Living in community has become a way of life for Barbara Bullock.


Cultivating W


hen she began considering retirement, purchasing a tiny home was her initial desire—but that plan didn’t pan out. Instead, she discovered Landis Communities.


“When I walked into a Steeple View Lofts apartment and saw the wood, steel piping, high ceilings, and exposed brick, I thought, ‘Tis is where I’m going to live,’” Barbara shares.


Barbara moved from Buffalo, New York to Steeple View Lofts in December 2023.


Now, she is immersed in a new, vibrant community, and enjoys building a community of her own centered around her greatest passion – cooking. Having once lived in New York City, Barbara has been exposed to cuisines from around the world but it didn’t become an interest of hers until she left her career in TV and video editing with USA Networks.


“I became very interested in cooking and taught myself with cookbooks and the internet!” Barbara remembers.


Prior to this shift, her cooking experience was negligible. “Tere was a joke at work that I only knew how to boil water for an egg,” she laughs. “But once I had time to explore, I fell in love with cooking!”


When her son was ten, she decided to get her culinary degree. She then ran a personal chef business for a few years before starting work as a cook for Whole Foods Market – a position she held for 14 years.


When it came time for retirement, Barbara notes, “Social connection was something I was craving.”


Steeple View Lofts has become the community for which she was longing. “I love living in a small city,” she says. “It is truly a community because everyone in the building looks out for each other.” Weekly social events provide Barbara with opportunities to connect with residents she doesn’t often see.


Barbara enjoys supporting local farmers, visiting her favorite stops such as Te Bread Peddler and Roots Farm Market, caring for her beloved feline, Lulu, and participating in the Lancaster


Downtowners, which has greatly enhanced her life by introducing her to people her own age who are active and involved. “I’ve developed some good friendships within the group,” Barbara says.


Of course, she always finds time to cook. “Food is sustenance and it brings people together,” she shares. Cooking relaxes and focuses me. I love sharing meals with friends and family.”


She enjoys making things from scratch and in season, such as vegetarian main dishes, shrimp and chicken, quiches, tofu dishes, and Indian and Mexican food. “I eat healthy,” she says, citing her 1993 diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and her mother’s diagnosis of dementia as motivations to remain healthy and active. “I hope to live independently as long as I can. I want to enjoy life in the present, do things I love, and spend time with the people I love.”


Barbara is doing just that. She continues enjoying her new home at Steeple View Lofts, finding the freshest produce at the local farmers markets, listening to live music, and in the end, sharing in community.


Landis.org | FLOURISH | Fall 2024 • 17


“It is truly a community because everyone in the building looks out for each other.”


Community, Together


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