California lawmakers have come to the aid of home buyers with a new tax credit up to $10,000! It’s available to anyone who purchases a brand-new home, not just first-time buyers, and there are no income limitations*.

• Act soon – before state funding runs out. Buy now and you may qualify for the California tax credit of up to $10,000. These credits will run out fast – the last state credit was gone in less than 90 days! Get your reservation in now. That’s up to $10,000 in tax credit savings!

• Double your savings only at Trilogy. Get an additional $10,000 in seller incentives on top of the tax credits. That’s up to $20,000 in total savings!

Give yourself some credit by calling 800-685-6494 or by visiting any of our California locations to reserve your savings today!

Located 45 minutes from downtown Phoenix, the Encanterra country-club development features a stunning golf course, chic homes and many amenities.

As the Canadian loonie rapidly rises to even par with the American dollar and all indications are that the downward trend in the Arizona housing market appears to have bottomed out, opportunities for Canadians to own a piece of winter paradise couldn’t be better.

At least that’s what the folks at Encanterra are banking on. This Trilogy-developed country club—the name Encanterra means “enchanted earth” in spanish—located in town of Queen Creek, about 45 minutes southeast of downtown Phoenix.

Encanterra is a master-plan, single-detached home development centred around a private resort golf course designed by PGA Tour veteran and former Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman.

The Par 72 course, which stretches over 7,250 yeards from the back tees, is a classic risk/reward track with a variety of teeing options making it appealing to golfers of all levels. Most holes provide stunning views of Superstition Mountain to the north and South Mountain Park to the west.

“We don’t expect our members to get bored with this course,” says Chris Schwartz, head golf professional at Encanterra, of the course that was named one of 2009’s Best New Courses by Golfweek.

Heart of Encanterra

The heart of the Encanterra development is La Casa—not your standard golf course clubhouse.

This 60,000-square-foot complex, designed by award-winning architect Bing Hu, is the focal point of the Encanterra development. There are a slew of amenities and services on-hand:

• fully equipped golf shop
• athletic club
• indoor and outdoor pools
• spa
• four restaurants
• ballroom
• business centre
• concierge
• private lounges

Catering to Canadians

Encanterra caters to Canadians, both golfers and non-golfers. Amongst the wide variety of memberships being offered, the International Membership is available to seasonal Arizona residents.

After paying an initiation deposit of $20,000, monthly dues for international members are paid from November to April only. And during this time, these members are provided with access to all amenities within the club.

A similar membership for year-round access would involve a $25,000 initiation deposit and dues would need to be paid all 12 months.

And the monthly dues are shockingly low for a resort of this quality – $125 per month for the social membership and $300 per month for the golf.

“Seventy per cent of our residents right now are from Western Canada, Washington and Ohio,” explained Ben Keilholtz of Blue Star Resort & Golf Management, owners of Trilogy. “That’s why our six-month program for seasonal residents has been so appealing.”

Early Stages of Development

Encanterra is still in the early stages of its development. Approximately 200 homes have been built to date, while the final master plan has room for 2,400 home sites.

That said, the number of golf memberships is being capped at 500 – 450 for Encanterra residents and 50 for non-residents of the resort. (Non-residents would face a $40,000 initiation deposit along with monthly dues.) There are almost 100 golf members already.

“We really feel that the economy in Arizona here bottomed out in the first quarter of 2010,” says Jared Wright, membership director for Encanterra. “And we see some health returning to the real estate sector through the rest of 2010. But this will be a slow recovery. We will not see a really big rebound until 2011, but that’s why we’re suggesting people get in now.”

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” – Helen Keller

It is common and comforting knowledge that good friends can provide us with a helping hand, a sympathetic ear, or a good laugh just when we need it. It may be surprising to learn, however, that good friends can also help us to live longer lives. Recently, a study conducted by the Centre for Ageing Studies at Flinders University in Australia followed nearly 1,500 older people for a period of ten years. This study found that those who had a large network of friends outlived those with the fewest friends by an astounding 22%. Though it’s easy to recognize the emotional importance of the friends in our lives, it’s interesting to consider the physical health benefits that we receive from our social relationships, as well. Understanding these benefits may help us to see the importance of giving, receiving, and truly appreciating the gift of friendship.

Good Friends are Good for Life

Current research consistently supports the theory that as our social network gets smaller, our risk for mortality increases. Apparently, there is quite a strong correlation between the two – almost as strong as the correlation between smoking and mortality.

