FOUR
SEASONS
July 2015
News
Volume 16 Number 7
CLUBHOUSE ACTIVITIES
Coming Events
July 4 Picnic. Grills fire up at
5:00 p.m. A sign-up sheet is
posted in the kitchen. Bring a dish
to share and your meat, fish, or
chicken to grill.
July 8 - Drum Circle Demonstration. Meet
"Moe" Jerant on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. in the
clubhouse. Moe is a drummer and percussionist
from the Lehigh Valley. Along with years of live
and studio experience, Moe holds a BA in Fine Arts
Music. She is the founder of "The Great Djembe
Jam" and she is the drum circle facilitator. You
can find more information at Moe’s website – go to
www.lvdrumcircle.com.
Come watch and enjoy the "drumming"
experience.
August 2 – New Resident
Wine and Cheese party will be
held on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. so
we can meet our new residents.
Please plan to join us.
December 6 - Christmas/Holiday luncheon will
be held at noon in the Grist Mill Tavern. More
details to follow.
Other Clubhouse Activities
Aerobics. Summer is officially here and with it
we will have very warm days that will not be good
for outdoor exercising. That's where we come in,
inside the clubhouse for our aerobic class, that is.
Our group of friendly ladies meets on Tuesdays
and Fridays at 10:00 a.m. for an hour of gentle
exercise and stretches. Why don't you stop in and
see what we do and maybe you will join us, or call
Dee for more information.
Walkercise. Join us as we "walkercise" our way
to good health using various musical DVD's. We
meet three times a week, Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday at 8:30 a.m. in the clubhouse. Simply
show up or call Judy Zellner at 484-851-3008 for
more information
Stitchery. The stitchery group meets every
Thursday at 10:00 a.m. If you have an interest in
learning or improving your technique, please stop
by and join us.
We’re also planning another “coffee on the
patio” to display our work. More information will
be available soon.
Book Club. There will not be a meeting in July
or August.
We will get together again on
September 22 to discuss “The Humans” by Matt
Haig. Here is our list of remaining books for 2015:
October: - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
November - Bitter Sweet by Colleen McCullough
For more information, please call Charlotte
Mitchell at 610-838-9863.
Poker Club. The poker group meets on
Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. in the clubhouse. Stakes
are low, so no one loses their shirt.
More players are always welcome and we play a
variety of games, occasionally with wild cards. So
drop in one evening and give it a try. Even if the
cards aren’t good, the conversation will be. If you
would like more information, contact Ed Behrens at
484-821-6470.
Duplicate Bridge Group. Join us on the first
Monday of each month. We welcome new players
and if you already play bridge, but would like
something a little more competitive, duplicate
bridge may be just right for you. If you’d like more
information, call Dave Boltz.
July 2015
Wednesday Bridge Group. We will take a
break over the summer and hope to resume our
regular Wednesday games in the fall.
If you would like some information, please call
JoAnne Sammak.
Volume 16 Number 7
Recipe for the Month.
How about a tasty
snack bar for the grandkids?
Easy Oatmeal Jam Bars
2/3
1/8
1/8
1/3
3
1/2
1
2
1/3
1/2
Mah Jongg. We meet once a week, on Tuesday
at 1:00 p.m. in the card room. New players are
welcome to sit in or if you’d like to learn, just come
in and watch for a while. To play, you should have
your current Mah Jongg card from the Mah Jongg
League and a bag of loose change. Contact Marie
Bellezza for more information.
Yoga. Come join us in exploring breath,
movement, and gentle exercises of renewal any
Monday at 10:00 a.m. Amanda Melhem is trained
in Vinyasa Flow and Kundalini yoga; she infuses
both styles to create a gentle class specifically to
support the body to come into balance.
Feel free to contact Amanda at 484-903-1280
with any questions you have. Many Blessings!
cups flour
tsp. baking soda
tsp. salt
cup quick-cooking rolled oats
tbsp. packed brown sugar
tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
tbsp. butter, softened
cup seedless raspberry preserves
tsp. lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9x2
inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl
stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in
oats, brown sugar, and lemon peel; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and
butter. Beat with an electric mixer on medium
to high for 30 seconds. Add flour mixture; beat
on low until mixture is crumbly. Measure one
cup of the crumb mixture; set aside.
3. Press the remaining crumb mixture onto the
bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake for
20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine preserves
and lemon juice. Carefully spread preserves
mixture over hot crust. Sprinkle with the
reserved one cup crumb mixture. Bake about
15 minutes more or until top is golden brown.
Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
Four Season Bus Trips. There are no trips
currently planned, but information will be available
as soon as we do.
