11 minute read
Lifestyle
LIFESTYLE NEW COMMUNITY FOCUSES ON HIKING, NOT GOLF
By Scott Gaertner, Lifestyle Contributor
Is hiking the new golf? In my house it isn’t, but our conversations with many real estate buyers suggest there is some truth to this statement. A new community in the far southeast area of Scottsdale North called Storyrock is betting that it is.
Storyrock is a new community of 443 homes set out near the wilds of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and its focus is around hiking. The developer is a small company that promises there will be no golf course, and that “hiking is the new golf.” They also say that the community plans to have six private trailhead connections to hiking trails and wildlife. The Phoenix Business Journal article says that Shea Homes is under contract for 51 of the lots in Phase 1, and that they have another builder on the hook for 31 more.
Golf has certainly taken a major hit in popularity in recent years and it looks like hiking is another possible lifestyle choice. There are not a lot of large pieces of land left in Scottsdale North - I wonder if anyone will try to build one focused on pickleball and dog parks!?
Scott Gaertner is an Associate Broker with Keller Williams Northeast, who for the past 25+ years has helped more people to find their lifestyle niche in the Scottsdale North area than anyone else. He also contributes his thoughts on lifestyle interests in the area. If you have something of interest in your community, please contact us at Lifestyles@ScottsdaleNorthNews.com
CONNECTING SCOTTSDALE NORTH HOME TOUR Open houses throughout 85266!
January 11, 12pm-4pm For information on Homes go to ConnectingScottsdaleNorth.com or call 480-634-5000.
UPON THE Rock
ASSISTED LIVING
• 24/7 Compassionate Care • All The Comforts Of Home • All Private Rooms & Bath • Delicious Home-Cooked Meals • Breakfast Made-To-Order • Fun Activities Daily • Nightly Bed-Turndown Service • Awake Staff At Night • Beautiful Courtyard With Walking Path • Weekly In-Home Salon Service • All Healthcare Professionals Available • Defi ciency Free State Licensed Assisted Living
When only the VERY BEST WILL DO... please call! 480-221-1140 www.UponTheRockAssistedLiving.com
Adriel Landscaping & Maintenance & Maintenance
Established in 1997 • Irrigation System Installation & Repair • Overseeding • Yard Clean Up • Lawn Maintenance & Gravel • Palm & Tree Trimming • Weed Control
Armando Metelin
Owner
602-619-1434 metelinarmando@gmail.com
BBB Accredited since 2015 Thank You For Your Business! Weekly ~ Bi-weekly ~ Monthly 23RD ANNUAL GREATER PHOENIX JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
For the past 23 years, the Greater Phoenix Valley congregations and over 100 members of Jewish Film Festival (GPJFF) has celebrated Gesher Disability Resources (formerly Council for Jewish culture through film, bringing an Jews with Special Needs) and their caretakers. This exciting lineup of films to Arizona honoring Jew- screening will raise awareness and highlight incluish traditions and heritage. From February 10-24, sion while providing an entertaining and educa2019, the 23rd Annual Greater Phoenix Jewish tional cinematic experience. The screening will be Film Festival will screen films showcasing the shown with the lights up and the volume lowered, best of Jewish traditions, at three Valley locations: and audience members are free to move around, Harkins Shea 14, Scottsdale; Harkins Park West 14, talk, or even dance in the aisles during the movie. Peoria and Harkins Tempe Marketplace 16, Tempe. Currently the longest-running film festival in the follow the Festival on www.facebook.com/GreaterValley, the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival PhxJewishFilmFest or @GPJFF on Twitter. celebrates its 23rd year by presenting more great films that make our festival even bigger and better - almost 2,000 magical minutes of Jewish cinema from 13 different countries! Rejoice in this annual crowd-pleasing two-week annual event with 20 new films and six short films ranging from defiance and struggle to fun and adventure to laughter and love, with something for everyone and stories that engage both mind and heart. Without leaving your movie theater seat, filmgoers can travel from a maternity ward in the South of France to the cramped living arrangements of the Warsaw Ghetto, from the back alleys of Budapest to the frozen Russian countryside; from the bright lights of Broadway to the harrowing ambulance runs in Brooklyn!
