Cherry Blossom, Ashby Ponds
Mindfulness Matters and Refirement (Cont.)
We had been in search for a comfortable house in beautiful surroundings with conveniences our age (we’re in our mid-seventies) requires. Our daughter helped us find this haven of a neighborhood called Ashby Ponds in Ashburn, Virginia. I wonder which Pennwriters Area is Loudon County, Virginia.
We have visited Ashby Ponds several times and once stayed for two nights to get a feel for the place. We loved everything about it. Spacious and sunny apartments. Meticulously maintained lawns with fountains and ponds. None of the building is more than four or five story high and most have a restaurant on the first floor. The food is tasty and nutritious. Of course I’d cook in our fully equipped kitchen but if there are days I rather not, I have choice of ten restaurants in the campus to choose from.
In addition to the restaurants, there is an art gallery and a theater for musical and drama performances. Some buildings have a gym and some others an indoor pool that anyone in the neighborhood can use. The gated campus has a clinic with four primary care physicians on call for 24 hours and a long-term health care facility. What else would we want in a retirement community!
The name of our building is Cherry Blossom. Our apartment is located on the fourth floor overlooking forested area with a creek running through it.
The restaurant located on the first floor is called 1912. That was the year when Japanese gifted Americans more than 3,000 cherry blossom trees that now bloom from mid-March to mid-April at the Tidal Basin on the shoreline of the Potomac River in Washington D.C. This historic gesture of friendship incites joy. That an act of camaraderie is linked to the building we’re moving into feels like a good omen.
To be continued.