Vol. 37 No. 12
December 2023
Cheerful Displays Brighten the Holidays Article and photos by Jeff McCoy Many Casta del Sol residents like to decorate for the festive holidays of December. And most who do, prefer displays that are “grounded.” The days of climbing on ladders to hang colored lights from eaves and rooftops are over. Porches, house fronts, and shrubs are easily accessible places to adorn with wreaths, poinsettias, cutouts of snowmen, stuffed Santas, small fir trees, flags, candy canes, and lights. Bill and Mimi Burfeind’s porch display includes a Santa with a green suit, a salute to their Irish heritage. Each year Frank Lamonica creates a nativity scene on the front of his home. Residents Vangie and Gary Thiesz choose poinsettias and colorful wreaths to exhibit. The displays may vary, but every light and decoration add to the joy of the season.
Bill and Mimi Burfeind display their Irish heritage
Note: Because of an early print deadline for the December issue of the Casta Courier, the photos for this Continued on page 17 article were taken last December.
Debra Friedman and Richard Scott, Calle Valdez
Selecting a Landscape Contractor By Debra Friedman, with input from the Board of Directors It has been more than three years since the last landscape maintenance contract was awarded. Since it is the largest single budget item for Casta del Sol, the process was very detailed and extensive. Each step of this process followed the guidelines in accordance with the Davis-Stirling Act and legal counsel. The process began in September 2022 when Monarch Environmental was contracted to rewrite the landscape specifications. The “scope of work” provided by the Greenbelt
Committee was the starting point, followed by numerous meetings over a period of five months between the Greenbelt Committee, the Board, and Matt Davenport from Monarch. In February of 2023, the Association’s legal counsel reviewed the contract and provided feedback to the Board. On March 30, the Board provided the contract to the Greenbelt Committee and requested that the committee chair participate in several subsequent meetings with legal counsel. Continued on page 4
of all sizes, shapes, and breeds came together Canines on Parade toDogs celebrate Halloween at the Lawn Bowling Pavilion. By Debra Friedman, photos by Fred Lake
Lady as a Fairy Princess (1st place)
More than 20 canines with their humans of Casta del Sol came out in full force for the annual Halloween costume extravaganza on October 21. The Canine Companions Club, formed in 2005, now boasts more than 50 members and has held this event for more than ten years. As expected, dog costumes were unusual, delightful, and/or beautiful. The dogs, for the most part, were generally well-behaved and proud to be dressed up. The three judges, Debra Friedman, Linda Brockmiller, and Dottie Lewis, struggled to choose the top three winners since all deserved recognition. The first-place award went to Cheryl Rowen’s dog, Lady, who was dressed as a Continued on page 4
Bogey as “Poop Factory”(3rd place) & Sammy as a “Swiftie”