Pictures of camel rides, European cathedrals, and the Great Wall of China cover Bea Sinder’s walls. An expert traveler, Bea has spent much of her time overseas in places like Japan, Singapore, and Italy. She does not travel anymore because of how tiring it can be. She said, “You need a lot of energy to travel. People think they are having a vacation, but you need a vacation when you get back!” With the writing group at The Nottingham, she wants to take her stories of far off places and put them down onto paper. The writing group has also given her a chance to read new stories such as The Black Dog of Fate by Peter Balakian, and Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Since she recently had cataract surgery, she is about to spend more time reading, which is a hobby that she has had for many years.

Bea came from Long Island, which you can tell by her accent, and took courses at Queens College. She got a job managing a law office, which she loved because as she said, “It was never the same thing twice in a row.” She was married twice, and had a daughter and a son. Her son lives in New York City, but her daughter lives near Syracuse, which is why she chose to live at The Nottingham. She gets to see her daughter often, and is also reminded of the rest of her family by her many pictures. It’s no surprise her children love to travel as much as she does. Bea said, “They all love traveling! It must be in the blood.”

Bea joined the writing group because she always loved writing as a child, and got much praise for it, but what she loves most about it is the people. “The people in the group are so interesting, and so nice!” she said. Bea also noted how much The Nottingham has to offer, how nice the staff is, and how much she likes being here in Syracuse. “Syracuse is great,” she said. “It smells clean, the air is fresh, and the water is beautiful.”

Profile by Caitlin Heikkila.