by Jayne Bodner
In previous posts, I’ve written about specific activities and events here at Medford Leas as we’ve participated in them.
But coming up to the one year anniversary of our move to Medford Leas, I thought a sample slice of what was available here, just over the last two weeks, might be of interest. There is much to choose from here at Medford Leas, and it is very nice to do the choosing from the comfort of our “less commitments” retirement life style!
So here goes – May, 2016 –
On Sunday, May 1st, there was a bus trip to the Philadelphia Opera and, as on every Sunday, there was a Friends Meeting for Worship in the morning and Vespers in the afternoon.
On Monday, May 2nd, the two campuses’ Fitness Centers were open (as they are every day), with a variety of scheduled classes and help from the Fitness Center staff on the weekdays. Mondays in the morning, the Thrift Shop is open to receive donations and the Art Studio is open for residents to work on their pieces. Monday afternoons, the Burlington County Library System Bookmobile made its weekly stop. And the Gift Shop is open every weekday afternoon.
And, on May 2, the movie Far From the Madding Crowd was shown on the main campus in the evening.
On Tuesday, May 3rd, the Thrift Shop was open, and the Woodlands/Trails Committee met at the main campus’s Nature Center, in the morning. There was an Art Reception, for Patrick Monaghan, to begin the showing of his works in the Medford campus’s Art Gallery, in the afternoon.
On Wednesday, May 4th, the Medford Leas Residents Association’s (MLRA) Annual Plant Sale was held in the main parking lot. There were bedding plants, potted flowers, hanging baskets, and a mix of vegetable and herb plants for sales. Much of what is sold is grown on campus for the sale which is always held right before Mother’s Day, and as usual the day was a success! In the afternoon, there was/is a Mexican Train Domino game at the Medford campus, for residents of both campuses, a weekly event. And, the Thrift Shop was/is open every Wednesday evening for ‘night owls’.
On Thursday, May 5th, there was a day trip to Johnson’s Corner Farm in Medford for a look behind the scenes at this family owned farm, which has evolved to be a fine and fun example of Agricultural tourism. The Vid-U Teaching Company “Great Courses” video series on the Hubble Space Telescope began with an overview of its history and the discoveries made from its use so far. In the evening, there was a classical music video presentation of excerpts from Carmen, in the theater on the Medford campus. I had never before seen, in person or on video, an opera but the resident who selected the excerpts somehow chose so well that I both caught the story line and very much enjoyed the performances!
On Friday, May 6th, there was a bus to Philadelphia for that night’s Philadelphia Orchestra Series B concert which residents on both campuses sign up for at the beginning of the season. In the afternoon, there was/is Water Volleyball in the Medford Leas indoor pool (the games move to the Lumberton campus’s outdoor pool in early June). And in the evening, there was/is a Mexican Train Domino game in the Lumberton Community Center for residents of both campuses, a weekly event.
On Saturday, May 7th, there was a Trail Walk on the Medford campus in the morning, the movie Monsieur Verdoux was shown in the Medford campus theater, and also in the theater, in the evening, there was a live concert by the Clavino Trio.
On Sunday, May 8th, Mother’s Day, the dining venues on the Medford campus took reservations for the day to make sure everyone planning to eat at Medford Leas, possibly with Mother’s Day guests, would be comfortably accommodated. The arboretum trees, shrubs and bed plantings all over both campuses were especially lovely, in the spirit of the day.
On Monday, May 9th, the Pinelands Garden Club met in the theater on the Medford campus in the morning and the Lumberton (Leas) Social Activities Committee met in the Lumberton campus Community Center in the afternoon.
On Tuesday, May 10th, in the evening, the Annual Lumberton Residents Association Meeting included introductions of the new residents on the Lumberton campus since last year’s meeting, a word on who was going to be moving to the Medford campus over the next few months, an update on the Lumberton campus’s Activities budget, and a bit of history on how the Lumberton campus came to be. There was also an announcement made about local high school students scheduled to come to the Lumberton campus on Friday May 13 to help the residents here with different projects as part of the students’ community service.
On Wednesday, May 11th, a mix of residents and off campus neighbors went on a full day bird watching excursion to Bombay Hook in Delaware. We stayed at home and joined quite a few other residents to visit the home of a couple of our newer residents on the Lumberton campus. At Lumberton Leas, our homes’ layouts are quite similar but what we each make of our space is always of interest, and a peek is always appreciated!
Also, on May 11, in the evening, the Burlington County Natural Sciences Club held one of their meetings at the Lumberton Community Center with many of the residents of both of our campuses attending to hear the talks and presentations given.
On Thursday, May 12th, in the morning, there was a presentation on “Quaker Faith and Practices” in the theater on the Medford campus, and the 2nd Vid-U “Great Courses” session on the Hubble Space Telescope focused on what Hubble has helped us learn about the universe’s star clouds. The evening’s Music Video featured selections by DeBussy, Massenet, and Offenbach.
On Friday, May 13th, there was Coffee With the Administration for residents of the Courtyards in the morning. And, of course, the weekly Water Volleyball and Mexican Train Dominos games were held.
On Saturday, May 14th, there was a Leas Forum presentation from the Diversity Committee titled My Son Matters in the theater in the morning. In the afternoon, there was a bus trip to see the Pennsylvania Ballet and the movie Music of the Heart (featuring Meryl Streep) was shown in the theater.
Enough for now!
Be Well, Jayne Bodner