All about Alcoves

Gary and I now live in Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC) in Harrisonburg, VA.  Our building is called Park Gables and we have 88 apartments.  I took a photo of all 88 alcoves.

I invite you to take a little break and click on some of the photos so you can take a closer look.  I didn't show all 88!

Residents "decorate" the alcove to their apartment.  Some people keep their decor the same all the time. 
Many folks change the decorations for each season.

People often leave notes and various items for each other or we can have meals delivered from the dining room.  So, it's handy to have a little table for these deliveries.

 I'm fascinated by the little tables and stands that people come up with.

One of the best deliveries is the loaf of homemade bread, still warm from the oven, on the day you move in.  Charlotte Burkholder does a beautiful job of keeping up with this kind and welcoming act.

 Our alcove will appear on another post. 

AirBnB in Singers Glen, Virginia

This information is mostly taken from 2 sites I found online (see links below). This historic house, which is now an Airbnb, is in the center of the village of Singers Glen.

I have looked at these houses all my life and it's fascinating to know more about them.

Historic Funk House

Experience one of the most distinctive homes in the village of Singers Glen VA. Elaborate 2-story frame house set on a high basement built in 1894 by Joseph Funk, the grandson of the publisher of the song book Harmonia Sacra. The neighboring home was built by his brother William Funk in 1892.

Elvin and Sandra Shank bought the home on the right above. Sandra says, "We spent a year reinforcing, updating and making it more user friendly and at the same time keeping the era of the house alive. We would love to share our special place with you."

The "best" Airbnb in Singers Glen depends on your needs, but popular options include the highly-rated Historic Funk House for its historical significance and charm....

My, what a good job the the Shanks did with making this house magical - like stepping back in history!

Here are the two articles where I got information.

Just click the links below and enjoy:

Historic Funk House Photo Tour

Singers Glen, Virginia - My Home Town

Singers Glen is a small town located in the western part of Rockingham County in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  It is a charming village which is surrounded by lovely country, interesting architecture, and has the nicest people around!

Singers Glen, Virginia was founded by the Mennonite Joseph Funk. Joseph was a grandson of Bishop Henry Funk, a prominent German Mennonite who had immigrated from Pennsylvania before coming to Virginia.

This town began when Joseph Funk moved here in the early 19th century and established a publishing firm for Mennonite religious tracts and choral music. 

The Glen was the first music publishing house in the South.  There was a loom house over this spring with a second floor for the publishing business.

Funk created a type of music that uses shaped notes.  His hymnal, "Harmonia Sacra", is still used today and there are monthly singings various locales in the area.

Joseph Funk’s plain little house in the center of the village.

He helped his children build some of the Victorian houses in the Glen.  These are the original houses and owners take pride in caring for them.

The large house above is just outside the southern border of the town.  

Another sturdy house of the Glen.

This is the Donovan Memorial United Methodist Church, which was my home church as I grew up.

This building was unique because one tower is larger than the other.

Cute Story - might be true!  Despite the lack of symmetry, the reason for the different heights may be as simple as needing a taller tower to accommodate the large bell. The story goes that the church wanted a bell that sounded louder than the Baptist one. The bell in the old Union Chapel was weaker sounding than the Baptist's.

Inside the Methodist Church in Singers Glen.  The sloping floor was an unusual feature and the layout of the worship area is different and beautiful.  I prayed a lot of prayers in this place.

A local artist painted this view.

The original Methodist church was built in 1863 and later was moved to a farm where it was used as a barn.  It was moved back into the Glen beside the Methodist church and was reconstructed in 2006 as a historic chapel.

 
This is the Baptist Church.

The Baptist Parsonage

As of 2025, this building is being restored as a potential family residence,  rental investment, or event center.

A carriage works and an apple packing business were in Singers Glen. 

The Cemetery is on a hill above the village.  

View of the Methodist Church from the cemetery.

Beautiful view from the cemetery

Singers Glen Post Office

Singers Glen Volunteer Fire Department

Singers Glen Volunteer Rescue Squad

Singers Glen is a charming little town known for it's rich-history, well-preserved 19th-century architecture, and picturesque setting in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  It is full of nice people, too!

