b'withawhiteelephantgift exchange.Some of my close friends had moved away and many of my friends were still work-ing,soIfoundmyselfin the situation where I didnt socializeverymuch,says Paula Radding, a single mom in Maplewood. People were eitherdoingthingswith theirpartnersortheyjust werent around anymore. So I thought, I need to make a concerted effort to meet new people. FORT just came at the right time in my life. Ive just enjoyed it. The Joe Bavazzano, the director of the ADP Centerpeople are smart and inter-for Learning Technologies, educates FORTesting.Andourprograms members on how to use AI in your everyday life.areinteresting.Theresa Photo credit: Alan Levine. bigvariety,saysRadding, who is a member of FORTs planning,downsizing,long-termcooking club and book club and on travel abroad, free college courses forthe event planning committee.seniors,usingAIinyourdailylifeLuiseNeilsonandherpartner andvolunteerism.CulturaloutingsBetsy Eastwood, who live in Maple-in New Jersey and New York, suchwood, recently retired and wasted no asvisitstomuseums,theaterandtime trying to figure it out. restaurants, offer a chance to social- We both like traveling, cycling ize while taking in a show or tryingand pickleball, so that was easy, says out new restaurants. Outdoor activi- Neilson. ties, such as hikes, walks, bike ridesTheytookafive-weektripto and birding, are a great way to getsoutheast Asia that included cycling exercisetogetherandenjoynature.throughVietnam,Cambodiaand FULLY INSURED LIC: 13VH12858300Somegroupsmeetregularly,suchThailand and a visit to an elephantPAINTING CARPENTRYas FORTs book clubs, movie clubssanctuary.Theyalsospentfour and cooking groups. They add eventsweeks in Greece, with a cycling tour& GUTTERSbased on what members want. of the Peloponnese and some island We had people who had spenthopping. But there are also parts of two months in Mexico in the winter,their retirement theyre exploring onINTERESTED IN UPGRADING YOURanother couple whod been in Spain,their own. Neilson is taking online andanothercouplewhodbeeninclassesthroughtheOsherLifelongGUTTERS FROM 5 INCH TO 6 INCH?South Africa, so they came and talk- LearningInstituteatRutgersUni- GET READY FOR WINTERed about whats involved in literallyversity, a program she learned aboutAluminum Copper & Colorspicking up and moving and stayingthrough FORT, in subjects such asK-Style & Half Roundin one place for months at a time,philosophy,drawingandtheSu-Coviello says. preme Court. She also volunteers atWith 6 inch gutters and 3"X 4" downspouts FORTalsoorganizedaprivatelocal animal shelters and coaches foryou canhandle rain water more efficientlytour of Greenwood Gardens, a tripGirls on the Run. Eastwood retired aNEED TO CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS? NOT A PROBLEM!toattendaMothStorySLAMinfew months before Neilson and de-Brooklyn, a Moroccan cooking class,cided she wanted to try somethingWE DO INSTALLATIONREPAIR & SERVICEaneco-cruiseoftheHackensacknew in retirement.CALL US FOR A FREE ESTIMATE(973) 951-0606River, a bike ride at Duke Farms andI was always in science-oriented1980 SPRINGFIELD AVE SUITE 9A, MAPLEWOOD NJ 07040a tour of BAPS Swaminarayan Ak- work in public health. I wanted toTOshardham, the largest Hindu templepursuemyartsyside,saysEast- TO GO TO SAVE outside of India, which happens towood,whoistakingmusicclassesWEBSITE CONTACT beinRobbinsville,NJ.Thegroupat Rutgers University through a dif-hadaholidaypartyinDecemberferent program, NJs Senior Citizenwww.xhrishomeimprovements.com info@xhrismail.comfeature story /27'