Like so many who find themselves enchanted by Maine’s raw beauty as well as the welcoming nature and adventurous spirit of the residents of Highland Green, Patricia Vigilante and Robert Candela were not immune to the charm of either. The couple spent the larger part of their lives commuting to work together from their suburban home to New York, which resulted in a very long day. Needless to say, they agree that they are extremely happy to be retired…and to be spending that retirement at Highland Green.
Patricia and Robert became aware of Highland Green a number of years ago when they came across the Cathance River hiking trails while they were doing some online research of where they might like to hike. Their drive through Highland Green on their way to the Cathance River Nature Preserve was actually what inspired them to move here! With just a few short stints in the Midwest, Patricia has lived most of life in New Jersey. She spent her undergrad years at Columbia, earned her masters at NYU and then spent 40 years as a registered nurse, where her specialties were OBGYN and end of life hospice care.
Born and raised in Michigan, Robert moved in 1969 to take a position at the New York Times, where he served as photo editor for 39 years until his retirement in 2008. An avid reader of literary classics and history, Robert also enjoys playing guitar and singing in his free time; and his love of the outdoors made Maine a great choice for him.
Patricia, his wife of 25 years, has always joined him in his love of the outdoors. In fact, the couple vacationed in Deer Isle the first year they started dating and have been returning to hike through Acadia National Park just about every October since. More recently, their vacation stakes rose when their daughter and her family moved to Brunswick…and they came to love Maine even more.
This past spring, a neighbor made a generous offer to buy their Long Branch, New Jersey home. So, as Robert said, “We decided it was time to make our move, and we knew exactly where we wanted to go. July 1st, they moved to Highland Green.
Patricia and Robert are the second owners of one of the original Highland Green homes. Their single level house, “with lots of trees and birds in the backyard,” also came with a full, finished basement; a two-car garage; a completely enclosed, three-season porch which overlooks the woods and the golf course.
They found that they like the co-op concept of the community as well, mentioning that it’s a pleasure not to have to worry about yard work, that the maintenance team at Highland Green takes wonderful care of the grounds and that they look forward to not worrying about snow removal.
Now that they live at Highland Green, they enjoy visits to the local farmers’ market and, as Robert adds, “eating lobster and oysters, which are plentiful around here!” Patricia jokes that she is pretty sure that they may have tried every lobster shack between Freeport and Camden!
Aside from their partiality to area restaurants, since they moved to Highland Green, Patricia and Robert have expanded their hiking and exploration to the mountains and lakes of interior Maine….and now that they live in close proximity to their grandsons, Patricia and Robert attend as many of their school activities and sporting events as possible. They also enjoy walking along the golf course and the sidewalks throughout the community. As they did for years in New Jersey, they are volunteer drivers for Meals on Wheels, this time with a regular route in Phippsburg. They also look forward to enjoying some live music and theater as soon as they get the chance.
Another thing that Patricia and Robert are so fond of at Highland Green is the fact that they don’t have to go far to spend time with great friends. Robert says that they’ve made good friends here simply through chance meetings, and that the welcoming atmosphere at Highland Green is very refreshing.
Patricia is a knitter and has had the opportunity to attend a knitting session with a few Highland Green residents; and Robert has begun to play music with Highland Green residents who just happen to be a base player and a drummer. Patricia also participates in yoga class, which she attends at the Highland Green Community Center. She has also made friends there who she spends time with outside of yoga. Patricia and Robert also enjoy dinners with their Highland Green neighbors and swimming at the Highland Green pool with their grandsons.
“With our family and so much that we enjoy nearby, Highland Green is an excellent fit for us,” said Robert.
