Dining is An Adventure at Beacon Hill

When we moved into Beacon Hill at Eastgate, now more than four years ago, we discovered that our eyes, mouths, and yes, stomachs, were in the hands of Beacon Hill's highly experienced chef, Tim England. Tim cares very deeply about creating a warm and welcoming dining environment. His staff of mostly young servers are well trained and give us personal attention. 

Each evening we choose from a menu of at least five different entrees and eat in one of three lovely dining rooms.  While residents often admit to not knowing the meaning of some of the words on the menu, we soon learn to trust the chef's choice of sauces and presentation of the food. Dinner is something we look forward to both with the food choices and the friendships we make there. We often are seated with people who are new to us and find that to be a great way to get acquainted. 

As Beacon Hill expands there will be another dining room added in order to accommodate the increased number of residents.  Tim is pictured above, standing next to an artist's rendering of the new dining room.

First Glimpse at Beacon Hill's Expansion Plans

I'm reactivating my Granna's Apartment Blog in order to document the expansion of Beacon Hill at Eastgate as it occurs.  Excitement is growing as we, the current residents, learn that nearly 100 individuals and couples have put their names on the VIP list of those who hope to move in when the addition is completed in the fall of 2016.

The plan is to add a new wing at the back of the present building.  The new wing will house four floors of luxury apartments, both one bedroom and two bedrooms.  The expansion will also include an additional dining room next to the present dining rooms as well as a garden cafe and auditorium at the rear of the lot.

The artist's drawing above shows the new four story addition with the cafe and auditorium in the background. If you have visited Beacon Hill at Eastgate you can see that the design is planned to reflect the beauty and comfort of the present facility.

I'll be sharing more of the plans and photos in the future.  I hope you will follow my blog and tell anyone who might be interested about it as well.

It's the Growing Season, So Watch Us Grow

It's been a long time since I have posted to my blog.  I hope you are still out there, dear reader, because I have some news about Beacon Hill at Eastgate.  I also hope some new readers will find their way to my blog, especially if they are considering the life-changing and life-enhancing move to a facility like Beacon Hill.

Earlier this week there was an assembly of all the residents here at Beacon Hill and we were the first to learn that Beacon Hill at Eastgate will be expanding.  Yes, due to demand for the high quality services which we receive at this Continuing Care Retirement Center (CCRC), plans are being made to add 60 apartments and other amenities to the present 114 apartment complex.  While we as present residents have lots of questions, we know from past experience that the new addition will be of the same quality that we have experience,and that includes the food!

Of course it will take time to get all the details in place, but as I learn of them, I'll be keeping you posted and even include photos of the construction as it takes place.  I encourage you to sign up for my blog and promise that I won't overwhelm your computer with too many postings.

Beacon Hill witnesses the Royal Wedding!

Would you believe? I was invited to witness the Royal Wedding! Well, not exactly in London, but on the telly in Beacon Hill at Eastgate. Nola Watherbee, a self acknowledged follower of English Royals, invited all the women from Beacon Hill to a wedding breakfast, followed by a delayed viewing of the BBC filming of the event.

So, I tied a scarf on my summer straw hat, put on the pearls that Stan gave me for our wedding, and went to the party this morning. Here I am with the wedding cake which our chef created for the event. We are hoping that he will serve it to us as dessert at this evening's dinner.

Another WZZM 13 video

Here's another video that was seen on WZZM 13 in the Grand Rapids area. I'm actually going to try embedding it into my blog on my own!!!! Peggy is sitting next to me in case I need help (and I did).

WZZM Interviews Beacon Hill's Chef

I'm out in Seattle visiting my daughter, who found this video about our chef and she's teaching me how to embed it in my blog. Better enjoy it when you read my blog today, because I may not remember how to do this when I return to Grand Rapids.

Keeping Up With the News of the World

Is it just our age, or have we always been interested in the news of the world? As we age, we worry about the future for our children and grandchildren. Life seems to be more complex and full of dangers.

At any rate, 23 residents of Beacon Hill gathered last Saturday morning for an informal discussion of current events. Of course we wanted to talk about Egypt, but other issues came up as well. There was a lot of energy for what was an honest and open conversation.

Everyone was appreciative of the opportunity to get together for discussion of serious issues and we decided to meet every Saturday morning to do this. Life at Beacon Hill at Eastgate is full of opportunities. We're happy we made the decision to live here.

