I wrote this article on Feb. 24, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. and then misplaced the notebook it was in because I broke my rule, to never reorganize my stuff; I often never find it again.
As I write this I’m sitting on a park bench in Ormond Beach, Fla., with the Halifax River at my back and the Atlantic Ocean two blocks away. I’m staring at the winter residence of John D. Rockefeller. The house along with the riverside park I’m sitting in is called The Casements, because of all the casement windows in the dwelling. It is now a museum and a gathering space for public events.
The park is lined with benches along the river, walkways, greenery, a pond and an open-air pavilion. It plays host to many activities, from old fashion fairs to weddings. The park is occupied by walkers (with and without dogs) and joggers; people on bicycles (like me), and young mothers and nannies pushing strollers. It’s a great space, well used and much appreciated.
Rockefeller picked it for his home because of the climate and the proximity to the ocean and the river. He figured this idyllic spot gave him the best chance of making it to 100. He could afford to live anywhere, but this is the place he chose.
He moved here when he was in his 70’s, and made it to age 97. Not bad. I’m trying to do the same, visiting the park on my way home from Starbucks each morning, stopping to sip coffee, plug away at an old coot article and people watch. I’m not an owner, like Rockefeller was, just an interloper, soaking up the ambiance.
It’s ironic that he ended up in Ormond Beach, and so did I (at least part of the year), and that he also considered Owego his hometown area, having been born nearby in Richford, N.Y. and then moved to a farm on the outskirts of the Owego Village, where he attended high school when it was housed in what is now one of the county office buildings.
What’s my point? It just shows you don’t have to be a Rockefeller to enjoy the embrace of a quaint village in the north and an estate’s grounds between a river and the sea in the south. The good life is out there and available. All you have to do is recognize it and enjoy it.
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