SCS September 19, 2023

PHOTO BY TOM MILLS

The Sun City Garden Club Paired With Artists For Breathtaking Displays Of Complimentary Art.

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All PEC members signed up for e-billing ONLY will be entered in the drawing Deadline for entry is October 31, 2023. Winner will be notified.

Sports Couples Bond On The Courts At Sun City

By Ron Gray

In Sun City’s active adult community, there are many sports-related amenities for residents. These include tennis, golf, softball, pickleball, bocce, swimming, volleyball, bicycling, horseshoes, pickle tennis, billiards, croquet, table tennis, kayaking and fishing (and possibly others).

In virtually all of these sports, there are couples playing the same sport. Some have been doing so for many years. In some cases, however, one or both have only started playing their shared sport since moving to Sun City. Is playing the same sport as a couple, perhaps even on the same team, a good idea or do the challenges outweigh the positives?

During Dudley Kay’s and Jill Ford’s 16-year courtship in North Carolina, Jill enjoyed watching Dudley play in numerous level 4.0 tennis matches, including league play and state tournaments. Jill never entertained the thought of picking up a racquet. After moving to Sun City, Jill and Dudley decided to try pickleball. Then Jill had an

epiphany. If she could keep a rally going in pickleball, why not tennis? She and Dudley could practice together, invite other couples to play for fun, share sessions on the ball machine, and eventually Jill could build her own social tennis play group. Jill continued to improve, and she captained a 2.5 level team that won their league and went to the state tournament.

In addition to cheering for Jill, Dudley remains active in all aspects of Sun City tennis. Jill and Dudley both won trophies in doubles in their respective level groupings in the Sun City Association’s tournament. From Jill on the sideline cheering on Dudley to Dudley on the sideline cheering on Jill, they continue to enjoy playing tennis together with their friends. Dudley and Jill are another great Sun City “sports couple” demonstrating perfectly the age old phrase “The family that plays together stays together.”

Jim Paulbeck and Cheryl Crouse met in June, 2021 when playing pickleball with

CONTRIBUTOR

Dudley Kay and Jill Ford enjoy playing tennis together.

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By Chris Roosa

As my husband and I entered our eighties we realized that the rate of physical deterioration has escalated tremendously.

First your fingers stiffen up so badly from arthritis that you can’t write. Then your hip replacement becomes displaced, so you can’t walk. One morning you find that your ears have totally clogged so you can’t hear. I’m fearful that I’ll wake tomorrow and my skimpy eyebrow will slither down my face, take up residency beneath my nose, thereby forming a mustache rather than an expressive arch above my baby blues.

When you really think about this aging process, we revert back to how we began in our infancy. Drooling, babbling, loss of balance, lack of teeth, fine hair, required naps to avoid crabbiness and entertained by a television. If you don’t find that these descriptions presently apply to your age group… wait!

Drink a lot of water they say. It’s claimed that water aids in weight loss. I drank six glasses of water yesterday and put on three pounds. I’m so bloated by evenings end, that I resemble an eighty-year-old woman in her ninth month of pregnancy. It’s not a pretty sight.

And what’s with all these brown spots popping up all over my face and limbs? They call it sun damage. It’s just a kinder word for age spots. When I was a young woman, I fried my body in the rays of the summer sun. Why didn’t the dermatologists warn us about the damage we were incurring? I

even mixed up a concoction of baby oil and iodine so I could fry my skin to a darker golden tan! I thought I looked “hot.” Now I just resemble a mature woman with puckered prune growths all over my body. I was staring at a young girl today with tattoos that were inked over her shoulders, chest, throat, arms, legs and mid-driff. It was apparent she loved tattoos. I stood there trying to envision them on an eighty-year-old body in a swimsuit. Layers of discolored and disfigured “tats” lost in withered crepe skin. And let’s not forget to add in some of the wonderful pruned age spots to the mixture just for texture.

Recently I looked up a friend’s phone number in the Sun City directory. Guess what? No phone number. It had her name along with her address and her current email. I pondered this situation and I think I have the answer to this puzzling question. Once you hit your eighties, they remove your phone number. The next year it will be your address. The third year your email will vanish. By 84 we’re no longer in the directory because they probably surmise you’ll no longer remember your friends. They’ll just have our name in the phone book, encapsulated in a cloud.

When I was much younger this is what I looked forward to …. retirement. But I’ve discovered this is not a game for sissies! I already feel like I have one foot in the crematorium and it’s so hot it’s nearly singed what remains of my curly red locks. Be careful what you wish for!

Owner Charles Russo, III

CONTRIBUTOR

Look for your Annual Notice of Change Now 9/1 to 10/1

We Educate, Empower, and then Enroll! Medicare Fall Enrollment 10/15 to 12/7

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Change from Advantage Plan To Drug Plan and add a Medicare Supplement. Must pass underwriting if over 66 and have Part A and Part B.