Click these links for more information:

More about Singers Glen, Virginia

FaceBook Page for Singers Glen

  Anti-Slavery Congregation in the Confederacy  

The History of Singers Glen

Joanne’s Jaunt - Old Folks.......

What do “Old Folks" DO in those old folks’ homes?  

You’re about to find out !!!          

Dale Metzler comes to VMRC (Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, where I live) to play pool with his brother, Bill, who lives here.   As he leaves each day, Dale stops to chat with us on the porch.  (Some of us sit out together every afternoon.)   

One day he said, “Who wants a motorcycle ride?”

Joanne Lockhart’s hand shot up, “I do!  Me, me!” 

Dale told her to be ready the next day at 3:00 p.m.   Sure enough, Dale and his wife, Barb, came at 3:00.  

Barb brought her jacket for Joanne to wear.

Black Leather 

The “Image” is Important You Know!

Joanne Lockhart, Dale and Barb Metzler

A Few Last-minute Instructions

Ready to Ride!!

Off they go!

Now you know --- Old Folks have fun in Old Folks' Homes!!!!!


P.S.  Joanne is 89 years young.

**(This post is prepared with joy by MaryMay Suter)    

Daily Life in Our Virginia Retirement Community 2025

Tuesday is my busy day here at VMRC (my retirement community) 

At 10:00  I go down to the craft room in the basement where 4 of us work on knotting comforters.  It's one of my favorite activities of the week because I enjoy the 3 ladies I work with.  It's very seldom that I have to email our leader to tell her I'll "not be knotting" that day.

Ann Showalter and Mary Smith

MaryMay Suter, Ann Showalter, Betty Brunk

Betty Brunk, Mary Smith, Eleanor Heishman

MaryMay Suter, Ann Showalter, Betty Brunk

Then, Housekeepping comes at noon twice a month - that's a super bonus that is included in our monthly payments.  Guess what?  I don't have to change the sheets any more!!!

Then at 1:30 I go over to the 5th floor lounge, which is just across the hall, for what I call the "5th Floor Fiesta."   Tuesday afternoon and Friday morning, anyone on 5th floor is welcome to come socialize for an hour.  Sometimes there are 3 people and sometimes 15.  It's a fun time and I feel closer to our neighbors.

 

My most favorite time of each week day is on the porch in front of our lobby.  Every week day we meet at 3:00.  This is open to anyone and everyone who happens by.  It changes from day to day and hour to hour.

We call this the Porch Party and the people are called Porch Peeps.

It is always entertaining, educational, and entails lots of belly laughs.

What do we talk about?  You name it. 

Plus, we get to know people's family members who come to visit. 

Besides our core group, there are various people who show up from day to day or they stop by for a few minutes.

 

When it's too cold, we meet inside.  On those days we're not porch peeps, we are LOBBYISTS!

 

Supper is at 5, then Gary and I go to the lounge (just across the hall from our apartment)  where there's always a jigsaw puzzle in progress, open for all to participate.  I help organize the pieces in box tops and Gary works the puzzle.  We 're always happy when someone works on it and it gives a boost to discover some piece were added.  We do 500 - 1,000 piece puzzles.

This bear one took us over a month.  You can see the box lids where I organize like pieces and colors together.

 

We come home and watch the news we've recorded and maybe watch another show or a movie.  Then we shower and get in bed to read.  Every night I plan to go to sleep at 11 but we almost always stay up till midnight or later.  I read novels and Gary reads TAX MAGAZINES and reports!

 

Guess I'll get busy on the latest biography.  There's a lady named Charlotte Burkholder who writes a one page biography about all the new people who move in to VMRC (Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community - but it's not just for Mennonites).  She emails it to me and I add their photo in the corner.  It's fun to learn about the new folks and what all they've done in their lives.  We have quite a few teachers, professors, missionaries, and ministers among others interesting people.

 

Signing off for now,

Aunt Mary    AKA Auntie MaryMay