A Day in the Life - Sylvia & Rick

Rick and Sylvia Kirgis moved into their cottage on Sunrise Ridge Circle in December 2019, and Sylvia says, “Life is easy at Kendal.” Rick chimes in with, “No mowing!”

Rick is a former Dean of the W&L Law School and Sylvia worked as an administrative assistant at W&L. Since they had lived in Lexington for many years before moving to Kendal, they already had friends here. Before construction of the Sunrise Ridge Circle had begun, Sylvia says they picked the location of their new cottage based on its view of the mountains. “We walked around and found the view we wanted,” says Sylvia, “and then said, ‘whatever you build here, we want it.’”

Because of the mountain views, the Kirgises say the front porch is their favorite room of the house. “And it’s big!” says Sylvia. Their home is an “S3” duplex, and they say it has the perfect floor plan. “Our cottage is laid out in such a way that Rick uses the sunroom as his study,” Sylvia says. “I usually set up at the kitchen table with my computer. The kitchen is surprisingly large, with good cabinet space. The master bedroom is off by itself, so he can get up and make noise while I sleep in.”

Rick and Sylvia’s schedules start out different, and then quickly merge!

Mornings: Rick gets up at 5:00 a.m. “I fix coffee, orange juice, get the paper,” Rick says. Sylvia gets up at 7:30 or 8:00, and then they have breakfast together. “Then we take a walk all around Kendal, and sometimes further,” says Rick. Sylvia explains, “We try to get in a couple of walks a day. Two to three miles, if we can.” Rick can be identified by his fast pace and his Cubs baseball cap. Other morning activities for the Kirgises include use of the Fitness Center. Sylvia takes a couple of classes each week, and they go to the weight room together twice a week. Wednesday is their busiest day, when they participate in Community Bible Study. Sylvia takes part in a leaders group first on Zoom. Then they each zoom in on a small discussion group. After a quick lunch, they’re off to the pool.

Afternoons: Sylvia enjoys playing bridge with a group of friends and has found a safe way to participate with them during Covid. They play bridge on a website and use their cell phones to talk with the folks they’re playing with online. Rick and Sylvia also enjoy playing pickle ball, a game described as a cross between doubles tennis and doubles ping pong, played on a court that is about two-thirds the size of a tennis court, using paddles and a ball that resembles a whiffle ball. They play at a gym in Natural Bridge but haven’t been playing during Covid. “We were in the first group that got started in this area,” Rick says. He says pickle ball is usually co-ed and is an ideal game for active seniors. “Older folks can play it. You don’t overexert.”

Evenings: Rick and Sylvia enjoy dinner together in their home, with meals delivered daily to the front door, but are looking forward to returning to having evening meals in the Kendal Dining Room. Rick says the Kendal community is filled with “interesting people.”

When asked what their favorite things are about living at Kendal, Rick says, “Good food and only the minimal yard work that I choose to do, like flower beds.” Sylvia’s favorite thing about living at Kendal at Lexington is “Fellowship with people in our age group. And the living is easy year round, not just summertime!”