“There’s no doubt,” says Laura Cousino Klein, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State, “that friends are helping us live.” One study, conducted by David Spiegel, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University, showed that women with breast cancer who participated in a support group lived twice as long as those who didn’t. They also had much less pain. Another study, reported in the journal Cancer, followed 61 women with advanced ovarian cancer. Those with strong social support had much lower levels of a protein linked to more aggressive types of cancer. Lower levels of this protein also boosted the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Women with weak social support had 70% higher levels of this protein in general, and two-and-a-half times higher levels in the area around the tumor.

But how can friendship have such a powerful impact on the length of our lives? Researchers suspect that good friends discourage unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and heavy drinking. The companionship provided by friends can also prevent or improve depression, boost self-esteem, and provide physical and emotional support. Also, as people age, they often become more selective in their choice of friends, so they tend to spend more time with people that have a positive effect on their lives.

Research conducted by Dr. Sheldon Cohen, a Psychology Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, concluded that strong social support helps people cope with stress. “Friends help you face adverse events,” Cohen explains. “They provide material aid, emotional support, and information that helps you deal with the stressors. There may be broader effects as well. Friends encourage you to take better care of yourself. And people with wider social networks tend to feel they feel they have more control over their lives.”

Other studies have shown that those with a small social network tend to die sooner after having a heart attack than those with a strong circle of friends. “People with social support have fewer cardiovascular problems and immune problems, and lower levels of cortisol — a stress hormone,” says Tasha R. Howe, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology at Humboldt State University. “Why? The evolutionary argument maintains that humans are social animals, and we have evolved to be in groups. We have always needed others for our survival. It’s in our genes. Therefore, people with social connections feel more relaxed and at peace, which is related to better health.”

In addition to lengthening our lives, friends also help us to enjoy a better quality of life. The “Nurses’ Health Study” from Harvard Medical School found that the more friends people had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged, and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life. The results of this study were so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends was found to be as detrimental to one’s health as smoking or being overweight.

‘Fight or Flight’ Versus ‘Tend and Befriend’

In many cases, friendships between women are different than friendships between men. “Female friendships are more geared to empathy, while male friendships are more geared to companionship and altruism,” states Margaret Gibbs, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. “Male friendships are more about helping each other – mending the lawn mower, that sort of thing. Women’s friendships tend to have a more emotional content – listening to friends’ stories and coming up with helpful solutions.” This different kind of relationship may make female friendships even more powerful in terms of increasing longevity.

A landmark UCLA study suggests that friendships between women can counteract the negative effects of stress. While several decades of stress research – mostly conducted on men – concluded that stress triggers a hormonal cascade that prepares the body to either stand and fight or flee as fast as possible, this new study suggests that women tend to have a broader response than just “fight or flight.” Apparently, when women experience stress, their bodies release chemicals that encourage them to make and maintain friendships with other women.

Dr. Laura Cousino Klein, one of the authors of this study, explains, “When the hormone oxytocin is released as part of the stress responses in a woman, it buffers the ‘fight or flight’ response and encourages her to tend children and gather with other women instead. When she actually engages in this tending and befriending, studies suggest that more oxytocin is released, which further counters stress and produces a calming effect. This calming response does not occur in men because testosterone, which men produce in high levels when they’re under stress, reduces the effects of oxytocin. Estrogen, on the other hand, seems to enhance it.”

The “tend and befriend” theory may explain why women often outlive men. Numerous studies have found that social ties reduce our risk of disease by lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol. When researchers looked at how well women functioned after the death of a spouse, which is one of life’s biggest stressors, they found that those who had at least one close friend were more likely to survive the experience without any new physical impairments and without a loss of vitality. Those that considered themselves to be without friends were usually not as fortunate.

Finding Time for Friends

If our friends can keep us healthy and add years to our life, why can it be so hard for us to find time to be with them? “Every time we get overly busy with work and family, the first thing we do is let go of friendships,” explains researcher Ruthell en Josselson, PhD, “We push them right to the back burner. That’s really a mistake because friends are such a source of strength.”

Unfortunately, according to the recent study, “Social Isolation in America,” published in the American Sociological Review, Americans have fewer friends than they had in the past. The authors found that from 1985 to 2004, the number of Americans who feel they have someone with whom they can discuss important matters dropped by nearly one-third. The number of people who said they had no one they could discuss such matters with tripled to nearly 25%. The study also found that the percentage of people who talk about important matters only to family members, as opposed to friends, increased from 57% to 80%. Those who depend solely on their spouse for these talks increased from 5% to 9%.

