To the Editor:

We wish to express our sincere appreciation to Swan Landing Associates. Our family has made many happy memories there since February of 2001 when we moved in, nearly 15 years ago.

Recently, we placed an offer on a house, and will soon be leaving Swan Landing. Some of our friends have asked if the timing of our move is connected to the recent tragedy at Swan. It is not. Home ownership has always been one of our goals, and the timing of this opportunity is unconnected to recent events.

No location can be completely immune to the reach of crime or acts of desperation. Our best defense against darkness is to be good neighbors to each other. And we have had many good neighbors and friends at Swan Landing.

We will miss many things about living at Swan Landing: coming home, walking through the neighborhood, to the smell of curries and other fragrant spices in different homes as dinner is prepared; sharing a barbeque grill with our next door neighbor and our evening back porch chats; the everyday chatter of neighbors on the sidewalk – in Hindi, Mandarin, Sinhala, Ukrainian, Russian, and many other languages – greeting each other and planning potluck suppers, cricket matches, and other gatherings; the sound of the waterfall behind our townhouse, and sunrises glinting on the water and illuminating the sandstone structures across the river; and being an easy walk from Stewart’s gas station and ice cream, Kinney Drugs, and the new Clarkson riverside trail, all right across the street.

Thank you again to Swan Landing Associates, their staff, and our neighbors who have made us sad to leave the neighborhood we fell in love with.

Sam & Suzy McBroom

Potsdam