New Residents

We recently had a two new couples move in to Stone Lake here in National Village. A beautiful pair of Canada Geese were seen on the lake in Stone Lake and a pair of Mourning Doves have built a nest on top of a stone column at the sales office. The doves are a little camera shy so we aren't able to show them to you.

In order to attract people to National Village, the Retirement Systems of Alabama built the most beautiful homes in the area for them to occupy. We are placing bird houses around National Village for the birds to occupy. Since our feathered friends get their housing at a substantially lower cost than their human neighbors, they are not quite as elaborate.

Hearts and Cocktails

We had our first resident get together at National Village last week. We had a really good turn out and everyone really enjoyed meeting one another, if they had not had the opportunity previously. In fact, everyone enjoyed themselves so much it has been suggested by many that we should do something more frequently. Following is an portion of a thank you we received.

"Dear Gail and Jim,

Since I did not know your new address, I will write this way, which etiquette says is a no-no. We just had to express what a wonderful time we had at the party; you both did such a marvelous job of planning the best party. I do hope this neighborhood continues to do something like this, but I am sure we are more than willing to do our part so that it doesn't all fall on your shoulders.We really had just planned on staying an hour as we had a long trip back--but we were just having too much fun. I loved everyone there; it was such a nice treat to get to know them a little better. It sure beat talking over the "fences" or bushes."

It's nice to know everyone had as good a time as we did. We have a really strong nucleus of homeowners who enjoy life as much as they do their neighbors and friends. There's no better time than the present to become part of such a unique community made up not only of incredible houses but friends as well.

On the Wings of Eagles

Recently a couple of residents of National Village have told us of Bald Eagle sitings. These sitings made a great impression on these residents. One told us that he was walking down Lone Eagle Lane late one afternoon, he looked up and saw the most beautiful site, a Bald Eagle soaring overhead. Everything was too perfect and he took this as a sign to buy a home in National Village.

The other siting was a new resident who was moving a few items into her new home and she saw an eagle fly right over her house and land on the other side of the lake. She said it was a tremendous and magnificant site, and she too took this to be a good sign about her recent purchase.

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.
The Bald Eagles diet consists mainly of fish, but it is an opportunistic feeder. It hunts fish by swooping down and snatching the fish out of the water with its talons. It is sexually mature at four years or five years of age. In the wild, Bald Eagles can live up to thirty years, and often survive longer in captivity. The Bald Eagle builds the largest nest of any North American bird, up to 13 ft deep, 8 ft wide, and one ton in weight.
The species was on the brink of extinction in the continental United States (while flourishing in much of Alaska and Canada) late in the 20th century, but now has a stable population and has been officially removed from the U.S. federal government's list of endangered species. The Bald Eagle was officially reclassified from "Endangered" to "Threatened" on July 12, 1995 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. On July 6, 1999, a proposal was initiated "To Remove the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife." It was de-listed on June 28, 2007.

TAX CREDIT HAS BEEN EXTENDED!!!

It is finally official. The homebuyers' tax credit has been extended to April 30, 2010.
President Barack Obama approved the extension as part of a $24 billion economic stimulus bill signed Friday. The bill also includes an extension of unemployment benefits to the longtime jobless and tax credits for some businesses.
The housing tax credit portion of the bill extends the $8,000 tax credit for home buyers who are purchasing their first home from the current November 30 deadline and expands the program to offer a credit of $6,500 to other homeowners who have lived in their current home for at least five years and are seeking to relocate.
Another modification to the original legislation raises the income limits for program participation from $75,000 for a single purchaser to $125,000 and from $125,000 to $225,000 for a couple. There are also credits available on a diminishing basis above those income limits.
The bill was passed by the Senate on Wednesday evening and by the House on Thursday. Both bodies acted in a bipartisan manner which has seldom been seen this year. The Senate passage was unanimous; the House voted 403 to 12 for the bill.

No Shame In His Game!

Prior to home football games at Auburn University, National Village treats Marriott guests to a complimentary Bloody Mary or Mimosa. Recently a local legend has begun working at the hotel. Mr. Penny greets everyone with a bright smile and enthusiastic “War Eagle”! If you have attended an Auburn football game, undoubtedly you have seen Mr. Penny. Other than the game itself everyone has seen three things while inside Jordan-Hare stadium, 1) the eagles pre-game flight, 2) Aubie, and 3) Mr. Penny doing 50 push-ups for each Auburn score. That’s 50 for a touchdown, 50 for the extra point, 50 for a field goal, and 50 for a safety. If my calculations are correct, at last week’s Ball State game, Mr. Penny did 800 push-ups! I don’t think I could do that many in a week. The reason he does his push-ups for each score is to try and inspire the players to play their best. With the way Auburn has played so far this year it appears he’s being successful. And as Mr. Penny likes to say "There's no shame in my game!"

NEW PRICES!

From Auburn fans to golf lovers to retirees, National Village has several luxury options for you directly on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Come see spectacular new golf cottages model home designed by Kay Green, one of the nation's top interior designers, and tour the available homes at National Village in Opelika. Owning one of these two-bedroom to three-bedroom golf cottage homes gives you access to world-class golf, miles of walking trails, access to fitness room, pool and dining at the Auburn Marriott Opelika Hotel. Come see why Golf World readers named Grand National the number one public golf location in the country. Auburn/Opelika was also named "One of the Top 10 Retirement Locations for Golf" in the country. Now you can call it home at National Village with prices starting in the 170's!

One More Reason to Retire Here

Not only has Auburn/Opelika been named "One of the Top 10 Places to Retire for Golf Nuts" by U.S. News and World Report along with another story "Best Places to Live". We had an extensive article about us in "Where to Retire" magazine praising all this area has to offer.

Now it only gets better. The State of Alabama does not tax the retirement income of military personnel nor that of retired federal employees. So grab your clubs and get on down to National Village where your retirement dollars will go farther.