Downsizing. It is one of the most common reasons people give for buying a home in Maples at the Sonatas. Once the children are on their own, many find there is no longer a need for as much living space. And then there is maintenance. Our buyers also come looking for less upkeep, both inside and outside the home. After they settle in, they realize they are living comfortably — luxuriously even — in less […]
There’s no better time of year to celebrate connections than the holiday season. Physical connections, social connections, historical connections—all seem to carry more significance as we approach Christmas. And here at Maples at the Sonatas, we have our share of celebrating to do this year. Physical connections first. Our growing community is now connected in a new way: Our last street, Verdi, has joined Handel and Schumann as officially completed streets. The view, which not […]
It was late August, my first summer at The Maples, a hot, sunny afternoon at the pool. Two of my best friends, Marylee and Margie, were over for one of our monthly get-togethers. Because it was their first time at the pool, I wanted to make it a bit celebratory. What better way, I thought, than to share a bottle of champagne? I got the girls situated at a table, cranked up the umbrella, and […]
Labor Day is considered the traditional beginning of fall. But that was not the case this year at Maples at the Sonatas, where we enjoyed three-plus weeks of bonus summer. There were still several sizzling hot days for swimming. Our walking group, known for getting outside in challenging weather, took their exercise in the pool a few days. Don’t they look nice and cool here? And they can spell too. A-A-R-P… The weather has turned […]
You can have a Christmas party, but it has to be held in mid-December or you won’t get anyone to show up. You can plan the annual Halloween Chili Fest — for any day but Oct. 31. A St. Patrick’s Day party won’t work on March 17. And don’t even think about planning a New Year’s Eve party. That seemed to be our conventional thinking when I served on the Maples at the Sonatas social […]
Nothing soothes my soul like time spent on the water. River, lake, ocean—they’re all good. And sharing that experience makes it all the sweeter. Our social committee outdid themselves when they planned a sightseeing cruise on Lake Geneva, followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant. Twelve of us thoroughly enjoyed our time together last evening in Lake Geneva, Wis. Maples at the Sonatas is just under 10 miles from the Wisconsin state line. It is […]
Mardi Gras. Laissez les bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll, indeed. Mardi Gras, as you probably know, is French for Fat Tuesday. And that is the day to observe the tradition of eating rich, fatty foods the last night before the fasting of the Lenten season, which begins today on Ash Wednesday. Here at Maples at the Sonatas, we have another tradition—that of turning minor holidays into major celebrations. So it was that a couple […]
It’s a new month today, but it’s the same old weather. More snow falling. Another cold, sun-deprived day. Slippery surfaces waiting to trick you into falling. Yes, the winter that began in November — even before the first official day of winter — shows no signs of letting up on us. Most of our days are still the hunkering-down kind that I’ve already described in two posts on this blog. And yet— Our neighborhood is […]
The Christmas spirit descended on our community yesterday in a most delightful way. Forty-five Maples at the Sonatas neighbors had gathered in our clubhouse by 2 pm, when the Dickens Carollers arrived to perform a concert of Christmas songs. This is just part of the audience before the music began. The Dickens Carollers is a professional group from the Woodstock area that has been performing since 1982. I have enjoyed their music many times and […]
No, it’s not Arbor Day. Nor is it Earth Day. But it is definitely a tree-mendous day here at Maples at the Sonatas. It’s a perfect day to hug a tree, as Dave demonstrates. •••••• When I got up this morning and looked out a window, I couldn’t believe what I saw. “OK, who ordered the forest?” I asked my cat. She just stared at me. Of course, it was our builder, Wilcox Communities, who […]
Maples at the Sonatas is located in northern Illinois, just 10 miles from the Wisconsin border. We are right smack at the intersection where Bears territory and Packers territory overlap. If you can picture a Venn diagram, we are at dead center. So it is no surprise that our neighborhood is split in loyalty to the two teams that played last night. Nearly 25 of us met in the neutral territory of our clubhouse to […]
It was frightful. It was delightful. It was chilling. Well, make that chili. It was our Maples Halloween Chili Fest. It featured 12 different kinds of homemade chili. It featured 31 homeowners and four almost-owners who will close, appropriately, on Halloween. It featured costumes ranging from the gruesome to the ridiculous, with a lot of spooky creativity on display. It was fun, Maples style. And speaking of the Maples, check out these most appropriate costumes. […]
…she came into my life softly and unexpectedly and briefly, but inspired a metamorphosis. – from The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen It was a banner day for our Maples Book Club—the biggest one in our two-year history. Nineteen women gathered around a large table—our guest author, Amy Gail Hansen; 16 members; another guest/prospective buyer; and our sales assistant, who came in on her day off. It was our largest turnout, our first visit […]
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 […]
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, […]
This has been a busy social week here at Maples at the Sonatas. Very early Sunday morning, we gathered for star gazing and meteor watching. Then Tuesday afternoon, our book club discussed Beautiful Ruins, a novel complex enough to generate stimulating ideas. Last night, it was pure indulgence at our annual ice cream social. And the week is not over yet. Late this afternoon, we have Poolside, a popular TGIF event held—where else?—at our pool. […]
Some experiences are so grand that they beg to be shared with others. That is why I was happy to see 15 or so neighbors gather in our pool area at midnight last night. We were there to enjoy another Maples first—a Perseid meteor shower watch. Thank you to Sylvia for coming up with the concept and organizing it. After the pool lights went out, the others became dark shapes wrapped in blankets lying back […]
Most of us here at Maples at the Sonatas would not use adjectives like peaceful and easy to describe our neighborhood this summer. When we hear the word growth, we think of sales and construction and closings—all of which have been fast and furious. But quietly, unobtrusively, another kind of growth is happening. This is the sweet, silent, delicious growth of plants in our community garden. Located near our parking lot—and directly across the street […]
It was 92 degrees of hot and humid in Woodstock today. In other words, it was a perfect afternoon to watch a good movie in our cool, dark clubhouse. Last week the Maples book club met to discuss Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. Today we gathered to watch the film of the book. Our timing couldn’t have been better, as 11 members and two husbands spent a comfortable, companionable afternoon together. Wouldn’t you […]
Our Maples Book Club is not exactly what you might expect from a group of, um, shall we say, rather mature women sitting around a table talking about books. We do that, of course. We have great discussions. It’s just that during the discussions, we often take interesting little side trips. Yesterday afternoon, for example, Sue arrived at our meeting carrying something in addition to her book. She held up a well-worn box bearing the […]
Home Sweet Abbey 