Monday, June 28, 2010

Arthur toasts the engagement of Nicole and Steve!


Marcy and Arthur loved sharing the celebration of Nicole and Steve’s engagement with neighbors who have come to know Nicole well over all these years we have lived on Leland Street.

Brother-in-Law, Jon, enjoys a friendship with the Solomons. Zak welcomed guests. Florence gets a warm greeting from Steve.
The weather report for the evening predicted rain, thunder and even a tornado! But instead, we enjoyed balmy breezes and the delight of a summer evening brightened by fireflies but no mosquitoes.


We were pleased to have Charles Duffy’s mother, Dorothy join in the celebration. Marcy’s sister, Sheila, niece, Emily and darling new baby Dylan came from Connecticut to share the fun.
Good friend, Sandra Woodward‘s chihuahua dressed to match the bride to be!


Sarah Hodder-Peter Allen ( Former residents of 4130 Leland Street:
Sarah sent an update about Charles, James and Harris, Peter and Sarah, as well as Griffin the dog, and Burke the cat.
We are all well, and growing (Peter and I are growing in slightly different
direction from the kids). Always happily reminiscent of our wonderful two
years on Leland. We still miss everyone and recall fondly the Halloween
parade etc. The Leland Street Streaker (James) still might opt to gleefully
forego clothes if the option of a moon bounce presented itself...
Best to you all,
Sarah et al

LEE: I just returned from Nags Head where I spent that last week with friends with whom I have vacationed there for the past 38 years. 

See pictured here is a typical gathering in the living room at Nags Head of dear friends and former neighbors, Jack Coon in Red shirt, Lois Coon on the right and their son, John Patrick, in red stripe shirt standing nearby. The Coons once lived in the house that Charles and Bonnie now call home.
We started out as young couples and are now enjoying the week with our children and grandchildren.  Just wonderful! 

See above some of the kids and grandkids in Nags Heas. Brian Lee is holding son, Devin. HIs wife, Stacey is seatedat far right next to Devin’s twin, Flannery. J ohn Coon and his partner, Josh, seated 2nd and 4th in top row with their three kids.

Michael’s stepdaughter, Simone, was recently in her second grade play at Somerset School where she played Eleanor Roosevelt. Lou Coon’s neighbor lent her the fabulous hat! She also performed a solo of a Miley Cyrus song.
See Simone above in costume including the marvelous hat lent to her by a Lois Coon’s neighbor. Also above a father-son shot of Brian and Devin.
Michael, Velina and Simone are loving their "forever house" on Rosemary Street.  We had a great and exhausting time painting it and saw the floors refinished.

Ann, Velina at work painting ceiling as Simone looks on.
The kids and I gave them a ping pong table that has been set up in their 21/2 car garage which they hope will be a gathering place for the neighbors.  I love having them so close.
My niece, Emily Malone from North Carolina, is staying with me for the summer while she does an internship (Heathering DC) focusing on energy conservation in the home. She is a recent graduate ofUNC at Chapel Hill and is a real delight. Neighbors will see her as she walks to and from the metro.

FIDLERS: We are looking forward to the summer and the boys are especially excited about sleep away camp.  For dog lovers out there, Jody recommends Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain. 


BOLANDS:. My mother asked if there had been a seismic shift in our area, because there have been so many recent changes in our family: Monty got engaged to Elisabeth Wilson, Jeb and Jen are expecting their first child in mid-October, Shannon and Joe are expecting their 3rd in December, and we've sold our house! Monty and Elizabeth went to grade school together at Blessed Sacrament. The Wilsons live on Taylor St. in Chevy Chase. Monty and Elizabeth began dating in early 2009, and were recently engaged. They plan a summer wedding next year. Jeb and Jen are eagerly expecting their first baby, a little boy, Oct. 15th. Will and Mae Burkhart will have an early Christmas present, a sibling (We will all be surprised as to whether it's a boy or girl.)  Patrick, we might add, has maintained his equilibrium through these changes: still single, still happy.

 The Bolands hosted a lovely gathering on their terrace to introduce the future inhabitants of their home, Amanda and Steve Kinnaird.
 

Steve Kinnaird shares a laugh with Arthur Forrest while Leanne introduced Amanda.


The children enjoyed running across the Boland’s great lawn.
 

The guests enjoyed a balmy breeze and the Bolands’ warm hospitality.



Sending in our last news for the LSSN is bittersweet. We have loved living among you, at both #4132, and #4115, and being a part of the active life on this great block for twenty-five years. We thank each of you for being such special neighbors. With continued luck, our "downsized nest" will be near by.

