Panorama Spring 2024 Publication - Flipbook - Page 6
Friendships
make move
worthwhile
B
ill and Charlotte Shimmel
turned one room in the
couple’s lakeside cottage
into a craft room. Decorated with
Charlotte’s paintings, the room
also includes her weaving supplies,
sewing machine and hand-stitched
quilts.
Since moving to The Summit in
September, Charlotte has found
a community of other artists and
crafters.
“What really sealed the deal for us
was the attitude of the people here.
They are just so friendly,” she said.
Bill, who spent his career working
for university Cooperative
Extension offices in Wisconsin,
Vermont and South Carolina, plans
to take up golf and fishing when
the weather breaks this spring.
The couple wanted a comfortable
retirement community. “We really
felt more comfortable here than
anywhere else,” Bill said. “We
haven’t changed our minds either.”
The couple has five kids from
coast to coast, along with 10
grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren. They used to spend
summers visiting family in a
camper. Their daughter, son-in-law
and several grandchildren live in
Lynchburg near The Summit.
“When we first walked in to visit,
three or four people were there
and they were just so friendly and
welcoming,” Charlotte, a retired
registered nurse, said. “When you
move a long way, you have to leave
your friends and so making more
friends is important to me and The
Summit is very friendly.”
There is another nice perk. For a
couple that endured snowstorms in
Wisconsin and Vermont, waking
up to a lovely Virginia snow came
with a surprise.
“When I got up, the sidewalk was
shoveled,” Bill said.
A maintenance-free Life Plan
Community with plenty of friends
sums up life at The Summit.