Interestingly, close relationships with children and relatives, in contrast to close relationships with friends, have been shown to have almost no effect on longevity. Of course, family ties are important and emotionally beneficial; they just seem to have little effect on survival.

In addition to enjoying the camaraderie and company of good friends, knowing the significant health benefits of friendship might encourage us to make more time in our lives for our friends and confidantes. This knowledge might also inspire us to reach out to someone in our community that seems to be alone, creating a new bond and potentially giving the gift of longer life to a new friend.

Since its opening earlier this spring, Encanterra’s La Casa private club has thrilled and awed guests withthe sheer volume of amenities the expansive property offers. From world-class golf to exceptional dining to the glamorous architecture from club designer Bing Hu, La Casa has become a home base that most don’t want to leave. Further aiding the desire to extend one’s relaxation time is La Casa’s Alvea Spa.

The intention of the spa is apparent when guests first walk through Alvea’s double-door entrance. Calming mosaic tiles, relaxing hues and sensational Moroccan-inspired architecture inform guests that a rejuvenating experience awaits. “The atmosphere at Alvea helps to create a place where guests can spend the day, almost like a vacation for them yet still in their neighborhood,” says Melanie Carter, Spa and Fitness Director at Encanterra.

The treatments offered at Alvea convey a common goal: to provide the ultimate luxury—time for oneself. From body wraps in Aloe and Lavender to Hot Rock Therapy or Aromatherapy, Alvea’s treatments are best enjoyed in 60 to 90 minute increments. Believe me, you’ll want to prolong the experience. The spa menu has been carefully crafted and implemented at other Trilogy properties in the Southwest, so satisfied clientele have attested to its benefits time and time again.

“The way the Alvea Spas are set up includes having a naturopath that works at bothof the Trilogy communities here in Arizona,” Carter says. “The spa is set up to really help anybody feel good on a daily basis. There are so many ways these specific treatments can be beneficial to people. They cater to the whole mind, body and spirit.”

In addition to massages and body wraps, Alvea’s facial treatment menu rivals that of a five-star resort. Serving to moisturize and rehydrate the skin, treatments like the Gentleman’s Facial and Anti-Aging Hydration have quickly become favorites among Encanterra Members.

Alvea extends its full service arm with esthetician services and an entire nail salon (pictured above) for luxurious manicures and pedicures. “Something that has been really popular are spa parties for birthdays or anniversaries,” Carter says. “We recently had a mother who had her five daughters coming into town. They wanted to have a spa day, so they enjoyed cheese, wine and fruit throughout their treatments then met up in the manicure/pedicure room to spend time together while getting their nails done.”

From a few hours of relaxation by yourself to a full day of treatments in the company of friends, Alvea Spa provides a worlds-away ambiance here in the Valley of the Sun. For a limited time, services are available to the public. Over time, it is likely that this gem of a spa will become the exclusive retreat of Encanterra Members.

To learn more about Alvea Spa – including how you can reserve your own relaxing treatment – please visit www.AlveaSpa.com. To learn more about Encanterra, a Trilogy Country Club in the South East Valley visit www.encanterra.com. Each of the 12 model homes at Encanterra are Shea Green Certified™ and are available with solar generation systems and a host of energy efficiency features. Encanterra offers discerning buyers stunning luxury at a refreshing price point, with homes starting in the mid $100s.

By Nicole Brophy, Arizona Foothills Magazine.

The number one reason given for not exercising is, “I just don’t have the time.” However, just like the other reasons we have for not doing what we know we should do, this “reason” is really just an excuse.

There exist two facts about time. The first is that we all have exactly the same amount of time each day. The second is that we find time for the things we truly care about doing.

There is also a paradox involving time that says that it is usually the busiest individuals among us who make the time to do what needs to be done. In particular, they make the time to exercise.

In his research, Dr. James Rippe, Director of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at Tufts University, interviewed 1,000 top executives. Among them were 128 CEO’s of Fortune Five Hundred companies. Of these extremely busy individuals, 75% of them exercised at least three times per week – and you can too!

Successful people know that to maintain high levels of performance, they have to stay in top shape. They use their planning and organizational skills to carve out short periods of time for brief, yet effective, exercise sessions. You will have to make some changes in your schedule, but you can do the same thing.

Remember that several short bouts of exercise have a cumulative effect. Ten minutes here and fifteen minutes there can add up to get you fit. Since the only strategies that work are the ones that you put into practice, try these “exercises” today and see what happens.

Evaluate your week.

