Important Numbers and Information

Emergency Maintenance Issues Castle Vista Maintenance After Hours

(209) 643-9193

If no answer, please leave a message -we will return the call. Make sure to leave your name and address on the message and

the issue at hand

NEW! Courtesy Patrol

Guardco Security (209) 723-4273 or (209) 947-2219

For Emergencies, Call 911

*Please remember - Speed Limit is 15 MPH within the Community Gates

Page 4

Friends Make Good Neighbors!

Don’t forget our

resident referral fee is $500.00

*Received after resident has completed 30 days of

It’s become fashiona-ble on April 8 to draw a picture of a bird. This practice dates back to 1943, when seven-year-old Dorie Cooper visited her uncle, a wounded war veteran, in the hospital. He was in poor spirits, and Do-rie tried to cheer him up by requesting,

“Draw a bird for me please.” The resulting pic-ture was not good, and Dorie could not help but laugh, which did indeed cheer her uncle.

With each subsequent visit to the hospital, Dorie was greeted with pictures of birds drawn by the soldiers, some good and many bad, but all of them evoking smiles. So on April 8, put your tal-ents to work drawing a bird. And don’t feel bad if your work is not as beautiful as those of famous ornithologist John J. Audubon, who celebrates his birthday on April 26.

John James Audubon was born on April 26, 1785, in Les Cayes, Santo Domingo, France (now Haiti). From his father's Pennsylvania estate, Audubon made his first scientific stud-ies. After failing in business ventures, he concentrated on draw-ing and studying birds,

which took him around the country. His extraor-dinary four-volume Birds of America was pub-lished in London in 1827 and was followed by several related works. He died in New York City in 1851.

The illegitimate son of French plantation owner Captain Jean Audubon and his Creole servant Jeanne Rabin, he was given the name Jean Rabin at birth. However, when his mother died shortly after his birth, he and his sister were sent to Nantes, France, to be raised by the captain’s wife, Anne. They were later legally adopted and Jean was renamed Jean-Jacques Fougère Audu-bon.

Along with Audubon’s new name came new priv-ileges. He was given the education becoming of a wealthy merchant’s son, including lessons in art, music and natural history, and was afforded an abundance of leisure time to explore the world around him. It was during his youthful wander-

ings that Audubon began to develop an interest in the natural world. He grew particularly fasci-nated with birds, and was soon using his artistic abilities to sketch them on a regular basis.

In 1803, when Audubon was 18, war broke out between France and England and Audubon was sent to his father’s estate in Mill Grove, Pennsyl-vania, to avoid conscription and oversee the lead mining operations there. Changing his name to John James Audubon en route, he wholehearted-ly embraced the new world that he found waiting for him. Focusing his attention on birds, he con-tinued his careful observations of their behavior, determined to depict them more accurately than his contemporaries.

Our Staff

Jennifer Krumm

Community Administrator

Kiran Prasad

Marketing Director

Denise French

Activities Director

Jon Lukshaw

Maintenance Lead

Richard Scott

Painter

Adam Blitch

Maintenance Technician

Joseph Long

Maintenance Technician

Connie Torres

Housekeeping

For the Birds

2300 Cascade Drive, Atwater, CA 95301 Phone # 209-357-2924 Fax # 209-357-7914

February 2016

The earliest cave dwellers likely spent many nights looking up at the sky and pondering the stars, the planets, and questioning how humans fit in the universe. Those feelings of wonder and awe have not changed much. April is Global Astronomy Month, and oppor-tunities abound to look heavenward and ap-preciate the vast beauty of the night sky.

The organization Astronomers Without Borders encourages stargazers across the globe to join their “Global Star Party” on April 16. Watch the sunset and BYOT (Bring Your Own Telescope), but

viewing devices aren’t necessary for spying stars, the moon, the Milky Way, or even plan-ets like Mercury, which will be especially visi-ble in mid-April. The group’s philosophy is “One People, One Sky,” and they believe that the action of stargazing reminds us that we are all together on planet Earth, adrift in the universe.

