I have tried to add a page from a brochure that Devonshire (our Community) has published and is using as a piece of promotion Literature.  The photo above shows me sinking a putt on the 18th green at the Championship course at PGA National.   You can see the PGA logo at the back.  The three companions watching me include my wife Manju.

We are now fully settled at Devonshire and I would like to speak about the eight months that we have been here.

In one of my earlier Posts, I had described our initial days here and would now like to confirm how warmly we have been welcomed as residents.  Manju and I are the only Indian-Americans among the entire community which also includes one African-American couple..  We will soon be joined by two more Indian-American couples, one of which are Ed and June Macedo, who are expected to become residents by the end of April.

I was invited to be a member of the Marketing Committee at the start of 2018 and also invited to join a very select think tank, comprising 7 residents whose objective is to advise Management in making  Devonshire a greater success.  We have increased our occupancy from about 80% when we moved in to 86% and expect to achieve 93% by the end of the year.

Manju has started playing golf, table-tennis and Canasta.  She is the reigning table-tennis champion and also participates in other activities, such as flower arrangements.

I am also playing golf and croquet, each three times week, which takes care of 6 of the 7 weekly mornings.

Devonshire has Corporate membership at PGA National which offers residents free green fees at 5 golf courses, 4 croquet courts, a Health Cub & Spa, tennis, swimming and 9 restaurants.  Live entertainment is provided on weekends plus on certain Mondays and Wednesdays.  We have Yoga classes, Aerobics, Dance lessons and various other activities, if one wants to keep busy.

We have weekly lectures by residents who have specialized in various fields, such as Cardiac Care, Thyroid and Colon Cancer etc; etc.  In addition, we have our own small movie theatre which shows both Classic and recent movies 4 times daily.  For example, this month we will be showing Murder on the Orient Express and the Shape of Water, which was a winner in this year's Oscars.  An added facility is the branch of our Bank (PNC Bank) which is located on the premises.

Manju and I have joined the Florida Atlantic University's Lifelong Learning program and attend a weekly lecture on American Foreign Policy.  Later this year, we plan to include lectures on U.S. Supreme Court decisions.  There is plenty to keep one occupied and we can be selective.  There is no regimentation and no one is forced to participate in any activity.

When we moved to Devonshire, we ate at any one of the 5 restaurants every day.  However, we missed home cooking and also eating at many of the very good restaurants in this town and so have started to eat only 20 dinners each month starting January 2018.  This allows us to sample various ethnic restaurants and also enjoy our 'daal roti' on occasion.  To be quite honest, we can take only so much of western cooking.

The children have been here every month since November and this includes our grand children whenever the schools have closed either for Christmas or Winter/Spring break, which has added to the variety to our life.

It is truly a very upscale Continuing Care Retirement Community which of course comes at a high cost.  The monthly service charges are substantially higher then those at similar communities in Florida, but not when we consider the differences.  For example, when I need to go for a Doctor's visit, I can avail of a complimentary chauffeur driven limousine provided by Devonshire.  The limo service is provided to any resident for travel within a radius of 10 miles.  Plus, the added attraction of being dropped off and picked up at Palm Beach International airport at no cost.

When we looked at other retirement communities, we did not find any which offered more than two restaurants.  Here at Devonshire, we have a choice of 5.  Two of these are truly upscale and require a jacket and/or jacket & tie for men.

Added to the above is the comforting fact that if at any time, we need Assisted Living, Memory Care or Long Time Nursing, these services are provided at no additional cost.

So, all things considered, we believe we have made a good choice.  

Having said all that, I am signing off to enjoy a little walk in the sunset.