Higgins explains, “In the fall of 2014, my wife got me a Father’s Day gift for a four-day cycling wine trip in California. I had a conflict with a real estate closing that was scheduled for the same time. I approached the client, Steve Lattimer, to extend the closing to October and explained the situation. Steve focused on the word, ‘cycling.’ He asked me if I did much cycling. When I responded that I did, he agreed to extend the closing only if I agreed to ride in the Tri-State Trek. And that was the start of it.”

“Our neighbors in Arlington Heights convinced us to come and take a look,” Arlene Selm said. “So, my husband, Dick, and I came and saw the models by where the lodge is. We really had no interest in any of the models. Nothing really caught our attention. But we came back and we fell in love with this model. It wasn’t there the first time we came through.”

Then, suddenly, a horse came trotting into the second floor patient therapy and activity area. Strangely, nurses and patients welcomed the animal happily, and a party was held. Cell phones were quickly turned into cameras.

In this edition, we are focusing on Sandhill Cranes, which, in contrast, are migratory birds that have also made an impressive recovery from near extinction, though not as numerous as their feathered brethren, the geese.

My wife Annamarie and I had been called into action. Our Grandchildren Michael and Claire needed someone to watch over them while our son Bill and our daughter-in-law Paula went to Hawaii on a much-deserved vacation.

Watching two well-behaved young teens was a breeze; they were more than self-sufficient; a little breakfast in the morning, they were off to school, leaving us plenty of leisure time during the day. Lest I forget we also had to “care-take” two puppy dogs. One of them our little white Molly, the other their dog Jet, who true to his name, was black. Each of them weighed between 15-20 pounds, and they got along famously.

Who are the ”other residents”?

They are geese. We’re talking wildlife biology language here.

Sun City’s Helen Wiederkehr has been selected to display her miniatures in the Huntley City Hall display case this coming fall.

According to Sun City resident F. Schrauth, who is related to Wickman (his daughter married her son), Wickman recently took up a new hobby – mountain climbing.

Jordan Debbink, the Special Events & Volunteer Coordinator at the Pioneer Center is trying to make a dent in that number.

Board of Directors conversations have been livened up recently with dialog on controlling and regulating drones that are possibly or actually flying over the community.

Stevens moved to Sun City after the death of her husband.

“My grief was delayed. I moved to be near my daughter and Grandchildren and then I found out my daughter had cancer. I became so involved with caring for her and the grandchildren, that I did not get a chance to grieve.”

“One of my daughter’s friends saw the car in a car magazine and my husband was listed as the original owner,” Gagainis explained.

Gagainis took a second look at the article.

“It was our car. I couldn’t believe it. We had sold it in 1999 and now 20 years later it looked the same.”

“I think about it every day. Everyone reflects on their war experience. No one forgets the details. I was in the army for only 17 months, but I think about it every day. For 11 months, I felt threatened every day,” he said.

It’s the exact reason why the writer’s group, Write On, was founded in Sun City back in 2003.

The multi-generation and multi-family celebration also includes a multitude of food and activities.

Addie and Mike Metoyer’s house has that magic. The Christmas tree is just the start. Their entire home from the front yard, to kitchen, to the basement is filled with jolly decorating ideas.

This passion led Kozy and his wife Mary to Cape Canaveral, Florida to watch the launch of OSIRIS-REx on September 8, 2016. This spacecraft held a special meaning and cargo for Kozy.

Ron Saballus, a native Chicagoan, says those words very often. He came to Sun City on or about August 1 of this year. He is off-the-charts enthusiastic about his new home.

Santa Claus may love cookies and milk, but he also enjoys a hearty breakfast, it seems! The festive feast with Santa in Drendel Ballroom, catered by Jamesons, included scrambled eggs, French toast, waffles, sausage and bacon, breakfast potatoes, mini muffins, mini danish, fresh fruit, and an array of drinks.

For the last ten years, Sun City resident Beverly Kenny has organized a group a trip to the Misericordia holiday event. This day includes a champagne brunch, holiday shopping, and performances by the Heartbreakers and Heartzingers (residents of Misericordia). Attendance has gradually risen, according to Kenny.

As a volunteer for the organization, she can attest to its importance in Sun City, for both volunteers and those receiving the help.

Right now, the answer is Jeanne Bruntyn, a resident of Neighborhood 33 in Sun City.

After a lifetime of baking for her friends, family, and just because she wanted to, Jeanne baked a Morello cherry pie and submitted it to the Huntley Farmers Market pie bake off earlier this fall. On her first try at pie-baking competition, Jeanne won first prize in the fruit pie category.

Search and rescue.

On February 18, 1952, a four-man “Coastie” lifeboat crew performed a rescue that enshrined their organization forever in a Rescue Hall of Fame, if there ever is one.