The opening night film, GOLDA’S BALCONY, THE FILM, will be the West coast premiere of the film of the award-winning Broadway play about Golda Meir, Israel’s only female prime minister. Producer/Director David Fishelson will appear at both the Scottsdale and Tempe showings.
Guest speakers with knowledge of specific topics applicable to the films moderate discussions following many of the screenings. A special Valentine’s Day screening of the film THE CAKEMAKER on Feb. 14 will surprise attendees with a great film and delicious dessert. A free screening of HAVA NAGILA: THE MOVIE will be shown on Sunday, February 24, for a mixed audience of Jewish teens from In addition to the website: gpjff.org, you can also
BARRETT-JACKSON 48TH ANNUAL SCOTTSDALE AUCTION
Barrett-Jackson is gearing Candy Root Beer paint; it rides on up for another adrenaline- Billet Specialties wheels wrapped in filled auction with some of Mickey Thomson tires. the world’s most coveted ’60s to ’70s era custom vehicles during its “The resources available for 48th Annual Scottsdale Auction, automotive craftsman to create their January 12-20, 2019, at WestWorld ‘rolling art’ are unprecedented,” said of Scottsdale. Collectors worldwide Steve Davis, president of Barrettcontinue to make well-built custom Jackson. “When contemporary tech, vehicles a part of their collection, parts and tools are combined with like a ’63 Chevrolet Corvette the unbelievable talent of these Split Window Custom Coupe (Lot artisans, classic cars are transformed #1333) built by Jeff Hayes and into timeless masterpieces. For those American Speed Shop. Another seeking a true, one-of-one vehicle hotly anticipated custom is the for their collection, our Scottsdale ’65 “SN65 Mustang” (Lot #1325), Auction should already be on their which masterfully integrates two calendar.” unibody cars separated by 40 years of production. Another sought-after custom will be “The golden era of ’60s and ’70s on the 10th season of “Chop Cut cars produced fantastic canvases for Rebuild,” which took a year to build. custom builds,” said Craig Jackson, The car features custom upgrades chairman and CEO of Barrett- inside and out, including tucked and Jackson. “When these vehicles shaved bumpers, wheels with red rolled off the assembly line nearly line tires, Nu-Relic power windows, 50 years ago, they were celebrated Vintage Air and Audio Shoppe sound for their bold looks and engineering. system. “Grandma’s Furyous” is a Today, they’re being used by talented creative take on a ’66 Plymouth Fury craftsman to bridge the design of the Coupe (Lot #986). An original, rustpast with technology of today. The free body, the car was completely vehicles consigned for our Scottsdale stripped and refinished and upgraded Auction are some of the very best with an 500ci aluminum big examples built by top names to the block capable of cranking out 600 high standards collectors expect from horsepower. today’s custom vehicles.” a ’67 Chevelle (Lot #1447) featured Additional ’60s and ’70s customs Three impressive customs crossing crossing the block in Scottsdale the block in Scottsdale at No Reserve include: combine high-quality craftsmanship • ’68 Chevrolet Camaro Kindigwith the fun of top-down cruising. It Design (Lot #1386) – Built on A ’61 Oldsmobile Starfire (preview) “Bitchin’ Rides” Season 3 from the Bryan Frank Collection •’67 Ford Mustang Kindig-It features lead bodywork, custom Fastback (Lot #1367) – Pro-charged top, reupholstered white leather and 427ci 700 horsepower engine chrome wire wheels. Showcased •’70 Chevrolet Nova Custom (Lot at the 2017 SEMA Show, a topless #990) – A fresh build by Dan ’62 Cadillac roadster conversion LaBonte with 300 test miles (Lot #1041) has a full shaved •’70 Plymouth GTX Custom exterior with a ʼ14 Cadillac CTS-V (preview) – Three-year, ground-up interior upholstered in leather and build with photos and documents Alcantara suede. A ’65 Pontiac GTO included convertible (preview) is powered by •’71 Plymouth Barracuda (Lot #1321) a Butler Performance 467ci big- – “Striker,” an award-winning ISCA block engine and dressed in flawless car that took 9,500 hours to build SURPRISE
FINE ART & WINE FESTIVAL
JAN 11-13 15940 N Bullard Ave, Surprise
CAREFREE FINE ART & WINE FESTIVAL JAN 18-20 101 Easy St, Carefree
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: SCOTTSDALE FEB 8-10 CAREFREE MAR 1-3 FOUNTAIN HILLS MAR 8-10