Mentally relive a typical week and record your activities: working, commuting, sleeping, eating, watching TV. There are 186 hours in your week. What do you do and when do you do it? Now, evaluate your schedule and prioritize, looking for segments of time that you can re-allocate to the more important job of getting some exercise. For example, how about dumping one or two of your least favorite TV shows? There, you just found an hour.

Begin early.

By the evening you have already had a long day. Turn off the TV 30 minutes early; have a good night’s sleep and get up just 30 minutes earlier than usual on two days of the week. When you get accustomed to that, try rising early on three mornings.

Keep it simple.

Choose physical activities that don’t require special equipment and that you can do anywhere. Take a power walk at lunch, and then eat a sandwich at your desk later. Do a set of push-ups and deep knee-bends in lieu of a coffee break. Either will do more to invigorate you than a fast-food lunch or a shot of caffeine.

Choose a “physical” weekend activity.

Stay off the sofa and away from the TV. Involve the family and consider an outing to a park, a hike or bike ride followed by a picnic. Begin a new hobby or resume an old one, providing that it keeps you on your feet. Sign up for a charity 5K event. Use this as a reason to get in shape.

Schedule exercise appointments in your planner.

Things that are not written down tend not to happen. On Sunday evening, schedule all of your exercise times in your planner as top-priority appointments with yourself. As you complete each session, record the results and track your improvement.

Now that you have made the time to get the exercise you need, assume a new identity. Re-brand yourself as the “exercise gal/guy” or the “health nut.” If anyone asks what’s going on, tell them that you’re sick of being in rotten shape, feeling older than your years and…. you’re not going to take it any more.

Their amusement will turn to admiration as the pounds fall off and you get lean, strong and healthy.

This month, we’re highlighting a group of Trilogy at Monarch Dunes members who play one of the oldest games known to mankind. Yes, the Egyptians played a form of this game with polished rocks over 7,000 years ago; it was a favorite sport of statesmen and rulers in ancient Rome; and today, the members of Trilogy Monarch Dunes have become a part of the long heritage of the game of Bocce. Read on to get to know May’s Club of the Month through an interview with Charles Davis, Trilogy member and President of the Monarch Dunes Bocce Club.

Thanks for taking the time to share the story of your club with us, Charles.  When was the Monarch Dunes Bocce Club founded?
The club was formed in February of 2009. Organized bocce league games began in the summer of 2008 when TCC residents Don and Ruby Peissig offered free lessons to Woodlands residents to learn the game. Within weeks over 50 residents began playing regularly, forming a league and competing three times a week over the next several months. After we held an awards banquet at the end of the year, Activities Director Stephanie Albright suggested that, given the game’s popularity, a charter club be formed. An application was prepared in January 2009 and approval from TCC was received a few weeks later. In 2009 we had slightly over 70 members (eight full teams plus substitute players); in 2010 it looks like we’ll field nine teams. Bocce is easily the biggest and most popular club at TCC, and it’s growing as new residents move in or existing residents learn of the club and want to try their hand at bocce play.

Can you tell us a bit about the process of officially forming this club?
TCC residents Don Peissig, Tom Campbell and I had become an unofficial Executive Board during 2008, writing and disseminating league rules, developing a schedule of games, and keeping track of team win/loss records. We authored the charter club submission in January 2009 and were elected as club officers the next month (I became President, Don Vice-President and Tom Secretary/ Treasurer). As stated above, Stephanie Albright strongly urged us to become a charter club, since we wanted to have priority access to the bocce court and needed to reserve the Avila Ballroom for club meetings and awards luncheons. Trilogy Monarch Dunes provides a written format for club submissions to be considered. Individualizing that format for our own specific circumstances was a matter of a few hours of meetings and consultations with Stephanie (who was very helpful), and then an additional few hours of writing.

What is the structure of the Monarch Dunes Bocce Club?
Trilogy Monarch Dunes has very specific rules about the structure of charter clubs, and we have to comply with those rules. Among them is a requirement for open membership, regular club meetings, public election of club officers, and accounting of club assets (dues). Three club officers are required at a minimum (President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer), and we went with that number. Elections are conducted annually and club officers can only serve for a one year period before running for re-election. Last year, the Executive Board, once elected, selected team captains, and those captains met several weeks later and drafted team members. Teams remained the same throughout 2009, but new drafts are done yearly. At the initial club meeting this year, I was re-elected as President and Tom as Secretary/Treasurer; Don Peissig, who is moving, did not stand for re-election and TCC resident Dean Adams was elected as Vice President.