Overnight at Beacon Hill

Our son came down to visit us last weekend and check out our new "digs". We reserved the guest suite for him and these photos tell a partial story of the two bedroom, two bath apartment that is currently used for guests of residents at Beacon Hill. The apartment layout is identical to ours and just two floors below us. Others in our family better get their reservations in early, because this place is a really great place to visit.

Stan and Jim played golf on the golf simulator in the Club Room. Jim was able to figure out how to program the computer so that the balls went where they were supposed to. Must have been fun because they spent several hours on it!

Super Bowl Widow - At Last!

Yesterday, the long awaited 2011 Super Bowl game was played. Residents of Beacon Hill were invited to watch it on a big screen TV in the Club Room. Not being big football fans, we didn't attend the event, but I did over hear a comment this morning from one of the women whose husband was part of the group watching the game in the Club Room. She said that for the first time in her married life she was able to spend the evening doing what she wanted to do, which did not include watching the game! I suspect there may have been other Super Bowl Widows enjoying their evenings alone as well.

By the way, those folks in the Grand Rapids metro viewing area saw a commercial featuring Beacon Hill at Eastgate during the game. Next year, national advertising anyone?

Shall We Dance?

We were entertained yesterday by a line dancing group from another Retirement Community in our city. They looked like they were having fun as they danced to a variety of songs, changing their "looks" to fit the music. Here they are dancing to a Hawaiian tune.

The question we asked ourselves was, "Would we like to do line dancing at Beacon Hill?" Many thought they would like to try it. You know, it just might help with the balance issues that many of us have.

Execising in the Community Room

We had our first exercise class this morning. Nikki, the Wellness Coordinator, put us through a series of stretches which we all agreed felt good. At least, many of the stretches were challenging, and I guess that was good for us!


We sat in chairs to do the stretches today, but next week, we'll do some while lying on the floor, also. My old yoga mat will come in handy for those exercises. I must remember to bring my water bottle next time.

Getting Acquainted

A group of residents thought it would be fun to meet in the library at Beacon Hill with our needlework projects. We did this today and pictured here are some of the women who showed up with needles and threads of various sorts.

We got acquainted as we visited while "needling". Everyone enjoyed the time together, so we decided to make it a weekly event, every Tuesday afternoon from 2-4 pm. It will be a casual gathering, just bring your needle work and prepare to make new friends as we get acquainted here at Beacon Hill.

I guess we need a name for the group. How about "The Beacon Hill Needlers"? If you have a suggestion for a better name, please leave a comment on this blog post. Maybe we'll actually get organized next Tuesday and take a vote on a name for the group!

Meeting our Neighbors at Beacon Hill

Shortly after we moved into Beacon Hill at Eastgate, Dave and Judy Carpenter moved into the apartment next door to us. I recently sat down with them to get acquainted and learned that they have two kids who must have gone to East Grand Schools at the time that our kids were there. While they have lived in the Grand Rapids area since 1965, they actually met in kindergarten in the Upper Peninsula town of Iron Mountain. When I asked Judy if Dave used to pull her pigtails, Dave said Judy chased him. I didn’t ask if she kept chasing him through the years, but evidently she caught him!
Dave started out as an attorney in the trust department of a bank and soon established a law office with a partner. Together they had a general law practice, and Dave says he did a lot of estate planning.
Judy told me that she worked as a nurse at Blodgett Hospital. Having experienced the loss of a baby before its birth, she wanted to help others through that loss. So, she founded the Resolve Through Sharing program which still exists at Blodgett Hospital. Judy is also a Master Gardener. It was perhaps Judy’s interest in gardening that led the two of them to volunteer at Meijer Gardens where Dave learned to love sculpture as well as the gardens.
Dave and Judy say they played bridge “long ago” and are hoping to take up the game again with a group of casual, forgiving bridge players. While they looked at many Retirement Communities, they chose Beacon Hill because they felt it was the most welcoming. Now that they are here, it feels like family to them.

Meeting our Neighbors at Beacon Hill

When I sat down to dinner with George Anne and Dick recently, she told me that they had moved to Beacon Hill from Greensboro, North Carolina. Since they lived so far away they were not able to attend any of the seminars and social gatherings that were held during the time that this community was being built. They had decided to move here because they have a daughter in the area. I happened to meet their daughter at one of the Beacon Hill seminars. She told her mother about my blog. George Anne said that reading this Blog helped her feel connected to Beacon Hill.

Dick retired after a 35 year career as an engineer with Dow Corning. That job took him all over the world and I imagine he has lots of stories to share. Incidentally, he is looking for a partner to play the golf simulator here at Beacon Hill. George Anne is a seamstress who used to make all of her own clothes. She came by this skill naturally as her grandfather was a tailor. She and Dick are looking forward to having the Beacon Hill bus take them to cultural events in this city.

