This past week we had a visit from Jim Brenneman, president of Goshen College. We gave him a tour of Pinecraft and spent some time sharing our progress with him, using an enlarged map to help him see all of the areas of our work.
This afternoon we spent an hour holding a public Q&A session at the Pinecraft Park. This was the first time that we have gone public with any of the details from our meetings, and it was very encouraging to see how supportive community members are of this project-- knowing that so many people are benefiting from this project really solidifies our drive to work here.
While our meetings are fairly frequent, no need to be too concerned. We have found plenty of time to explore the beaches around the area, and have been frequenting a quiet area on Lido Beach. The cold weather seems to have passed & we're enjoying 70-80 degree days. Some trips to several garden centers resulted in each of us becoming gardeners this week, as it's fun to experiment with tropical plants in this weather. An Amish neighbor is even giving us a banana tree!
We're feeling lucky to be in such a beautiful area, surrounded by some incredibly friendly neighbors. The longer we live here the easier it is for us to understand just how important this neighborhood is to so many people & now to us as well. The fact that the county is willing to work so closely with us in this is a huge gift. We can now agree with the community members that this is a place worth preserving.