Is this club open to all TCC members, or is a certain experience level preferred?
The club is open to all Woodlands residents, whether they live in the Villas, the townhouses, or in Trilogy Monarch Dunes. Absolutely no level of experience with bocce is required. The game can be learned with only an hour’s playing time; skill development progresses swiftly. To play you must be a club member and you can join the club anytime during the year simply by paying the annual dues ($20). With your dues payment comes access to all club functions: league play, club meetings, awards luncheons, and recognition for winning records in league play.

Does a member have to join before the season begins, or can he/she start mid-season?
If a member joins mid-season and there are no team openings, the member becomes a substitute player, and plays on any team which has a need for a replacement player. We generally maintain a pool of 10 or so players for that purpose. Regular team members play weekly; substitute players play as needed (sometimes several times a week, depending on the amount of absenteeism).

Are playoffs/championships held at the end of the season? Or, is a “winning team” declared based on most wins throughout the season?
Win/loss records are an important part of league play and are posted weekly during the season by Tom Campbell on the club’s website on MTL.com. Last year, our season was divided into two parts: spring and fall. We held awards luncheons after each season and recognized the first, second, and third place teams (based upon win/loss records) for both spring and fall. In 2010 we’re adopting a single season format with only one awards banquet, but for the first time we’re also scheduling a tournament at the end of league play. Our awards banquet will recognize the tournament champion as well as the league first, second and third place finishers.

Does the CCBC follow official bocce league rules and regulations?
There are many different ways to play bocce and different clubs follow different rules. We’ve adopted the rules for “Open Bocce,” modifying them as we feel appropriate for our use. We continue to make minor changes each year, based on our previous experience (they’ve changed again – slightly – for 2010). The rules are handed out at our initial club meeting for the year and are also posted on the club’s website. Other clubs and leagues may use different rules, depending on which type of bocce they like the best.

For those who are not familiar with the game of bocce, can you give us a brief description of the object of the game, and how it is played?
Bocce is played with two eight-person teams. Weekly league play consists of completing three 12-point games against an opponent: the first team to score 12 points wins each game. Bocce has elements of both lawn bowling and pool. Its goal, simply stated, is to throw your team’s four bocce balls in such a manner as to get them closest to a target ball (called the pallino). Your opponents also get to throw four bocce balls and can bank off the sides of the court and knock your balls away in an attempt to get theirs closest. One point is earned for each ball you have closer to the pallino than any of the opponents’ balls. Successful bocce teams think very strategically, playing both offensively and defensively, as circumstances require.

How often does the Monarch Dunes Bocce Club hold league games? Do you also hold club meetings, outside of these games?
In 2009, league games were held three days a week: Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Mondays and Wednesdays had two matches played each day; Sundays only one match.  Generally each team plays one day a week. Club meetings are held at the beginning of the year (to elect officers and review rule changes) and during awards luncheons (twice last year, once this year).

Are there any special events held by the Bocce Club throughout the year that you’d like to highlight?
Our teams play over a three day period each week during the season (roughly March-October last year with a six week break in the summer; this year it will be April-September with no break in the summer), and there is much interaction during those games. Club meetings are held only at awards functions and at the beginning of the year, but are lively events, with an emphasis on recognition, having fun, and eating good food. An awards luncheon committee works very hard at stretching members’ dues payments into great meals. A large part of the success of this club is the willingness of many of its members to donate time and energy to making its functions a success.

On May 15th we are re-launching The Market Place as a complete specialty grocery stocked with fresh in house produce, dairy, meats, fish, fowl, cheese, eggs, milk, butter, coffee, tea, condiments and breads.  We are adding a cyber-café with laptops and free internet and we are lowering our wine pricing to be competitive with wine shops and wineries in the area.  Come by for a cup of coffee, check your e-mails or read the paper.

All day on Saturday May 15th and Sunday May 16th join us for Panini’s, Pizzas, and Coffee Drinks – two for one when you order to go!

Visit Adelina’s Bistro’s website for a menu for more information.

A little over 2,300 square feet, the Asti brings to mind those bygone days of luxurious entertaining. You can carry on the tradition with two separate living and dining areas that let you choose where and how you’d like to play host.

In addition, this home has other spectacular features:

• Golf Course Homesite

• Courtyard with Fireplace

• Upgraded Cabinets, Flooring and Countertops

• 3 Car Garage

• Great Room Fireplace

• Closet Organizing System

Call 707-374-1000 today to schedule an appointment to view this home.

The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday its seasonally adjusted index of sales agreements for previously occupied homes rose 5.3 percent from a month earlier to a reading of 102.9. It was the highest level since October and a 21 percent increase from the same month a year earlier.

Read the full story.