Bridge-building is something we regularly do at Elderberry.
Usually it happens during a business meeting as part of the consensus process,
building a bridge between different proposals until we make the one that suits everyone. 

But right now we’re talking real bridges,
the wooden kind!

The biggest new bridge is in the 12 acres we share with our
sister community Potluck Farm. Its purpose is to make Buena Vista more accessible.
As you might have guessed from the name, this is the beautiful view where
both Elderberry and Potluck Farm residents gather, especially to watch wonderful sunsets. 
So, this project not only crossed a creek, but bridged communities and generations too!

Part of our commitment to living as green as we can is to carefully use
the resources we have. Sometimes this means a lot of work - like moving this log!
Team work makes the difference on all of our projects - more fun too!

We bridged the animal kingdom as well - Minnie (the little one on the left) and
Riley (on the right) join Joan, Mary and Leslie to celebrate the sturdiness of the new bridge.

“Bridge over the River Kwai”

Somehow the other, smaller bridge got named the “bridge over the River Kwai”.
It crossed over a gorge, well really just a 2-foot ditch, which in
North Carolina is called a swale (not to be misunderstood as “swell”), between Elderberry’s Common House and one of the main paths. 

You might expect Elderberry folks to like traveling.
After all, almost all of us have moved to North Carolina (and are glad we did!) 

Our most recent members are from Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana and Nebraska.
And we keep on traveling! Since mid-January, here’s what we’ve been doing:
Karolyn and Richard flew to Brazil for their niece’s wedding to a Kiwi (maybe a trip to
New Zealand is next). Joan swam with sting rays (uh-huh) off the Cayman Islands.
Then Joyce swam (!) with whales 70 miles off the Dominican Republic for five days.
Nancy and Dick joined Mary and family for a week at Carolina Beach.
This beach is an Elderberry favorite! Anne and Jeff also headed there to celebrate their
25th anniversary. Vonda and Cecil headed to Hawaii and Arizona on their
annual trip to visit her kids and grandkids. (Note to self: encourage children to move to
scenic areas). They will return just as Mike heads off to Taiwan to visit his son. 
(Another note to self). By the way, it’s not that we encourage each other to take off,
but it is really great to live in a community of folks who can check your mail,
water your plants, tend your animals and share great stories of their travel adventures.

We always welcome visitors, especially to show off the last two of our houses, which are now at the exciting point where you can imagine how they’ll look when construction is complete. 

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 19 thur 21:
National Cohousing Conference
in Nashville, Tennessee

On May 19-21, we invite you to register for the National Cohousing Conference in Nashville, TN. This is a great way to learn more about cohousing. While you’re there, please stop and visit with our members Anne and Jeff Evensen at our display table.

End of June:
Elderberry Open House and South Quad christening!

In June, you’ll have yet another opportunity to visit us as we hold our own open house in celebration of the end of construction at Elderberry. As we write this, the South Quad is under roof, with only two units still available.  

At Elderberry we always insist that you are not just buying a house but are joining a community, so if you think you might be interested, we encourage you to start your inquiry now by contacting Rosemarie Sawdon at sawdon@msn.com. Rosemarie can help you schedule a visit and explain the membership process. Of course, everyone at Elderberry has made the decision to live in community and we would be happy to talk with you.