You can always call Josephine Herb for details.
Dine Around Lunch. The Lunch Dine-around
group met at the A-1 Japanese Steak House on
Lehigh Street in Allentown. We not only had a
very tasty meal, but we also were treated to an
exhibition of Japanese Hibachi cooking. The chef
did his cooking on a large metal plate which he
prepared with oils and sauces. He did tricks with a
spatula and forks. He formed a heart with the whites
of eggs and then was able to crack the yolks out of
the remaining portion of the eggs and did not get
any of the shell mixed in. We all agreed that we
would go back again for another show.
We will not be meeting during July and August.
Too many people will be engaged in summer
activities. Watch the August issue for where we will
meet in September. Any questions? Please call
Harry or Libby Sheather at 610-838-3028.
This is a quick and easy recipe which can be
substituted with any kind of fruit and topped with
ice cream for an added treat.
I know there are a lot of bakers and cooks in
our little community and we’d like you to share
some of your favorite, so call Dee
COMMITTEE REPORTS
We Care Committee. There have been no
recent requests for equipment. We do have some
items, so please be sure to ask – we’d like to help.
Contact Marie Boltz.
2
July 2015
Recreation Committee. Arlene Levine and
Lorraine Ferrise, co-chairpersons.
The
committee met on Monday June 8 and finalized
plans for the Independence Day picnic on Saturday
July 4.
Set up will be at 10:00 a.m. Please feel free to
come and help. We need you.
Discussion followed about the new member wine
and cheese party on Sunday August 2, drum circle
demonstration, July 8, and Christmas/Holiday
luncheon on December 6.
Volume 16 Number 7
Newsletter Committee, Matt Piszel, Editor.
Would you like give Journalism 101 a try? Join our
newsletter committee to help put the monthly issue
together – you can report on events, people,
activities, or just tell a story. We welcome all levels
of experience.
BOARD CORNER
It is summertime and the Board is deeply
involved in the research and planning process for
several major projects here at Four Seasons. The
biggest and most expensive project concerns our
roads and driveways. The harsh winters in the
previous two years have taken a toll on their
durability and appearance, and we are disappointed
in the amount of damage that has occurred so soon
after our major road resurfacing project to crack fill
and seal coat the roads and driveways in 2013. In
order to address this situation, we have created an
ad hoc committee composed of Fran Streitman,
Bruce Swan, and Matt Piszel, to come up with a
multi-year plan to guide our decisions regarding
these matters. Following extensive research and
investigation of our streets and driveways, they
have developed a statement/scope of work to be
done, discussed this with several potential
contractors, and begun the process of soliciting
proposals. We will be informing the community of
our progress in a timely manner.
On a related matter, the sorry condition of the
surface of our shuffleboard courts is apparent to
everyone. Particularly aggravating is the fact that
we just had them resurfaced in the past two years at
considerable expense. Extensive discussions with
the painter and paint manufacturer as to the nature
and cause of the problem have not proven
satisfactory. We are currently looking at new
surfacing technology combined with extensive
caulking around the courts to resolve the problem.
In the meantime, the courts are playable should you
wish to use them. Once again, we will be informing
the community of our progress in a timely manner.
We will be undertaking several minor and
recurring projects as well. We have looked at mold
issues on vinyl siding in the community and will be
engaging a contractor shortly to power-wash the
more severe cases. Electrical problems affecting
the fountain and waterfall in the entrance pond have
been or are being resolved, and the guard rail posts
in front of the pond will be replaced and repaired as
Architectural Review Committee.
The
committee meets on the second Wednesday of each
month to review residents’ requests for any exterior
modification.
If you have any questions, you may contact Roy
Blake, chairman.
Clubhouse Maintenance Committee, Tony
DiMaio, Chair.
Looking to help out in the
community? There’s always something small that
may need completion and an “experienced”
handyman isn’t needed. Just call Tony DiMaio to
find out what’s going on.
Sunshine Committee. In May we sent out one
get-well card.
If you know of someone who is ill, recently lost
a relative, or celebrated a significant event, please
let us know. You may contact Charlotte Mitchell at
610-838-9863.
Grounds Maintenance Committee, Roger
Whiteley, Chair. Plans are underway to replace
several trees. We will need volunteers to water
these trees once they are planted.
Last month we asked for help to water the new
flowers soon to be planted below the entrance sign.
Unfortunately, we received no advance warning
when they were to be planted. By the time the
committee was notified the flowers had been
planted, they were dead for lack of water.
We have advised all involved that the committee
needs advance notice of any new plantings.
