Heron Point Acts CCRC (12/5/2018)

Wednesday, December 5, 2018
We left Gaithersburg, MD, expecting at least a two-and-a-half hour drive to Chestertown, MD. We did not run into any traffic, even on the Capital Beltway or the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
We arrived at Heron Point before lunch instead of after, but Kent felt compelled to go ahead and check in. Fortunately the guest room was ready and we could move in, but our resident hosts were also notified, and although they were not prepared for us, they did come fairly quickly to meet us. Jim and Mary Jane M first took us to their apartment to show us the layout of a two-bedroom, two-bath floor plan. Very spacious and they had a view of the Chester River and the Heron Point pier. Next they invited us to lunch, and I am sure Jim talked the staff into charging our lunch to marketing!
After lunch we had the tour of Heron Point.
Ground was broken in 1989 and in 1991 the first residents moved into Heron Point, operated by Peninsula United Methodist Homes. An affiliate of ACTS since 2010, it is located on 66 acres on the Chester River. There are 101 apartments and 91 cottages, 45 assisted living units, and 38 skilled care beds. There is a gate house with security personnel, but no gate!

Entrance (to the left) of Heron Point with apartments

Cottages, the only residences with protected parking (garages)

Lobby lounge with coffee and tea available 24/7,
and a boat made by a resident!

Skipjack's Dining Room is the venue for all meals; there is a
formal Sultana Dining Room with table service, requiring reservations,
as well as a private Captain's Table Dining Room

Mail Room with Activities Board

Half the library

Auditorium; there is also a Quiet Room

Swimming pool

Fitness Room

Billiards and Table Shuffleboard Room

Game Room and Movie Room

There is a brand new purpose-built artists' studio (with attached classroom) that can accommodate eight artists at a time. Apparently the Heron Point Art Interest Group has over 40 members. The bird-carving group just lost their instructor, Bill Reinbold, who at age 92 still commuted to Heron Point from his home to conduct classes!
There is a bank with limited hours, a hair salon, woodshop, activities room, and a gift shop that is more like a boutique!
The University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown is about a half-mile from Heron Point, and not much farther is Washington College, which has the Academy of Lifelong Learning for the benefit of residents.
The closest major airport is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport/BWI, 71 miles away, but it requires crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and managing Washington, DC traffic. Apparently the Philadelphia International Airport/PHL is more conveniently reached, at 76 miles away.

The weather was sunny and mild, so after the tour we drove into Chestertown, a quaint little colonial town with 18C homes and a history as a leading Maryland port.

Broad Reach (2016, by David Hess) is a contemporary
children's playscape, installed in Wilmer Park in honor of
local artist and architect, Alejandro “Alex” Castro

Stepne[y] Manor (c 1690, 1850s addition), a Wilmer plantation house

Wilmer Park view of the Chester River

When we returned to Heron Point, we walked out the pier on the property.

This mound is a muskrat lodge

A pergola more than halfway along the pier

The heron weathervane-topped gazebo near the end of the pier

Platform for an osprey nest

Looking  back along the pier toward Heron Point

Jim and Mary Jane knocked on our door at 17:30 to go to dinner. Wednesday evening is special in offering prime rib or similar, and a catch of the day, so there is no table service. We actually sat in the formal dining room, but went to the cafeteria-style counter to get our food, after the salad buffet. And ended with the ACTS signature ice cream from Jack & Jill, including Moosetracks!
We had a delightful visit at Heron Point, thanks to Jim and Mary Jane M.
But tomorrow is time to go home.