BATEMAN: We enjoyed a fun and relaxing Memorial Day weekend spending Friday at the National Gallery with our houseguest, Angela Hart, visiting from Nashville.


Angela joined three of the Batemans (hint: not Jill or Terry) for a run to Georgetown on Saturday and all the girls enjoyed attending Sunday morning services at the National Cathedral. The grill in the backyard is definitely fired up for the summer, and as usual, Annie and Claire were on task with many culinary delights. Terry and Jill are excited about the addition of several hydrangea bushes in the back garden and are checking way too often to see if they've grown. Terry and Will are golfing as time allows and Annie and Claire have reserved chaise lounges at the pool. Rugby has gone two Saturdays in a row now on a walk down the trail to Cosi where she gets half a multi grain squagle with jelly. Happy Summer to all Leland Streeters!

COSMAS: Farrell sends an email "post card" from Massachusetts where she has been splitting her time between her son Wil, Karen and Baby Jane's home and her brother Jonathon and wife Deb's home.   She moved into her new residence last week and is eager to begin this new chapter of her life. See Farrell below with the brochure for her new townhouse.

Farrell's dog Maizie passed away last week.   She was Farrell's faithful companion for 14 years.  She will be fondly remembered and dearly missed.
 
SOLOMONS: Damage from the ice & snow set off a flurry of landscaping improvements at 4114. Dorothy is pleased with how the design has developed for the new flower garden in our front yard (where grass simply will not grow). Now she's eager for suggestions of perennials that neighbors have actually had success with (since only a few of the hundreds of seeds she sowed have come up.)

We're also delighted with the back yard and with the newly trimmed cedars-of-Lebanon trees between our house and the Lees'. All neighbors are invited to stop by for a look. Jerry Parnecio did all the hard installing the plants and interpreting Dorothy’s design.

Fred and Dorothy are excited about the reception being given to their son Micah Solomon’s first book.

Just published in April, it's called "Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profits". Its main target audience is retailers and entrepreneurs, but the examples of service that do [ and don't ! ] build a loyal customer base are very amusing and instructive to any reader who's ever encountered atrocious service--and who hasn't? Since its publication in April, there have been a number of reviews in business-oriented magazines and blogs and on Amazon.com--where it's currently the top seller in its category. Learn more about it through the Amazon.com link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0814415385.

FORREST: Nicole as Senior Exhibition Manager for International Arts and Artists journeyed to Japan to present the Norman Rockwell - Kevin Rivoli collection at the Fuchu Museum.  Nicole attended the opening reception and held a press conference and also atteded and event at the Setagaya Art Museum. 

Arthur suggested that Marcy accompany Nicole on the trip for a great Mother-Daughter time, but also because Marcy spent nearly four years in Japan in her youth at Tachikawa Air Base.   Marcy and Nicole did it all! They toured the shrines, temples, museums, arcades, shops, sky high bars, kobe steak houses and especially loved the gardens of Tokyo and Kyoto.

They indulged in every imaginable unidentifiable morsel of food on the end of their chopsticks.   As you can see from the photos, much of the food was delectable and others not quite as tasty!


They loved everything about the trip and returned home incredibly impressed with Japanese people and culture.
     Pitchfork.com has posted a wild and wonderful music video totally created by Zak and Chad for ZF films. Have a look for yourselves, it is like nothing you have ever seen! Check out their Squarepusher Delta-V :
HYPERLINK "http://pitchfork.com/tv/" \l "/musicvideo/6848-squarepusher-delta-v-warp" \t "_blank" http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/musicvideo/6848-squarepusher-delta-v-warp

It can also be viewed here: HYPERLINK "http://www.zf-films.com" \t "_blank" http://www.zf-films.com
Arthur says nighthawk fans of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” can catch reruns of the improv show on the Family network between midnight and 1:00 a.m. Arthur says the entire time he directed this show he was laughing constantly.

MARTZ/DAVIES: We in the Martz Davies house are preparing for a summer filled with camps -- hockey, kayaking, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, you name it, we are doing it.  A terrific school year is ending, although not without a little drama. Nora fell off the monkey bars about a month ago and the subsequent full-arm cast is crimping her summer already. We hope that she gets the cast off in two weeks, right before swim team starts.  We are hanging around DC until our annual trip to the Adirondacks in August.
 
PATCH: Owen Patch just graduated from the 6th grade of Chevy Chase Elementary School and heading off to Westland in the Fall. Emma will be at Chevy Chase Elementary School for fifth grade in the Fall and Erin will be in second grade at Rosemary Hills.We are very excited to finally have our landscaping taking shape.

