THE PELICAN BRIEF
APR. 2011
Serving the Community of Pelican Pointe
Board of Directors
Manager
Harold Davison, President
and Chair of
Steve Susman
Security & Safety Committee
8300 Fairmount Dr., #J-101
Mary Mulholland, Vice President and Chair of
Denver, CO 80247
Social Committee
Glen Olmstead, Newsletter Editor
(303) 394-0942 and (303) 668-2747
Marcia Helfant, Chair of Design Review
Committee
Frank Parker, Treasurer
Our HOA Chili Dinner on Friday, March 4, was a resounding success! Different styles
of chili were featured, concocted by our
own resident chefs. Many thanks to all who
helped make this a wonderful evening. Don’t miss out on future Pelican Pointe social
events. They are usually free to residents and absentee homeowners. These get-togethers
provide a great opportunity to meet
your neighbors, corner our manager, or just enjoy
someone else’s cooking for a change. After all, you can’t eat at Del Frisco’s every night,
nor exist on Buffalo wings either.
Book Club. Our Pelican Pointe Book Club will meet on Friday, April 15, 2011, at 6:30
p.m., at the home of Molly Squibb, Unit X102. To be discussed: The Forgotten
Garden, by Kate Morton. Shifting back and forth over a span of nearly 100 years, this is
a sprawling, old-fashioned novel of multigenerational sagas filled with
family secrets,
stories-within-stories, a touch of mystery and even a maze. All who enjoy reading are
welcome. RSVP to Molly at (303) 329-4409.
Lunch Bunch. Join this interested and interesting group of Pelican Pointe men and
women for lunch at Little Ollie’s restaurant, 2364 E. 3rd
Avenue in Cherry Creek North,
on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at 11:30 a.m. Treat yourself to a good meal and sparkling
conversation. New faces are cordially encouraged to attend! Requirements: (a) You
must be able to read a menu; (b) you must park in Cherry Creek North; and (c) you must
be bored with chicken nuggets. RSVP to Susan Million, (303) 316-7190.
Save these 2011 dates, too:
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Friday, June 17, 6:00-8:00 for a TGIF with pizza, beer, and wine, at our Pelican
Pointe
Park.
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Sunday, September 18, 5:00-7:00 for our Annual Picnic at the Lighthouse Clubhouse.
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Monday, December 5, 6:00 p.m., at Augustana Lutheran Church, for our Annual
Homeowners Meeting.
SUSMAN UNLEASHED
by Steve Susman
“If you see a stranger across a crowded room,” is one of the more romantic lines in the
classic music of “Some Enchanted Evening.” However, if you see one or more persons
wandering, strolling, or marching through our complex –
and your gut tells you that “they
don’t belong here and I smell trouble” –
you may be right. It may be better to be wrong
than sorry. We all know that it’s easy to gain access to Pelican Pointe, even at night. A
Denver police officer, it is reported by one of our homeowners, recently told her that
it is
ok (and even may be advisable) to call the police when you make that observation.
Sometimes, the police are available to respond quickly, and can encounter the strangers.
If they have a legitimate reason for their odyssey in our community, fine. If they don’t,
perhaps they’d enjoy a ride to District headquarters. As we have urged so frequently, be
alert to persons and situations in Pelican Pointe that may portend danger to you. Of
course, we don’t mean to foster paranoia among our residents or suggest that you pack
heat (unless you’re carrying a fever).
In high school, did you leave your locker door open?
Of course not. You didn’t want
unsolicited comments from your classmates about your Marilyn Monroe poster
(remember her?). Similarly, we should always be sure to close the door on each of our
mail storage lockers in our three mail kiosks, after retrieving the package within. This, of
course, looks neater in our kiosks, keeps the interior of the locker clean, and makes it
ready to accept the next package for you or someone else. Each of the newer locker
doors has a spring, albeit a weak one, that should return the door to its closed position.
Please use common sense, even if you’re upset that your expensive package in the locker
was a lobster that didn’t quite survive the flight from Maine, notwithstanding its
surroundings of dry ice.
In First Grade, did you envy the kid whose autumn leaves were placed on the bulletin
board by your teacher, when yours were relegated to an obscure shoebox beneath her
desk? If so, you may be one of those maladjusted persons who obtain their jollies by
obscuring a flyer or notice on our bulletin boards with one of your own. Let’s have some
civility when using our three bulletin boards. How about these simple suggestions:
Bring your own push-pins.
Don’t cover someone else’s material with yours.
Keep your material there for only a reasonable amount of time.
