From: Quimper Village Newsletter Team [email protected] Subject: Quimper Village Newsletter - Happy New Year! Date: December 30, 2016 at 1:23 PM To: [email protected]

JANUARY 2017 View this email in your browser Newsletter

Purchase of a home in Quimper Village is offered and available only to individuals/couples whose principal residence is the State of Washington and who have obtained membership in Townsend Meadows Cooperative by way of its Offering Memorandum.

MONTHLY UPDATE (as of December 28, 2016)

We’ve had many days and nights of rain, but in the Northwest, construction continues wet or dry. It is lots easier when it is dry. Fairbank Construction Company has all eight residential buildings under construction:

Building #8 is fully framed with the trusses in place, buildings #7 and #4 are partially framed. The foundation trenches have been dug for Building #5, the last one started. Porch floors have been poured for buildings #8, 4, 7. The concrete contractor has forms in place for the public sidewalk; however, they won’t pour concrete until the cement plant reopens after the holidays. All of the windows are installed in the garage buildings, workshop/storage building and art studio. Some of the garage doors have been installed and the electricians are wiring these dried-in buildings. Dried-in is an important concept. important concept. We try to show our appreciation by providing treats for the workers one day each week.

Garage doors are installed on some buildings.

Kay is standing in the front door of her new home in Building 8. The Construction Interface Team (CIT) hard at work, inspecting.

*** We are nearly sold out - only ONE unit left! ***

Visit our Visit our Web Page WE ASKED OUR MEMBERS ABOUT THEIR RESOLUTIONS:

“I have resolved to laugh more, exercise in community gatherings, share and smile more”. Wonder where the name “After not cycling for eight months, my highest "Quimper" resolution is to get back on a bike-but one with comes from? three wheels not two!! AND 'to honor my Pagan See the article roots'" below to learn more. “Sorry for the delay in getting this to you; hope it isn’t too late. It is a bit ironic that my resolution is to stop procrastinating”. See why PORT "I resolve to get serious about tackling TOWNSEND the garage, the shed, the office, the storage closet, is a great the kitchen and whatever else; doing a bit each day place to live! and maintaining a cheerful manner all the while."

QV Winter Party

After a very blustery December site visit, where we actually were able to walk through the framed-up rooms of our new homes, Quimper Villagers chased away the chill with good cheer and unabashed joy at our Winter Party. We enjoyed good food and conversation, as we celebrated the solstice and winter holidays. Most of all, we celebrated being together, forming a strong, loving and connected community.

The Social Team concocted some fun games to bring us closer together during and after our yummy meal. John Clise, who, in case he wasn’t tall enough already, donned a Mad Hatter’s hat, acted as our Master of Ceremonies. We were all moved to laughter and tears by members reciting poems and stories, singing original songs and old favorites, getting up and shaking our booties, and shouting out answers to seasonal trivia questions.

With every opportunity to be together, we grow closer and long for the time, not so long from now, when we will celebrate in our own Common House at Quimper Village. ~Araya

Below: Mike, Bobbi and Carolyn blend their voices; John shows off his hat and Carolyn shows off her penguin; PamC and Cindy help Marcia howl for joy. So, What’s This “Quimper” Thing?

In the Paci+c Northwest our history is not like that of the East Coast. When the US Constitution took effect in 1789, Americans were still new in our part of the world -- a few fur traders. The Spanish were coming up the west coast from their centuries-old holdings in the south, the Russians continued to expand across Siberia and south from Alaska, and the British were arriving by ship and land. Area native peoples were, as usual in the imperial age, conquered or shoved aside.

In 1789, the Nootka Incident con+rmed British power in the NW, but Spain remained active in the area. The Princesa Real, commanded by Peruvian-born Manuel Quimper, charted the Strait of Juan de Fuca in 1790. His name was given to Port Angeles-Dungeness Spit, but in later years Spit, but in later years the US Coast Survey re-assigned that name to today’s Quimper Peninsula.

Quimper Peninsula lies between Discovery Bay on the west, the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the north, and Port Townsend Bay on the east. The northern tip of QP, Point Wilson, and the southern end of Whidbey Island form the pillars of Admiralty Inlet – the only passage into Puget Sound and to Seattle/Tacoma which is navigable by large ships. Tidal currents in the narrow (less than four miles) Inlet are so strong that native canoeists often portaged across the low neck of the peninsula between the Strait and Port Townsend Bay. Quimper Village is located in the middle of this portage trail, which local tribes called Kah Tai.