The kids will be at various sports' camps when we are not in Bethany this Summer. The kids are having a blast playing on the Field Turf in the backyard. As it turned out, we had room for a 3 hole putting green too! Already planning for the Back to School Bannana Split Party - details to follow!  

AYAZ: Last week we traveled to California for our niece's graduation. We had a great time visiting with friends and family! The girls had a blast going on the rides at the Santa Monica Pier and shopping on Third Street Promenade. We made a special trip to Manhattan Beach to visit Nicole's brother and stopped in our favorite ice cream parlor. We are happy the pool has opened and look forward to swimming lessons this summer. We will head back to California in July for some time at the beach in LA and also to enjoy some time visiting friends and family in San Francisco. We are looking forward to a less scheduled summer with time to explore D.C.!


DUFFY: Just before Memorial Day we spent a wonderful week at the North Carolina coast with Bonnie's family.  

Matthew especially loved playing baseball on the beach with his cousins.  We all enjoyed swimming in the ocean and lots of great seafood.  Even baby Ryan seemed to love the sea breeze and being out on the beach.  

Matthew is riding his bike every chance he gets and he's looking forward to when he can take off the training wheels - he says they are really slowing him down. We celebrated Matthew’s "graduation" from the Fours Room at Just Us Kids.   Ryan took his first swim in the Forrest's pool. 
Matthew's favorite place in the summer is Big Train Baseball in Bethesda - a summer college league.  Our outings to these games have seemed to become a summer tradition.

Matthew is busy with Home Run Baseball Camp and takes hockey lesson at Cabin John Ice Rink
The Duffys recommend a trip to the Sunday morning Bethesda farmer's market (Vernon the fish guy always has incredibly fresh offerings.)
This summer we look forward to lots of fun right here on Leland Street, in addition to some long weekends away and a week with Charles' family in North Carolina.

GIBSON: We are looking forward to a laid back summer after the end of the school year rush. Baseball season is winding down for Gordon, then he will gear up for basketball and tennis camp. Molly attended her first school semi-formal dance, in celebration of leaving Westland and entering high school at BCC. At least we have a few years before driving lessons . . . . Lola was recently diagnosed with a tick born illness (she is having a rough puppyhood), but we were lucky, because the antibiotics are working well. We know of at least two other dogs with the same problem, it must be a rough tick season so far.
We are busy with gardening plans, thanks to the rough winter. We lost our lavender plants, rose bushes, heathers, and cosmos. The devastation in the back yard was even worse. Needless to say, we are looking forward to visiting the nursery.

FENDRICK: Three of my grandchildren, who are back from college and school, will be visiting here for a few days before continuing on to Istanbul. Daniel will stay and study Arabic. The girls will be working in a marine biology lab, near Seattle. It sounds exciting. I am looking forward to seeing them before their summer activities begin.
I would like to share with neighbors about a great visit we had last Sunday to Mercersburg , Pa, to the former home of Dan's paternal grandparents, house, now Squire Smith's Bed and Breckfast.

Never have I seen such a well maintained old home, each bedroom with new bath furnished even better than I could imagine; the random width pine floors just gleaming; huge state of the art kitchen, goreous garden.

The house is for sale at $400,000, a bargain for skiiers, or anyone.It's near the new White Tail Ski Resort, and cyclists, a most gorgeous rural route to get there. A newish restaurant, Flannery's, has superlative food, locally grown. A salad of fresh figs-stuffed with local blue cheese, with rondelles of bacon and slivers of carrots and a reduced pomgranate sauce was superlative; local chickens for paninis; Also I wanted the children to see The Fendrick Library One purpose was the visit the cemetary where a number of Fendricks ae buried. That's next door to the very fancy Mercersburg Inn. Down another road is the famous Merscersbug Academy, which has sparkling new buildings and the 10th largest endowment of prep

RUBASHKIN: We are eager to see school end and summer begin. We are looking forward to time in the national parks of Utah, and at the beach, and returning to favorite summer camps. Hannah is home from a good year in college and has entered the local work force. Our tomatoes are growing exuberantly, and we are hoping for a bumper crop this year. The garden is in, and we are glad for the summer rains as the plants settle in for another hot summer. We checked out the new and improved CCRA! Nice exterior, slightly bigger footprint, and a screened in eating area.

Special Post Card to Leland Street Sunday News from Bob and Sylvia Jones.:

Dear Friends,
Sylvia Weaver Jones’ spent her 75th birthday on the Easter adn is soaking up all hte ancient and current history. Bob is enjoying the sights, the fresh fish and the balmy breezes. Our advice: Come here soon before it gets spoiled!
Love to you all,
Sylvia