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4 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | AUGUST 2018 Lorraine Brealey was given a plaque of appreciation for her hard work and dedication as Board president for the Solera Diamond Valley Community Association. Residents gave the past president a standing ovation at the Open Session Board Meeting held June 26 as she accepted her honor. Etched on the plaque was the following, "On behalf of a grateful community, may it serve as a token of our appreciation for your time and dedication in service to our community. The residents of the island extend to you our heartfelt thanks." Thank you for your hard work & dedication Meet Chris Cooke By Sherrie Chaparro, Resident Chris Cooke, one of our newest employees, has been hired to work Maintenance. His goal is to bring our grounds and the Lodge into resort-style quality, and then to maintain that condition through continuous preventive maintenance and necessary repairs. When you see him strolling around writing in his notepad, he is making plans for our future. Chris grew up in north Orange County, moving to Hemet with his father when he was a freshman in high school. He currently lives with his girlfriend and his 16-year-old daughter, Briley. They share their home with Briley's rescue cat, Ginger, who defies everyone's assumption that cats are aloof. Eventually, they plan to buy a house here and combine their families to include his girlfriend's 13-year-old daughter. Chris has always had a mechanical bent – in fact, you could say it was in his genes. His great grandfather and great grandmother shared their first kiss on the cable car his great grandfather drove (currently located at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris). His father ran a custom car shop in Orange County, and Chris has worked on and played with cars all his life. His daughter inherited his passion and they spend a lot of their time together working on customizing their off-road vehicle. As a child, Chris worked with his dad to design, build, paint, customize and race remote control vehicles. He did the same with his daughter, until they purchased their current truck, an Xterra. Thus far, they have worked together to adjust the brakes, and add new shoes, shocks and a custom bumper. They also have plans for future work. His daughter is especially interested, since she will inherit the truck when Chris moves on to a new one. Of course, they also spend a lot of time just plain having fun and driving the truck off-road. They used to enjoy driving the off- road track in Elsinore until it closed. They also love to go to Magic Mountain, the faster the ride, the better (their favorite is Full Throttle). Although the pace around here at SDV may be a bit slower than Chris is used to, I think, given his goals for us, we can expect him to go Full Throttle. The Board is looking for residents to assist in reviewing the proposed redecoration of the Lodge. The committee will work with the interior designer and give a final recommendation to the board for consideration. Residents with past experience in interior design or an eye for design are encouraged to apply. If interested, please fill out an application at the front desk for consideration. Ad Hoc Committee Members Needed for Lodge Redecorating

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