I wanted to take a few moments to comment on the wonderful summer we had at Bartlett Woods. The beginning of summer was busy with home improvements. Melina, our gardener, worked hard to make our gardens spectacular with pure artistry. They were a sight to behold!

As the Executive Director, I had a board approved wish list of improvements that needed to get done. I had five projects that I was hopeful would be completed before winter. To my surprise, all five of the vendors we hired were anxious to get started and we had everything finished before the 4^th of July! These projects included a newly paved parking lot, new signage, a roof repair, new awning, and front and back brick patios. The building and grounds have never looked better!

Having these projects accomplished earlier than planned was very exciting because we had been planning a 20^th Year Anniversary Party to be celebrated on July 18^th. The party was open to families, board members, and the cottage owners. The food was catered by our own Chef Aaron Prescott and our wonderful kitchen staff. Everyone was dressed festively as they mingled both inside and out. Delightful jazz music was provided by the Extension Chords from Camden-Rockport School and enjoyed by all.

In addition to celebrating Bartlett Woods’ 20^th year, we celebrated several staff and residents tenure. We have four residents that have called Bartlett Woods home for more than 10 years. Mike Fletcher, Maintenance Director, has been employed for 20 years and received a special award for all of his dedicated service. Linda Mann, Librarian, has volunteered in our library one day a week for 13 years. Everyone received a special recognition and award.

In August, the Board of Directors and I treated our staff to a celebratory luncheon at Point Lookout Resort. It was our way of saying “Thank you” for all of their hard work and dedication over the past year. It was a glorious day with beautiful ocean views and really good food. I say it again and again, I can’t believe how lucky I am to work with so many extraordinary people in our quest to make Bartlett Woods truly special.

Thank you!

You are above and beyond AWESOME!!!

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Friends of Rockland Public Library, Rockland Public Library and Bartlett Woods Retirement Community present a talk by astrophotographer Mike Taylor on Thursday, August 30 at 6:30 PM in the Library’s Community Room.

Taylor will show many of his photographs and discuss best techniques for photographing the night sky. He will discuss how astrophotography is different from Landscape Astrophotography, and where the Milky Way is in the sky and how it moves through the night and through the seasons. He will also spend some time talking about the Northern Lights in the same regard – how to track them, how to know when there will be a display, and how they look at Maine’s latitude compared to places like Iceland, Norway. Additionally, he will explain a little bit about processing night photos and talk about the logistics and equipment involved in capturing and processing time lapse footage.

Taylor Photography’s landscape astrophotography and scenic/nature images & articles have been featured on NASA’s Astronomy Picture Of The Day, Huffington Post, The Weather Channel, NBC News, Viral Nova, Discovery.com, Mashable.com, Down East magazine, UNILAD, Outdoor Photography Magazine, Yahoo! News, Space.com, Utah.com, Earthsky.org, Spaceweather.com, Solarham.net, and multiple other science websites and social media pages. Mike is also a contributing member of the International Dark-Sky Association and he has been working in conjunction with their organization to help raise public awareness of artificial light pollution and its negative effects on human health, wildlife, safety and energy waste.

After the talk, treats will be available, compliments of Bartlett Woods.

Rockland Public Library is located at 80 Union St. in Rockland. This event, sponsored by Friends of Rockland Public Library, Rockland Public Library and Bartlett Woods Retirement Community, is free and open to the public. FMI: 594-0310.

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Bartlett Woods had a secret admirer today that left May Day Baskets for everyone and they were beautiful!

The baskets were received as folks came down to breakfast and the day was full of smiles, memories, and happiness.  Everyone had a story to tell about the May Day’s they had experienced as a child.  The stories were told as if they had just happened and were fascinating. They were told with so much excitement.   This was all due to a small little basket made from wallpaper scraps, paper flowers, and candy.

Someone saw a May Basket and wished his wife a Happy Birthday because he remembered the two days were one and the same.

Speaking as a nurse, there isn’t a pill that can bring this much joy to the faces that I witnessed today.  Everyone had a good day, today…….

What are you doing next May 1^st?

But, shhh, don’t tell the commercial marketing companies.  Let’s keep it traditionally quaint.

May Baskets were made and delivered by Barbara Moores.  Barbara works in our dietary department.  Thank you, Barbara!

May Day was also celebrated by some early European settlers of the American continent. In some parts of the United States, May baskets are made. These are small baskets usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone’s doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away.

‎Wikipedia

A Forgotten Tradition: May Basket Day: NPR History Dept.: NPR

Linton Weeks April 30, 2015

May Basket Tales 

Through the 19^th and 20^th centuries, May Basket Day celebrations took place all across the nation.

