to long life is to not worry about things. Paul and Barbara had two children. He still has a son and a son in law, and two grandchildren, Parker and Leah. You will often see them visiting Paul. For those of you that have had the pleasure to golf with Paul I’m sure you appreciate his wisdom and his golf game. In speaking with him for this interview we remembered many of the long birdie putts he can still make. At 101 he is still a competitive golfer and loves a good shot. He will be leaving here at the end of April to join his other golfing buddies down at his golf course in Laguna Beach. Paul is an inspiration to us to keep moving and enjoy the moment.

Paul was born 1914 in Sandy, Utah and as a child he and his family moved to many different places. At age 21 Paul moved to Los Angeles and got a job as a furniture maker. He soon bought a house and found he was lonely so invited his family to come stay with him. Soon he had his mother, sister and two brothers keeping him company. Once Paul married his wife, Barbara, other arrangements were made. Paul enlisted in the Navy immediately after Pearl Harbor but because of his color blindness he could not be part of a ship crew. Instead, as a CB, he was enlisted to build air fields, barracks etc. At one point the Navy asked for a volunteer to build 800 lockers for the barracks. Paul always energetic, volunteered and built all 800 of them. This ensured he was moved from second class to first class and then on to Chief Petty Officer. When Paul retired from the Navy he continued on with his building and over the course of his career built many buildings including a shopping center. He was not only the general contractor, he also was often the skilled labor many of his buildings. One story was when breaking huge boulders to use as decoration on the front of his building he uncovered a fossil of a fish which to this day is still on the front of that building. Paul and his wife, Barbara, raised the two children in San Pedro where he continued to work as a contractor. It was at this time Paul fell in love with playing golf. He and Barbara moved to a different home that had a beautiful view of the ocean. They bought a motorhome (FMC) and started travelling. Gas was much cheaper then although it was not the eight cents it was when Paul first started driving. One memorable motorhome trip was to Victoria, Canada via a ferry. While everyone else went to the famous Bouchart Gardens, Paul went to the golf course. Paul also flew his own airplane, often to their place in Bullhead City where they spent a lot of time waterskiing. Continued in the next column.

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