My Little Paradise

A special home in the Bentley Lane neighborhood in Lancaster Township is for sale. Abel Vergis is selling his beloved property at 150 Bentley Lane.

The two-story, brick Colonial home is in a great neighborhood and the property features exceptional landscaping. Also, the home’s design follows Vaastu Shastra, an ancient science on how forces of nature affect buildings and their occupants.

The neighborhood

Ask anyone who lives in the neighborhood and they will tell you, it is special. Homes are spread around a large circle and there is only one entrance, onto Millersville Pike (Route 999), providing a quick commute to Lancaster and Millersville. The other end of the neighborhood borders a golf course and lies near the Little Conestoga Creek. Deer and recently even wild turkeys roam the area.

“They picked this area for a reason. The neighbors watch out for each other.”

Retirees occupy six out of every ten homes and most are professionals, Vergis said on a recent morning at his home. “They picked this area for a reason. The neighbors watch out for each other.” Neighbors pick up a newspaper in a driveway if the owners are away on vacation to deter crime. One neighbor even power washed the large brick patio behind Vergis’ home for him.

The higher elevation of the back of Vergis’ more than 1-acre lot provides a good vantage point for the nearby July 4 fireworks, but it’s the unheard noises that delight Vergis.

“It is serenity. You don’t hear cars or neighbors,” he said. “There is no light pollution.” The home sits on a hill and is farther from the street than most any of the homes in the neighborhood, providing privacy. “My neighbor and I joke that we could go out naked and no one would see us.”

Abel finds his home

Vergis, 63, grew up in southern India in the state of Kerala. It has been called “God’s own land” because of its placid backwaters, lush greenery, picturesque hill towns and beautiful beaches. The Vergis family had its own rice paddy field on a hill in the town of Tiruvallur. Abel remembers running down the hill to a river. Water buffaloes, cows and ducks were plentiful.

Vergis met his wife, Sara, at their arranged marriage in 1984. They moved from Connecticut to Lancaster County in 2004 and Abel began working as a financial controller of RR Donnelley’s West plant.

“I saw more than 100 homes before buying this,” Abel said. “As soon as I drove by, I said, ‘I want it.’

The couple didn’t buy a permanent home right away. Indian families live in a home for decades and many for generations. The Vergises looked for the perfect home for more than two years. “I saw more than 100 homes before buying this,” Abel said. “As soon as I drove by, I said, ‘I want it.’ My wife didn’t even see it until after I signed the contract. I let my son tell her. She was mad at me.”

Until she saw the property.

“There was a twinkle, twinkle in her eyes. Her (childhood) house was also up on a hill. Once she saw it, she fell in love with it.

“Saturdays and Sundays we tended garden together, and did pruning,” Vergis said. “It was therapy. We came back to normal.”

‘My little paradise’

At the time, there was a tennis court on the plateau at the back of the lot and six golf holes for putting. Posts show where the holes are, but they haven’t been used for some time, Vergis said. The property had limited landscaping.

The Vergises changed that in a big way, planting about 90 percent of the plants that now highlight the property. After adding a small fortune in the patio area and lovingly-chosen outdoor plants, they added the automatic irrigation system and countless hours of care. The couple had hectic, challenging jobs through the week; Sara was a social worker. “Saturdays and Sundays we tended garden together, and did pruning,” Vergis said. “It was therapy. We came back to normal.”

Day lilies, tulips, gladiolas, grape and string bean vines, butterfly bushes and six different types of roses transformed the lot into what Vergis calls a “little paradise.” Hang a hammock from the spruce tree and enjoy the birds chirp in the weeping willow and dogwood trees. Look near the mailbox and see a heart shaped by the bushes. A “lucky clover” Mexican flower is one of the uncommon surprises for flower enthusiasts.

From Spring to Fall, there are flowers for every season, Vergis said. “For two to three months a year, the whole place smells like heaven.” At noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. daily, chiming church bells complete the idyllic setting. Sunlight moves across the kitchen to the right in the Spring and to the left in the Fall. “Sunrises with the mist are heavenly,” he says. “It is tranquil.”

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