The next meeting of the committee will be at
4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15. If you would like
more information about the committee or are
interested in joining please call Roger Whiteley at
484-851-3327.
3
July 2015
needed. Several concrete sidewalk panels and
aprons where damage has occurred will be replaced
as well, and the Grounds Committee will be
overseeing the removal of unsightly vegetation at
the clubhouse, and the removal of dead trees and
planting of new ones throughout the community.
This committee is also considering the development
of a long-range plan for managing the grounds in
our community. Finally, this is the last year of our
three-year contract with Sterling Painting to paint
all of the shutters in our community. The remaining
one-third of the shutters will be painted later this
summer.
And lastly a timely reminder – our 15 mph speed
limit is in place for a reason: the safety of our
drivers and those who are walking in the streets. All
of us have violated this limit at one time or another.
It is so easy to do when the limit is so slow, the
streets are empty, and we are thinking about
something else. Therefore, we all need to pay more
attention to the speed limit and safety in general.
As the old adage goes, better safe than sorry!
See you at the 4th of July picnic!
Volume 16 Number 7
NEWS, VIEWS, AND OTHER ISSUES
Editor’s Note – The following article is included as
an introduction to the fourth and final entry in the Civil
War series. Because of its length, we are unable to
include the entire article, but will post an electronic
copy on our website and two paper copies in the
clubhouse - they will be located on the bar. Please
return the copy after reading.
Human Interest Stories of the Civil War
By Marlin Schaffstall
The American Civil War began at 4:30 a.m.,
April 12, 1861 when the Confederates opened fire
on the Union troops in Fort Sumter on the bay, four
miles from downtown Charleston, South Carolina.
It ended on Palm Sunday morning April 9, 1865
when the Confederate army, outnumbered by five or
six to one, surrendered to the Union army near
Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.
Why did the Confederate army, led by General
Robert E. Lee, decide to head north late in June of
1863? (1) Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia could
not stay in a region denuded of supplies, including
clothing and food. Men and horses were starving
and worn down; uniforms were rags; soldiers lacked
shoes. The army could clothe and feed themselves,
and feed the horses, from the fertile farms and full
storehouses of Maryland and Pennsylvania while
drawing both armies out of Virginia during the
crucial harvest season. (2) If they took the war into
the North they could force the Lincoln government
to sue for peace. (3) They could sever the North’s
main supply links by cutting off the B&O railroad
and probably burning the Pennsylvania Railroad
Bridge over the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg.
(4) A successful invasion might induce European
powers to recognize Confederate nationhood and
possibly even send troops to help.
The Battle of Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania, took
place July 1-3, 1863, 152 years ago as you read
this. For many good reasons Lincoln had decided
that Joseph Hooker was not the general who could
lead the Union army successfully. On June 28,
1863, three days before the start of the battle, he
relieved Hooker from command and replaced him
with General George G. Meade.
SPORTS
Ladies Golf. There was lots and lots of rain
June 2, so the prospect of soggy greens, cold winds
and possibly more rain led to the decision to cancel
play June 3. We were glad the drought was broken,
but did it have to happen on a golf day?
Finally, June 10, was a perfect June day (what is
so rare as….?). Eleven of us played and Anne
Sawyer and Maureen Cort both parred #4 on Oak.
June 17 was another beautiful day, but the
biggest surprise was that Wedgewood canceled us
at the last minute due to an overbooked outing.
Fortunately, Tumblebrook, where the Swingers got
their start more than a decade ago, was able to
accommodate us. This was a new experience for
many of us, and all 13 of us had a great time even
though no one had a par.
Our run of perfect golf weather continued June
24, as 12 of us played and we enjoyed the beautiful
day back on our home course, Oak, at Wedgewood.
Wilma Smith and Maureen Cort responded to the
familiar surroundings with pars, Wilma on the
fourth hole and Maureen on the first. Sandy
Bender, who is on injured reserve, surprised us with
a visit at lunch!
4
July 2015
Volume 16 Number 7
Directory Changes
Work Detail
By Julie Swan
Rita Downey (1891 Jeanine) has changed her
phone number. You can reach her at 484-851-3587.
Thanks to Charlotte Mitchell, who, after hearing
that I had complained about the condition of the
white benches, prodded me to help her wash them
all. One steamy Friday morning last month, the two
of us, armed with buckets, brushes and paper
towels, tackled the job.
With two people working, it wasn’t so bad; we
finished in less than two hours. But we would like
to strongly suggest to the board that washing those
benches be put on the chores list for the spring work
day, if not every year, at least every other year.
They were so dirty that I doubt anyone would have
wanted to sit on them.