Meet renowned artists, stroll throughout juried fine arts, enjoy sipping fine wines and listening to live music. $3 Admission • Held Outdoors • 10am-5pm
ThunderbirdArtists.com • 480-837-5637
THUNDERBIRD ARTISTS G A L L E R Y
99 Easy Street Suite 235 • Carefree, Arizona 10am-5pm • 7 days a week 480-688-4960
PRIMA PAINTING LLC INTERIOR EXTERIOR PAINTING PAINTING
EPOXY GARAGE FLOOR COOL DECK PAINTING
ENTRY DOOR RESTORATION CABINET PAINTING
PRIMA PAINTING LLC 480-939-9230 www.primapaintingllc.com Licensed, Bonded Insured • License #318828
COMMUNITY REIGNING GRACE RANCH PROVIDES PEACE AND PURPOSE TO VETERANS RETURNING HOME
Reigning Grace Ranch (RGR), a 15-acre equine therapy ranch located in Rio Verde, has created a new program that helps veterans reconnect with their families and the community following deployment. “Heroes & Horsepower” will be a program for military members to visit the ranch and develop horsemanship skills as well as therapeutic experiential life skills.
“We have several military families that have brought their children to Reigning Grace Ranch as form of therapy, and we have worked with the families as a whole, not just the children,” said Amanda Moore, cofounder of Reigning Grace Ranch. “We’ve had many requests to begin a special division of the ranch that works with our service men and women as an outlet for PTSD, development of confidence, life direction and purpose. “Heroes and Horsepower” is a natural component for the ranch to add because of the work we are already doing with our children’s programming.
Studies have shown that after deployment, approximately 12.5% of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts had PTSD.
“I had several struggles when I departed from active duty back to being a civilian,” said Chris McGraw, a volunteer at Reigning Grace Ranch. “It was a much harder transition that I had ever thought. I felt like I didn’t fit in. I was stressed about what to do for work, understanding how to acclimate to society and many other struggles that I really can’t put into words.”
Alex Dillon had a similar experience.
“Some of the struggles I had, when returning, was adjusting to the changes in my life that became routine,” said Dillon. “Also having to come home to a different house and try to understand that because I left, life back home kept moving forward.” The new program, unique in its design and implementation, will begin in early 2019. While most equine programs focus solely on the veteran, Heroes and Horsepower will provide services for the veteran and their family. “I knew the moment I pulled up that I needed this place in my life, and was pretty excited about it,” said McGraw. “For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel any anxiety or depression while I was on the ranch. I actually forgot about the stresses of my daily life and just focused on the moment and the beauty that is RGR.”
Dillon first visited RGR shortly after he returned from deployment. There to help out his sister, Kebra, with the mentoring program, he got much more in return. “Volunteering at RGR helped with my transition by showing me that I can be in control of what I am feeling and control what happens around me. Having such a large animal trust you to lead and guide them is such an amazing feeling.”
The goal of the program is to bring together the military community and their families in a serene therapeutic setting. The program, as it grows, will empower the veterans to lead additional groups and help others heal. But the primary objective is to provide veterans a space where they can convalesce and connect.
“This program will be an excellent way to reintegrate veterans back into our community because it will allow a quiet place to explore direction and purpose for their lives,” said Moore. “Veterans can heal from past trauma in an authentic way, individually, as a group or and with their families. They’ll receive tools they can
use in their daily lives away from the ranch.” “Becoming a volunteer at RGR has made a lasting impact in my life by just allowing me a place to go to just let go and let God,” said McGraw. “I want to give that same feeling of peacefulness and relaxation to all my friends that I have served with. I want them to understand how important they are and that they still matter. Plus, I want to make a difference in their lives by letting them know that I get it and I was there!”
To learn more about Reigning Grace Ranch, please visit azrgr.org.
