Today’s third annual Maples at the Sonatas Pooch Plunge made a big splash. Warm, sunny weather welcomed us as we gathered around noon. Nearly 50 people and about a dozen dogs mingled poolside with nary a growl or yip, though there was a fair amount of butt sniffing going on. The big dogs, like Darby, swam in our pool… … while the little dogs had their own wading pool. Cookie came dressed for swimming, thanks […]
This is another in my series of posts detailing how neighbors found their way to Maples at the Sonatas. Thomas Wolfe’s book title was wrong. You CAN go home again. However, it may be a long, painful journey getting there. Just ask Gloria. She and her first husband spent 30 years in Woodstock. They worked here; they raised their family here; then they left to retire in Mountain Home, Ark. She was happy there but […]
I love our rainy, dark weather this morning. It has been perfect for sleeping in, for slowly reading the Sunday paper, for sitting quietly and watching my cat doze. Sure, I won’t be as enamored of the rain if it drags into tomorrow, but just for now, I’m loving being home in my Abbey. In so many ways, our Epcon homes are designed for sunlight. That’s probably one reason many of us fell in love […]
It was a beautiful morning for golf, with sunny, cool, picture-perfect weather. It was the right time and the right group of people to pioneer a new social activity for our community. Ten of my neighbors teed off at a local course this morning, in an outing designed to be more about having fun than competing. Here is the group, minus Shirley, who took the picture. If anyone deserved to be pictured, it is Shirley, […]
I remember. I was teaching at Woodstock High School. Near the end of my first-period Sophomore Lit class, an assistant principal came to my door, handed me a memo, and left. The first sentence, in all capital letters, instructed us not to share it with our students. An all-school announcement would be made at the beginning of second hour. So I tried to keep a straight face as I read the earthshaking news. Of course, […]
The question often comes up when potential buyers visit my Abbey. It may come from folks who have always lived in single-family homes. Or it may come from someone looking to escape noisy neighbors in their current condo or apartment. Is it always this quiet? How much noise do you hear from your neighbors? I try to reassure them, even though sometimes their expressions make me doubt they totally believe me. It is quiet—always. Honest. […]
It’s time for a construction update. Today I’d like to check in with another progress report on Building 3, the quad going up next door to me. The past week has been all about framing. In a sense, this step is the opposite of the foundation stage, which took a long time with not that much dramatic progress. Framing, on the other hand, is relatively fast and visually exciting. Here is a photo from a […]
Home Sweet Abbey 