And speaking of the spring work day, sincere
thanks to everyone who turned out this year. I don’t
have a list of the participants, so unfortunately can’t
report all their names, but there’s always a good
turnout for our work days, which is great.
If you don’t realize it, having so many residents
tackle routine chores like washing windows,
weeding and washing pool furniture helps keep our
monthly fees down and our community looking
beautiful. I saw a lot of old (in both senses of the
word) faces among the workers, and would like to
once again urge more of our newer residents to take
part. Some of you were there, but it would be
wonderful to see more of you stepping forward to
carry the torch for the longtime residents, some of
whom are no longer able to do the work.
It’s a great way to get to know some of your
neighbors, and to feel like you are truly part of this
terrific community.
Please welcome our newest residents, Dan and
Nadine Bidwell at 1892 Gregory, but they're not
new to the Lehigh Valley, as they formerly resided
in Lower Saucon Township.
Dan retired from SEPTA where he worked as
their Director of Operations in Philadelphia. His
background is in transportation with many years at
the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Conrail. Nadine is
a retired nurse, having worked at several locations
in the area, but she enjoyed the Lehigh University
Health and Wellness Center the most.
When
she decided to pack it all in, it was so that she could
spend more time with her grandsons or just some
quiet time reading and relaxing.
Dan is also a reader and history buff, but will put
down a book to spend time with his grandsons who
live in nearby Holland, PA.
Dan and Nadine's daughter, Elizabeth, also
resides with them at this time. Elizabeth works
locally as a registered nurse at St. Luke's Hospital.
You can reach the Bidwells at 610-867-6757 or
via e-mail at [email protected].
Thank You
Rules and Regulations….Again
The members of the Recreation
Committee would like to extend our
thanks to Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Laurita
for joining us at our Memorial Day
picnic. Having a member of the
armed forces with us on that day was
a special treat. Listening to him
express his views on what makes
someone a hero gave us all pause to think.
Also, thank you to Ralph and Roberta for letting
us get to know their son. Let’s all try and remember
those who serve our country everyday, not just on
holidays. Thank you, Jeff, for your service!
32. Speed Limit – 15 miles per hour on
all roads in the community
NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
Editor – Matt Piszel
Assistant Editor – Roger Whiteley
Feature Writer – Julie Swan
Feature Writer – Ted Schlie
Food and Travel Editor – Dee Arcuri
5
Four Seasons at Saucon Valley Activities - July, 2015
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
4. Independence
Day Picnic starts
at 5:00 p.m.
1.
Ladies Golf
8:00 Walkercise
7:00 Poker
2.
10:00 Stitchery
3.
8:00 Walkercise
10:00 Aerobics
12:30 Ladies Cards
8.
Ladies Golf
8:30 Walkercise
10:00 Drum Circle
Demonstration
2:00 ARC
4:30 Grounds Cmte
7:00 Poker
15.
Ladies Golf
8:30 Walkercise
7:00 Poker
9.
10:00 Stitchery
10.
8:00 Walkercise
10:00 Aerobics
12:30 Ladies Cards
11.
16.
10:00 Stitchery
17.
8:00 Walkercise
10:00Aerobics
12:30 Ladies Cards
18.
5.
6.
8:00 Walkercise
10:00 Yoga
12:00 Bocce
12:30 Ladies Cards
7:00 Dupl. Bridge
7.
Men’s Golf
10:00 Aerobics.
1:00 Mah Jongg
7:00 Billiards
12.
13.
8:00 Walkercise
10:00 Yoga
12:00 Bocce
12:30 Rec. Com.
1:30 Ladies Cards
14.
Men’s Golf
10:00 Aerobics
1:00 Mah Jongg
7:00 Billiards
19.
20.
8:00 Walkercise
10:00 Yoga
12:00 Bocce
12:30 Ladies Cards
6:00 1/1 Board Mtg
21.
Men’s Golf
10:00 Aerobics
1:00 Mah Jongg
7:00 Billiards
22.
Ladies Golf
8:30 Walkercise
7:00 Poker
23.
10:00 Stitchery
24.
8:00 Walkercise
10:00 Aerobics
12;30 Ladies Cards
25.
26.
27.
8:00 Walkercise
10:00 Yoga
12:00 Bocce
12:30 Ladies Cards
28.
Men’s Golf
10:00 Aerobics.
1:00 Mah Jongg
7:00 Billiards
29. National
Lasagna Day
Ladies Golf
8:30 Walkercise
7:00 Poker
30.
10:00 Stitchery
31
8:00 Walkercise
10:00 Aerobics
12:30 Ladies Cards
Aug. 1