Years ago I conducted more than a dozen interviews with residents of The Villages but I only released them for a brief period of time as a bonus ebook for people who bought my book Inside the Bubble.
I think there's a lot to be learned from them though so I am going to start publishing them here for everyone to read.
I'd love to interview other current residents about their experiences. If you'd like to participate, click here.
On to the first interview!
Can you describe your background?
I was a single parent for much of my adult life. I had dropped out of college when I got married, so being divorced, I had to wait until the kids were more or less able to tend to themselves, to go back to school. For years everyone in the family joked that my oldest son and I would graduate together. They were wrong; I beat him out by a year!
I really enjoyed being an accountant, especially doing taxes. But my true love was teaching accounting. There was nothing more gratifying than seeing the look on a student’s face when he or she finally “got” something that had previously had them stumped. If I ever chose to go back to work, that is what I would like to do again- teach.
Where did you live before moving to The Villages?
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Then I moved to Massachusetts when my youngest son was accepted to MIT. I lived in the towns of Brookline, Plymouth and Sterling and loved them all. I met my late husband while living in MA, and several years later we moved to Plantation, FL. He passed away while we were living there, and I eventually met my current husband at the Los Olas art fair in Ft Lauderdale. We’ve been together for 4 years (married for 2 1/2 years) and in that time, we’ve moved from south Florida to Dallas, Texas and then to Las Vegas, Nevada, all for his career. This next move from Vegas will be my last- I’m tired of packing and unpacking. My friends say I should be an expert by now!
How long have you lived in The Villages?
We bought our home here in Dec 2008.
Do you continue to work (even if part-time), or are you fully retired?
I am a fully retired accountant and plan on staying that way. As I said, my husband will retire next year. Knowing him, he’ll be eager to do some tax consulting work after a few months here. I have no idea how he’ll fit it in, because we plan on joining about 6 social clubs, plus all the activities we plan to do, some together and others separately.
What originally attracted you to The Villages?
Years ago, while living in South Florida, my late husband and I went to Mt. Dora for a long weekend. While we were there, we took a trip up to The Villages and took the trolley tour. Back then Spanish Springs was the only town square, and the sales dept. was touting the latest type of housing here – villas! We both felt that The Villages would be a great place to retire, but unfortunately, he did not live long enough to retire.
Years later, when I married my current husband, he told me he had heard great things about The Villages, but had never been there. Knowing he would be as impressed with the place as I was, I scheduled one of those week stays for us, telling them I wanted to stay in the smallest home they had available. We had a large home in Dallas at the time, and I wanted to really downsize when we retired. I wanted to see if we could live in a small home without tripping over each other.
We came, we saw, we bought!
What do you like most now about The Villages?
The variety of activities to choose from. I play cards, I play mah jongg, I’ve taken courses in everything from history to photography, to reflexology, to home decorating, to glass etching, to name a few; and that’s just what I can fit in while I’m here part-time. Can you imagine what I’ll be doing this time next year?
I also love that you can be a retired sanitation worker or a retired captain of industry; it just doesn’t matter. Everyone is so friendly regardless.
What do you like least about The Villages?
Hands down, the worst thing about The Villages is the road signage. I have not met a single person here who hasn’t gotten turned around and gone in the wrong direction at least once or twice or more, especially when they were new to the area.
Can you describe an ideal day for you in The Villages?
Unless I have early plans, I love to have a leisurely breakfast and then sit on the lanai with the newspaper and my coffee. Before my knee surgery (and again when it heals) I would love to go to the pool and do some water aerobics. After lunch, there could be a club meeting, shopping, a class, or mah jongg game. I’ve had many a good time meeting friends for happy hour and/or dinner at Mallory, Havana, etc. after that.
Can you describe an ideal evening for you in The Villages?
After a great dinner (out or at home) it’s usually a game of bridge, mah jongg, Mexican train, or Samba at a rec center or at someone’s home. Other times we go to the square to listen to the entertainment or go to a show that one of the theater groups is per- forming. Sometimes I actually prefer to stay home with a good book. That’s what is so great about living here; you can do anything, everything, or nothing at all and have a great time. If you can’t find something of interest to do here, you should check your pulse, because you might be dead.
What clubs or activities are you involved with?
Not to be repetitious, I play bridge and mah jongg and take courses. I love water aerobics and bike riding. I joined the SE Mass. club and plan on joining the Brooklyn club. When my husband is here, we plan on joining the Parrotheads, the FSU club, the convertible club, and a few others if we can fit them into our schedules. He will probably join a biking group and maybe a softball team. And of course, we plan on golfing, and golfing and golfing some more! We also love to play billiards and occasionally bowl.
How often do you venture out of The Villages and where do you go?
Because I am only here about 5 months of the year, I have no desire to venture outside of The Villages very often. I do, however, go to the Marion Flea Market on occasion. Like gypsies, we love to just get in the car and go in any direction we desire and find out where we wind up. I’m sure that habit will continue when we’re here. But for now, I’m sticking close to home. There’s so much to do right here, that I rarely have time to go anywhere.
If someone were limited to one lunch and one dinner in The Villages, where would you tell them to eat?
How can you pick just one with so many great places to choose from? If I must, I’d choose Cody’s for lunch, just because it’s so much fun, the food is terrific and it’s cheap! For dinner, I’d pick one of the country clubs, depending on what night and what kind of food they prefer.
Do you play golf? If so, how many times per week and what is your favorite course?
When asked if we play golf, we say we play AT it. Neither one of us has played since we left South Florida, but we plan on changing that as soon as we’re here full-time. Obviously, I don’t have a favorite course, but I know the executive courses will be fine with me; the easier the better.
Are there any other sports that you participate in?
As I’ve mentioned before, water aerobics because my chiropractor says water exercises are the best for me with my bum knees and a bad back. I haven’t done archery in years, but I think I might like to try it again. I miss horseback riding and volleyball. I might try water volleyball in the future.
If you had it to do over again, is there anything you would change about your move to The Villages (type of home you chose, neighborhood, etc.)?
Besides doing it sooner? I love my house. It’s half the size of our last one and so much easier to take care of. I love my neighbors that I’ve gotten to know quite well, but I’m not crazy about the neighborhood. Because so many of the people in our area are part-timers, it’s hard getting any social activities going on a regular basis. I have a friend who lives in another village and they are so socially active, that my husband has suggested, more than once, that we sell our home and buy another one in her village. And while we’re at it, he would like it to be larger than our place now and near water. I don’t think he’ll win this one!
What additional advice would you give someone considering retiring to The Villages?
Don’t just consider it; DO it! You won’t be sorry.
Jeff Arute says
The villages are great. It’s a playground for seniors. Activities, restaurants galore, relaxation at its best. We rented for two weeks and would like to rent for at least a month next year. It’s too late in our lives to buy, but hope to enjoy for as long as we can.