Rick and Jean Mills spent two years looking at different mountain communities in North and South Carolina before they finally found The Cliffs. The couple, who have lived in Maryland for more than a decade, wanted to move closer to their children and grandchildren and find a place that supported their varied hobbies and interests. Rick says Glassy fit the bill. “The top of the mountain with all its beauty and seclusion was all I needed to see. The small town of Landrum was the icing on the cake.”
Cliffs Living: How did you meet?
Rick: We met at Myrtle Beach while I was on a golf trip with the boys. After shooting a bad round of golf that day and losing 50 bucks, things turned around that night as I found the love of my life on the dance floor.
Cliffs Living: What do you both do for a living?
Jean: We both support the Navy working for a government contractor in Maryland. We look forward to retiring completely sometime within the next few years. Before this major career change for me last year, I was a nurse for 29 years.
Rick: Prior to this, I worked as an electrical engineer for 15 years building flight simulators for the Navy, and I learned to fly a lot of aircraft.
Cliffs Living: How do you spend your time at The Cliffs?
Rick: For me it goes like this: I hit the ball; curse; find the ball in the woods; and repeat. Golf has always been a passion. I love the game and the people I meet playing it. I also started playing pickleball last year, and it’s still a love-hate relationship at this time.
Jean: We both enjoy golfing, hiking, and pickleball. I have joined two book clubs, try to get in as many spin classes as I can, play a little tennis, and have really expanded my gardening knowledge since moving here.
Cliffs Living: Tell us about your home.
Rick: We bought a house here in October 2021. We are surrounded by the watershed on three sides of the house and it provides us a great view and serenity 24 hours a day.
Cliffs Living: Did you do any renovations? Or have plans for future updates?
Jean: We did a bit of work to the house including painting the entire exterior and replacing all the floors in the basement. We upgraded the screened-in patio with new flooring and EZ Breeze windows and that is my favorite room in the house. I love opening the windows and listening to the peace and quiet. We just finished the game room downstairs last fall. We still have a few things to do like remodeling the master bathroom and Rick needs to outfit his workroom. We have one big patio downstairs that we are still not sure what to do with— there is a fight going on about a hot tub!
Cliffs Living: What do you love about life at The Cliffs—and specifically, at Glassy?
Jean: We like to participate in as many events as our schedules will allow. We really like going to the other clubs to play golf and have lunch. The most enjoyable thing about Glassy is the people—everyone is so nice and so much fun to hang out with. I joined the newly formed Newcomers Committee on the mountain and we have really enjoyed meeting everyone. We hosted a happy hour for newcomers that was a lot of fun.
This story was featured in Cliffs Living magazine. To see more stories like this one and learn more about The Cliffs, subscribe here.