George Anne and Dick will spend May through September at their cottage on Bass Lake near Traverse City where Dick will be on the water most of the time, fishing. I imagine that is when George Anne will enjoy reading and being Up North.

Keeping Fit at Beacon Hill

It may be cold and wintry outside, but inside Beacon Hill at Eastgate we can keep fit while using the exercise machines. Stan and I have never used fitness machines, so we met with the wellness director who showed us how to use the various machines and made a note of the settings that were right for each of us. I'm using the machines three days a week and taking 25 minute walks in the hallways on alternate days.

Here's a photo of Carol Garey, one of the residents, on the treadmill. Beyond the windows in front of her is the swimming pool. The other photo shows Stan putting in some time on a machine.

Each time that we exercise we record how many "reps" we did and the time spent on the cardio machines. After a few weeks of this, we'll be increasing the weights on the strengthening machines as well as the time spent.

Have I mentioned that the food here is really good? I justified eating tonight's yummy brownie because I did my walking this morning!

Happy Holidays from Beacon Hill at Eastgate

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR from the residents of the B Wing at Beacon Hill at Eastgate. Here are some photos of our front doors.

Getting Some Exercise

We've been residents of Beacon Hill at Eastgate for four weeks now and we are enjoying it. Our apartment is very comfortable, everyone is very friendly, and the dinners each evening are very good. Stan has gained a couple of pounds, which is a good thing as he was weighing less than I in recent months!

For my part, I've been walking the building for exercise. The Wellness Center staff gave each of us a pedometer. This morning, I walked each of the three floors in the B wing where we live and crossed over to the A wing and walked each of the three floors there. I took the stairs between floors, both going up as well as going down. In all, my walk took 25 minutes and counted 2999 steps on my pedometer.

To date, I've not gained any weight here, even though I'm enjoying the desserts we are served at dinner. Can't resist those!

Settling into Beacon Hill at Eastgate

We've been living at Beacon Hill at Eastgate for just over a week now, and both of us are liking it! Our spacious apartment is fairly well settled and even decorated for Christmas. The tiny tree that used to sit on top of the old Magnovox TV looks rather small standing on the floor by the door to the balcony, but it is a bright spot in that corner.
I'm posting a photo of the two of us, taken in the dining room on Thanksgiving day. We've been able to meet many of the new residents at dinner as everyone seems happy to sit with folks they don't know. One of the first couples that we met were George Anne and Dick Awe. They are from North Carolina and have a daughter who lives here. I met the daughter at a Beacon Hill seminar and shared with her this blog address. George Anne told me that she had enjoyed reading the blog from her home in N.C. and that it helped her feel connected to the progress on the construction of Beacon Hill as well as the progress that I was making in getting ready to move.
If you are reading this blog, I'd love to know what you think of it.

Thanksgiving Dinner at Beacon Hill

Having just moved in to Beacon Hill at Eastgate, we decide that we would have our Thanksgiving dinner with some of the other newly arrived residents. The chef prepared a sumptuous dinner of all the traditional dishes and set out a buffet line for us in the kitchen. After filling our plates, some of us over filling them, we went into the formal dining room to eat. Of course, there was plenty for those who wanted seconds, another tradition at Thanksgiving, right?

The photo below on the right is of Polly and David McCoy with their guest. Way in the background you may be able to see the chef, in the traditional chef's hat, and the cook staff in white jackets and black caps who were eating their dinners, also. Many residents brought their families, including at least two babies who made their presence known. That just made it all the more a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

The photo on the left is of Rosemary, one of the wait staff, at the buffet line.

The photo above shows Chef Tim cutting the pies. Would you like pumpkin, apple, pecan, or banana cream? I had a sliver of pecan pie and a slice of pumpkin with whipped topping? Yum, yum.

Moving Day

After months of waiting, sorting through stuff, selling the house (yes, we sold if finally!), we have moved into Beacon Hill at Eastgate. We had a professional organizer pack everything on Monday. Her staff came to supervise the loading of everything on to the mover's truck Tuesday morning, and they unpacked us on Tuesday afternoon.

We were told to wait until they had the kitchen things, linens, books, and clothing unpacked and put away before we could get into the apartment. Until that time, it was full of workers, boxes, and packing materials.

The photo above shows the front door of Beacon Hill, taken from the central hallway. Below is a picture of Stan in the library at Beacon Hill, waiting to get into our apartment. I'll be posting more photos in the next few days, so watch for future postings.