Sun City Art And Garden Show Takes Center Stage

Recently, the Sun City Garden Club paired up with artists for a show in which the goal was for a member of the Garden Club to make a fresh floral arrangement to compliment a painting.

In all, there were 47 painting entries. Fourteen artists were selected from the paintings that were submitted. A garden

club member was then selected and charged with the task of making a fresh floral arrangement to compliment the painting. In all there were 14 portraits and arrangements on display, from which a winner was selected and named “People’s Choice.” Over 500 residents attended the showing during the weekend they were on display.

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REAL ESTATE Choose The Right Real Estate Agent, Save Thousands

By Larry Stoller

At last count, there were more than 2,000 real estate agents in the Hilton Head-Bluffton area. With so many agents to choose from, how do you know which agent will work best for you?

One way would be to choose an agent who advertises properties that are listed for sale, under contract and/or sold in the local newspaper. If they are advertising on a regular basis, they are probably successful, and when you think about it, their success is your success.

I suggest that you interview at least three agents before making a decision. During the interviews you might ask questions like:

• What fees and/or commissions do you charge?

• What real estate services do you provide for your sellers?

• How do you determine the value of my home and what it should sell for?

• Do you have a marketing plan to sell my home for the highest possible price?

• In the property listing, how do you show prospective buyers the true value of my home?

• What kind of enhanced services do you provide that will give my home the competitive edge?

HILTON HEAD SUN: I see your FOR SALE & SOLD listings in Sun City Hilton Head. What do you do for your Sun City seller clients?

LARRY STOLLER: We are a Full-Service real estate company with enhanced seller services and negotiable variable commission rates that save our Sun City sellers lots of money.

HHSUN: What kind of enhanced services do you offer to your sellers?

VALERIE SHRECKENGOST: Our enhanced services include: professional photography, compelling captions, an exclusive property website, home warranty options, staging assistance and more.

HHSUN: What do you mean by “negotiable variable commission rates?”

LS: For starters, all commission rates are negotiable. But our variable rates are designed and

These are just some major questions that I think will be helpful … there are many others. For example, what will the agent do if you are not getting many showings or if you are getting a lot of showings but no offers? What if you are dissatisfied with what the agent is doing or not doing, can you get out of the listing agreement?

Also, at the end of the interview you could ask that a list of references be emailed to you

discounted to help you keep more of your proceeds.

HHSUN: Don’t all real estate companies use professional photography?

VS: Most do, but we utilize both still and aerial shots when advantageous. We also attach informative captions to all of our photos which explain and emphasize special home features that add value to your home.

HHSUN: What do you mean by the statement “Services Tailored To Your Needs?”

LS: As a small real estate company we are very flexible and innovative in developing solutions that address our client’s specific needs.

HHSUN: Do you work with home buyers?

VS: Yes we do. In fact, we have been very successful in finding homes for our home buyer clients, sometimes

(published testimonials are good to get as well).

In 2007, a year after we moved to Bluffton, I authored a real estate book called “Finding Agent Right For Your Best Real Estate Deal.” The purpose of this book was to help home sellers and home buyers choose the real estate agent who would be committed to representing them effectively and getting them the best real estate deal.

This book offers a question and answer methodology that prospective sellers and buyers can easily utilize in helping them choose the real estate agent who will do the best job for them.

To receive a complimentary copy of Finding Agent Right, please send me an email at my email address below.

Larry Stoller is a local Broker and Realtor with Real Estate FIVE of the Low Country. Email Larry at Larry@RealEstateFive.com, or visit www.RealEstateFive.com.

homes that are not even currently listed for sale.

HHSUN: You mention “exclusive property website”. Can you explain what that is?

LS: Yes I can. It is a website whose URL is the same as the home’s address. It works 24/7 to promote the property. An actual example from one of our current listings is: www.132StratfordVillageWay.com.

HHSUN: What is the biggest challenge that home sellers face today? How resolved?

VS: The biggest challenge home sellers have today is, “where do I go after I sell my home.” We have used flexible closing dates and leasebacks so that our sellers can find and move into their new home on their own terms.

HHSun: Anything else you’d like to share? Visit our website to see all we do for you!

SPORTS from page 4SC

mutual friends. A relationship was formed. They began spending time together, including a great deal of time playing pickleball with their friends. As President of the Pickleball Club, which has over 1,600 members including 340 couples, Jim was very involved with the sport. Cheryl subsequently became the Club’s Membership Director. After a year of dating and playing pickleball, they knew it was a good match on and off the court. On June 24, 2022, Jim and Cheryl were wed on Pickleball Court 8. Their quote for the story: “Pickleball partners are the best!”