Writing in the Humboldt, Iowa, Independent in May 1976, the local extension home economist reminisced: “What a gallant occasion Mother made of May baskets. Lists were made and rewritten. It became almost as exciting as Christmas.” Her family used old milk cartons for containers and they made popcorn and Boston cremes for each basket. People in her community returned May baskets to their owners at Halloween.

The Taunton, Mass., Gazette in May 1889 told the story of a young man who got up very early and walked a mile and a half to hang a basket on his sweetheart’s door, only to find another basket from another beau already hanging there.

Fade Away

Eventually, May Basket Day — like the spring flowers arranged in the baskets — began to wilt and droop. Though vestiges of the sincere ceremony still pop up on the Internet, the in-real-life event has pretty much evanesced.

Read more at https://www.npr.org/sections/npr-histiry-dept/…/a-forgotten-tradition-may-basket-day

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Bartlett Woods’ continues its sponsorship of free documentary films on Saturday, May 12th, 2PM at The Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, Rockland. The one-day-only screening of Cyber Seniors is a co-presentation between Bartlett Woods Retirement Community and The Strand Theatre.

“We are delighted to be back at The Strand to co-present another special film,” confirmed Mary Eads, Executive Director of Bartlett Woods. “We hope that seniors, their families, caregivers, friends, and healthcare professionals will join us. We love the idea of helping to bring the generations together, and are impressed that this fun and inventive film was created by teenagers. Thank you to The Strand for joining us in this effort.”

Cyber Seniors is a humorous and heartwarming documentary feature. It chronicles the extraordinary journey of a group of colorful senior citizens as they discover the world of the Internet through the guidance of teenage mentors. Their exploration of cyber-space is catapulted to another level when 89 year-old Shura decides to create a YouTube cooking video. A spirited video competition for the most “views” evolves as the cyber-seniors’ hidden talents and competitive spirits are revealed. Cyber-Seniors provides insight into the wonderful things that can happen when generation gaps are bridged, proving you are never too old to get ‘connected’. The film runs 75 minutes.

Admission is by donation, and donations will benefit the Bartlett Woods Fundraising campaign and The Strand Theater.

After Party: Following the screening, the public is invited to a pie and coffee After Party at Bartlett Woods, 20 Bartlett Drive (off Talbot Avenue) in Rockland. We hope to see you there!

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It’s SPRING and I can hear the birds outside of my office window!

I want to share with you some of the plans we have been busy making.

Melina, our gardener is back and we look forward to the long awaited fresh flowers that she ensures surround Bartlett Woods each year.

Chef Aaron has been giving us lots of fun dining experiences over the month of March with plans of continuing the trend into April.  We recently enjoyed Italian ravioli day in our beautiful dining room which consisted of different varieties of ravioli accompanied by special sauces that residents were able to customize to their liking.  Salad and homemade garlic bread were included in the buffet as well as desert which I was too full to sample but was told was memorable.  A couple of weeks following ravioli day the dining room was transformed to mimic a New York deli where all of the fixings were laid out and everyone was able to create or order their own unique sandwich.  We have been promised many more special menus in the upcoming days and very much look forward to it.

The activities department has been busy making plans for the summer season with some really big shows, talks, and musical entertainment.  Karen and Darlene have scheduled a 21 piece jazz ensemble and hopefully the weather will give us a beautiful day to host an outdoor event.  We are most excited for a mystery dinner theater group that Karen is looking to schedule as a surprise event for our Bartlett Woods residents.

Today, we are looking forward to Mimi Edmunds, Documentary Producer, who will be speaking about her documentaries and the time she spent working with the “60 Minutes” broadcast.

Lastly, as always, we are anxiously waiting for DORMANS to open so we can enjoy our favorite coastal sweet treat!

Remember our art exhibit is still available for viewing every day from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm through June 2018.

Please stop by and say hello!

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“The only way to do great work is to love what you do”

Steve Jobs

I have been very blessed to have found not only a job but a family here at Bartlett Woods.  There is no lack of positive feedback from the community about the wonderful place I work in, whether it is the residents who live here, staff, the family who comes to visit, doctors, or even transport drivers who take residents to their appointments, their words always so kind.  The work done here by our team of professionals is nothing short of amazing.

We have a fully staffed kitchen that not only puts out gourmet meals at dinner time but also caters our special events that happen throughout the year with such grace.  Their concern and love for each individual who lives and works here are just unlike anything I have ever seen in all my years of working in the healthcare field. No lack of attention is spared.

Our housekeeping team is phenomenal and I have heard nothing but compliments from the residents and community alike.  The thoroughness they provide within each inch of this building speaks for itself.  The attentiveness and tenderness they show to the residents and staff is something that still amazes me every day.

Although we are a retirement community we also assist with daily living skills when the time arises and our Resident Care team knocks it out of the park.  All it takes is to walk through the door here at Bartlett Woods and you will see what I am talking about.  The care and compassion that they show are genuine and truly speaks volumes about our level of care.

