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6 | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | SEPTEMBER 2023 | It was mid-morning on May 13, 2005 that Charlotte and I unlocked the door of our brand new home on Chi Chi Circle for the first time. We were ecstatic. For a brief few minutes the house was empty and then the moving van arrived. At the end of the day we were exhausted as we gazed across the back fence and viewed the city lights of Hemet, there were yet to be homes built behind us. Ours was the only house occupied on our cul de sac. e street lights weren't working, there was no cable TV. e garage looked "round" from the outside. We realized that we knew not a living soul in this partially-built community. e morning joy turned into panic. Time, toil, tears, and sweat worked their magic and we settled in. We learned to navigate Home Depot with ease and got used to the noise of hammers, saws, and trucks all around us. Not long thereaer, we learned of a Happy Hour to be held in the Bistro area in e Lodge (there was no Bistro operation yet). us was the beginning of TGIF and it was not long before we struck up friendships with other new residents and began sharing wine and war stories. Our retirement dream was quickly becoming a reality. ere was a special kind of excitement in the air as many of the early arrivals had also just begun their retirement. Gee, no more work, new community, new house, new friends; it really was "the end of the rainbow." Little did we know that the best was yet to come. We find it difficult to believe that almost 18 years have passed since that first day, but we are grateful for every one of them. We would be remiss if we didn't offer a sincere thank you to all the good people who have given their time and energy over the years to ensure that our community still shines as it did in its beginnings. rough this message we send greetings to all of you "early birds" and to all who are more recent arrivals. We wish you good health in hopes that you continue to enjoy our beautiful K. Hovnanian's Four Seasons at Hemet community. ~ Hal and Charlotte Townend I visited Four Seasons in May 2003 and signed the sales agreement in June 2003. I bought a vacant golf course lot on the 9th hole, now Mickelson Way. I took possession of the home, a Masters 2, in October 2003. Phase one of phase one. We moved from East Hemet, aer previously living in Seven Hills. Upon moving in, we were greeted by a family of 11 field mice living in the garage. Many a night we were perfumed by our friendly neighborhood skunk. e corner of Mickelson and Baugh is now Old Town Four Seasons, ours being the first 12-home block. e first homeowners meeting was held at the Simpson center in the spring of 2004. We elected Ron Lincoln and Gary Rosenberger as the first Board members. I volunteered for the first Finance Committee and helped establish the $163 homeowners fee, and handled other financial responsibilities. e pool and the spa were opened July 10, 2004. I was one of the first of the Four Seasons pool rats being in the pool the very first day it opened. Amazingly, a golf ball from the course came flying into the spa and splashed two feet from me. We had an opening night at e Lodge and were gied wine glasses with the July 10, 2004 date engraved. I still have my glass and toast the occasion. We had dancing on the patio and I danced with my neighbor, Mary Bandy. In 2008, the original Four Seasons Travel Club went to China for Lunar New Year; we celebrated Chinese New Year in Shanghai with 20 million Chinese. What a blast … fireworks all night until 4 am. And now, 20 years later, we are celebrating our 20th Anniversary in living in the Beverly Hills of Hemet. First class, all the way. anks for the memories. ~ Bob Carroll, Four Seasons Pioneer Stories from Four Seasons at Hemet's first neighbors

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