Of the Softball Club’s 540 members, there are at least 52 couples playing the sport. One day on the softball field, John Meckley was on the mound. Softball Club President Holly Meckley came to the plate. The slow, high lob was headed for Holly. Rather than stepping out of the way, she let the ball hit her softly on the arm. Emulating scenes that have occasionally been seen in major league games, Holly, with bat in hand, charged the mound. The fans in the stands laughed. The players in both dugouts laughed. John and

Holly laughed. Yes, playing the same sport with your other half can be fun! Of course, there are challenges when a couple engages in the same sport. Someone used the phrase “patience is a virtue.” Another said “Keep things in perspective. Remember the big picture, you are spending time together doing something you both can enjoy. That is priceless.”

Current and prospective sports couples, play on!

Get Comfortable With A New Kind Of Chair

By Don Guilbert

When was the last time you sat in a chair at home and watched TV and were truly comfortable? Maybe you have a hard time reaching around the side of the chair to work the handle to lift your feet? Maybe even when you do, they don’t lift high enough? Or it is too high?

Perhaps you have a hard time finding that comfortable position on the recline side? Or is it that once you recline, you need a pillow behind your head to lean forward to watch TV? Or worse, after sitting there for your favorite show you can feel your lower back getting stiff because of a lack of lower back support? And I haven’t even asked if you have a hard time getting in/out of the chair!

The good news is there is a solution to these problems - a reclining lift chair. And

before you jump to any conclusions please know lift chairs have come a long way from the early models and this new generation of lift chair will exceed your expectations.

The new chairs do so much more than simply lift you up. They have been redesigned to look like luxury chairs, built with multiple motors to independently control the feet and the reclining back. Even better, they also come with a headrest feature that only moves the upper half of the back rest to help find that perfect TV watching position. The best chairs also include lumbar support at the push of a button on a remote.

So, the next time you look at the old chair and flinch, head to your car instead and find a retailer that can help you laugh again when you watch TV, not ache.

Don Guilbert is the owner of Mobility City of Hilton Head, located in Bluffton in the Belfair Village plaza.

117 Landing Lane | $472,500

100 Herons Bill Drive | $595,000

Welcome Home! You’ll love this Lilac floor plan w/relaxing screen porch! Features include formal living/dining area, great for entertaining, w/crown molding, smooth ceilings, recessed lighting; Carolina Room w/slider to the porch overlooking lagoon. Gourmet kitchen w/gas cooktop, convection oven, stainless appliances, granite countertop w/breakfast bar, eat-in area w/bay window, pantry; den/office w/French doors; master suite w/bay window, two oversized closets, extended upgraded jetted walk-in shower, soaking tub; guest area adjacent to full bath; laundry room; 2 car garage, pull down stairs to storage; mesmerizing view on premium lot!

Stunning Lilac model, this spacious home has an inviting entry foyer, abundant kitchen cabinets & pantry, prep island with granite countertops.

Popular Dogwood with peaceful wooded setting awaits your personal touches. This home boasts large living area w/Carolina room, den, eat-in kitchen with lots of cabinets, granite counters, prep island, laundry room with sink. Primary bedroom with walk-in closet, bath w/double vanity, separate soaking tub & shower. Tile flooring & ceiling fans throughout. Great location to Hidden Cypress Clubhouse with fitness, pool, restaurant, golf. Come enjoy the Sun City Hilton Head active adult lifestyle that includes over 100 clubs, community theater, softball league, woodworking, dog park & so much more! You’ll never be bored!

— Hilton Head MLS #: 435084

— Hilton Head MLS #: 438556

843-540-0205

Jim Paulbeck and Cheryl Crouse

CONTRIBUTOR

9 BROUGHTON CIRCLE

$439,000

Incredible opportunity! Kingston model with open floor plan, 2 bedrooms & 2 baths has been recently updated. The renovations include a New roof & gutters with gutter guards, Carpet, LVP flooring, Front door glass installed, exterior painted all in 2022. Interior painted, Screened in Porch, remodeled both bathrooms. Tiled screened in porch 2023, New HVAC 2019, New Water heater 2015.

28 PINCKNEY DRIVE

$617,000

The Jackson model is a spacious beauty, featuring 3bedrm, 2baths, a den, dining room, living room, & a kitchen with stylish laminate counters & oak cabinets. Enjoy your meals in the cozy breakfast nook, or gather with loved ones in the family room. Step outside onto the covered porch & take in the serene view of the lagoon. The vinyl siding & newer roof ensure durability & a fresh look.

WHITEBARK LANE

$349,000

Fantastic opportunity awaits in this Azalea Model 2 bed/2 bath located on a quiet cul-de-sac.Tiled floors in foyer, kitchen, & bathrooms. New carpet in the bedrooms, hardwood flooring in the great room, fresh interior paint throughout, casual eating at breakfast bar and Eatin kitchen for formal dining, & features stainless steel appliances. Master bed en suite bath with a large walk-in.