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Character Building and Spirit Soothing
Character Building and Spirit Soothing
Carleen and Bob Grossman were sad to leave behind a nature preserve they established at their previous home, but happily replaced it with 12 miles of walking and wooded paths at Masonic Village at Elizabethtown.
Carleen grew up in Wyoming, and Bob lived his teen years in Colorado, and they both spent their childhoods camping. Bob was the backpacking chairman of his university’s Outing Club, while Carleen skied Wyoming powder.
Together, they’ve always loved walking, hiking, camping, skiing and any outdoor activity. Among their favorite places are Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and the Appalachian Trail.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they also traveled the world “to enjoy our love of other cultures around the world,” Carleen said.
A few of their unique trips include Egypt, Malta, Sicily, Turkey and Russia (in 1997, when it was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or U.S.S.R.). They also highly recommend Spain (which they have returned to three times) and Greece!
“Although we’ve been to many countries around the world, each has its own features,” Carleen said.
Bob, an engineer, taught over 40 years at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, in the computer science department, and he still advises about 80 graduate students. Carleen was an English and Literature professor at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland, for 34 years and now writes historical fiction book reviews for readers across the United States and Mexico.
After their retirement, they moved to Pennsylvania, desiring to stay away from big cities. Their 23-acre wooded property was located next to a 42-acre parcel, which happened to be for sale.
The Grossmans purchased the land, which includes hiking trails, two ponds, two streams and heavily wooded, hilly terrain. Robert marked the trails with signs, and Carleen researched wildflowers along the trails and added markers. They opened it to hikers, photographers and nature lovers but not hunters.
“We named our preserve Edelweiss, and it is a delight to anyone who enters it,” Carleen shared. “We still own it, and our surrogate family is caring for it in our absence.”
A fitting name, Edelweiss is a white flower with woolly, star-shaped petals that is grown in the Alps. It takes a great deal of dedication to grow, just like the Grossman’s nature preserve did!
A friend told Carleen and Bob about Masonic Village at Elizabethtown. After visiting several retirement communities, Masonic Village “came out on top by all of our standards,” according to Carleen. She was a Job’s Daughter Honor Queen and was familiar with the Masonic fraternity, which also helped make their decision easy.
“We intend to keep active and like the idea of being able to lock the door any time and go on a trip when desired,” Bob said. “We love the Masonic Village campus, and did not know just how wonderful it would be – but the gourmet quality food served in the beautiful dining areas has turned out to be another of the highlights!”
Their Icelandic Sheepdog, Charlie, is also a fan of the outdoor options. When considering the benefits of exercise and fresh air, the campus’ best amenity is provided by Mother Nature, just steps outside the Grossman’s front door.
“Nature and walking soothe the spirit and increase one’s endorphins,” Bob said. “It is the challenges that nature presents to us, such as heat, cold, snow and rain and steep trails, that build character.”
