Freedom is what it’s all about.

Lt. Col. Frank and Ruthie Cushing

“Ruthie and I made a reconnaissance of Wesley Palms while we were still living in our three-story home in Del Cerro. Being San Diegans, we’d heard great things about it from friends, but we were still surprised. A forty-four acre neighborhood that feels more like a park, and such fascinating people… And when we saw this two-bedroom cottage with a sunroom and beautiful ocean view, we fell in love with it. It was just the right size for our new life.”

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Cushing and his wife Ruthie started their search for a new life in their Del Cerro kitchen. They awoke one morning to find it flooded. And that was just the beginning ­ another leak damaged four more rooms. By the time they were through renovating, two years had gone by.

It was about that time that Frank sat down to read the September edition of Military Officers Magazine, which happened to be devoted to the subject of retirement communities. “It said don’t wait until you’re 95, start looking now, and we were both pushing 80 at that time. And we thought, well, we’ll just start looking around,” remarked Frank.

The Cushings knew more than a few people who already lived at Wesley Palms, most notably retired Lt. General Victor Krulak. So they stopped by for a visit, and met with Debbie from the marketing department. She talked with them, showed them around and arranged a lunch with a resident couple.
“We told Debbie that we would need a two bedroom if possible, but unfortunately none were available, so she was preparing to show us a one bedroom just to give us an idea,” said Frank. “Then she said, ‘Wait a minute, we have a cottage originally built in ’62 for the managing director, which is under renovation but will be coming available. Why not take a look at it?’”

It took Frank and Ruthie all of three hours to make up their minds. They called her back that day and said they’d take it. “No one talked anyone into anything,” said Frank. “We just knew it was the right thing to do.” The timing could not have been more fortuitous. They moved in on the first of November, and the sale of their home closed on the 15th.

When Frank was asked what surprised him most about the experience, he replied, “I guess it was that, for the first time in my life, I would have better quarters than General Krulak!”

One thing is for certain, Frank and Ruthie were free of the responsibilities of maintaining a forty-year-old home, and free to pursue their passions amid forty-four acres of landscaped gardens and greens, sweeping ocean and bay views and engaging and remarkable people. And all with the peace of mind that comes with a wellness clinic and assisted living right on property.

And it turns out their new life wasn’t so “new” after all.

“We thought we’d surely miss the things we’ve grown to love about the old neighborhood, but it’s all still there, just twenty minutes away.