So where did Manuel Quimper get his name? One guess is that his family was from the region of the small city of Quimper, located on the Brittany Peninsula of France near the Spanish border. Quimper is a center of Breton (Celtic) culture, and holds an annual cultural festival. Perhaps Villagers would like to make a road trip some day? ~Jack

*** We are nearly sold out - only ONE unit left! ***

The Quimper Village newsletter team continues to share a peek into the lives of our great members, one by one. Take a look at the love of artistry and technology that moves Kay H.

An Eye For Detail And A Curious Mind

Kay H. spent her childhood moving from one place to another, often going to school in two entirely different parts of the country in the same year, taking on life in such places as year, taking on life in such places as Mississippi, Washington DC, California, Virginia, Texas and Germany. Her Air Force family always tried to live off-base in regular neighborhoods giving Kay a chance to play in between houses or catch fireflies in jars with neighborhood friends. Even as a kid she was curious and loved science. A high school summer internship cemented her desire to pursue studies in Microbiology and she had a long full career in the field.

When she and her husband, George, moved to the Northwest, Kay thought that she might like to spend her retirement as a quilter. She loved the intricacy of patterns and colors in the process of creating quilts. George came from a family of photographers and enjoyed the hobby. Kay sometimes picked up one of the cameras to take snap shots of family life but nothing more. One day on a whim, she walked into a camera store and purchased her own camera. It felt right in her hands.

When Kay suddenly found herself a widow, she joined a local widow’s support group and met a woman named Deja who had purchased the same camera about the same time. The two women decided to learn to use them together. And learn they did. They are both now professional photographers and continue to work closely together. Kay realized that being on her own and pursuing quilting could lead to isolation when what she wanted was to learn a new skill that took her outside where she could make connections with people.

Kay now loves the challenges of combining artistry with technology. She spends hours and takes up to 100 photos for each still life, playing with light, color, and angles to create playing with light, color, and angles to create just the right balance in her pieces. Her goal is to strike a combination that creates an emotional response in the viewer of her work. She wants them to be reminded of and to be excited by the incredible complexity and beauty of the smaller creations of nature. You can see more of her work at her website.

Balancing out the fine details of still life subjects, Kay also works with Deja View Photography, which concentrates on portraits and events. Deja does the business end and is the "Lead Shooter" at weddings and other events. Kay loves her position as the “Second Shooter” where she has freedom, creativity, fun and gets to know the families. Kay loves the sharing of the experiences of love, hope, and family for the present and the future. She appreciates the connection and long lasting friendships that she forms with people at the events.

And quilting? That activity that she thought she would do more of at retirement? She is planning a large sewing room in her new house that will tie in beautifully with her creative nature. She suspects that she will get back to it in earnest when she is “really old”. She has much she wants to continue working on with photography at the moment. One way or the other she has created opportunities for herself time after time through her love of details and her keen curious mind. ~PamC

SAY WHAT?

A remark is made, and everyone is laughing, except for me. I sit there with a question mark over my head or sometimes I laugh also, though I have no idea I laugh also, though I have no idea what’s so funny. I don’t want people to think I’m a dummy. In conversation, I sometimes miss one or two words in a sentence. I have developed a repertoire of non-committal responses. A nod, “uhuh” “That’s nice.” This one can be dangerous. “My wife died yesterday.” “That’s nice.” Sometimes I become so exhausted trying to follow the conversation, that I just withdraw and let people think I’m unsocial. I especially have a problem with consonants. The dried wash can become the fried nosh. Some of my funniest lines come from inappropriate responses. “How’s your daughter?” “She has a poor bedside manner,” or “How’s your doctor?” “I only have a son.” My hearing aids help minimally. Sometimes I think it’s more a matter of my mind not tracking as fast as it used to. I do clinically have hearing loss. My hypochondriasis tells me I’m going senile. And it is probably both. As I sit behind people in church, I note that quite a few of them have hearing aids. For many, they seem to help a lot. But I’m sure there are some like me. So speak up. And if we’re at a restaurant and you admire my dish, “That’s neat,” and I reply, “No, I’m a vegetarian,” just nod, or say “uhuh,” or “That’s nice.” And I’ll probably say “No, it’s quinoa.” ~Jim

Progeny on Parents’ Participation

“I have been tasked with writing an article for the newsletter on sons' and daughters’ reactions to their parents joining Quimper Village. With your permission, I will send a questionnaire to your designated progeny. Please respond with alacrity as my editor wants the article on his desk by the 22nd of December.” And with alacrity they did respond. Six QV individuals or couples sent me And with alacrity they did respond. Six QV individuals or couples sent me the addresses of their children—no, they are hardly children—progeny? a little archaic—begotten? too biblical—o!spring—middle-age o!spring? O! went my questionnaires.

