08/13/2026
☀️ Summer Recap at Hillcrest & The Towers 🌻
What a summer it has been! From planting and harvesting to parades, baseball, Christmas in July, and plenty of good food, our Elders have kept us busy making memories and enjoying every bit of summer fun!
🌱 May — Planting, Growing & Harvesting
We kicked off the season by getting our hands dirty! In May, our Elders planted flowers, plants, and vegetables made possible by some incredibly generous donations. We’ve certainly been enjoying the fruits (and vegetables!) of our labor. Just yesterday, we harvested **71 tomatoes and 3 green peppers!** 🌱🍅🫑
Our cucumber plant, however, seems to have a different timeline. At this rate, we’re hoping to enjoy a cucumber by Christmas! 😂
🐎 June — A Trip Through History
In June, our Elders traveled to Beecher Island to see the covered wagon that made its way all the way from Missouri. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the area’s history, meet the team, and even receive letters from another nursing home in Missouri. We had a fantastic time connecting, learning, and making memories!
🎨 July — Tie-Dye, Baseball & Christmas?!
July was packed with fun! Our Elders tie-dyed shirts to wear in the Wray Daze parade. It was a project filled with creativity, laughter, colorful messes, and—let’s be honest—a LOT of work! But the finished shirts were definitely worth it.
We also celebrated the **MLB All-Star Game** with one of our favorite activities—wiffle ball with Brady! The Elders always look forward to this one, and they certainly did not disappoint. In fact, one of our ladies had such incredible aim that she managed to hit the Activity Director **square in the forehead from across the room!** ⚾😂 We’re still calling it an “All-Star performance.”
And because apparently July needed even more excitement, we celebrated Christmas Eve… in July! 🎄🎅 Our Christmas party featured Christmas watermelon, Christmas cookies, frozen hot chocolate, and, of course, a special visit from Santa—who came straight from the beach! 🏖️🎅
⭐ Wray Daze — Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights
Our Elders proudly wore their handmade tie-dye shirts to the Wray Daze parade, perfectly matching this year’s theme, “Stars & Stripes, and Summer Nights.”
It was definitely a hot one, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the parade. We loved seeing the incredible floats, tractors, horses, donkeys, familiar faces we hadn’t seen in a while—and, of course, the CANDY! 🍬
🐄 August — Fair Fun & Fresh Corn
We started August with one very enthusiastic Elder heading to the Senior Breakfast at the Yuma County Fair. There was plenty to enjoy, including a delicious breakfast, performances by the Momentum Danceworks dancers, 4-H Fashion Review creations, amazing music, and, naturally, all the animals!
And just this week, we received an incredible shipment of approximately 100 ears of corn from the Eastin family! 🌽 Our Elders had a wonderful time shucking corn, reminiscing about the “old days,” and, best of all, enjoying it for lunch alongside a hand-breaded chicken-fried steak. Now THAT is a meal!
🍂 Until Next Summer…
As much as we hate to see summer come to an end, we’re looking forward to cooler temperatures and more opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors.
We’re incredibly grateful for all the families, friends, community members, and generous supporters who help make these experiences possible.
Here’s to a summer filled with sunshine, laughter, good food, new adventures, and memories we’ll be talking about long after the temperatures cool down! ❤️