St. Peter won’t admit you to the Pearly Gates
if you consistently leave our pedestrian
gates open. We have four pedestrian gates in Pelican Pointe –
two on the north fence and
two on the south (Canal side). Why would you leave the gate open after passing through
it? While shutting the gate is not one of the Ten Commandments, perhaps it should rate
as about Number Fourteen or so. If you remembered the gate code to exit through the
gate, surely you can remember it when returning. Dementia doesn’t usually set in during
your twelve-minute walk on the Canal. Please close the gate gently but completely after
passing through it in either direction. St. Peter will then take a second look at your record
on Earth . . .
“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree,” are the opening lines of a classic verse by Joyce Kilmer (1886-
1918). Of course, as I recall, Kilmer was a man with a woman’s name, and he probably
was saddled with that burden throughout his short life. Hey, who wouldn’t be? But I
digress. It is now that time of year when our landscaping and lawn crew, ably headed by
Sonny Fischer, begin their intensive work to bring our landscaping out of winter and into
spring and summer. This involves a tremendous amount of labor, considerable materials,
and the engagement of our independent contractor, Swingle Lawn & Tree, for tree
awakening. Specifically, Sonny’s crew has been clearing plant debris from beneath and
around our shrubs; aerating all our lawns; and pressurizing our subterranean sprinkling
system.
We intend to aerate our lawns about four times this season. The lawns are dry
from inadequate precipitation during this winter. Aerating involves loosening the soil
beneath the grass to enable water and nutrients to enter. We have appropriate equipment
to handle this task in-house. In the fall, we caused compressed air to be blown through
our underground irrigation lines, to remove residual water (to avoid freezing). In spring,
we reverse the process: The compressed air, followed by gradual turn-on of our water
supply, is intended to reveal any breaks in the many thousands of feet of lines. When
such breaches are seen, excavation can proceed there until the leak is found and repaired.
The Swingle firm recently completed trimming of broken branches in selected tall
trees. Earlier this winter, they pruned and shaped other trees here –
with a view to
keeping them away from our buildings and enhancing their attractive shape (sounds like
an ad for a phony weight-loss program). Swingle also has applied its first (of several)
“pre-emergent” weed-killing applications. Weeds and dandelions
will grow and multiply
here faster than rabbits if we didn’t treat our lawns with special herbicides. Eventually,
fertilizer will be spread on lawns; mowing will commence; and our professional flower
contractors will descend upon our three primary flower
beds. Trees will be sprayed for
insect infestations in summer. We are “off and running” in our ambitious spring-summer
landscaping programs.
“Rock of Ages” and “Rocka’ My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,” as I vaguely recall, are
gospel spirituals. But many of the rocks at the ends of our dead-end driveways have been
dislodged and strewn by our having to pile snow upon them during heavy winter storms.
Snow-plowing, of course, is necessary in our driveways so we can access our garages.
We have little or no practical choice but to pile snows there in such instances. The
underlying rocks and small shrubs are displaced. On the “to do” lists of our crew is the
restoration of those cul-de-sac areas. This usually requires new rock, new rock borders,
and resuscitation of any overwhelmed bushes.
Your patio isn’t a mini-storage warehouse. About this time of year, we begin to see all
kinds of “stuff” on visible patios in Pelican Pointe. Of course, our Rules pertain to all our
townhomes, whether end-units or
internal ones. But, as a practical matter, what we can’t
see won’t hurt us (the “See No Evil” theorem). It’s time to refresh our recollection of our
Rule governing what can and cannot be placed on our porches and patios.
To paraphrase our Rule, urns, pots, flower-boxes, and hanging baskets are
allowed on or over our patios and porches or patio railings –
provided that such
containers contain live “well-maintained flowers or shrubs.” No such containers,
furniture, or other items are allowed on the rocks
or lawn outside a patio. Squirrel-
feeders of any type are prohibited. Barbeques and furniture intended for outdoor use
(including tables, chairs, and a table-awning, but excluding other items of furniture),
placed on a patio, are permitted. No other items visible to passers-by are permitted.
Dispose of unwanted prescriptions:
Do you have unused or expired prescriptions or
over-the-counter medications in your medicine cabinet? You can dispose of them in a
safe way on Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. For more information
about this program and to find the “turn-in” location closest to you check www.DEA.gov
or call 1-877-462-2911.
April trash pick-up:
April 6, 13, 20, and 27.
Recycling pick-up:
April 13 and 27.
Pelican Pointe townhomes For Sale: #GG-104, #RR-103, #X-101.
Pelican Pointe townhome For Rent: #S-103 (contact (303) 394-1224).
Weird behavior:
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Being “over the hill” is much better than being under it.
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The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
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Consciousness: That annoying period between naps.
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A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.
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Ham and eggs –
a day’s work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.
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Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to
stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
April Board Meeting. This meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Lighthouse
Clubhouse, on April 20. ALL RESIDENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.