Here are the questions and some of the responses.

CHELSEA: Were you involved in the decision? My mother discussed it with me from the very beginning, and talked about it as they (mother and stepfather) explored the idea and as the project evolved. Do you think you have an adequate understanding of the project? Yes my mother and stepfather did a good job of explaining the concept to me. I also had the opportunity to attend two meetings at different stages of the process, which helped me to understand more and to learn about how the group works to make decisions. Have you discussed it with others? Yes, I have discussed it with friends and colleagues. Do you have specific concerns? Initially it seemed risky, with no guarantee that it would succeed. As I gain a better understanding and the project progresses, I feel more confident. Meeting other members helped me feel more comfortable with the idea.

And now the male point of view. MATT: Were you involved in the decision? No. Do you think you have an adequate understanding of the project? Yes. Have you discussed it with others? No. Do you have specific concerns? No. A general comment? This sounds amazing.

Back to the feminine ANNA: Were you involved in the decision? No. My mother is still competent to make her own decisions. All though she fights it every day, she is an adult as well. Do you have specific concerns? My mom would like a dog, but she already has two cats. I think you all should increase the number of pets people can have to three—that’s what it is in the city. Pets have all sorts of health benefits. See the article from Web MD: 6 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health, by Lisa Fields. Web MD: 6 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health, by Lisa Fields. A General Comment: I think this is the perfect sort of environment for my mother, minus the stingy pet policy.

DANI (male): My mother spoke to my brother, sister and me about Quimper, while attempting to reach a decision. My brother and I had been urging our mother to make some kind of meaningful and substantial change in her life, even before she found Quimper. She is not easily convinced of things, so when I noticed her excitement about the project, I thought that it must be special. Once I heard more details, I became excited myself and wholeheartedly urged her to go ahead with it despite some fears and doubts she had. Do you have an adequate understanding of the project? I have an overall understanding, but there are details and questions which I have not been able to get a clear answer for from my mother. This is a recurring subject with my brother, my wife, sister and father (our parents are divorced but on good terms.) Specific concerns? Quimper is farther away from the family than is the situation now. My mother has some age related difficulties and I fear the loss of nearness of family will have a toll on all of us. It is also a big financial undertaking and this is a concern. I hope my mother is well integrated into the community and finds the personal support she seeks and the stimulation she needs to continue to live a fulfilling life. A general comment: I think Quimper is a great project. The idea to initiate a project based on the benefits derived from a tight knit community must have come from insightful and inspiring people. I am hopeful and positive about my mother being among those people. The environment chosen seems a healthy and soulful one. A far cry from modern urban isolation.

MIKE: Have you discussed it with others? Yes, I tell a lot of people about it with a disclaimer: “It’s not a hippy commune” but more of a social environment in which people don’t have to be isolated as they grow older. I think it’s great. Do you have specific concerns? Yes, I’d like to see the addition of a Jacuzzi when I visit. General Comment: The land looked great when I did a walk through with my mom before building started. I liked the pathway beside the area. I’m curious/excited to see how it all looks when it is finished. The amount of planning that has gone into it, as I have is finished. The amount of planning that has gone into it, as I have heard from Mom, is impressive, and I think it will make the completion of the village that much more special.

DENISE: My parents did a fantastic job of sharing information about QV with me before they made their decision. I was given the opportunity to attend a QV meeting where Katie McCamant was the presenter. I’ve started following McCamant and Durrett on Facebook. I am hopeful that Cohousing becomes an option for more Americans as they age.

So, every progenial response was positive with the exception of the “stingy pet policy,” and I think I noted a twinkle in Anna’s prose. Thank you all for participating. ~Jim

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

Contributors to this issue: JimD, CindyA, PamC, JackS, ArayaS, CheronD. Thanks!!

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