In (Perfect) Time

As lifelong dancers, Clifford and Lydia Hudsick certainly know how to stay in time. Their great timing also extends beyond the dance floor. 

The Hudsicks met in the Pacific Northwest but have always been willing to move when the time was right. The cosmopolitan couple recently became Charter Members of Gardenside, Ingleside at King Farm’s new independent living residences. 

An exciting new addition to the Ingleside at King Farm campus, Gardenside will add 120 new independent living residences, memory support assisted living residences, and a state-of-the art Center for Healthy Living. The Center will include a cultural arts center, art studio, library, classrooms, game and card rooms, fitness center, salon and spa, and a variety of other amenities. The Center reflects Ingleside at King Farm’s ongoing commitment to providing residents with the resources to achieve and maintain an integrated and engaged life.

Gardenside residents will also enjoy all the benefits of Ingleside at King Farm’s larger campus and the surrounding community amenities. Ingleside is located in the heart of the walkable, intergenerational community of King Farm. 

Ingleside has more than a century of expertise in the senior living field and is proud to offer high-quality care coupled with the security and peace of mind that comes with choosing a nationally accredited life plan community. 

Clifford and Lydia started searching for retirement communities in the D.C. Metropolitan region because they wanted to be closer to their daughter and her family—especially their two young grandchildren. When they heard about Gardenside, everything seemed to click. 

“We came to King Farm once and just fell in love with how walkable the larger community is,” said Lydia. “We can walk to a major grocery store, cute restaurants and all kinds of services quicker than we could walk to the gym where we were living. It’s just a great community.”

Time to Dance

A native of New York, Clifford moved to Michigan to complete his graduate work in urban planning. He was then recruited for a position in Portland. After starting his career in civil engineering, Clifford transitioned into urban planning. He was one of the key planners behind the Portland International Airport nearly 30 years ago. After earning an MBA and stints in real estate finance and banking, Clifford ended his career as the Vice President of Finance of a large development company. 

While not a major piece of his long and accomplished career, his work at the Portland Port Authority was certainly memorable. “On her first day of work at the Port of Portland, I met Lydia, and I fell in love,” he recalled.

“On our first date, we played racquetball. On our second date, I cooked dinner. On our third date we went to Earthquake Ethel’s, a disco club, after seeing Flash Dance,” Clifford said. “And that was it. We’ve been together ever since.” 

Raised in Smyrna, Tenn., just outside of Nashville, Lydia attended the University of Florida and later moved to San Francisco. When she relocated to Portland and earned an MBA, she began working at the Port Authority and met Clifford—finding both her partner and her calling in one place. 

Lydia managed the research department at the Portland Port Authority for 20 years. Her department did marketing, transportation and economic research. Lydia also served as Assistant Treasurer for the Port Authority during her tenure.

Retirement Time

After retiring, the Hudsicks spent several years living in Portland and wintering in Florida. Their time in Florida prompted a more permanent move.

“We were spending winters on a barrier island in Florida, and we realized that there were so many people out and about during the day,” recalled Lydia. “It wasn’t like that in Portland. Everyone was at work. It was so much more fun to be surrounded by other retirees and have people to mingle with during day.”

A fortuitous trip to Savannah led the couple to the perfect lifestyle. They toured an active adult community near Hilton Head, S.C. and decided on a whim to place their name in the housing lottery. 

When the community called and said they had been selected, the Hudsicks were already on their way back to Oregon. The adventurous couple turned the car around and drove back to the community they would then call home for 14 years. 

Family Time

While the Hudsicks loved their active adult community, they began to tire of the nearly 11-hour drive to visit their daughter and her family in Maryland. “The drive was just too long, and our daughter wants us to have a real influence on our grandchildren’s lives,” Lydia explained.

When the Hudsicks started to search for life plan communities in Maryland, their friends were shocked. “People told us it was too early for us to move to a life plan community. But we knew that if you wait five years, it might be too late,” said Lydia. “We wanted to move earlier and find the perfect place. And we did.”

The new Gardenside addition to Ingleside at King Farm will allow the Hudsicks to be close to their family and near all the amenities of the city. They can take their granddaughter to school every morning, and spend their evenings dancing at nearby clubs. 

“There are so many places to dance here. We love to do the Argentine tango. And there is no place to do that were we live now,” Lydia explained.

Moving to a life plan community gives the Hudsicks the freedom to continue living life on their own terms.  The couple can also travel without worrying about leaving their home unattended. 

“We exercise every day. We go dancing as much as we can. We cook. We travel. We go to Paris twice a year for a month,” said Clifford. “We can do that all and more at Gardenside.”

Time to Connect

In addition to the freedom and peace of mind that moving to Gardenside provides, the Hudsicks are also looking forward to becoming founding members of the new community. Residents will begin moving into Gardenside’s new independent living homes in November 2019. The charter residents will have a unique opportunity to form connections and influence the atmosphere of the community.

“There are only a few times in life when everybody moves at the same time. College is one,” Lydia said. “When you all move in together, there is this automatic bond. It helps encourage friendships and connections. We are very much looking forward to it.”

The Time is Right    

The unique lifestyle offered by Gardenside at Ingleside at King Farm will allow Clifford and Lydia Hudsick to live life to the fullest. “Moving to Gardenside will help us maintain our great quality of life.” Clifford concluded. Lydia concurred, “We don’t want to lose that as we age—our enjoyment of life and our social engagement. We want to kick it up a notch.”

There is no doubt that there will be many more kicks, turns and spins for Clifford and Lydia Hudsick—a couple who has always recognized that the perfect time is right now.