The best viewing spots are the dark places, far from city lights. April 4–10 celebrates In-ternational Dark Sky Week and raises aware-ness of light pollution. We’ve heard of air pol-

lution, but are skies really polluted by artificial light? The International Dark Sky Association values stargazing so much that they fight to reduce artificial light so that all may enjoy star-filled skies. Some towns have even been certified “Dark Sky Communities,” making them some of the best locales for stargazing in the world. These communities include Bev-erly Shores, Indiana; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Bon Accord, Alberta, Canada.

If nighttime stargazing isn’t your passion, April offers other chances for simply looking skyward. April 14 is Look Up at the Sky Day, and the week of April 24–30 is Sky Aware-ness Week. Clouds, the sun, a bird, a plane—heck, you might even spy Superman. The heavens have always been a magical place, and you never know what might appear out of thin air unless you look.

April 2016

Onward and Upward

Is there a more perfect sand-wich than peanut butter and jelly? In celebration of one of the best food combina-tions of all time, April 2 is Pea-nut Butter and Jelly Day.

When it comes to PB&J, many think, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, if you’re looking to expand your PB&J horizons, do what Elvis did and swap the jelly for some fresh fruit. Bana-nas, strawberries, or even pom-egranate fit the bill. More ad-venturous types opt for grilling their sandwiches in a frying pan, while others ditch the bread and slather their pan-cakes with PB&J. When it comes to food combinations, PB&J certainly tops the list.

But is this humble sandwich tastier than bacon and eggs? Macaroni and cheese? Spa-ghetti and meatballs? A burger and fries? Cookies and milk? Dietician Katherine Brooking offers some insight into PB&J’s allure. “Humans have an innate

Castle Vista Times Castle Vista Times April 2016

Classic Combo

Page 2 Save The Date

Date Time Castle Vista Event

April 10th 2pm - 5pm Castle Vista Spring Dance

Join us for a swinging good time! Enjoy music by Lady G & Friends Tickets are $8 Presale, or $10 at the Door.

April 16th 10am—2pm Rose & Iris Festival

Come enjoy the beauty that Mother Nature Produces. Food available for purchase at the event.

(See the flyer insert for more details.)

April 21st 7pm Movie Night!

Snack on popcorn while enjoying the movie of the month.

April 22nd 4pm-7pm Castle Vista Residents—Art Show

Come enjoy wine and cheese as you view the artistic skills and beauty of our residents.

April 28th 12pm Pizza Party with AARP

AARP will be hosting a pizza party while keeping you up to date with the benefits of what AARP offers.

April 29th 12pm Pool Party and Barbeque

Kick off the opening of the Castle Vista pool with a barbeque and lots of fun! Don’t miss the fun!

May 14th 10am—2pm Castle Vista Car Show

Beautiful cars, vendors and lots of fun! Join us!

June 4th 8am-Noon Castle Vista Yard Sale

Clean out your closets and start Summer with a yard sale, at the Castle Vista Annual Yard Sale

From The Desk of The Administrator Page 3 April 2016

On April 9, 1882, reknowned showman P.T. Barnum arrived in New York City with the largest spectacle ever to grace his traveling circus. Jumbo the African elephant, weigh-ing 6.5 tons and standing over 11 feet tall, stepped from the British steamship H.M.S. Assyrian Monarch. The massive beast, as gentle and clumsy as a child, instantly en-deared himself to audiences. Thanks to Jumbo’s many stunts, such as promenading across the Brooklyn Bridge, Barnum’s circus earned the nickname “The Greatest Show on Earth.” You could say Jumbo was the first international animal superstar.

The name Jumbo was a cross between two Swahili words, jumbe meaning “chief,” and jambo meaning “hello.” We can thank Jum-bo the elephant for adding the word jumbo to our vocabulary.

Shamrocks & Murder More Than A Pinch!

Cast of Castle Vista Dinner Show

Barnum purchased Jumbo from the British in 1882 for

$10,000.

Jumbo-Sized

St. Patrick’s

Fun and

great food!