| Retired from Cornell
University and Ithaca College respectively, Dave and Eloise Blanpied moved
to Heron Point in 2000. Dave says, "What I loved about the academic
life was the freedom. I could go as far as I wanted to, as far as my capabilities
could take me." "For me," says Eloise, "it was the availability of
libraries, concerts, and lectures, opportunities to participate in all
kinds of things."
In retirement, the Blanpieds have brought their enthusiasms
with them. They are delighted with the Chestertown community and
regularly take courses at Washington College's Academy of Lifelong Learning,
just down the street. Eloise, who taught writing and loves ancient
Greek drama, and Dave, whose field is pomology (fruit culture), have enjoyed
courses in art history, the blues, the impact of disease on history, and
African-American communities in the Chestertown area.
The equipment for their hobbies came along too. Eloise
enjoys calligraphy and makes illuminated pages using her own sonnets as
the texts. Dave volunteers at the nearby wildlife refuge and also
does woodturning. He installed his own lathe in his garage but sold
the rest of his woodworking shop. "They've got a good workshop right here,"
he says. Both are gardeners, and they have a kayak and a canoe.
Dave's avid interest in the history of American Indians
supplies his reading material. Since retiring, he has taken courses
on Indian cultures, and he and Eloise have attended several elder hostels
on Indian reservations. Eloise is an editor of the Heron's Beak,
a 16-page resident journal that she publishes quarterly on her computer.
She also sings with the Chester River Chorale and is mentoring a Washington
College international student.
At Heron Point, finding about things to do is easy.
"Here, if there are people, they're going to be talking," Dave said. laughing.
"Even at the pool exercises, everybody's talking to each other!"
Eloise agrees. "I interact with people more in one week here than
I did in a month or two before. It's a real community." They
both take the monthly shuttle bus trips to the Washington and Baltimore
museums, are involved in Heron Point interest groups, attend concerts and
films, and generally enjoy their friends and neighbors.
The Blanpieds had looked at retirement communities
in several other states, found Heron Point on the internet, visited, and
loved it immediately. "We had planned to move in two or three years,
but when we came here, we said, Why wait?"
And they are enthusiastic about their decision.
"It's hard to communicate the atmosphere," Dave says. "It's soft.
Quite amazing. I was ready for a good experience, but I never realized
it was going to be this good. A nice place to be."
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