What would a retirement community be without a full schedule of activities?  With so many residents from so many walks of life, it truly takes talent to plan and execute activities so superbly, but our activities department pulls it off every month.  Assuring an idea comes to life is what they strive for and hit it on the mark every time!

We all know that a building with 58 apartments could not run efficiently without a special person who takes care of the everyday maintenance and needs of the residents.  Talk about dedication, our maintenance director has been here for around twenty years which includes the time he spent helping construct Bartlett Woods.  His mission is to assure the building is safe, maintained and the resident’s needs are taken care of in a timely manner.  His knowledge is unsurpassable and I often hear “What would this place do without Mike?”.

How many places can say they have a personal gardener?  We are pleased that we are one of them.  Each year we look forward to her once again gracing us with her presence and ability in the gardens that surround Bartlett Woods.  She is an artist with all things that grow.  With her impeccable timing of planting from April through October, we are always surrounded by beauty when we walk out the door.

Last but not least is our administration team who include our Business Office Manager/ Assistant Controller who deals with all of the financial goings on, our Admissions & Marketing Director who spend countless hours educating the community on who Bartlett Woods is and how we can help our aging population, our Director of Resident Care/RN  who somehow has all the answers and our Executive Director who takes great pride in assuring her Bartlett Woods team is educated, appreciated and feels powerful.

Being fortunate enough to work with this amazing team each and every day is something that you can only feel if you are

IN GOOD COMPANY

Cristine Gracie, Receptionist

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Opening Reception for Maine Artists, Pam Cabañas, Alison Hill, Björn Runquist, Anne Cronin and Deborah Winship.

Bartlett Woods Retirement Community proudly presents our 6^th annual “Art at Bartlett Woods” artist exhibition and reception. This year we showcase five wonderful Maine artists Pam Cabanas, Alison Hill, and Björn Runquist as well as two of our resident artists, Anne Cronin and Deborah Winship.

Pam Cabanas, artist and curator of the exhibition, displays her evocative work in both pastel and ink wash. Alison Hill, a year round resident of Monhegan, presents island landscapes and portraits, boldly chronicling island life. Bjorn Runquist’s sensitve and beautifully executed works explore scenes of the midcoast, honoring the Maine of today and yesterday. This year, we are thrilled to present the work of two local artists, Deborah Winship and Anne Cronin who live and continue to paint at Bartlett Woods. The exhibition is intended for the pleasure of both our residents and the general public. The exhibit will be open for public viewing daily during regular business hours through June 2018.

The Opening Reception will be held from 2:00 to 5:00pm on Saturday February 24, 2018 at Bartle tt Woods Retirement Community, 20 Bartlett Drive, Rockland. The public is invited to join the artists and the Bartlett Woods community for this very special event. Light refreshments will be served. Entertainment by Extension Chord, a Teenage Jazz Trio from Camden.

Join us for a festive February afternoon with the artists!

Date:              Saturday, February 24, 2018

Time:             2:00 to 5:00 pm

Location:     Bartlett Woods Retirement Community 20 Bartlett Drive, Rockland, Maine

Contact:       Mary Eads, Executive Director • (207) 594-­‐1163

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The Age of Love; a film by Steven Loring, which was shown at the Strand Theater last Saturday, ended up being a huge success.

The theater reached about 80 percent capacity with the majority of the attendees being women between the ages of 50 -80 years.

During the show, audible laughter was heard through-out along with a few emotional scenes that revealed the more tender side of love and loss.

Following the show, an estimated 30 people from the community, as well as Bartlett Woods, met for homemade pie and interesting conversation.

Many different points of view were expressed with a focus particularly on how to continue to move forward with this idea of how to inspire our local community members to engage in getting to know each other and possibly dating?

All brainstorming ideas were noted and it’s a project that Bartlett Woods would like to pursue in the near future with the 70+ age group.

Bartlett Woods has agreed to co-sponsor two more films with The Strand which will take place in May and September. Please keep an eye out for more information in our local papers.

See you at the movies.

Mary Eads

Executive Director

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We are already eleven days into January in Maine!  We have experienced frigid temperatures along with heavy winds and a good amount of snow, but we “Mainers” know that it’s not over yet.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the folks that must endure these conditions to make life easier for the rest of us.  Thank you to all of the utility workers, mail carriers, DOT, all delivery personal (especially the pharmacies who deliver to our seniors), snow plow drivers, fire, police, and ambulance personnel.  You keep us warm and safe and for that we are grateful.

An additional thank you to our local commercial fisherman who risks everything this time of year so we can enjoy a delicious seafood dinner in the warmth of our home.

Bartlett Woods wishes everyone a safe and healthy new year!

Mary Eads, Executive Director

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