NxNW neighbors at the Denim & Diamonds gala (photo by Ron Bautsch)
Cherlyn Conway
‘Twas the week before 2025, and the houses on Osprey, Brant, Cinnamon, and Willet have settled in with visions in their heads of where did 2024 go? But if you live in the NxNW Section 10-2, it is easy to know how time flies when you’re having fun.
There are monthly events to keep busy, like Ladies Whine Chat, Dine Around, Drinks of the Driveway (weather permitting), Bunco, Bocce, Wine Club, Potlucks, and probably many more that this writer knows nothing about.
In addition to the monthly or weekly things going on, there are the 2024 events scheduled that found many of us at the spring Cinco de Mayo celebration, 4th of July parade-viewing tailgate celebration, co-ed neighborhood bunco of 50 people, fall football tailgate celebration, annual Coats 4 Kids drive, annual Holiday Sock Party at the Summers’ residence, garage line dance lessons, Installation Party for the new holiday sign, cookie exchange, and our Denim & Diamonds neighborhood gala at the clubhouse ballroom.
The year’s final celebration was held on Dec. 13, and we seemed to have escaped the infamous bad luck vibes usually associated with Friday the 13th, as the gala was a huge success. The DJ was keeping the tunes going, as well as the bartenders keeping the cocktails flowing while we enjoyed a marvelous sit-down meal of chicken or beef entrée with all the trimmings, salad, and dessert.
The dance floor was then the place to be, especially during the line dance music, as our dance instructors with their “follow me” blinking light necklaces were on the dance floor leading those who attended the garage line dance classes. There were a lot of cheers, smiling faces, and high-fives as everyone showed off their moves. The line dance instructors were not only lit up with lights but were beaming with pride as they surveyed their students from the dance lessons.
The music took an occasional break while names were drawn for the door prizes and the winner of the 50/50 raffle, in which a nice chunk of change was won, and for the acknowledgements to all who worked so hard and tirelessly in putting on another successful event.
As the evening wound down, the lyrics to Willie Nelson’s song rang true:
Turn out the lights, the party’s over
They say that all good things must end
Let’s call it a night, the party’s over
And tomorrow starts the same old thing again.
We work hard to uphold our neighborhood and our connection to each other, being good stewards as neighbors, friends, and one big, unique family. I’m sure the pioneers of our neighborhood seven years ago had no idea that a little piece of paper put in mailboxes (shh—don’t tell the mailman) saying bring your drink, a chair, and the well-known Robson Ranch name tag and come to the driveway to meet your new neighbors would have ever evolved into the big frontier known as NxNW.