Meet Gail
I am a native New Yorker, born in Queens and raised in Seaford, a Long Island suburb near Levittown. Our baby boom neighborhood was known for throngs of kids who played after school, family block parties, and Fourth of July fireworks. It was a great place to grow up. When I was 10, my family (parents, brother, sister, and I) moved to Massachusetts. I missed our larger network of friends and family, though, and learned early on the importance of community.
I attended college in Washington, DC, majoring in art and studying special education (I had been a summer day camp counselor in programs for kids with special needs). This led to my teaching at a private school in DC for two years before returning to Massachusetts.
I’ve always loved art (especially stained glass, quilting, and pastel painting) and writing. For most of my work life, I have been a proposal writer in the environmental consulting field, with some interesting detours along the way. Balancing work with family, friends, and other interests (bicycling, hiking/walking, reading, and travel) has been important to me.
Since I am single, I’ve built connections with many diverse groups. Through these, I’ve made long-time friends whom I cherish—including those from college and grad school, work, an essay writing group, a stained glass studio, UU churches, and my bicycling group.
The latter, a zany group called the Northshore Cyclopaths, was “my tribe.” At our peak, we had about 50 members. We rode together for miles every Saturday morning for nearly 30 years, stopping for breakfast along our favorite routes (often near the ocean). Every summer we rode in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, a two-day, 192-mile bike ride to raise funds for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. We shared many miles, laughs, and life passages over the years.
I attended college in Washington, DC, majoring in art and studying special education (I had been a summer day camp counselor in programs for kids with special needs). This led to my teaching at a private school in DC for two years before returning to Massachusetts.
I’ve always loved art (especially stained glass, quilting, and pastel painting) and writing. For most of my work life, I have been a proposal writer in the environmental consulting field, with some interesting detours along the way. Balancing work with family, friends, and other interests (bicycling, hiking/walking, reading, and travel) has been important to me.
Since I am single, I’ve built connections with many diverse groups. Through these, I’ve made long-time friends whom I cherish—including those from college and grad school, work, an essay writing group, a stained glass studio, UU churches, and my bicycling group.
The latter, a zany group called the Northshore Cyclopaths, was “my tribe.” At our peak, we had about 50 members. We rode together for miles every Saturday morning for nearly 30 years, stopping for breakfast along our favorite routes (often near the ocean). Every summer we rode in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, a two-day, 192-mile bike ride to raise funds for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. We shared many miles, laughs, and life passages over the years.
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Recent life changes pushed me in a new direction. My mother died (I was a caregiver for both my parents, who lived nearby), as did several close friends. Our bicycling group “aged out.” My family was now living in California, Baltimore/Washington, and Hong Kong, and many friends lived further away. I knew I had to seek a new community…
I decided to explore cohousing as an option for this next stage of life. A friend had moved to North Carolina, and I had visited multiple times. I loved the area and the weather! So I came down to checkout coho communities, and a member from one of them mentioned “a great group of people at Village Hearth,” which was not yet constructed.
I looked up Village Hearth when I got home and was blown away--especially by the profiles of the people who would be living there. So I called Margaret, and returned several weeks later for another visit. Everyone was so welcoming. I knew this was the place I wanted to be! I became a member and never looked back.
So two years later, here I am—along with my Casper, my feline companion and “head of household.” It’s been quite a journey (especially moving during a pandemic)--and I am happy to be here at last. I look forward to when we have all moved in, and to living together in the community we’ve been building!