"We decided long ago that we were going to be some place by the time we were 70,"Sally Reidinger says. Then word came that Heron Point was to be built. "We'd been to Chestertown and were aware of the quaintness of this historic town." Sally and Ray Reidinger signed up for their cottage when the community was only a drawing on paper.
"We did Elderhostels before I retired," Ray says. Now life has expanded. "Living at Heron Point is like being at an Elderhostel continually. Coming here freed us from taking care of a house and left more time for hobbies and volunteering. It's nice when you don't have to clean the gutters and rake leaves."
Both Ray and Sally take courses at the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Washington College, just down Campus Avenue, and Ray has served on the board. Sally sings alto in the church choir. Ray is treasurer. He's also treasurer of the Heron Point Internet User's Group. Sally used to run the Heron Point gift shop and continues to volunteer there. Ray enjoys projects in the wood shop and has served with the Red Cross in town.
For all ten years, they've been out walking six mornings a week at 7:30. "I love going out on that pier," Sally says. "It's so beautiful. It changes almost every morning." Sally also attends exercise classes at the Heron Point fitness center, and every week she and Ray join a roomful of neighbors for line dancing. The Reidingers love being able to close the door on their cottage and travel. They have flown to Europe, returning on the QE II, taken a barge through France, and last summer sailed aboard a small ship to the White Sea in Russia. Moving to Heron Point, "initially, was sort of an adventure," Rays says. "We had looked forward to this. We were both ready."
Downsizing their home was not a problem. "We were glad to get rid of all that stuff," Sally says, then adds with a smile, "though we're still collecting. And, it's fun to go to our children's places and see our things." Their decision to provide for possible healthcare needs later was another gift to their children. "Our children won't have to make a decision about our care.
It's like taking out an insurance policy. "It's an easy decision to live with," Ray says. "We've been happy ever since."
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